a_sort_of_fractious_angel

Not to make things more difficult @Keri but I'd like to join as well @lit_nerd 

We will figure this out, everyone! Hopefully @lit_nerd checks back in soon
So far we've introduced ourselves, talked about our application goals, talked about our research, and keep each other updated on what  we've been accomplishing. I've been setting weekly/monthly goals and check in whenever I'm feeling good/need some extra encouragement. 
It's been helpful for me so far. Accountability is huge, and we can help each other cross the finish line! 

I think @lit_nerd has to add them since he started the chat! I've tried everything and I have no option to add others. Sorry @klader, @punctilious and @a_sort_of_fractious_angel! I'll keep looking.

@punctilious Can I ask what parts of this program research your husband is planning to do? I get that literature students switch fields and topics a lot more often than anthropologists do, so it can make sense to go to a program with generally "good Americanists" for a master's degree (or possibly for a PhD if you want to focus on teaching? I'm not sure, I'm in a different field) but it doesn't sound like that's your husband's situation. It sounds like he really likes literary scholarship, it isn't something he's just okay about while he gets to his dream of teaching college students. And that he would be particularly interested in going to a prestigious PhD. (Although that might sound snobby—your instinct might be to go "oh no no, he's really interested in doing what he loves, not being at some fancy elite institution"—it's wise, actually. Getting a PhD is tough! It's a lot easier if they pay you reasonably and support you doing research. It will also likely make facing the job market, which is very bad, somewhat less horrible.) Is that right? If I understood that correctly, you may be running out the limits on what you can do for him. It sounds like your spreadsheets are very detailed, and I bet they will be great help for the two of you! I suspect that he is going to need to do the next step, however, on his own—and it's the most important step. Finding a research "fit" is something that nobody but the applicant can do for them, so he should start researching the professors he wants to work with pretty soon. The POIs you've picked out might be a great place for him to start reading, but he can't stop there. Prestigious PhDs, especially, require specifically-written applications, with more details rather than less. Harvard gets a lot of applications that say it's great because it's Harvard! Maybe they say the funding is good! They have a lot of faculty who focus on the Victorian era! (Or whatever.) That's not very convincing, if you read hundreds of similar applications: the Ivies know they're fancy. If you say instead that you're interested in this project this professor is working on, and that project that other professor did, the professors on the admissions committee will most likely find that much more persuasive.
So if your husband is interested in a research-focused PhD, he needs to sit down and read all of the faculty profiles in all the departments he is interested in. He'll need to pick out the ones that catch his eye. A really strong graduate school application in either of our fields isn't just based on matching faculty by time and region, but on thematic connections. So this strong application wouldn't say something like, I want to work on the American post-war and you have a lot of faculty who do great work on that period. It would rather say something like: I am interested in working on ambivalent constructions of masculinity in post-war novels that focus on the American marriage, and although this part may change I'm currently focused on the works of John Updike. The SOP would then not be as simple as: I am interested in working with faculty X, Y, and Z, because they all work on American literature after WWII. Rather, this fictional applicant might say: I am interested in working with faculty X because they are an Updike scholar (although X herself studies space and the environment as they appear in the books, not gender or marriage); I also look forward to taking Y's class on marriage in literature (where Y herself studies Shakespeare); finally I look forward to working with Z who studies gender theory (even though Z himself applies that theory to the works of Samuel Delaney). 

After your husband finishes reading about all the English faculty at each college, he should also look at the professors who work in some of the other departments that might have scholars whose work he would like. Interdisciplinary work is big these days, and only getting bigger, so really he should look at way more departments at each college than just the English literature department. This can be a quick overview where he only reads the research statements of the faculty who catch his eye, but he should absolutely look at the website listing the faculty of, say, the department of American Studies at Yale before he applies there. Does he like film? Look at the film studies department at each college. Or feminist studies, or science and technology studies (which is a broader field than it might sound like). Of course he shouldn't push connections if they feel forced, but it's a good research exercise to do anyway. Although my fictional example in the previous paragraph includes only faculty who could be in English, maybe Z is actually in the department of American culture or in African American studies. Poking around other interesting departments would then reveal that new resource for your husband to draw upon, one that he might have missed by just looking in English. For example, when I applied, I read or skimmed the departmental webpages for all the anthropology faculty in all the departments I was considering, and then I looked at all the history faculty who studied the same region where I work, skimmed the entire relevant area studies department, and sometimes looked at the departments of sociology or film studies. Personally, I found doing all that reading kind of fun, since people study such interesting things. Good luck to you both.

Would it be possible for me to join, too?

Hello all! I'm a rising senior studying English and I am pretty desperate for advice, specifically regarding choosing an area of interest. 
Everyone in my year seems to know exactly what they're doing and I'm starting to panic. I'm not questioning my overall goals; I know that I want to eventually get my PhD and become a professor at some point. I'm just having a hard time nailing down one area to study. My studies so far have been pretty general and, having switched majors, I feel like I've been playing catch-up for the past two years and haven't had time to specialize. I've managed to narrow the possibilities down to either Victorian or Renaissance literature, but I haven't done a huge amount of work in either of those areas. Should I take a year off to make up my mind? I love studying literature and I know I want to keep doing it, and a year away from academia just sounds frustrating to me. At the same time, I don't know if it's even possible for me to get my applications together this late in the game. 
I've spoken to several faculty members, and I have some advising me to wait a few years, one thrilled that I'm considering grad school at all, and one actually offering to help me with my application materials as soon as I return from study abroad in a month. As I said, I'm thoroughly confused and starting to panic, so any advice you can offer would be highly appreciated!

Everything written so far is fantastic advice - I just want drop a quick line in case my experiences can further help you, @lit_nerd.
I'm assuming you're applying to both PhDs and MAs (if I'm wrong, I apologize) - as others here have noted, the PhDs are going to want to see a dialogue between the two, but (from my lived experience) MA programs are less concerned with seeing a nuanced and rich dialogue between a powerful SOP and WS than with seeing two (perhaps not totally connected) pieces of writing that are strong and interesting and demonstrative of your growth potential.
Case in point, I submitted for my 1st round of apps a WS on Joyce and psychoanalysis (weird paper) and a SOP that was vague everywhere except in its dogged love for the unfashionable field of literary trauma studies (even weirder than the WS), and I was accepted to two MA programs. While my materials didn't speak to one another in any sort of direct way and weren't strong enough to get me into a PhD, they did get me a step closer. And there's nothing wrong with taking the MA as time to continue growing - I'm so, so, so glad I did, and I can recommend a fully-funded MA program to look at (if you're interested.)
I believe, too, that someone here (I'm sorry I can't recall who said this) suggested that if you REALLY love this WS you're submitting, you shape you SOP around it. I think that is a idea well-worth considering. If you know you can write intelligently and easily on a certain topic, it's sort of pragmatic to "pick" that topic to spend 5-7 years working on. I am not suggesting, of course, that you pick a topic that's not actually what you love. I'm more trying to say that, as a PhD, you'll be able to work with all the professors in the department (probably), freely apply to whatever conferences catch your eye, and shape your studies in a way that works for you. Thus, provided you speak a little toward your multiple areas of interest, you can perhaps make the bridge between these two areas during your studies (as opposed to within your application materials) - however, I'm not a PhD, so others here will know more about exactly how much wiggle room you'll have upon arrival.
Finally, I think somewhere on here the question of submitting multiple papers appeared - my only advice for that is, if you do it, alert your LWs and make sure they know what paper is going where. One of my previous LWs spoke about my WS in her recommendation and I'm guessing other profs do that, too. It'd be super awkward to have a LOR bragging about Paper A when you submitted Paper B (I'm sure you've already thought this out, but I had to say it.)
Finally, finally - there is a safety to sticking with a paper that someone else has seen (perhaps multiple times) - you might have more room to get more nuance, simply because you've been able to step away and come back more than you would with a brand new sample. 

Everything written so far is fantastic advice - I just want drop a quick line in case my experiences can further help you, @lit_nerd.
I'm assuming you're applying to both PhDs and MAs (if I'm wrong, I apologize) - as others here have noted, the PhDs are going to want to see a dialogue between the two, but (from my lived experience) MA programs are less concerned with seeing a nuanced and rich dialogue between a powerful SOP and WS than with seeing two (perhaps not totally connected) pieces of writing that are strong and interesting and demonstrative of your growth potential.
Case in point, I submitted for my 1st round of apps a WS on Joyce and psychoanalysis (weird paper) and a SOP that was vague everywhere except in its dogged love for the unfashionable field of literary trauma studies (even weirder than the WS), and I was accepted to two MA programs. While my materials didn't speak to one another in any sort of direct way and weren't strong enough to get me into a PhD, they did get me a step closer. And there's nothing wrong with taking the MA as time to continue growing - I'm so, so, so glad I did, and I can recommend a fully-funded MA program to look at (if you're interested.)
I believe, too, that someone here (I'm sorry I can't recall who said this) suggested that if you REALLY love this WS you're submitting, you shape you SOP around it. I think that is a idea well-worth considering. If you know you can write intelligently and easily on a certain topic, it's sort of pragmatic to "pick" that topic to spend 5-7 years working on. I am not suggesting, of course, that you pick a topic that's not actually what you love. I'm more trying to say that, as a PhD, you'll be able to work with all the professors in the department (probably), freely apply to whatever conferences catch your eye, and shape your studies in a way that works for you. Thus, provided you speak a little toward your multiple areas of interest, you can perhaps make the bridge between these two areas during your studies (as opposed to within your application materials) - however, I'm not a PhD, so others here will know more about exactly how much wiggle room you'll have upon arrival.
Finally, I think somewhere on here the question of submitting multiple papers appeared - my only advice for that is, if you do it, alert your LWs and make sure they know what paper is going where. One of my previous LWs spoke about my WS in her recommendation and I'm guessing other profs do that, too. It'd be super awkward to have a LOR bragging about Paper A when you submitted Paper B (I'm sure you've already thought this out, but I had to say it.)
Finally, finally - there is a safety to sticking with a paper that someone else has seen (perhaps multiple times) - you might have more room to get more nuance, simply because you've been able to step away and come back more than you would with a brand new sample. 

Just registered to take the GRE .

I wouldn't dismiss concerns about departmental rigor as mere undergrad complaining. 
When it comes to grad school acceptance, unless the person whose advice you are soliciting has the power to accept or deny your application to a program, what they can give you is just an opinion, and some opinions are certainly more informed than others. It's fair to assume that a professor at a top PhD-granting program knows the profile of a typical admitted student and can give you an accurate assessment, even if you're not applying to their program specifically; the further you get from "top PhD-granting program", the less that assumption holds. Professors at top SLACs may have excellent standing in the discipline and may regularly send their undergrads to these coveted programs, but they don't have recent first-hand experience of admitting PhD students. They don't know what the competition is like. At the majority of US institutions, which may send an undergrad to a top PhD once every decade, if at all, professors have even less experience. You can't expect them to cogently reason from a sample of one. This is not to say that OP shouldn't apply to the T20 (they should if they want an academic job). That's to say that it is possible that OP's professors *don't* know how competitive they are.
As for the thesis, that is another valid concern. Few schools have enough strong faculty to supervise the great variety of dissertation topics that students come up with. That is, a professor can monitor that the research is done properly, the argument is cogent, and similar technical things, but if they're not a subject matter expert, they're not going to know whether you raised questions that are compelling in the context of the literature, not least because they can't evaluate if you surveyed the literature properly.
The only thing I wouldn't worry about is discussion-heavy classes and OP's (implied) disdain for those of their classmates that they perceive as not having done enough work. Lower and intermediate level classes may have a heavy lecture component, but upper-level stuff (seminars) is almost always done in a discussion format, at all schools I am familiar with, because its major goal is to teach you to do your own research and construct your own arguments (the difference, I assume, being that, at stronger programs, the goal is to assess your ability to do research and construct arguments, as you will have been doing that in your lower-level classes already), and because it's assumed that you're mature enough to have more control over your learning. This is the crucial part. The reality is, you can scrape by in any major, at any school. If you're content doing the minimum to stay afloat, you shouldn't be going to grad school. If you feel that you haven't been challenged, find ways to challenge yourself. 
Try to get someone who is an expert in your specific area to take a look at your diss (it's a longshot, sure...). They'll be able to tell you if it's good work content-wise.

Hallo, new frands. 
I'm returning for my third and final shot at academia. So, if anyone starts to experience that largely unpleasant "oh no, not this again" feeling, I'm happy to chat through/around/over it because I'm very likely feeling it myself.
~The Plan 3.0~ 
March - continue getting comfy in my field; eyeball W.S. and P.S. lengths; be aware of POI-related articles/texts (a.k.a. read everything I haven't yet read and read again the things I've already read.)
April - revise chapter 1 of my M.A. thesis and make it palatable. 
May - produce a new writing sample that is equally palatable; scope out a conference panel or two that are related to said samples (and hopefully see what the three people in the audience and my co-presenters world has to say about it at a later date.) 
June - debate if the GRE and/or the GRE subject test is really worth taking again & do so if necessary; contemplate the joy that is the Personal Statement.
June - edit, edit, edit the W.S. and P.S.; compile logistical application stuff.
August - reach out to letter writers; pray the work I've done isn't totally wonky; edit everything.
September - reach out to academic friends and see what their reactions are; edit everything again.
October - do some more heckin' edits.
November - evade that Threat Level Midnight feeling; tie those metaphorical bows on my applications with a confident flourish of the wrist.
December - sing holiday songs Very Loudly; pet some dogs.
I'm glad to be on board with you all! 

Hallo, new frands. 
I'm returning for my third and final shot at academia. So, if anyone starts to experience that largely unpleasant "oh no, not this again" feeling, I'm happy to chat through/around/over it because I'm very likely feeling it myself.
~The Plan 3.0~ 
March - continue getting comfy in my field; eyeball W.S. and P.S. lengths; be aware of POI-related articles/texts (a.k.a. read everything I haven't yet read and read again the things I've already read.)
April - revise chapter 1 of my M.A. thesis and make it palatable. 
May - produce a new writing sample that is equally palatable; scope out a conference panel or two that are related to said samples (and hopefully see what the three people in the audience and my co-presenters world has to say about it at a later date.) 
June - debate if the GRE and/or the GRE subject test is really worth taking again & do so if necessary; contemplate the joy that is the Personal Statement.
June - edit, edit, edit the W.S. and P.S.; compile logistical application stuff.
August - reach out to letter writers; pray the work I've done isn't totally wonky; edit everything.
September - reach out to academic friends and see what their reactions are; edit everything again.
October - do some more heckin' edits.
November - evade that Threat Level Midnight feeling; tie those metaphorical bows on my applications with a confident flourish of the wrist.
December - sing holiday songs Very Loudly; pet some dogs.
I'm glad to be on board with you all! 

What I wish I'd done better:
Spent more time on the SOP. What was I really trying to say in there? I'm not sure, reading over it. I explained what my current MA thesis was over, my general research interests, then talked about my possible dissertation topic. I didn't tailor it to any specific program but made a one-size-fits-all SOP. Maybe that wasn't a smart idea? On the other hand, I don't know that I had time to write 11 different SOP's. *shrug*
Writing Sample: It could have been more fleshed out, more polished, but I liked the argument I made in it and I found the essay interesting to me. That says to me that I picked the right WS to reflect my interests and writing style--but it could use more polish. I'm also going to a conference with it at the end of April so maybe I'll get some even better ideas after that.
Those two things, I think, would have made me a stronger applicant. As to the GRE stuff, eh, my scores were so-so. 163v/140q/5W with a Subject Score that I worked my tail off to get of 680. But with those scores I didn't get into any Ivy Leagues. However, I too, am of the opinion that all you can do is give it your best shot. As long as you know you put your all into those applications, that's the best you can hope for. I know that I put as much as I could into my applications!
 
But yeah, for anyone applying to schools next year: Work your ass off on the SOP and WP. I think those are the two major components. Don't worry so much about the GRE stuff, just make sure you get it done!
I don't know what to say about contacting the POI's. I see it as being kind of hammy. So I assume departments see it as being hammy. But it seems to work for some folks!

I've gone back and forth on the importance of GRE scores over the years. At one point I was afforded a position where I got to see a lot of applicants' GRE scores. My takeaway is that I really don't know how much they matter. My general feeling is that they don't matter as much at programs that we might call "mid-tier" (keeping in mind that this distinction is really meaningless, as I'm thinking in terms of schools ranked #20-#50 or so which are great programs by any definition). At the same time, everyone I know who attends or was accepted to an Ivy or other extremely high-ranked program had very high GRE scores across the board.
Then again, *I* had high GRE scores and didn't get into any of my lofty top choices. 
In terms of "fit," yes, this is correct--but I think what many people don't realize is that fit doesn't just pertain to your research but also to things outside of your control. These things might include where you went to undergrad, who's writing your letters of recommendations, and other non-academic "markers." This is the ugly side of academia, and the side that no one likes to admit because everyone wants to believe that this is a meritocratic endeavor. But it's not, sadly, and the same business continues to matter on the job market in ways that are often more prevalent and more insidious. I've got stories about it, but I don't want to depress anyone. I'm just sharing this information to let you know that it might not be you or anything about your work or your academic abilities. It's probably nothing that you DID, in other words, if your materials were well done. Of course there are things you can do to make yourself more competitive, but at the end of the day it's very much outside of your control. 

Do not let imposter syndrome hold you down. I still find myself crying at the fact that I've received offers, because I had a hard time believing in the value of my work.
I do wish now I was a bit more daring, I applied to many amazing programs (which I am eternally grateful to have gotten accepted into), but shut myself from applying to others because I didn't think my application would be taken seriously.

Starting with Step 2, this is pretty much my plan too, and my preference is also for 20th Century American Lit, though Lit Crit is my preferred major field of study.  I am in the second semester of my first MA, though I have another advanced degree.  I started out my MA program thinking I was into rhetoric and writing, but now that I am here I am 100% committed to lit crit.  I wasn't required to take the GRE for admission to my current program, so I have yet to take it.  I plan to take the general test once in the summer and again in September.  Only one or two of the schools that interest me require the Lit in English test, but I plan to take that in September, October, or both. 
I was contemplating taking an online summer class, just for fun, but I am now thinking that I will focus on the GRE and finishing up the research for my Master's Thesis.
 

Hallo, new frands. 
I'm returning for my third and final shot at academia. So, if anyone starts to experience that largely unpleasant "oh no, not this again" feeling, I'm happy to chat through/around/over it because I'm very likely feeling it myself.
~The Plan 3.0~ 
March - continue getting comfy in my field; eyeball W.S. and P.S. lengths; be aware of POI-related articles/texts (a.k.a. read everything I haven't yet read and read again the things I've already read.)
April - revise chapter 1 of my M.A. thesis and make it palatable. 
May - produce a new writing sample that is equally palatable; scope out a conference panel or two that are related to said samples (and hopefully see what the three people in the audience and my co-presenters world has to say about it at a later date.) 
June - debate if the GRE and/or the GRE subject test is really worth taking again & do so if necessary; contemplate the joy that is the Personal Statement.
June - edit, edit, edit the W.S. and P.S.; compile logistical application stuff.
August - reach out to letter writers; pray the work I've done isn't totally wonky; edit everything.
September - reach out to academic friends and see what their reactions are; edit everything again.
October - do some more heckin' edits.
November - evade that Threat Level Midnight feeling; tie those metaphorical bows on my applications with a confident flourish of the wrist.
December - sing holiday songs Very Loudly; pet some dogs.
I'm glad to be on board with you all! 

Hello all! After a very rushed and unfortunately unsuccessful Fall 2017 application season (the fact that I even applied is hilarious to me now, after everything I've learned about the process after the fact...) I'm on board with you all! 
I'm doing my very best to remain excited and optimistic about this application season, and trying to be happy about the year I'll have off in between undergrad and (hopefully, hopefully) grad school. Sooooooooooooo right now I plan to finish my thesis and graduate, then start the large reading list of both theory and literature that I've made for myself to both pass the time and improve my knowledge. I'll be taking the GRE lit and re-taking the GRE because what could be more fun? While also figuring out where exactly I'll be applying this round. 
Let's all be friends, okay!
 
Oh also, any other early American folks around?  

Hallo, new frands. 
I'm returning for my third and final shot at academia. So, if anyone starts to experience that largely unpleasant "oh no, not this again" feeling, I'm happy to chat through/around/over it because I'm very likely feeling it myself.
~The Plan 3.0~ 
March - continue getting comfy in my field; eyeball W.S. and P.S. lengths; be aware of POI-related articles/texts (a.k.a. read everything I haven't yet read and read again the things I've already read.)
April - revise chapter 1 of my M.A. thesis and make it palatable. 
May - produce a new writing sample that is equally palatable; scope out a conference panel or two that are related to said samples (and hopefully see what the three people in the audience and my co-presenters world has to say about it at a later date.) 
June - debate if the GRE and/or the GRE subject test is really worth taking again & do so if necessary; contemplate the joy that is the Personal Statement.
June - edit, edit, edit the W.S. and P.S.; compile logistical application stuff.
August - reach out to letter writers; pray the work I've done isn't totally wonky; edit everything.
September - reach out to academic friends and see what their reactions are; edit everything again.
October - do some more heckin' edits.
November - evade that Threat Level Midnight feeling; tie those metaphorical bows on my applications with a confident flourish of the wrist.
December - sing holiday songs Very Loudly; pet some dogs.
I'm glad to be on board with you all! 

Hallo, new frands. 
I'm returning for my third and final shot at academia. So, if anyone starts to experience that largely unpleasant "oh no, not this again" feeling, I'm happy to chat through/around/over it because I'm very likely feeling it myself.
~The Plan 3.0~ 
March - continue getting comfy in my field; eyeball W.S. and P.S. lengths; be aware of POI-related articles/texts (a.k.a. read everything I haven't yet read and read again the things I've already read.)
April - revise chapter 1 of my M.A. thesis and make it palatable. 
May - produce a new writing sample that is equally palatable; scope out a conference panel or two that are related to said samples (and hopefully see what the three people in the audience and my co-presenters world has to say about it at a later date.) 
June - debate if the GRE and/or the GRE subject test is really worth taking again & do so if necessary; contemplate the joy that is the Personal Statement.
June - edit, edit, edit the W.S. and P.S.; compile logistical application stuff.
August - reach out to letter writers; pray the work I've done isn't totally wonky; edit everything.
September - reach out to academic friends and see what their reactions are; edit everything again.
October - do some more heckin' edits.
November - evade that Threat Level Midnight feeling; tie those metaphorical bows on my applications with a confident flourish of the wrist.
December - sing holiday songs Very Loudly; pet some dogs.
I'm glad to be on board with you all! 

Hallo, new frands. 
I'm returning for my third and final shot at academia. So, if anyone starts to experience that largely unpleasant "oh no, not this again" feeling, I'm happy to chat through/around/over it because I'm very likely feeling it myself.
~The Plan 3.0~ 
March - continue getting comfy in my field; eyeball W.S. and P.S. lengths; be aware of POI-related articles/texts (a.k.a. read everything I haven't yet read and read again the things I've already read.)
April - revise chapter 1 of my M.A. thesis and make it palatable. 
May - produce a new writing sample that is equally palatable; scope out a conference panel or two that are related to said samples (and hopefully see what the three people in the audience and my co-presenters world has to say about it at a later date.) 
June - debate if the GRE and/or the GRE subject test is really worth taking again & do so if necessary; contemplate the joy that is the Personal Statement.
June - edit, edit, edit the W.S. and P.S.; compile logistical application stuff.
August - reach out to letter writers; pray the work I've done isn't totally wonky; edit everything.
September - reach out to academic friends and see what their reactions are; edit everything again.
October - do some more heckin' edits.
November - evade that Threat Level Midnight feeling; tie those metaphorical bows on my applications with a confident flourish of the wrist.
December - sing holiday songs Very Loudly; pet some dogs.
I'm glad to be on board with you all! 

So I realize this is super early as people are still getting responses for 2017 and the focus of of the forum has gradually shifted from focusing on the process to dealing with the fallout. However, I am sure that there are many here who are gearing up to applying in the next cycle and figured we could start discussing and preparing for the process together.
So, who is on this boat and what are your plans?

I am definitely on the boat (assuming I don't get off this waitlist).
My plan:
+ get MA by August 2018 through one-year program
+ have writing sample finished May 2017 (it's my BA honor's thesis!)
+ maybe re-take the GRE Lit next month
+ submit for a CFP that relates to my research so I can add it to my CV (// get selected, so that I can add it, lol)
+ write specific SOP section for each program I'm applying to before starting my MA in September
+ clean up the more general parts of my SOP fall semester
+ try and be cool about this all 

Good luck to you all and thanks to the veterans offering support. I'll do me now:
Step 1: Apply for a scholarship from my home country that might help with applying in this cycle. For this I need to prepare a personal statement, get recommenders, and choose 3 destinations, so I'll have to prep for all of that.
Step 2: Finish 2nd semester at 2nd MA, hopefully maintaining a high GPA.
Step 3: Start polishing written samples (oh yay, top 3 schools on my list don't overlap in sample lengths, that should be fun), research and focus final destination list, contact any new recommenders.
Step 4: Prepare for and retake GRE and take Subject test.
Step 5: Hopefully submit articles for publication.
Step 6: Finish samples and statements and begin final MA year.
Step 7: Submit applications super early.
Step 8: Acceptances everywhere?! Oh wow, such happy, very graduate.
Step 9: Bidding war for my services leading to lots of funding.
Step 10: Be a PhD candidate, regret nothing.
For future reference I'm a 20th century americanist.