chellyfish_

Agh, I noticed after sending out a handful of apps that I had an entirely wrong YEAR in the CV for the ending date of a teaching gig. Hopefully if it needs to be corrected the mistake will be forgivable, or the mistake is obvious, since I taught elsewhere since "^^

//sweats// As three of my apps are due today and I'm feeling the pressure of final touch-ups, I decided I finally needed to make a showing over here to relieve some of this stress! Today's a big submission day, so good luck everyone! (Also -- does anyone know if there's a topic or question asked anywhere about contacting faculty whose interests you match with at schools you're applying to by email, just politely expressing your interest and saying you've applied? I might start a topic about it if not since I'm currently stressing that )

Hey all! I'm already thinking ahead to next year's PhD apps, and a definite place I could use improvement is in languages. I'm MedRen, and while I have intermediate Italian and (very) elementary French, I really need at least Latin to be competitive and boost my application. Unfortunately my undergraduate self did not have the foresight to plan for this, and my Masters program (graduating this month) didn't have the flexibility to allow extra study. Theoretically I could start studying Latin by myself, but I imagine this means very little to PhD Lit programs, and they'd really want to see evidence of hard study (ex/ post-bacc study or online study). So my question is -- what are people's experiences with Classics post-bacc, or really any post-bacc having to do with this area? How do I go about getting into this if I have no Classics experience? (To clarify: no Classics experience in Latin or Ancient Greek language, though I do have a BA and MA in English so have read English translations of Classic texts.) I wish an intensive summer course was an option, but I work full time teaching English and reading over the summers! If it was entirely online or self-paced I might be able to do it! Unfortunately it's unrealistic for me to move, so I'm mostly looking for any recommendations for online post-baccs (cheaper, I imagine) or in person ones around the California Bay Area / central CA. (The only online one I've turned up in my initial search is UGA, and I've already sent them an inquiry!) And also since I'm asking a load of questions here...if anyone has any non-post-bacc certificate idea to buff up Latin languages, I'm all ears! Thanks in advance for any advice, and I hope other people might benefit from this info too!

To my compatriots on various waitlists waiting in panic for April 15 -- GOOD LUCK, I'm in the same boat & I'll be sending y'all good vibes!

Agreed that it's a very hard test to study for. It's almost one of those texts where....anything you've already done in your whole undergrad (possibly masters if you're applying to PhDs from there) is your 'studying'. One thing I wasn't expecting was so many questions on this past year's test about various types of meter. Like...A LOT. I didn't do any studying on meter so I was vastly underprepared for that. I definitely regret not using more strategy in mine like @t67 mentioned above! I sort of just plowed through linearly, only leaving the ones I had absolutely no clue about, but wound up lingering longer than I ought so there were like ~10 at the end I rushed through and ~7 I didn't see at all, which could have been gimme answers!

Ahhhh, so much congrats!! I did my undergrad there, and I'm in love with everything about it - staff/faculty, areas of study, campus. Let me know if you have any questions about the town or school or anything! Pro tip: BUY A BIKE!

Yes to this! "PhD in Creative Writing" is kind of a misnomer, since it is actually exactly what Warelin said. There are a handful of schools that do this (quick google search should turn them out), but USC is obviously the best. However, hedging one's bets on USC isn't a good idea, as they only take a couple people per year, require strong Subject scores, and basically everyone applies there. If your work is avante-garde, you might be a good fit, but it's a bit more of a reach if you write traditionally. I might also recommend UCSC, since they have a creative dissertation and a very heavy emphasis throughout the entire school on interdisciplinary work and comp lit type things -- combining your creative and critical would actually prove a strength. I recommend joining next season's Creative Writing PhD Draft group on facebook! Not sure if there's one up yet, but there's bound to be soon.

*crickets crickets crickets*

Hi hi! I'm getting my MA in English with a Creative Writing Concentration and a creative dissertation right now. I'm not accepted anywhere but have been waitlisted at several pretty good schools, so apparently I'm not a terrible candidate (to my surprise and pleasure). I actually do feel like a huge imposter, as I don't have either critical or creative publications. My SoP had a lot to do with prejudices I've come up against from people about being a creative writer in critical literature circles, and using those two areas of interest in harmony, etc. I agree with @PoetInCowgirlBoots about making your writing and critical interests cohere! Mine are bizarrely disparate -- my creative dissertation is historically and contemporarily set in the Pacific Island area, and my critical interest is medieval and early modern ecocrit and ecofem, but both involve ecological awareness and feminst dynamics so I talked that up. Even if your two interests seem not similar like mine, I'm sure there's more in common than first meets the eye! If you can, take English classes where you're doing your MFA. Mine has the option to do English courses alongside my fiction workshops, and I honestly feel like that's the thing that helped me most. It gave me a strong graduate level critical writing sample, demonstrated my proficiency and ability to succeed in graduate lit courses, and two of my recommenders were English profs I took classes with. That would be my biggest bit of advice!

Does anyone know if you get an extended time to decide on your school if you get accepted off a waitlist around now, or in the coming weeks? That is, would you still have to make your decision by April 15 if you were extended admission at the beginning of April, for example? I'm waitlisted at three schools, one of which is a top-choice program for me but couldn't give me any information on my place at the waitlist (also a very good school, so I'm guessing fewer people turn it down). My worry is that I'll get accepted at one of the other two sooner, and have to make a decision by April 15 when I may not hear from my top choice until after that

I applied for the creative concentration but I'm in the same boat! It's especially strange, seeing as how they seem to have been very prompt with rejections in past years. I forget exactly where I heard this, but I did definitely hear that UCSC doesn't have a waitlist :'(( I was messaging another GCer, as well as talking to some others, and we were speculating over how since the creative writing concentration seems so wrapped up within the English PhD, perhaps the entire department was affected and offset by the extremely early timing of AWP this year, but....even if that's true, it's been ages And if they do indeed have only rejections to send out...

Hey all! Anyone have any advice on re-contacting schools you're waitlisted at? (After I was initially waitlisted I exchanged several nice emails with the grad chair.) Foremost, should you even poke them about this or is considered a bother? And secondly, is there any best method for going about it in a delicate way? This specific school couldn't give me any info about their waitlist (where I was on it, what type of waitlist they do), so I wonder if it's invasive to inquire again? On the other hand, their visiting day just passed I believe, and I also want to express my continued interest in the school (it's an all eggs are in this basket scenario). Any advice anyone has would be great!

Thanks @ThePomoHipster! I figured it must have been the whole GSAS, otherwise it'd be crazy! Guess that's one way in which you can't take a rejection too personally! (Looks like you got into 2 great schools though - congrats!)

HAHAH, this happened to me a couple years ago, the same year I applied to Purdue's MA -- my bday is in mid-February, right in the midst of acceptance season, so I had 10 heart attacks when I got their message. Hahah, so I feel you on this, mate!! In other news, what the heck is the deal with the 10,800 applicants to Yale's program on the results page?! Is this true??? (Idk what the right thread is for this exactly, but venting works!) I'm just so curious, like to their English PhD specifically, to their GSAS in general?? Dang...

(Has this joke been done before?) Ph.D. programs be like,

HAHA, add me to the pile of Iowa waitlists! @Peppermint&Rooibos I'd be super curious to hear what they say about details! I'm a bit 'hmmmm' because the waitlist seems to be quite long, judging by how many of us there are here on GC!

Is anyone here the person who posted in the results about UCSC creative/critical concentration decisions? I don't want to clog up that page with chatting for obvious reasons, but I applied to that concentration and haven't seen any decisions around -- message me if it was you and you'd like to talk!

Mostly in the dark I hear through the grapevine that not having heard yet is good news, but there were so few rejections that I can't imagine everyone who hasn't heard yet is accepted or waitlisted. So...good news with a grain of salt?

I asked about wait list length and likelihood of admission for mine (though I personally felt it was overstepping to ask about campus visits, since I wasn't actually admitted and they didn't say anything about it first). As long as you're professional and enthusiastic etc., I can't imagine it'll hurt. For mine, while they said they weren't able to give me any more detailed info, it opened up communication channels and established a friendly, more personal rapport with the grad chair. Also, I'd venture to say (though someone please correct me if I'm wrong) that it's detrimental not to contact them in some capacity after you're waitlisted. How else would they know you're still interested?

Today's vent: why, oh why, are the majority of schools I applied to seemingly the last ones to notify people of admission or rejection?!! For five of themI haven't even seen a single result posted! The angst!

"Division" is a strange word to use, but I imagine they mean concentration. As in, if the admitted people in your field (early modern, medieval, whatever your field may be) turn down their places, it's likely you'll get in in their stead. Places tend to use this waitlist system as it gives them a more even field of admits. But that's just my best guess -- possible they mean something else!

The results page has one acceptance up! Says it's plain literature -- I applied for the creative concentration myself! You? Definitely also one of my top choices! Amazing school, AAAAAMAAZING location....I'm too anxious for this stress haha!

Anyone here belong to the posted UCSC acceptance? Dying for details hahah

Honestly, I would choose A! If it were me, I'd also be thinking about my long-term goals. While both sound like great schools where you'd fit well and do good work, but the tier really does matter in things like these, when thinking about getting a job somewhere after you graduate. It sounds to me (I don't mean to be presumptuous though) like there are certain emotions tying you to Place B, when your head is saying go to Place A? If Place B has no development in your subfields and the subfields are vital to your work, that seems like a pretty key point to me. Place A might not have as good of a backing in your main field as B does, but as you said, the subfields there are strong and I'm confident that with a school at that level, that would provide a very solid support system for you to do your research. So again, that's why I'd come down on the side of A. However, I will also say that your personal health and well being are the most important things. If being in Place A will push you slightly outside of your comfort zone and challenge you, I say that's good. If it will uproot you from a necessary support system and really disturb your well being, that could be harmful and a reason to choose B. I'm assuming these are Ph.D. programs, so you'll be spending five years of your life wherever you choose. Wishing the best for you!

I'm another supporting the MA. Coming out of an MA with a 4.0 or something close, if you also have a good English GPA in undergrad, will really help validate the fact that it was the medicine classes that brought your BA GPA down. Also, they'll be putting much more weight on your writing sample/SoP and how you fit with their program than on GPA (though of course, it does still matter). A slightly lower GPA with a strong fit seems more likely to get in than a 4.0 with a shaky fit. Going that extra step to get the MA first may seem like you're dragging your time out, but it really does help.