DaniB23

After everything I realized that my safety school, the place I said (repeatedly) that if I only got in there I'd probably reapply next year and not go, is actually the best fit for me, pretty much across the board, including funding.
That's probably my biggest blooper.

I would wait until you get the syllabi from the professors.  I've had one or two who sent the syllabus a few weeks before classes started, and other who didn't provide the syllabus until the first class. Often I find that professors make them last minute, but if they don't or happen to email the course asking for students to come prepared having read a certain text, then it doesn't hurt to get ahead if given the opportunity.

I agree with ProfLorax in terms of your weekly schedule being a 9-5 type thing.  I went from the working world into my MA and the advice I'd give is if for any reason you get syllabi early, or reading assignments early, be smart about how early you start it.  Start early to get ahead, but not so early that you don't remember what you read for when class starts.
I really think it's a hard thing to prepare for practically, because you don't really know what to expect, so as long as you are reading literature, or engaging with whatever medium you like as your object of study, you will be in the best shape you could be.  There is always a bit of a learning curve in the beginning with understanding the expectations, but I didn't find that I had a hard time figuring that out and doing well.

I agree with ProfLorax in terms of your weekly schedule being a 9-5 type thing.  I went from the working world into my MA and the advice I'd give is if for any reason you get syllabi early, or reading assignments early, be smart about how early you start it.  Start early to get ahead, but not so early that you don't remember what you read for when class starts.
I really think it's a hard thing to prepare for practically, because you don't really know what to expect, so as long as you are reading literature, or engaging with whatever medium you like as your object of study, you will be in the best shape you could be.  There is always a bit of a learning curve in the beginning with understanding the expectations, but I didn't find that I had a hard time figuring that out and doing well.

I agree with ProfLorax in terms of your weekly schedule being a 9-5 type thing.  I went from the working world into my MA and the advice I'd give is if for any reason you get syllabi early, or reading assignments early, be smart about how early you start it.  Start early to get ahead, but not so early that you don't remember what you read for when class starts.
I really think it's a hard thing to prepare for practically, because you don't really know what to expect, so as long as you are reading literature, or engaging with whatever medium you like as your object of study, you will be in the best shape you could be.  There is always a bit of a learning curve in the beginning with understanding the expectations, but I didn't find that I had a hard time figuring that out and doing well.

No problem!  I think it just depends on what one wants to do at the end of it all. I think it's completely valid to put more emphasis on ranking, especially if a candidate is more focused on research, as having a PhD from a top ten will go a long way towards placement at R1s.
Part of my research of the programs I applied to was tracking down CVs of the faculty I want to work with, as they usually have a section dedicated to dissertation committees they have chaired or sat on.  I google the students and see if and where they have been placed.  I applied to programs that range from top ten to the mid 60s in rankings, and based on people I want to work with, their placement rate for TT jobs have been similar (but again, for me all that matters really is tenure-track positions with slightly more emphasis on teaching).

Thanks! This makes a lot of sense to me. I have been swayed by advisors who stress a significant link between ranking and job placement, but it's nice to hear that you'd feel confident about your job prospects regardless of ranking.

Can you give us a longer version of what happened? I'm thinking the 200-300 word version, like we don't know anything else about you, because we don't. Did you just not connect with your professors, and escaped as more or less one face in the class, not somebody with whom they had an individual connection? Or did you have big problems with them? Because this:
struck me as a big red flag. That...really shouldn't be how this goes. If your problem is that they don't know or remember you very well, you fix that by corresponding with them more as a fellow professional and future peer, over multiple interactions (whether in person or by phone/Skype/email), not as a supplicant begging for favors. Now, if something really did go very wrong that you think you would really need to beg for their support, why don't you tell us about it? We can't advise without more of a sense of what's going on.
Edit: also useful would be to know, if most of your master's classes weren't in English or literature, what field they were in.

What exactly do you mean by what happened? I went to graduate school for a master's in humanities and social sciences. I didn't like the school as much as I had wanted to. The environment wasn't friendly and I hated New York. I had a 4.0 GPA and I took courses in literature, women's studies, creative writing, and comparative literature. 
I guess I did a miserable job in trying to be humorous. It was a joke to "beg, beg, beg professors for a letter." Sometimes my humor can be misconstrued over the internet. 
 

I'm in the exact same position in terms of(possibly) choosing based on factors other than my #1 being faculty because of tough match-ups.  Especially when there are so many other factors after that one that I'm having a hard time putting into a hierarchy of importance.

I've used this same rationale, too.  Some acceptances would make for a difficult "match-up" between programs and put pressure on me to choose based on factors other than fit with faculty (which is my #1 factor), such as proximity to family/S.O..  I'm basically waiting on Utah to notify, and apparently the WUStL admission process is "ongoing" (though I'm skeptical of that).   

Im also out!  Kind of relieved.  If I got in I think I really would have wanted to go, knowing that I wouldn't be able to afford to live there.

Totally! Couldn't have said it better, you took the words out of my mouth. My application to Boulder was basically for appearances' sake (it's complicated). But I'm glad to not have to agonize over it, and to be super honest with myself I'm probably not a good fit there, anyway - my MA notwithstanding. I'm one step closer to being able to make a decision and get on with the business of figuring it all out.

Congrats! Looks like a few of us are anxiously awaiting the same thing. 

Congratulations!  Here's hoping we all hear back soon

I emailed yesterday to see when they would send out notifications since I got an offer with a looming deadline but to no avail.  Radio silence.

Ha, my advisor recommended I do the exact same thing today. I probably still will tomorrow but at least I won't be alone in not hearing anything.

I feel the exact same way regarding CU Boulder and how knowing you're on the top of a waitlist seems more worth it than waiting to be notified of possible rejection so late in the process.  With CU Boulder, I'm pretty much also just curious at this point.  The viability of me being able to afford to live anywhere near Boulder while also living the way I want/need to (I have 2 dogs, a cat, and a partner, so we really require the extra space of a small house with backyard, etc.) seems unlikely.

I just emailed them since I received an offer that has an approaching deadline, and I got this automated email response: 
Phd, MA and CRWR-MFA applications are now in committee for review. You should hear from us via email by no later than March 15th.
 
Graduate Program Assistant
University of Colorado Boulder
Department of English
 
Sooooo...2 weeks it is!

Yes, I applied for the PhD in English at CU Boulder.  And yes, I believe that HumanCylinder is correct that they only accept 4-ish students each year, so also not holding my breath on that one.  More curious than anything. Thanks to both of you and to DaniB23 for the update as well. March 15 sounds like a long way off when I consider the time line for making a firm decision and a commitment and, you know, planning the next half decade of my life, so these later notifications may well be timing themselves out of the process anyway. A spot opening on the waitlist from UC SB or Virginia? Definitely worth waiting for. Just about anything else?  It gets harder to justify. 

I cross-posted with you, DaniB23.  Hahaha, that's pretty definitive

So when one emails a department/DGS to ask about the status of one's application...what does one say? I don't want to seem impatient, and I don't know if I should ask WHEN decisions will go out or just about myself in particular. Any advice? Or should I just wait

Hi Friends!
So I was admitted to Binghamton's PhD program with a very generous funding offer.  The program seems like a very good fit in terms of my research- there are so many faculty there that I'd like to work with that I couldn't fit them all in my SOP (I do postcolonial and nationalist cinema).  However, the program only funds for 4 years, and if you are going in with an MA already, they specifically state that they only fund a maximum of 8 semesters.  Also, I'm still waiting to hear back from multiple schools, and Binghamton's deadline to accept or decline is March 13th.  I'm worried I won't even hear back from other programs by then.  Is anyone else considering Binghamton?  What do you think about trying to finish a PhD in 4 years?  Pros and Cons I'm not thinking of?  Other pertinent information? What about handling the accept/decline deadline?
Thanks for all the support and help!

Just got an acceptance to SUNY Binghamton!  It was a basic letter from the Graduate School.  I emailed the DGS to inquire about funding.

Hi all, just wanted to let you know I will probably be declining my offer from Buffalo in the next few days.  I'm not sure if they waitlist by field or not, but I can say I am pre-1800.  I know a friend of mine will probably decline soon as well.