brontebitch

That's a good idea! I am pretty nervous about phone calls, but that does provide a semblance of anonymity. Thanks!

What's the general opinion on contacting departments (specifically the DGS) for more information on applicant status/some idea of when decisions will be made and released? I have seen on the forum that some people contact the DGS for this information but I'm wondering when (and if) it's ever appropriate. Two of the schools I applied to typically notify in January and it doesn't seem like many people on the forum this year applied to either school -- I haven't heard from them and am exceedingly curious about when I might hear back. I guess that's just the nature of the waiting game but I wish I had a better idea of when they plan to notify applicants. Has anyone ever inquired about this and received any concrete answers?

really giggling about this

Got a call from the pizza delivery guy from NY... shellacked lol

I definitely could be wrong, but I have heard that Buffalo sometimes notifies applicants who receive university fellowships first, and then other acceptances and waitlists later. I also applied and am holding out hope!

Mine was marked completed only on January 8th, and although I paid for an official score report from ETS, they have my GRE information as "Received (not official)," but it does say my app is complete.

So, my boyfriend is applying to comp lit programs and missed the deadline for NYU (he was giving his students a final until like 10PM). Anyway, he submitted the application this morning anyway, several hours late. Do they ever read late applications? Should he send an email to the DGS? Pretty stupid but I do feel bad for him. If anyone has any thoughts on this or a similar experience, I would love to hear about it.

I am doing my MA right now at CU Boulder and there are a few people in my cohort who were not English majors in undergrad, or switched to English like their last year of college. It's not technically fully funded, but I have managed to secure funding through TA jobs in English and other departments. I think most people in the program (it's typically done in two years) get at least 3 semesters of funding with tuition remission, health insurance, etc. The instability of funding is definitely stressful, but I think it's typical to be funded for all but one semester, and I have had funding for the entire program (which also happens pretty regularly).

I'm a Victorianist with a focus on poetics, women writers, and reading (affective and cognitive theories of reading) !

yes!

Anyone else applying to SUNY Buffalo? Their application portal is really bothering me.... they don't list what external materials they've received (like GRE scores or letters of recommendation) and you also can't send reminder emails to letter writers. Am I just not seeing it?

OMG I have submitted UMN, SUNY Buffalo, NYU, and Stanford and I am losing my mind! Still need to submit CUNY and UPenn. Very scared!!! Good luck everyone! The waiting is the worst.

I've heard that a CV is preferable if you have/once you begin to acquire considerable professional experience, mostly because they can be a bit longer, but if you are pretty new to the field and don't have a lot of professional experience I think a resume is probably okay. You can also list other related skills like language abilities on a CV, which can be nice padding if you only have one or two conference presentations and are still in your undergrad. I definitely did that my first application cycle. (EDIT -- obviously that can also be on your resume lol) Personally, I don't think I would ever submit a resume to an application. I have had a lot of jobs that are really unrelated to the field that are on my resume (waitressing, desk jobs, etc.), but my CV is for my professional and academic experience only.

For those of you applying to NYU (English PhD) -- I've submitted my app, since the deadline is today, but one of my letter writers has yet to submit the letter. I'm also confused because it says on the website that if the application deadline falls on a holiday or Saturday/Sunday, the deadline is the next business day. Will she technically have until Monday to submit the letter? Also concerned because while some schools have a later deadline for letter writers (for example, SUNY Buffalo), it doesn't seem like that's the case at NYU. Either way I'll email her but I'm wondering if anyone is having similar concerns about the Saturday deadline in general for Dec. 1st deadlines.

Thanks for your input! I think that my very low GRE scores were one of the reasons I got shut out from PhD programs my first time applying (and ended up in an MA), but I do feel like a much stronger applicant this time around with a clearer focus and better writing skills. Still, I do worry about the scores -- I know they are often a preliminary method for narrowing down applicants. At the same time, it seems like scores are more and more insignificant. Stanford no longer requires any GRE scores and I've heard that CUNY and Columbia are also trying to get them out of the admissions process. Still, with schools that require them (most of them), bad scores probably don't help anything. Good luck to you!

Tuning in late, but I want to recommend that you apply to CU Boulder! We have been admitting a lot of PhD applicants with your profile (background in creative writing w/ an MFA, often several gaps in between their education/teaching/professional experience). Regardless, I don't think you have anything to be too concerned about.

Thank you so much for your response! Yes, I am not too concerned about my verbal score -- one school I am applying to suggests that the verbal score of successful applicants is usually at least in the 75th percentile, and other schools I am applying to do not specify a requirement. I actually got a 137 on the quant on the most recent exam (lol) and I am pretty embarrassed; I think the highest quant score I received was somewhere in the high 140s. I think I would have prepped a lot more for the GRE if I had not pursued my Master's after my first application cycle in 2016/17, but right now I have several graduate conference presentations, teaching & research experience, and a really solid writing sample (pulled from my MA thesis), so I feel like the bulk of my materials speak for me as a qualified applicant. If I were just coming from undergrad, I would definitely keep retaking the GRE! Good luck to you and thanks again!

Hi everyone, Posting quickly and hoping someone has some thoughts. Basically, I have taken the GRE (general) 3 times. I have anywhere from 5-5.5 on the writing, and 155-159 on the Verbal. My quantitative is very low except on one of them, but that is also the test that I got my lowest verbal score (155). Basically, I am wondering if I should send my complete score report to schools. I'm an MA student right now at CU Boulder and applying to doctoral programs in English. My sense is that I should probably just send the test with my highest verbal score (which is also the most recent test, from this October), but the quant is very low on that. I'm wondering if it's worth it/beneficial to send all of my scores. They'll see progress, but will also probably be confused about my quant scores, which jump around a lot. However, they will only see a very low quant score if I only send the test with my highest Verbal. I'm already concerned about my GRE scores because they are pretty low, so I want to make them stick out less if possible. Sending my complete record would probably be more distracting, I think? I appreciate any and all advice! Thanks in advance. -- Just as a side note, I know my scores are pretty low for PhD admission, but I am a strong applicant overall. Please avoid any discouraging words -- this process is scary enough!

I'm going into my second year (literature MA) and through working at the writing center, TAing in the department, and departmental grants I have been almost fully funded. I think Boulder gets a bad rep for funding but a lot of people I know in my cohort and in other cohorts end up with almost full funding for both years. Boulder is expensive to live in, which has caused some minor financial stress for me, but there are a lot of opportunities to work on campus in addition to TA positions with tuition remission, health insurance, etc. The department is wonderful (I have had the chance to work extensively with some really amazing faculty in my area of focus) and I feel very prepared to write my thesis this year + apply for PhD programs.

Omg congratulations to you @lyonessrampant !!! Good luck!

LOL holy shit you're a genius. THANK YOU. I can't believe I didn't know this!

CU Boulder increased my fellowship award for the fall semester! I should be totally covered if I am able to work in the writing center and receive another scholarship I applied for. I am so excited for this sign that I made the right choice!!! :~~~~)

Yeah, I am absolutely just talking about the MA! I do want to get my PhD after the MA (I applied to programs this year but was only admitted to MAs), so it's on my mind now to pick a good language during my MA program so I am prepared for the PhD/have excellent applications for my next round. If I was just thinking about the MA, I would certainly just do Polish or Romanian (it would be a lot easier!), but since I am trying to think ahead, I want to choose a language that will be helpful for me in the future. Especially as it pertains to future graduate work, a dissertation, etc. I know of a few GCers who did not really have a pertinent language going into the PhD from MA or undergrad, so obviously it's not the most important thing, but I just want to be strategic. Thanks @jackdacjson, and congratulations on your acceptances!

Yes, you can go back to my original post to see that I already have languages, and the question is whether or not I should pursue another language more relevant to study or just stick with one of the languages I already have proficiency in.

Thank you everyone for the feedback! I understand that the primary reason for a second language is to help with source material, but at the same time, I know many Victorianists who work with the translations and don't have any problems with this (like @Silabus mentions :)). I'll have to decide if I have the time and the need to review French or German; I'll most likely also consult with professors at my program. It's good to know that I do have options, though, especially since I have proficiency in some (although unhelpful) languages. I would still love to hear from people if they have any experience or advice with this topic!