EmmaJava

Super cool, congratulations! Funny how things work out, huh?

Sure thing, fire away!

Hahaha - YES.

Thanks! And welcome to the wonderful world of waiting where the water is ok... I crossed U of Arizona out of my signature as an implied rejection but am now wondering whether that will be my 6th waitlist? By the way, this is a lot of waiting and I am starting to think that aspects of my application made me just strong enough not to be rejected but not well-fit enough to get an acceptance - maybe the whole thing to do with doing away with my fit paragraph. Or...maybe not. Ohio State's rejection will forever bewilder me.

I did my MA at CU Boulder and got into Purdue and Hawaii and wait listed all over the place, including UVA, Mizzou and Santa Barbara. There was a recent comment too from someone else who did an MA at Boulder and spoke to the cohort's success in applying to PhD programs, something along the lines of everyone who tried it got into at least one top-50 program, though that has less to do with your inquiry about a gap there were nevertheless plenty of others with gaps similar to mine... I've made some allusions to the pro seminar that they offer and it is top-notch so that sounds about right. Happy to provide more info or chat privately, let me know what you think and good luck!

Yep, I took a good long break and not only that - when I went back, I did so switching from International Relations/Political Science into English Lit. Then I went for an MA before applying to the PhD, and that too came with a break. I think these breaks have done me well, but I'll echo what xolo said about getting your academic references. If you can shore those up, then the rest is all up to you, and passion can fuel those other bits - SoP, writing sample, etc. I will say a quick word about how a break between my MA and PhD was perceived/discussed/etc vs how it played out in reality. I had a proseminar in my MA, which was fantastic, and which I was told in no uncertain terms that there was essentially zero reason to worry about the wait to apply that I was facing (I knew that I would wait at least 2 years to apply to PhD programs, and here I am). And...yeah, I have had moderate success in my PhD application cycle, and things have gone well. But the distance in time between me and my recommenders did become a factor. The writing I did for my writing sample without the guidance of mentors became a factor, even though I am incredibly proud of it and it is headed for peer-review publication. I guess what I am saying is that there is nothing on paper, or in the conventions, or inherent in the profession, that looks down upon the gaps between degrees, and a dose of experience may help you stand out as an applicant (your 5-year rundown shows that you are an impressively industrious soul)...but also that however life and relationships may evolve in those intervening years is a total wild card. The fact that you're here, asking this, tells me that those intervening years haven't derailed you, and you should absolutely go for it. And if I'm reading you right, you're beginning w/ the MA, which is fantastic. I was a non-traditional 30-something when I went for my MA in English Lit and will be every bit the non-traditional 40-something PhD graduate. For me, it simply wouldn't have worked if I was emerging from this whole process as a 26-year old or whatever. I wouldn't be the same applicant, and for me - as I suspect for many of the non-traditionals - that's part of the beauty. Embrace it.

Waitlisted at DU, for a grand total of 5 waitlists!!!!!

Great post, seriously, and thanks so much. I'm pulling for you and others as well, and I echo every sentiment here.

And, if I am reading your signature correctly, you got in! Isn't that wild? Good work.

Thanks!! Likewise. The NZ connection would also be fun to explore. Seriously, I cannot believe it, but I forgot to apply to UMD and Indiana, yes! Both laden with scholars that I've admired and used extensively. For Passannante, I did this wicked cool meta-review thing on The Lucretian Renaissance and then worked it into a larger project on Milton and Spenser for a seminar paper. Not my area, but definitely my speed when it comes to theory. And then I even emailed with him!!!!! In full disclosure, this was a rough process for me. Thanks for all the kind words, because since about November-ish, I've been in survival mode.Forgetting to apply to certain schools was very much a function of just being fully overwhelmed in every possible way. I vaguely remember a hazy, drunken afternoon in early December when I got most of my applications out in a single afternoon - just bit the bullet and blasted things out, shotgun-style. I grabbed the bottle and just hit it, and after spending hundreds and hundreds of dollars, I called it good...until the next round, right? And then there were the early January deadlines. Rinse, repeat. And my list was ever-changing, anyway. I remember vetting it with my recommenders and just thinking, "what the hell?" There was no way to determine fit, or at least I didn't get help with it or know what to do. Hence the 20 applications. And the forgetfulness. Gah. Fortunately, it looks like Purdue is going to be just the ticket, I am just itching to commit but there is all of this pending information...remember when I created a thread called "Seriously impressed by Purdue"? I meant it then and I mean it now, and now it seems in retrospect like all signs have always pointed toward West Lafayette, IN.

Yes, indeed - I think you need to send from all institutions and not let the MA "speak for itself," so to speak. I know this because I have MA and BA grades on one transcript and another masters transcripted from another institution, but one adcomm in particular thought I had just submitted the MA transcript and so they came back to me asking for "the other one" with my BA grades. Even though there wasn't "another one," it is clear that they wanted to see each degree transcripted separately. And yes, it costs a fortune, don't I know it...

A voice of reason and a cooler head prevailing. Usually the right answer, yep, thanks for the reminder. And thanks too for the nice words, always appreciated! Here's to everyone who is unsure of where they will be in about half a year from now - good company.

I know that some DU decisions have been made and must have gone out, but I'm still waiting. This seems a little crazy to me - like, we're going well past the "be patient" phase and entering the "this is nuts" phase. I don't think they're doing themselves any favors. Thoughts? And as I consider my options and take info from their FAQs, I see that they don't guarantee funding for full program length, just three years (yes, I realize that would have been something to be aware of prior to applying, but I didn't see it until recently; I guess I assumed that real programs are fully funded programs). Cost of living in Denver is nothing to sneeze at. They are a really strong creative writing program (which appeals to me a lot, just in terms of vibe), but their literary studies rank doesn't even remotely approach Boulder's, the other one in the area. I hit it off with one faculty member, but my enthusiasm is waning and the stock is plummeting. Any reason to hold out, or shall I just move on? I wouldn't have applied in the first place if I didn't think it would be a good fit, so it's hard to write them off entirely before the info is all in. On the other hand, I've noted before and I'll say it again - there is an interesting aspect in learning about the programs as we go, here, and I feel like I'm coming to know a program that likes to shoot itself in the foot. I'd be curious if anyone else waiting on DU is having similar thoughts or if I just need a hug and a beer and a good hard workout.

To the person who posted on the results board about declining their offer to Mizzou, first of all, THANK YOU!, and second of all, could you please be so kind as to specify what your area is? Thanks in advance.

Yep, I've been asking this, too. Definitely a factor, even if I'm not sure how much I weight it.

Ok, cool - thanks for the info. Sounds like I'm just still waiting, then. Here's hoping that ASU is your money shot.

Where!? I don't see it - I'm on the page that lists all the green check marks next to my application pieces...I can't see a status anywhere.

Is it DU you're still waiting on, BooksCoffeeBeards? Me too. Good luck!

I'm pulling for you! Apparently it's still "early" for waitlists - this according to three of the four DGS's who've waitlisted me.

Yeah - totally. I think we're all somehow indexing these factors together into a maximum curve kinda thing - a "what's hitting on all or most cylinders" kinda thing. I'm so not a math person, so I just kind of mentally calculate, but I'm using pretty much the exact same criteria as you, and weighting them more or less the same. Research fit and placement record come just above ranking, for me. Check and checkmate. The idea being that if you can do your absolute best work in a place that excels in placing people who do their absolute best work, then ultimately that counts more than a ranking, since - let's face it - the end goal of a rank is to accomplish getting placed, presumably because you were able to do your best work there. And doing your best work will make you a happier person. Everything else is a sort of icing on the proverbial cake. I've also thrown "ability to teach upper division courses in my own area" into the mix, and I generally put in a "geography" factor in place of your "weather" factor, but same diff. "Cost of living" factor sky-rocketed on my list, somewhat unexpectedly, after my Hawaii acceptance and my UC-SB waitlist - then you index cost of living with the offer itself in a way that is well-documented (x money goes much further in x location, etc.). Didn't see that coming (although in retrospect it's totally obvious). It's funny what this process will do to your perspective on certain things. I was just thinking about how difficult it was to discern "good fit" or the general character of a department when I was trying to figure out which schools to apply for...now that things are unfolding, the character and fit of the departments seem obvious, too. Then again, if we knew everything in advance, we'd only apply to the schools that accepted us, so I'm not too hard on myself. But it is interesting. Last October feels so long ago, next August and start of fall semester feels so far away.

I totally hear what WT is saying, and given WT's track record of encouragement and ridiculously solid posts, I do not mean to come off as contrarian, but another consideration worth taking into account is that being "completely unsure of your future path right now" is - in another sense - a wonderful place to be, and my feeling is that more should be done to celebrate it rather than lament it. Do you realize what this means? This means total freedom to figure it all out. That was one of the most joyful and rewarding phases of my own life, and it took me forever...but in taking me forever, I'm not the financial or emotional wreck that everyone worried I would become (and where does that worry come from?! ). In fact, I'm the opposite. Just bask in freedom, options, possibilities. Take however much time you need to learn however much you need to learn. Ain't no hurry, yo.

Also talking about Literary Studies.

Strike that - just waiting on 1 school now, as Stony Brook finally rejected me!

I called them this morning and got a voice mail that "decisions should be out in the next several weeks" (!!!!!!!). Apparently they are dealing with a new system or something. My sympathy and patience is dwindling, though, as it's, you know, 3/7/2016.

I've been thinking about this. Given the April 15th deadline, and the fact that decisions are still forthcoming (I'm still waiting on 2 schools), and the fact that even people with good options are also waitlisted, and the fact that there are campus visits still shaking out, it's kind of impossible to expect many, if any, applicants to have all of the relevant info at their disposal for a hard commitment just yet. I hear that. I think the perception is that some applicants may have a handful of attractive offers, which - to be fair - is hard for everyone to really relate to, which in turn makes it harder for mortals like us to fully appreciate their timelines. There are also vastly different attitudes and ethics toward such things as vetting acceptances, negotiating, etc. I know that for myself, full knowledge of waitlist status would translate to a firm decision from me within a couple of weeks at the latest. But I suspect that's not fair to everyone. Plus - here is something: I have discerned a pattern in which most schools seem to adhere to the April 15 deadline, while simultaneously making a hopeful request for an answer by around March 20-ish. This is striking me as more or less conventional - and given the situation that we collectively find ourselves in, it strikes me as reasonable, too. I'm going to make a hell of an effort to honor that request...no guarantees, but I'm going to try, even if it means still not knowing about UVA or UC-SB. I realize that's quite the thing to say and I may be inviting some criticism, but whatever, it's my honest hope and desire and that's how I want to be known for rolling.