Pezpoet

Please take this with the tiniest grain of salt. When in doubt, send what your guts say is the best paper. Even if it falls a bit outside of your research area. Perhaps you can hit on the other paper in your SOP? And your SOP will already speak to your research interests, as you say. So. I know many programs say it's ideal that the WS and SOP go hand-in-hand. But they also say to send that which best represents your writing and research skills. Go with your guts on this one. Just my two pennies.

Greetings! I know it's getting to be crunch time, which means it's also the best time to check in! How's everyone doing? Are y'all feeling good about sending apps in soon? I have a few schools that don't notify LOR writers until after the full app is in (dumb), so my self-imposed deadline in next friday, giving my writers two weeks to the official deadlines. I'm pumped to be done and just trying to finish strong at this point. How about you all? Sending lots of good vibes!

Woops. Sorry y'all. Saw "personal statement" but my brain filled in SOP (as I was working on it this morning). @bumbleblu That's such a bummer re: UC Irvine. Can you say more? I understand if not, but it is defs on my list.

Hi @TaliaTee! Fellow gender/queer studies applicant here. Congrats on finishing your BA! What do you plan to do with your gap year? Regarding your statement of purpose (SOP), I think the more specific the better. I'll let others chime in too, but you should not only mention all of your interests in your SOP, but also how they intersect, what questions they incite in one another (or answer), and what you want to pursue as a grad student. I know some people even recommend explicitly stating your dissertation goals. I recommend looking at programs with interdisciplinary emphases. Eg., Univ of Michigan's English and Women's Studies program. Or, even more interdisciplinary, UC Irvine's Culture & Theory program. Lots of programs offer graduate certificates in gender/sexuality studies if you want to go that route, too.

@LouisePlease, so sorry to hear about your disappointing season. Your stats are crazy impressive, so maybe it was just an anomaly in which the schools didn't quite have a spot for you this year? I realize in saying those words I sound like all my very well-intended friends and family who have said something similar (it doesn't really take the sting out of 9 rejections). Just know you're not alone. Sending lots of strength.

OMG me too. I love the Great British Bake Off and am working my way through the season too (team Tamal). I started to think about schools for the 2018 cycle and was like, nope, more British humor please!

Sorry to hear that, Yanaka. I hope the MAs pull through for you. I have thought about taking classes because my undergrad degree was strictly English lit and I applied for joint programs in women/gender/sexuality studies. Since I don't have many classes on the latter I thought about enrolling in one or two. Do you suggest doing post-bacc work? Or just taking classes from a local university? I think I can enroll in a graduate level course at the University of Oregon (I live in Eugene), so maybe I should do that? Curious what y'all think. In addition, I'm hoping to get on a panel this fall. And I'm doing volunteer work. So, that plus classes, plus a tighter SOP, and an awkward attempt to actually reach out to POIs this fall. That's my plan. Thanks everyone for contributing to this thread; it's been helpful.

So sorry to hear this. For what it's worth, I feel ya on the year of unsubstantial floating. I mean, I'll use it to study for the subject test, take classes, and try to buff up my CV. But, another year of slog work is queued up. Do you think you'll apply to different programs? How long are you giving yourself to grieve before starting in again on the application process? Sending you (and all the shut out others) lots of strength and fight. Here's to 2018!

Hey fellow/fella applicants. I applied to 9 places and was rejected from (drum rolling) all 9! If you're like me then you are in a pretty bummed/dark/bourbon-drinking place. I can completely understand why you wouldn't want to publicly discuss your unsuccessful season, but I thought I'd just throw this out in case some of you are hurting and could use this kind of thread. No pressure either way. Sending biggie congrats to those acceptances and biggie hugs to those who are beyond disappointed.

I posted this in another forum, but that you and other Oregon applicants might like to know that decisions have been made as of Thursday and are being announced soon. My friend is in the program and talked to the DGS this past week. Best o luck!

For those of you who applied to Oregon, my friend is currently in the program and talked to the DGS this week. Decisions have been made as of Thursday and are being announced soon. Good luck, y'all!

I'm right there with you all. Only rejections in hand with three more to hear from, and all i'm feeling is dread and despair. Sending lots of strength and fight. This hurts so much more than I anticipated.

Same over here. I work from home and am developing a habit of refreshing email, checking GC, doing just a tiny amount of work, then starting the loop over again. You're not alone!

I've been out of school for six years. So, I crafted an entirely new sample, which makes me pretty nervous. I had academic friends read it over, but it didn't go through any official academic gauntlet. I wrote about Anne Carson's Autobiography of Red, attempting to illuminate how the instabilities of identity (such as sex) engender a space inclusive of uncertainty, limitation, and reckoning, wherein the self actually thrives. Queer Geryon is my vehicle to illustrate this. All your papers sound great, y'all. Sending lots of strength and confidence to everyone this week!

University of Oregon preferred 300 words. My SOP was basically "me love books. please yes." I get it too, but it's so difficult to explain the nuances and specialities of your research interest (which is what they want, right?) in so few words. I live in Eugene! Been here six years and hate the thought of leaving. Did you go to UO?

I hear ya. Did you have any that limited it to 300-500 words? The. worst.

Thanks everyone for the solidarity. So, what's everyone else's application hiccup, that one thing you can't stop thinking about?

Thanks y'all. I was really reticent to write the post because I know everyone is in the same boat. But that to say, I really appreciate your helpful (and calming) comments. I didn't anticipate having such an exasperating waiting period, but here I am.

I guess I'm more worried about my app not even getting a look because it didn't cross a certain threshold. I mean, there's no real way to know that but I'm itchy with the thought of all that hard work. Oof. Thanks for responding all.

Hey all. I can't stop agonizing over my application packet and have a question for the community. Most schools don't publish their GPA cutoffs. Do y'all have any insider knowledge of whereabouts adcoms make the cutoff? I recently read that it can be as high as 3.75. I know this must vary by school. And I'm basically calling on you to assuage my fears. But, that's what this forum is for right? Right? [wrings hands] My gen stats: 3.5 undergrad gpa (3.7 for lit) / MFA / 164 verbal Any/all thoughts are welcomed and would give me something else to do then sleuth the deep tracks of the grad cafe all damn day.

Is it just me or did all the rows get deleted? Or maybe they're hidden?

I got "do your taxes."

Well @crugs and @JeremyWrites, take care of yourselves this weekend. Sending lots of support!

Yeah, I got two rejection notifications from Northwestern too. Cool cool.

Ach. So sorry to hear you're not doing well. Looks like we applied to a few of the same places (Chi, Brown, Northwestern, Denver). Northwestern was top of my list, so I was pretty crushed by that one. I'm trying to fight my pessimism, constantly going over my stats in my head, and generally fretting non-stop. I know all of that is unproductive, yet... Is there something specific in your application packet that most worries you? Feel free not to answer if it only exacerbates the anxiety; I was just curious. Mine is my undergrad GPA. I didn't do well my first term and I worked hard to redeem it. But, I was only able to graduate with a 3.5 (3.7 for my major). Well, all the to say. I'm cheering for you. Do what you need to stave off the blues.