a_sort_of_fractious_angel

HALP! Just checked my Temple portal and I AM CONFUSED AF. A few days ago, it said "Application Status: Complete; Decision: Under Dept Review (or something close to that)." Today, it says, "Application Status: Decision Made; Decision: University Acceptance." No emails/calls from the department - any clue what this means? I'm thrilled it's a sign of life (wahoo!) and I'm hopeful it is Very, Very Good News - however, I realize it could mean that, like, I've passed through the grad school hope and am now onto departmental hoops, so I'm Extremely Cautious. If it helps - apps were due 12/14, app was listed as complete/under review on like 1/16 (which is why I don't think this is actually an acceptance of any kind.) Any thoughts are welcome - I have a friend in their program currently but I'm too scared to reach out to him, hahahaha ... ahhhahaha ... AHHHHH .. I WAS COUNTING ON THIS BEING STRAIGHTFORWARD AND I PLAYED MYSELF.

11/10 recommend an MA program (if you end up needing one!) My MA really helped me improve my BA-level work (I was what I'm going to call a "good thinker but poor writer" as an undergrad). Feel free to PM me if you'd ever want to chat about that option - also, lots of cool folks on here have done MAs and, I'm sure, would speak to the pros/cons of the experience. And there's lots of good threads from past years about the MA --> PhD plan.

I feel you, @Elle Coronaria - I was part of the shut-out crew two years ago - and I really admire your perspective. "All you need is one" is now the only thing my mother says every time I start to panic. And it's true - one school that has space for my research is the goal. And that's great you're in a university setting - I tried to enter to admin side of things after I finished my MA, as I wanted to be as close as I could to a dept (haha, desperate? yes.) Ended up in social media marketing/copy&content writing instead - it's fun, but I need a bit more brain activity than what I'm getting, so I feel you on that front as well. And thank you! I hope the same for you! And thanks! The programs are different but I'd really be happy at any of them. I was just feeling guilty today about this, haha! I spent a lot of time rehashing my application but really very little time seeking out new work/developing new projects (time+paywall+life stuff). I'm eager to get into that grad-school kind of pressure cooker where everyone is reading and writing.

That sounds so cool! I'm a contemporariest but that sounds like a fascinating topic nonetheless!

Hi, hello, welcome! Errors are so annoying, especially when they're not your errors, but - if PSU is like, "you didn't answer this," you have (I think) every right to respond with "BUT WHAT ABOUT THE EMAIL!?" I hope you get good news soon, too! I imagine that will take the edge off (I hope. I have so many edges, I don't really know.)

Don't lose hope! As a Not-Adcom, I don't know how any of this works but - the questions may be required by the grad school at-large (and not the dept itself). If that's the case, the dept will have everything they need (WS, SOP, scores, etc.) and may just keep chucking along. If it makes you feel better, there is a thread in this forum (a few years back) with a comment from someone who applied late to an Ivy (Cornell? Columbia? It was a C school) - like the time-stamp clearly denoted that they had submitted 15 minutes after the deadline - and who got in. If your app didn't say "Complete" or some big things were missing, I'd definitely be concerned. These Qs - I don't know if they'll trip a wire in the system (my fingers are crossed that they do not!) Moreover, they could have the answers on their end from when you originally answered them - my Rutgers app says a letter is missing but the dept admin was like "no, we have it." In short, the portals are weird and anything is possible.

Congrats! That is awesome! If I may, what are you talking about? I love hearing about people's conference papers. Also, I'm in @mk-8's line of thought - I'd probably think you're OK to leave it off. In asking my peers in PhDs/profs, the conferences are a neutral/good - they won't make or break anything - and reaching out post-deadline seems (unless it is a defcon1 situation) to be more effort than it's worth. Which has no reflection on how great it is that you're accepted and attending! More that the depts are all really busy right now and probably have the packets put together and all that (if that makes sense). Granted, I'm not an adcom or a PhD student, so all my knowledge is anecdotal.

Hey - I just checked my PSU app. Don't see that for mine - BUT - I did have a lingering Q about answering what field I wanted if I was an MA (I have an MA but I filled it out anyway because - why not). Are you able to re-answer them now? I don't know much about computers or anything, but glitches are definitely possible.

Thanks @FreakyFoucault? I'm pulling for you, too. Moreover, if Foles can go to the Superbowl, there's no saying you and I can't pull an acceptance out of the air. And forget not friends the date - it's January 22. If 3 app seasons have shown me anything of worth, it's that we've got 2-3 months of excitement ahead. There are many doors open for us (and a lot of windows we can scramble through, too) so hold tight.

This is my third time applying. First time was as an undergrad - got an MA offer. Second time was as an MA - I was the only person in my cohort who applied to PhDs and was totally shut out. What helped me come back was a year off. I don't adore working in the non-ac world but it has given me a way to craft an identity that has nothing to do with academia. In turn, that identity distance helped me return to my application materials and figure out what seemed to be working and what seemed off without sinking into the hole of "my academic identity is the sole measure of my self worth" (I'd been living quite comfortably in that hole as an MA.) I also made sure to work with advisors who were really supportive - this season is the first time I've felt like I've been driving the car the whole time. I hope it makes for a better application but if it doesn't - I really can say I gave it everything (which I never felt I had done in previous application seasons.) Feel free to PM me if you want to chat about the ups and downs of it all. Also, apologies for any typos as I'm on mobile and autocorrect is annoying.

Yes, congrats! Looks like there are two now! Fingers-crossed as "this is [definitely] not a drill"!!

I've been getting a call a day from an unknown number neighbor over the past 5 days - I'm losing my mind every time the "buzz buzz" starts. Also, @mk-8 - HELLO, FELLOW IGGLES FAN! I had no idea! I don't know about you, but I'm totally using the next 13 days to live in anxiety re: the Superbowl instead of applications, which is really just doubling up my anxiety but - whatever.

And I definitely will shoot you a message! And absolutely - please do the same!

Thank you so much! This is fantastic - I really appreciate it. The breakout sessions in the second link look so friggin' cool.

Oh, excellent! I'd been seeing conferences and articles continue to come out and I was thinking "hey ...." Anything especially exciting at the conference?

This is a great thread! (1) My undergraduate adviser was/is really into literary trauma studies and helped me shape my undergrad honors thesis around trauma in Joyce and Faulkner. Original, I know. When I got to my MA, I learned (with much chagrin) that the field was viewed as both old news and, at points, problematic (which it totally is) and I panicked. I attempted to totally abandon that part of my work and distance myself from the field entirely (cue the GOT *shame shame shame* bell.) At the same time, I took a course in contemporary Caribbean literature and fell in love with novels and authors I had never encountered as an undergrad. As the MA marched onward, I brought Faulkner back into this mix of texts and ended up a 20th/21st Americanist with a keen interest in contemporary transnational Caribbean-American novels. However *she leans in closely* I never gave up on literary trauma studies. Instead, I went underground and avoided the topic unless I was speaking to close friends or to the few professors who I knew were open to field. One was a Caribbean scholar and one was a professor who taught a course on David Foster Wallace and (wait for it) Joyce. So, I hope to keep the field as a secret love during doctoral work because it is, at times, interesting/useful and (as demonstrated by my undergrad adviser's recent book) not as unfashionable as some might think. (2) I went to Ohio State's Project Narrative Summer Institute and we did some very basic work on graphic novels. I am so hopeful (pending an PhD acceptance) that I can get back to that work and develop a project on Gaiman - I have no polished or even drafted project in mind but (with the time and resources) would love to add that as a side-gig.

All out of upvotes but congrats to all! Fantastic news all around! Please keep us in the loop as you move forward/get info - can't wait to hear more!

WOO! WOO! WOO!

I know it's been said before, but thank you @Warelin for being so thorough and open with the "when/how/why" re: notifications. Also, I so - SO - hope you're right about early notifications. I have a good feeling that may well be the case.

Agreed 100% - and thank you!

This isn't a blooper but a "thank you." I was thinking yesterday about how I'd opted to include a little bit of "personal" info about myself in the SOP and if that was going to prove to be a mistake - your husband's success with it makes me feel so much better. Moreover, I'm so glad it worked for him - I think depts (at least certain ones) appreciate a sense of the personal and I have my fingers-crossed that you guys get good news back from Maryland soon!

^big mood. I have a PhD prep syllabus/thing made up but am too scared to do it - I feel like it's tempting fate in a maybe not-good way. Though maybe I should it. I don't know. Ugh. TV is great - I just finished The End of the F***ing World and loved it and am starting The Good Place now - and I've started playing Hearthstone again. I'm not very good but it's a decent way to pass the time. I've also been enjoying GC threads from years past - I've decided it doesn't "count" if I'm reading old threads instead of refreshing the results screen. Some of the threads are hilarious and the shade that gets thrown around in mid-Feb during the '09/'10 years is high-quality. So, if you're needing to be on here but not wanting to be, seeking out threads with silly titles and lots of responses may be fun.

You've given me an idea for every time my mother calls. 11/10 agree you're selected to all. 11/10 believe they are staring at the phone during the weekdays - waiting, hoping, praying you'll call back. Have you gotten any voicemails of just breathing? I'm assuming several. Nerves, you know - crazy things.

I think you're within your rights to spam call back. Repeatedly.

Today at 4:54 pm, I was called by an unknown number. The area code matched an area code for one of the schools to which I have applied - I know this since I made all list of all the possible areas codes for all the schools to which I have applied and I keep it on my person at all times because Constant Vigilance. So, I have my phone in my right hand and my list in my left and I realize that the first 3 numbers in the phone number are the same as the first 3 numbers of one phone number on the page. I reject the call, naturally, because I am scared. I then stare at my phone, waiting for the voicemail notification, and think to myself - after about 15 minutes - "wow this is a really long voicemail, they must be really excited for me. maybe I got a double scoop of funding." It is now 5:59 pm - I will admit there is no voicemail notification, but I'm just not confident that there is no actual voicemail. It's probably stuck, like a text, and is on its way. While I wait for it get unstuck, I'm going to fashion a "One Week of Waiting" chip for myself out of two beer bottle tops and a glue stick. Semi-related, hello and welcome to the deadzone, @Dogfish Head - I made it one week before collapsing into the third rail. May you make it at least 8 days.