ArcaMajora

I somewhat struggled with this when deciding to apply to programs and I'll offer my two cents here. Older graduate students will definitely have more insight than I do, however. This is what I've gathered from reading countless amounts of Chronicle of Higher Ed, Grad Cafe threads, and scouring as many schools' placement and hiring records as possible, as well as trying to ascertain how big of a role prestige plays. 'Top 20' is a very vacuous and porous designation. You'll have your obvious ones, the Ivy League, Berkeley, UCLA, UVa, UMich, Stanford, etc, but it's beyond that is where reputation begins to become muddier and relative (especially once you start parsing out sub-fields). It's an undeniable designation however and it does help being in a program that's solidly 'top 20,' but I'd first prioritize what your research agenda is first and foremost and what your end goals are. Take for example someone that wants to become a tenured professor. If you are pining for an R1 tenure-track position after the doctorate, then being in one of the very top programs gives you the best and fighting chance to aid you in that endeavor. If you're aiming for teaching-intensive institutions, then you may want to prioritize programs that will focus more on teaching experience and also have good placement records into teaching institutions. However, I cannot stress this enough, a 'top 20' programs list outside of the usual suspects I can see looking vastly different from professor to professor and field to field. I recommend getting the consensus of the ones you know to see how programs possibly stack. Try to prioritize both as much as possible, but with an eye towards finding programs where you will fit and thrive. Find departments that have solid placements but also an intellectual atmosphere, faculty, and graduate student composition that will help you earn the degree with flying colors. This is easier said than done because fit is very much a two-way street. We may think a program has a good and even hand on glove fit, but the admissions committee may think the opposite. You'll want to make sure that you find a graduate program first and foremost where you want to work with the faculty and where you will complement the department's strengths well. A top-tier program but with no intellectual compatibility with your interests is oil and water. As far as prestige, I agree that it should not wholly dominate your graduate school list (though I completely understand why some take on that mindset). It's wise to keep in mind that having prestige is an undeniable premium currency in academia depending on your goals. The ideal mix is a well-regarded program with the best fit for your research interests as feasibly as possible. Basically, formulate your goals and research agenda first and zero in on what you want from a department. Then research programs that fit your interests and research potential advisors within the program. See if you can figure out a way of how you can 'fit' in. Rigorously analyze the placement data (does OMG University place its students where you want to be placed? Who were their advisors? What do their CVs look like?) while taking it with a grain of salt (universities are known to fudge around with data, this is where your sleuthing comes in). If your goal is to be a university professor at an R1/R2 institution, then the prestige and standing of the doctoral program will matter. If your goal is to leverage your PhD for other means outside of the professorate and academia, fit, quality of life, and program satisfaction matters more.

The usual system (especially if your programs use Slate or ApplyWeb for their application interfaces) is that you input their names and e-mails and then the application system sends out the request irrespective of whether or not you've sent the application. You can put in the recommendation request at any time, even well before you submit the application. There should also be options to send reminders from the application itself (schools that use ApplyWeb can do that, not sure about Slate). However, there are some schools that only send out the requests after the application has been submitted. SUNY Buffalo is one program I know of that did that this past cycle.

I am happy to field any questions you have about the program Send me a PM any time.

Good to see a Fall 2020 thread! Welcome one and all to applying to graduate school, and just from reading I can tell all of you are already making great headways into application prep. The cycle for this year is only just ending, so it'll be a while yet before we see all of the various schools switch over to processing for next cycle. I've successfully made it through the Fall 2019 cycle even if I was convinced that my school choices and errors on my part during the cycle (horrendous GRE scores + I underestimated the time needed to really polish my WS) was the proverbial writing on the wall. The program I committed to was one I thought would genuinely not take me in and one that I was prepared to be rejected by, especially since the POI I was most interested in looked to have a full slate in terms of advising commitments and I was afraid that the larger research fit was maybe a touch too tenuous. As it turns out, there was a lot of compatibility in the faculty and classes that I wasn't aware of until I first saw the department up close and personal beyond just reading the program website, associated dissertations, and articles. Thus, I can't stress just how mysterious this process can be and how many factors are out of our control. While yes, I will concede that there are elements that make for a stellar application and there will always be the ones in every cycle that hit the jackpot, that fine line of who gets accepted/rejected/waitlisted is down to the auspices of what will make for a balanced cohort and for university/departmental needs that only the committee would be aware. Though I won't deny, the rejections do sting and it hurts (especially since we'll never really know where we stood. Were we close? Knocked out in the first round? etc.), especially in such a crowded field both in application and in the larger job market. All of this has a way of eating you up and even with a funded offer I took, I still feel frightened if this is the right choice or not in the end. I don't say this to scare anyone, but I want you to know if you do feel this way at any point, you're not alone. If any of you have any questions about anything, feel free to ask em here.

Also very excited for the upcoming Fall too Actually getting more real as the days pass haha. I've gotten first signs of life from UC Irvine post-4/15. It won't be long til I get my institutional e-mail, housing assignment, and I just submitted my request to enroll for English seminars for the upcoming Fall. If everything falls through, I'll for sure know my schedule and living arrangements my mid-June or July. Can't believe I can call myself an official graduate student. It's surreal. Excited for all of you as the summer progresses. This really is only the beginning of a journey tbh.

Likewise PhD in English right here. Can't wait to meet you all!

Will be listing out my current research moodboard I'll also add some other resources. My work is primarily within 20th/21st C American poetics and queer theory. If you want to collab, send me a PM. I'm always looking for more opportunities to explore literary research beyond my field. Right now, I'm working on multiple projects. My larger project/overarching goal is tied to my SoP, which is the proposal of a queer poetic archive. The very basic aims of this larger project/line of thinking is to examine what happens by studying queer American poetics as a collective and also centering such poets in academic discourse. I especially utilize the term 'archive' as a rhetorical move to document and also contemplate the turn towards the archive in queer and literary study. What does it mean to place poets such as Hart Crane, Elizabeth Bishop, and many others as the primary voices in an archival study? (archival in the literal, literary, and rhetorical sense) And what does it mean to contemplate that a living, active 'queer archive' exists when such a term might very possibly be contradictory? And more importantly, what happens when we place queerness (especially queer poets) in the center of contemplating the archive? (can queerness be archived?) It's a very fluid project atm, but this is the 'what's at stake' behind everything I'm doing. I'm currently actively researching on Frank Bidart, coming out narratives, the queer lyric, and queer language/queer coding. Additionally, I'll also be presenting on Hart Crane and Wallace Stevens this weekend, a geographical study of the poetics of Key West (Idea of Key West and Key West: An Island Sheaf) and the implications of that location from a post-colonial approach. A possible expansion of the latter project will very possibly involve Elizabeth Bishop. A resource I'm looking into: ONE Archives at USC (if you want to study a queer archive, this is one of the places to go. I believe they offer fellowships too) I am also looking into presenting either or both at SAMLA and PAMLA this year. SAMLA is currently accepting CFPs rn so if you're down to be in Atlanta, here it is: https://samla.memberclicks.net/samla-90-cfps PAMLA will be in San Diego this year, check out their page: https://pamla.org/2019 I'll have more specific info once I'm settled into my program. This is just the stuff I've gleaned in my free time while waiting. Hope this helps

@hgtvdeathdrive Congrats on making your choice and many, many congrats on Buffalo Poetics Also gonna re-affirm what many others have said here. CoL is one of the most important things to consider and one funding package isn't always equal to another, especially when you consider the local area. There are some schools I considered applying to that were high-flight and were in theory, fantastic, but the fit + the cost of living wasn't there. Buffalo, from what I've seen, has a very, very reasonable CoL. Their base stipend can take you very far. I'm deeply invested in the study of poetry and Buffalo was one of my top choices this cycle. Some of the work that goes into the poetics program is astounding. In terms of both creative and scholarly output, it's one of the most appealing programs in the Northeast in my eyes. I've seen their class offerings for the upcoming year and I would love to be right in the middle of that discourse, especially under the auspices of Cristanne Miller, Stacy Hubbard, and Steve McCaffery. As far as poetics, it's cutting-edge. The only reason why I turned Buffalo was because my eventual final choice fit my project/trajectory a bit better, was also a waitlist so nothing was guaranteed, and I don't have the resources to make the move to NY as a Californian (still pretty young so hugely dependent on family). Either way, many congrats on your final choice!

Welcome to Grad Cafe! I did not apply during the senior year but our undergrad timelines/inclinations looked very similar. I too was in a similar boat (I contemplated graduate school, hell, even joined this forum as early as sophomore year of undergrad). This is definitely a personal choice, and it's one of those things where there isn't really a right universal answer. From what it looks like reading, the professors that know you the best also understand and are supportive of your plans to apply during the senior year. I concur with the other posters. It's definitely not a bad idea to go straight with it if you've thought about the pros and cons for everything. It sounds like you have and you've already got the ball rolling. I'd definitely give applying now a shot, and also definitely contemplate the excellent posts (especially bwriteshere's post) written here. They've all hit on the salient points about applying from undergrad. Gap year or not, going through this process is going to be financially and emotionally expensive, stressful, and at times hair-tearing. However, you also learn a lot during this process. Personally speaking, I learned the granularities and trajectories of where my research was heading. I feel a lot more closer now to answering the question of 'what's at stake' for my research than back in mid-2018 where I was only just starting to piece together my SoP. Regardless of what the outcome would've been, I definitely feel that I've grown as a scholar by contemplating what schools fit with my research questions and my project and trying to articulate that into a research agenda via the SoP. The key word is fit. If you feel like you can demonstrate that fit with your chosen universities applying as a senior year, then I definitely concur with the professors who you trust the most. As far as a gap year, there are definitely pros and cons to it. The main pro for me was time away from school and time away from sustained academic writing. I was burnt out (I'm happy to share via PM why, external and personal circumstances happened) by the time I graduated, and I just didn't feel ready to head back so quickly. I needed time and space to block academia out to get my bearings together and to find balance again. With how things panned out this cycle, I feel far more refreshed and excited to head back, even if I am kinda frightened of the re-adjustment. One con is definitely what sugilite mentioned. Being in a gap year can get really dull at times, which does exacerbate that waiting period from January-April. However, agreeing with what sidmeier has said, graduate school and especially graduate school admissions is a crapshoot for anybody who applies. There are people that have applied both during undergrad or have taken a few years off that have been widely successful just in this cycle alone. Regardless of when, the results are going to be a variable across all contexts (from a widely successful season to being shutout). If you feel you've got your chances maximized and know that you can produce the best SoP and WS with your current support system, go full steam ahead. Pretty sure a Fall 2020 thread should be popping up once us Fall 2019ers are fully done with this cycle. Good luck with planning your graduate school applications, you're definitely doing this at the right time.

Woke up today to find out that a paper of mine just got accepted into a conference :') Incredibly excited to do this, especially right before I start graduate study.

@arbie (CONGRATS ON MADISON!) ngl I've been trying to figure out the assigned colors for names and if they were like little signs, randomly assigned by letter/year, etc. It's pretty fun to see all the variations. I've changed my GC handle recently and got the same one as you, burnt orange. Looks like I got resorted. Burnt orange As represent. I remember my old handle was... bright green? I did not apply to any schools that were green tho lol

I'd love and be so afraid of this happening. This is making me think of an academic Tinder ngl. (journal submissions Tinder? watch editorial boards swipe left on article submissions real quick) Imagining the volume of swipe lefts graduate committees would do under this system and I just unleashed the saddest laugh.

Following Bopie's example (also @Bopie5 CONGRATS ON THAT VILLANOVA ACCEPTANCE! I am sending so many vibes to the funding deities that you get great funding) and also sending e-mails requesting feedback. Sent an e-mail to University of Washington, fingers crossed. It's tempting to send an e-mail to Yale and UCLA but my gut tells me to leave the schools be, and no e-mails to either Columbia or Cornell since the application volume must be high O_O (and as an addendum, Cornell's rejection letter makes it clear that it was the final receipt of any results. of all the ones I received... I believe UW does allow questions)

Chiming in on the gap year. I've been out of school for one year now and I don't feel as if it's negatively impacted me at all. If anything, it's only reinforced how much I want to be in academia and how much I want to do this kind of work again. I've also been universally told that the gap year/(s) can only be a good thing, with some profs even emphasizing that I take more than just one year off. I only took one year off as a disclaimer however, so I still felt the halo effect of being part of an institution and arguably I don't think I quite took as much time off as I should've. However, that's water under the bridge now. Even as short of a time as a year away from the late-stage undergraduate work I did has allowed me to look back at what I've done with a far more critical lens and it's only helped me in figuring out the larger rationales behind my work. The summer and the fall before I really started to write materials in earnest was productive because I turned off that little tape recorder in the back of my head about academic work. Being away from academia and from a college campus gives a perspective that I don't think I could've gotten had I tried to go into graduate school straight out of undergrad. The project I proposed in my SoP is a much different beast from the undergrad thesis I wrote, and I don't think I could've conceived of that kind of SoP right in the middle of trying to juggle a thesis + other research projects related to undergrad seminars in my senior year. Speaking personally, I was burnt out during the earliest period where I could've applied to graduate school. Half of my CV wasn't even put together by the time I would've sent applications out. I would've had one presentation, and while I had an informal research agenda at that point, it would've been too tied up and bungled up with the work I was doing at the time. Also, way too many personal circumstances happened during senior year which would've made for a graduate application season catastrophe (emotions in flux due to excessive job-related and life stress during the Fall quarter and a family emergency right around the time when decisions would've been released). I'm hesitant to speak on my abilities (I could've surprised during the Fall 2018 cycle just as much as I could've faced a shutout, I'll never know), but that's a what if that'll never be answered. I can only speak for a circumstance in which the gap year was only one (but even for longer gap years, I can't imagine it hurting at all. As I think about this, I've seen a lot of value starting PhDs with a few years off to have non-academic work experience, save up to supplement the stipend, etc., but I feel as if it didn't hurt me at all. I felt right at home during my campus visit and I feel refreshed in a way I didn't feel even as a first-year undergrad.

Made the choice back in late Feb, but seeing official transcripts come in and talking with a POI yesterday via phone is solidifying it further. Learned even more research possibilities (bless this POI for letting me know of the ONE Archive's existence, and if I time things right the drive there from Irvine isn't too onerous) that excite me even more about the school. Adding to the UC love, committed to UC Irvine for the upcoming Fall.

Even after a few days of letting the information pore into me, my visit to UCI definitely felt like a 2-day information overload that I'm still processing through. It definitely re-affirmed to me that the PhD path is what I want to do, and I can't describe just how invigorating it was to be back in a college campus again after a few months of floating around and waiting at home. The whole department was incredibly cordial and I feel as if I learned much, much more from the program on the ground than I ever could from a website. These visits really do seal the deal and it's only now that I see why people say that these visits do crystallize that final decision and make it much more clearer. There was definitely lots of smiling involved lol, and it felt pretty overwhelming throughout. If there was one thing I wish I did, I kinda wished I let myself have the chance to de-compress for a tiny bit instead of feeling the need to attend all the things (the afternoon of the 2nd day turned my conscious into living gelatin). I can't complain too much however, all of the events were engaging from beginning to end. Basically, can't be any happier

Been meaning to respond but the chaos of waiting during February prevented all of that lol. My first acceptance was... It happened in steps and it all started in January 31st. Basically was caught in surprise and was e-mail watching obsessively for most of these. 1st: I got an e-mail from someone in the admissions committee asking for a phone call. Nearly fainted seeing this e-mail, wasn't even doing anything at the time except talking to my SO. 2nd: I get the actual call with the verbal/unofficial acceptance a day after. I managed to get through the phone call but I probably sounded incredibly breathless. 3rd: Then I get the official letter from the department alongside my funding package 14 days after the phone call. This letter is what kept me sane through the sea of rejections. 4th: Then 9 days later I get the official okay from the Graduate Division and the option to actually register. This is where I actually let myself get excited lol. (I was hyped but my mind made up these scenarios of 'omg but what if' that messed with me all throughout last month). Registered a day after and can't be any happier to know where I'm going

Just did my campus visit for UCI a few days ago. I loved, loved, loved it and it was an incredible experience for 2 days (if anyone there visited and haunts grad cafe, this is the American poetry guy speaking). It was non-stop so there was exhaustion by day 2 lol, but it was the good kind of exhaustion. Basically re-affirmed my final decision. It just felt... right. Good luck to everyone still waiting Rooting for all of you as March rolls on.

Ran out of reactions but congrats!!! I've heard only good things about UCSC, (also you can never go wrong with their mascot.)

PROJECT RUNWAY WAS A GOOD SIGN AFTER ALL!!! CONGRATS!!! Seriously tho many congrats, you deserve this moment and you of all people deserve an acceptance. I'm so proud rn, you're gonna slay in SMU.

Fee coverage varies by the UC iirc. Looking at some of the funding pages (assuming the website is accurate, I believe UCLA has full fee coverage, link: https://english.ucla.edu/graduate-faq/. The UCLA acceptees this year should still be floating around tho). My funding package for UCI offers both. My first year is funded via fellowship and I will be a TA next year. The UC system tends to style their funding packages that way. Your first year is almost always a year funded by fellowship, while your second year and on will be funded via TAship. The policy (I know Riverside and Irvine enforce this limit) is that you get to TA up to 18 quarters (6 years) maximum. I can't say for sure whether or not international student status decreases your chances of being accepted (ethically, it should never affect your chances of admission). International status may affect how your funding package works though (UCI does state that they've had difficulty supporting international students on F-1/J-1 visas. Follow up with a department regarding this though. I don't think I've seen other UC English sites touch on international status with that kind of specificity). Are you currently living in the US/establishing California residency rn? I don't think the UCs seem to be very stringent on what your previous institutions are (this varies from UC to UC and even who is serving on their admission committees on the particular year. It may matter, but it should never deter you from applying). If anything, it's your accomplishments, your fit with the department, and having a strong application package is what will seal the deal. Speaking with profs in years past about applying, it's what you do as a student that matters the most, not where you come from. If your Master's degree helped you shape your research interests and/or is the driving force behind you wanting to go for doctoral study, it's definitely a positive factor in your favor and could well help you stand-out in a hyper-competitive field.

Glad to see a person taking an interest in the UC system As a Californian, this makes me very happy lol. UC English departments are usually strong and renowned, so it's supremely important to determine the kind of intellectual fit you're looking for in each UC. Definitely check each UC to see what kinds of their work their professors are doing and what their strengths are. The competitiveness varies from campus-to-campus, but it is safe to assume that PhD in English admissions across the UC system are going to very competitive. Some of the UC graduate divisions have average statistics posted on their website, but they don't exactly break them down by the specific year for some metrics. And remember, these are statistics, and are never going to be indicative of your real chances in a UC PhD program in a given year. From scouring the graduate division websites, I've found three of them that have some data on how the admission numbers look like. UCLA English: https://grad.ucla.edu/programs/humanities/english/#program-statistics UCI English: https://grad.uci.edu/assets/images/Academic Data/phd data/EnglishPhD_Academic.html UCSB English: http://www.graddiv.ucsb.edu/documents/stats/ENGL_Grad_Profile_Final.pdf These statistics do not replace looking into departmental websites (and the statistics are averaged across multiple years as a disclaimer). It's definitely sage to keep in mind the advice that has already been posted here. Check each UC English site to see what each department might particularly look at (some UCs may want more language experience, some are fine with 1. Not every UC has a traditional English department, UCSC and UCSD come to mind), but it's a safe bet to work under the operative that all aspects of the application must be strong. Some of the UCs carry informal goalposts (such as having a 3.5+ uGPA in your Junior and Senior years to be competitive, but this may only be strongly salient if you are a BA-only applicant) but ultimately, demonstrating an intellectual fit with each UC school is what will help your application the most. With that, I definitely agree that the Writing Sample and Statement of Purpose are the most integral aspects of the application. They are that documents that will demonstrate that you can do doctoral work and also show a research trajectory that can be supported by your chosen department. Funding... Definitely carefully read the funding section of each department website to know what you're getting into. I can only speak specifically for UC Irvine but fees are partially covered. On Fellowship, I have to pay about $770 in fees. On TAship, I have a partial fee remission and I'll pay $473. This varies from UC to UC so if you do end up getting offers in a future cycle, check and double check your funding offers carefully to see if fees are covered. In general, a UC school will offer a living stipend (UC data is posted on the thread that mandelbulb linked) as well as tuition remission and health insurance. Good luck with your application!

What I've spotted after re-reading my stuff and from what I remember: -Incorrectly transcribed the opening quote I used as a hook. (my mentor caught this and I had just enough time to fix this across all my SoPs) -Mis-spelled the first name of a POI for one of my SoPs -Entered in the wrong undergrad institution for one of my apps. (and realized this after submission, had to e-mail to explain what happened)

Late to the party but I'll share my tale so far I'm a BA-only applicant but took a gap year (senior year was just too chaotic). I wanted to do it directly out of undergrad, but there was something in me that told me that wasn't the right idea for my personal circumstances. Plus, my letter writers all supported a gap year (one told me to take two to three years). I did a gap year mostly to rest and to have a chance to exist without school on me 24/7. I wanted to apply to MA programs alongside PhD, but I didn't quite plan out that part of my application that well so I applied to solely PhD programs. Happy to say I'll be attending a PhD program in the fall and to a university I've been eyeing since I was in high school. I can't deny I feel bouts of cold feet. There are moments where I feel either confident about my chances or I feel like I'm way in over my head (or sometimes both at once, and the imposter syndrome gets real bad). I haven't really had much of a chance to expose myself to anything that isn't an academic life/context (my gap year was basically an application year, didn't do much outside of that), so I'm feeling kinda paranoid entering a program now. At the moment it's slowly sinking in for me why people wait until they're older to undertake graduate study and simultaneously, I'm also excited to start too.

Found this the summer after sophomore year in undergrad. Searching for info on how to get into grad school and stumbled upon this site after a google search, followed some 2016/2017 threads but didn't post often. Left the account dormant to focus on undergrad. Then came back when Fall 2019 started.