sarahchristine

I'm also applying for Romanticism + graduated with my MA this year. My interests are prose fiction and women writers, two understudied aspects of Romanticism, so I'm in a similar situation of struggling with the question of fit for my PhD applications. For my MA, I applied to schools with faculty who worked in Romanticism broadly + faculty who worked on religion and literature, which worked out because my search was limited by needing funding + wanting to stay on the East Coast. 
Fit (imo) is much less important at the MA level, especially since an MA thesis is a much smaller commitment than a doctoral disseration. From my own experience, the MA is a time to be broadly exposed to various fields, develop your reading and writing skills, and refine your research interests - rather than have the opportunity to intensely focus on your personal interest. A number of my classmates came in with one interest in one field and left with a different one. I think finding professors who work in your general areas and not get too caught up in making sure interests align exactly. You might look for professors who work with literature and philosophy in 18/19c, for example, even if they might not consider themselves Romanticists. You might also look for general Romanticists, even if they don't focus on philosophy or P Shelley. Also! Ask your professors (especially the professor advising your thesis, if they're a Romanticist) if they have recommendations on programs that might align with your research interests - they probably have a good idea of who works on what, where.
I don't know if this is helpful, and this advice is tailored for applying to the MA vs. PhD + in the US (I have no insight into the UK, sorry). I would, however, absolutely recommend doing an MA before the PhD - I grew so much as a scholar during my MA. Feel free to shoot me a PM if you want to commiserate about applying as a Romanticist / ask about my experiences in my MA / whatever. 

Hi everyone. Thought I'd log back into the good ol' GradCafe to see how this year's application cycle is looking. If anyone wants, I'd be happy to share my SOP from last year's cycle. Just shoot me a DM. :) 
In terms of advice, I would caution people against applying to more than 10-12 programs. I applied to 16 programs, and, tbh, I regret that decision. My rationale at the time was that I would send as many apps as possible and see what sticks, but I would have been less stressed during the application season if I had focused my efforts on a few programs that interested me the most. I also don't think that applying to a school solely because of the prestige is worthwhile. I applied to Stanford and Berkeley despite not seeing a strong fit with those schools, and, in retrospect, I should have just saved that energy for other activities.
Also, I know this has been repeated on this forum ad infinitum, but fit is important. Whereas with my Stanford app, I could see a fit only if I squinted just right, with WashU my research interests and interdisciplinary approach were clearly a good match for the department. Correspondingly, when admissions decisions rolled around, Stanford rejected me, while WashU welcomed me as their top candidate for admission. The DGS at WashU specifically mentioned my research interests as a major reason for my acceptance. Obviously, this is anecdotal and might not apply at all to your situation. But don't discount your own intuition as to what programs are best suited to your goals (keeping in mind, of course, that your goals will change over time).

I got in off the waitlist to my program!!!
I contacted CUNY first thing this morning to decline my offer, so I hope someone gets some good news today if not tomorrow!

Holy expletive. After four months of anxiety, I finally got my answer: Accepted at UConn off the waitlist (English Ph.D. with Rhet/Comp research specialization, full funding for six years). I'm completely overwhelmed. I got an email about fifteen minutes ago, followed by a phone call from the DGS (what a genuinely nice conversation that was). Now all that's left is to wait for my wife to get home so we can have the discussion we've been putting off because it hasn't been real until just now.
Thanks to everybody who's shared their experiences over the last four years that I've been a lurker/member. This group has made the entire process bearable.
Just FYI, if anybody's still waiting on UConn, the DGS said that they had an "crazy (unusually crazy) admissions cycle" with a lot of people not responding to their initial offers until the last second. He said my email was the first of three that would be going out. Best of luck to anybody still waiting.

Congratulations! One of my MA thesis advisors did his PhD at Lehigh, and I've never heard him speak about the school in anything less than a gush.

Officially committed to Lehigh's English MA program! I'm so glad this whole process is over. Congratulations to everyone else who has decided, and good luck to those still hoping for waitlist movement tomorrow!

Officially committed to Lehigh's English MA program! I'm so glad this whole process is over. Congratulations to everyone else who has decided, and good luck to those still hoping for waitlist movement tomorrow!

IU-Bloomington came through with a fellowship offer and summer funding, so that seals it for me. Took forever, but I feel good about finally making a decision. 

Officially committed to Syracuse for an English MA! Very excited 

Officially committed to Lehigh's English MA program! I'm so glad this whole process is over. Congratulations to everyone else who has decided, and good luck to those still hoping for waitlist movement tomorrow!

Officially committed to Lehigh's English MA program! I'm so glad this whole process is over. Congratulations to everyone else who has decided, and good luck to those still hoping for waitlist movement tomorrow!

Just got the phone call from University of Arizona DGS for English Lit: accepted off the waitlist, woo hoo!!!

 
 

Just got the phone call from University of Arizona DGS for English Lit: accepted off the waitlist, woo hoo!!!

I'm officially staying at Miami of Ohio to pursue my PhD in comp/rhet! ?
I am soooo excitedddd, and I feel such a weight lifted off me now that I've decided. I feel seriously so much less stressed. This process stretched out for quite a long time because I just didn't know what I wanted... Until I did, and until I realized I already had it all along (*insert cliché feels*).  
I'm ready to start PhDing!!!!! 

Was just admitted off the waiting list at Lehigh, with full funding! I'm ecstatic right now! 

Was just admitted off the waiting list at Lehigh, with full funding! I'm ecstatic right now! 

Was just admitted off the waiting list at Lehigh, with full funding! I'm ecstatic right now! 

Was just admitted off the waiting list at Lehigh, with full funding! I'm ecstatic right now! 

Was just admitted off the waiting list at Lehigh, with full funding! I'm ecstatic right now! 

Was just admitted off the waiting list at Lehigh, with full funding! I'm ecstatic right now! 

So excited to post in this thread! I've officially committed to Oregon State's Rhetoric MA 
I went to visit the area (having never been west of St. Louis), and the faculty and current students were really wonderful. I'm very excited!

Hi everyone -- first forum post from a forever lurker! I was just accepted to the Ph.D. at SUNY Buffalo after a wild ride!!! I was originally rejected from the Ph.D. and accepted to the M.A., which I declined due to lack of funding. Shortly after, I was placed on the Ph.D. waitlist. Just got the acceptance call today! I think one or two others on here may be attending UB 

I'm still sitting on WLs at UT Austin and at UMich for the Women's Studies and English Joint Ph.D., but I'm so psyched to finally have an offer on the table!!! 

Quoting myself because twenty minutes after posting this I heard from Penn State! Apparently their numbers are solidifying and it looks like they won't have room for me. LOOKS LIKE I'M GOING TO OREGON STATE! 

I have now gotten two "you're still in the running!" emails, and I am certain you can feel my anxiety from a 30-mile radius.

I officially accepted Iowa's offer, after falling completely in love with Iowa City over the weekend. If there are any other future Hawkeyes out there, feel free to message me any time you want.