a_sort_of_fractious_angel

I've been doing Dr. even if they use their first name. Its feels a bit formal and sometimes cringey for me (I had one phone conversation where they were like "hello, it's [first name]" and I panicked and was like "hello, Dr [last name]" and I felt like a Batman villain) but I think that following their lead is just as fine as sticking to Dr. or Professor. I'm almost positive they do not put nearly as much mental energy into their salutations as we do.
*Also, this is not a stupid question - this is a great question and I spend a lot of time fretting over if I'm coming off as weirdly formal and, if so, am I within the boundaries of normal weird or not.

Hey, y'all - I have declined Temple and Syracuse, so the wait list for funding is now shorter and I hope it helps someone here out! 

The pinned thread on Campus Visits prompted a question: what are you guys doing in the 4-5 weeks between getting an acceptance and the opportunity to visit?
One of my schools was really encouraging of talking to faculty/current students; the DGS said some profs may reach out and that she could give me contact info for grad students in my area. At the same time, she welcomed me to reach out to anyone in the dept any time. I imagine the other dept has a similar policy.
I think that's something I'd like to do once I get some thoughtful questions together. Is that something you guys are thinking about doing? If yes, maybe want to make this thread a sounding board for those kinds of in-between conversations? 
 

Thank you, @Warelin - this is awesome. I  appreciate you bringing in COL as a factor for some % of Ph.D. students. It is important, as apps start in earnest, to remember that it is OK and normal to be concerned about COL and living quality as a Ph.D. student.

Congrats to everyone who has been accepted so far, and especially to the CMU admit - I'm currently in the program and happy to chat! 
To everyone still waiting, there is - as they say - a lotta football left in the game, so seriously - don't panic. 

I was admitted to Buffalo this past season. It is not competitive or merit-based funding - everyone gets a livable stipend for 5 years, although there are "top offs" offered by the university at-large. And, IIRC, there are actually 6 years of funding - like other programs, of course, the 6th year is discussed in vague language due to technicalities, but as it has been noted, that's not unusual for universities to do. 
If Buffalo is of interest to you, feel free to PM me and I can go look at my offer and tell you the details I received. Alternatively, you could email the DGS - Buffalo's website is on the more vague side of things, but the DGS was very responsive to my Qs and would, I imagine, be happy to discuss funding details with a prospective student.

Hi - I think Interfolio is an absolute scam.
I had to use it during my second application season. In theory, it makes it easier to submit your letters since you have control over the letter submission. The problems are (1) the cost, (2) the fact that you still have to upload every other document via the websites, and (3) a fair number of schools won't accept letters sent by Interfolio. 
When I applied to 14 schools this past season, I did not use Interfolio. 
The portals should be open by this point, and you should be able to submit your LW info between now and the actual due date. 
I submitted my LW info in batches, groups of 3-5 schools, and emailed my LWs both before (to let them know what schools and when) and after I had submitted their info (to clue them into looking for requests).
I had zero problems with them since I didn't flood them with requests. I did have a couple of programs require me to submit my application before I could submit my LW info, but that isn't hard to deal with. One thing to keep in mind - your application materials should absolutely be in by the deadline. If your LW can't get their letter in by the deadline, that is usually OK. Obviously, they cannot wait weeks and weeks, but there is a bit more leeway for faculty because, well, other faculty know how busy everyone is. At least that is the story I've been told (and have sort of, kind of see myself.) 

Thanks, @a_sort_of_fractious_angel. I am leaning toward not using it. I wonder if your approach would work for me, though -- two of my recommenders have only known me for a month and I'm hoping to give them up until December to write their letters as we get to know each other better. I'm also planning to send in all my materials pretty close to the deadlines because I was only convinced to apply this year instead of next year a couple weeks ago and will be scrambling to get things done. Maybe I can just be up front with them about the number of emails they'll get and how I want to make that easier on them, and I can ask if they'd prefer to get started on the letters now or to submit them all at once in December.

Hi - I think Interfolio is an absolute scam.
I had to use it during my second application season. In theory, it makes it easier to submit your letters since you have control over the letter submission. The problems are (1) the cost, (2) the fact that you still have to upload every other document via the websites, and (3) a fair number of schools won't accept letters sent by Interfolio. 
When I applied to 14 schools this past season, I did not use Interfolio. 
The portals should be open by this point, and you should be able to submit your LW info between now and the actual due date. 
I submitted my LW info in batches, groups of 3-5 schools, and emailed my LWs both before (to let them know what schools and when) and after I had submitted their info (to clue them into looking for requests).
I had zero problems with them since I didn't flood them with requests. I did have a couple of programs require me to submit my application before I could submit my LW info, but that isn't hard to deal with. One thing to keep in mind - your application materials should absolutely be in by the deadline. If your LW can't get their letter in by the deadline, that is usually OK. Obviously, they cannot wait weeks and weeks, but there is a bit more leeway for faculty because, well, other faculty know how busy everyone is. At least that is the story I've been told (and have sort of, kind of see myself.) 

Thank you, @Warelin - this is awesome. I  appreciate you bringing in COL as a factor for some % of Ph.D. students. It is important, as apps start in earnest, to remember that it is OK and normal to be concerned about COL and living quality as a Ph.D. student.

Thank you to all of those who have contributed to these threads in the past few days. I've  run some calculations to update the COL index for all numbers and have them sorted automatically with as many current figures as I could find. In terms of how far your stipend can go in a city, the top 15 schools ranking are as follows:

1. Duke University
1. Princeton University
3. University of Pennsylvania (UPenn)
4. Emory
5. Carnegie Mellon University (CMU)
6. Johns Hopkins University
6. University of Chicago (UChicago)
6. Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL)
9. Rice University
9. Yale University
11. University of Chicago
12. University of Michigan
13. Brown University
13. Southern Methodist University (SMU)
15. University of Notre Dame

While there are other programs that might pay more in stipends, the cities they're located in are very expensive. However, that shouldn't stop you from applying if it's great fit.

This google doc: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1XNJR4IhOJ56zd7zLuVSUK7h054dBRNvyiC7iStCOsxo/ is now back to being in public mode! I hope this creation helps you as much as it helped me when I was doing my initial research

Hi! So - @Warelin, please correct my errors as this is your creation - the funding package sheet tells you the stipend amount. It doesn't include tuition waivers or healthcare details (or conference funding/other financial support) as that information isn't considered part of the stipend that you earn for TAing or what have you. So, in your example, you will get 15,000 for 9 or 10 months (I'm assuming 9 months) and then a summer stipend of 5,000, all for rent/living expenses/etc for the work you do as as TA (even if that requirement is waived for your first year) or as a fellowship recipient. 
Additionally, health care & other fee coverage changes from school to school - for example, one of the programs I was accepted to covered all mandatory fees and healthcare for the duration of the degree and one of the programs I was accepted to covered 80% of healthcare, didn't cover all mandatory fees, & didn't cover minor tuition fees after a period of time (post-coursework). The third school that I considered offered a different combination of healthcare and fee coverage. 
I think the chart is more meant to give a more general sense of what schools are offering their students. Additionally, I'd assume that all of the schools on the funding list offer full-tuition remission, partial (if not full) health care coverage, and some amount of conference funding (whether it is through the dept itself or the grad school) -- all of that detailed info will be included in the offer from the school, too, of course. 

Hi, @Adelaide9216
I’m in the process of moving into and totally furnishing an apartment for the first time. Before I get into the details of my experience & advice, the most important thing I’ve learned is that this process is very personal and depends entirely on your particular financial, geographic, & time constraints. That being said, there are lots of ways to get it done well and crowdsourcing advice is a great idea.
For context: after I had committed to a program (March) but prior to deciding how I wanted to live (studio/1B/2B with a roommate) and in what neighborhoods, I made a list of “essential,” “important,” and “luxury” items, including furniture.
I then did three things simultaneously - learned about various neighborhoods and their rental patterns (i.e. when listings came up and how to find them), decided what way of living worked best for me and my stipend (I opted for living by myself in a 1B), and made notes on the places from which I could buy every single item on my list (even if I wasn’t sure that I’d end up purchasing all of it.)
I held off on buying anything until I’d seen my place in person because I am doing a slow move-in. The details of that particular experience may not yield anything useful for you, but it has produced some more general advice that I’d give anyone who is doing this for the first time.
First, figure out what furniture is essential to you and get a firm sense of how to get those things purchased and/or delivered to your new place by the time you're living there. For me, those things were my bed & bed frame, desk & chair, and bookshelves.
Then, explore your important/luxury items since, hey, data is always good to have. I would suggest, however, holding off on actually buying those things until you get to your place. It’s nice to walk around the apartment, take a breath, measure stuff, and get a sense of the size and type of furniture that will work in your new space (unless you 100% totally love something and know it will fit, in which case I think it makes sense to get it delivered at the same time as your essentials.)*
*This is assuming you're purchasing most or all of your stuff from the same place, like IKEA. Which brings me to another piece of advice - the more you can buy from the same place, the easier.
Also, buying in town is usually a lot easier (in terms of delivery/self-transport) than having to move it from where you’re at now, so take a look at what options (big chains, resellers, etc.) are available to you in your new city, what their delivery policies are, and wait to buy and have furniture delivered/transported yourself until you're in your new place.
So, to answer your Q directly - I'd do as much research and list-making as you'd like right now and hold off buying anything until you sign your lease and get the key unless it is a small piece of furniture that you won't be able to find again or a big piece that is flat-packed, *and* you can store it where you're living now and then transport it easily once it is time to move. I'd also get your essentials there as soon as possible after you've moved in and get other stuff in as needed, unless you're 100% "I want and need this here now."
I’m happy to share my lists if they’d be helpful to you and I hope this aids your apartment prep!

I have heard a range of perspectives on the GRE. Some told me that the Q score doesn't matter but that a 163+ V was an implicit requirement for admission. Some said it was the percentile that mattered and not the number. Others said "just don't raise eyebrows," and others suggested getting both scores as high as possible. This past application season, I saw some programs that had a minimum Q requirement in the low 140s, and at least one program that I applied to had a requirement for a combined Q/V score (i.e. 311 or something like that). Other programs didn't post any GRE information at all (occasionally explaining why, although not always) and some posted the average Q & V scores of past successful applicant pools. 
The GRE, no matter how good, cannot compensate for a weak SOP & WS and mediocre letters. But as @trueblueDetroiter rightfully points out, how your score is evaluated depends on your total application package and how both the graduate school and the department view the GRE. Sometimes, the graduate school will have score requirements that are more rigid than the English program itself. Sometimes that info is easy to find and sometimes it isn't clear. I'd guess (although I have no insider knowledge) that there are also some programs that have score thresholds for whatever reason, which (again) may or may not be clearly explained. 
If it helps you to know, I had a 165V and a 144Q and got 5 offers from good places, one that is an absolute perfect fit in terms of resources/support/faculty/etc. So, a low 140s won't necessarily hinder someone from getting into a great program. But there are many successful applicants on these threads who have (much) higher scores and do equally well with applications. In short, I'm not sure anyone on the applicant-side of the process can fully know how the GRE plays into the larger (and VERY nuanced) application process. 
 

We had our meeting this morning and it was a series of tongue-tied awkwardness. I went in determined to do this as dignified as I could, chair fumbled all the way, and finally I just laughed and called a halt to the meeting. And said--how about we just agree I was never there and you didn't see anything?
He started to laugh after that. So tension was broken. And the funniest part was when he walked me out, there was a some leftovers from the lab meeting next door on the table. And on the table was hummus, dip and pita. He just looked at me and said very seriously "I didn't see anything.".
So as far as we are concerned, nothing happened. All is good! ?
 

As it was explained to me, PhDs and MAs are required to know at least one foreign language so that they may engage with critical texts and analyses published by scholars in journals that are written in a language other than English. 
One might argue that it is a bit of an "old school hold-over from the European-American academy" (not my words, haha), in that there are many ways to translate articles today that (I guess?) don't require you to actually be reading-fluent in another language. Nevertheless, it remains a requirement as it is obviously necessary that one can keep up with at least the written work in their field. And, if I'm honest, being able to read an article (armed with a dictionary and grammar chart if needed) is usually a lot better than relying on an online translation resource. 
Also - I haven't heard of it being related to what you study. Granted, the transnational turn has prompted Anglophone scholars to consider translated texts and texts that incorporate other languages (hence why having another language that ties into your work (if applicable) is a bonus), but - even if you only read things originally (and totally) written in English - you're expected to be able to at least read articles in French/German/Spanish/etc. that also deal with those Anglophone texts. 
Hope this helps!
*Source: I was focused on Anglophone texts as an MA and had a language test requirement (I had to translate a literature article pass/fail) and will be starting a PhD as an Anglophone studies person and also have a foreign language requirement (I imagine the test is similar to my MA language test.)*

Hi, @Adelaide9216
I’m in the process of moving into and totally furnishing an apartment for the first time. Before I get into the details of my experience & advice, the most important thing I’ve learned is that this process is very personal and depends entirely on your particular financial, geographic, & time constraints. That being said, there are lots of ways to get it done well and crowdsourcing advice is a great idea.
For context: after I had committed to a program (March) but prior to deciding how I wanted to live (studio/1B/2B with a roommate) and in what neighborhoods, I made a list of “essential,” “important,” and “luxury” items, including furniture.
I then did three things simultaneously - learned about various neighborhoods and their rental patterns (i.e. when listings came up and how to find them), decided what way of living worked best for me and my stipend (I opted for living by myself in a 1B), and made notes on the places from which I could buy every single item on my list (even if I wasn’t sure that I’d end up purchasing all of it.)
I held off on buying anything until I’d seen my place in person because I am doing a slow move-in. The details of that particular experience may not yield anything useful for you, but it has produced some more general advice that I’d give anyone who is doing this for the first time.
First, figure out what furniture is essential to you and get a firm sense of how to get those things purchased and/or delivered to your new place by the time you're living there. For me, those things were my bed & bed frame, desk & chair, and bookshelves.
Then, explore your important/luxury items since, hey, data is always good to have. I would suggest, however, holding off on actually buying those things until you get to your place. It’s nice to walk around the apartment, take a breath, measure stuff, and get a sense of the size and type of furniture that will work in your new space (unless you 100% totally love something and know it will fit, in which case I think it makes sense to get it delivered at the same time as your essentials.)*
*This is assuming you're purchasing most or all of your stuff from the same place, like IKEA. Which brings me to another piece of advice - the more you can buy from the same place, the easier.
Also, buying in town is usually a lot easier (in terms of delivery/self-transport) than having to move it from where you’re at now, so take a look at what options (big chains, resellers, etc.) are available to you in your new city, what their delivery policies are, and wait to buy and have furniture delivered/transported yourself until you're in your new place.
So, to answer your Q directly - I'd do as much research and list-making as you'd like right now and hold off buying anything until you sign your lease and get the key unless it is a small piece of furniture that you won't be able to find again or a big piece that is flat-packed, *and* you can store it where you're living now and then transport it easily once it is time to move. I'd also get your essentials there as soon as possible after you've moved in and get other stuff in as needed, unless you're 100% "I want and need this here now."
I’m happy to share my lists if they’d be helpful to you and I hope this aids your apartment prep!

I agree with everyone else.  There's a big difference between a wardrobe malfunction and "Through no fault of my own, I was injured."  It's definitely up to you to set the tone.  If I had to guess, he was in fight or flight mode, and probably didn't spend very much time looking at your naked-bits.  If it had been me with a male student, I'd've grabbed a towel and covered you for modesty until help arrived.  And then denied that I had even glanced at anything.
If you want to defuse the situation immediately (assuming the professor has a sense of humor), buy a non-slip shower mat, put a bow on it, and present it to him during your meeting.  Maybe bring some hummus to snack on.  In my experience, when something embarrassing happens, you can either ignore it, and let shame overwhelm you, or you can totally and 100% own it.  I find the latter is better for mental-health.

Agree with the above, but want to add that the guidelines for what "knowing a foreign language" means vary across programs. My program requires two languages, but the university offers summer graduate language courses to help you check these off easily. I also wasn't aware that the four language skills (reading, writing, listening, speaking) can be taught separately. For example, I can do a decent translation of something written in french, but if you asked me to speak or listen to people speaking French I'd have no idea what's going on. I've never needed more than that throughout research. It would be a good idea to find out which skills you need to be proficient in for your desired programs, especially if you don't think languages will be important to your work.

As it was explained to me, PhDs and MAs are required to know at least one foreign language so that they may engage with critical texts and analyses published by scholars in journals that are written in a language other than English. 
One might argue that it is a bit of an "old school hold-over from the European-American academy" (not my words, haha), in that there are many ways to translate articles today that (I guess?) don't require you to actually be reading-fluent in another language. Nevertheless, it remains a requirement as it is obviously necessary that one can keep up with at least the written work in their field. And, if I'm honest, being able to read an article (armed with a dictionary and grammar chart if needed) is usually a lot better than relying on an online translation resource. 
Also - I haven't heard of it being related to what you study. Granted, the transnational turn has prompted Anglophone scholars to consider translated texts and texts that incorporate other languages (hence why having another language that ties into your work (if applicable) is a bonus), but - even if you only read things originally (and totally) written in English - you're expected to be able to at least read articles in French/German/Spanish/etc. that also deal with those Anglophone texts. 
Hope this helps!
*Source: I was focused on Anglophone texts as an MA and had a language test requirement (I had to translate a literature article pass/fail) and will be starting a PhD as an Anglophone studies person and also have a foreign language requirement (I imagine the test is similar to my MA language test.)*

Bucknell University offers a non-competitive, fully funded, two year MA program. Carnegie Mellon offers a partially funded one year MA program.
Bucknell is a great dept - supportive and collegial - and has done very well with placing their MAs into PhD programs (Harvard, UPenn, Vanderbilt, Temple, etc). CMU, while different in the details of its academic strengths, is also a very supportive and friendly place, and their MAs also do well with both PhD apps (I know they placed someone at Virginia but I don't have as much knowledge about what other programs - which there are - at this time).
Both depts have scholars doing work in modern and contemporary literature and, depending on your specific areas of interest, one (or both!) might be a good to consider.

For kindly non-ac people/friends/family, I've switched from version (1) "I focus on transnational identity formation at the intersections between contemporary Caribbean and 20th- and 21st century American literature" to version (2)  "so, you know how you have a story you tell about yourself and your life? And maybe a story or two about your family - where you all came from and whatnot? I look at how people tell those kinds of stories about themselves and others through books."
No one has ever knew what to do with version 1 but version 2 seems to go over OK with everyone who is not hip to the things. One time, my mom's friend cautiously offered up a book she had read for her book club as a kind of "I have read a book in which a person discusses their identity" and I was like, "yes. good. yes. brilliant. you got it."
For the science people, I like to tell them that they do research and we do scholarship. At which point, many are like "so that is the same thing?" And I'm like "no, n00b, it is not. I am a scholar - I scholate things. You merely research them. Leave me to my books." If I have a book at hand, I toss it to them and say "you figure it out because, honestly, I'm not sure."
For the drunk uncles - honestly, I just double down. They're always like "you're never gonna get a job" at which point I remind them that "where I'm going, I don't need jobs."

Got it, @klader and @a_sort_of_fractious_angel. I think I'm starting to crack this terrible phrasing...

Thank you so much! You have no idea how happy this has made me. But... why can't they say this on their website!? It is so strange to me that these programs are not advertising these major selling points.
But then again, given what @Warelin has mentioned above, perhaps it is in their best interests not to. @Warelin: thanks for the tip on searching the program's name in the board and seeing what others have been offered. I think at this point I can narrow this list down to a number that's more workable so that I can either do that, email the respective DGSs, or ask students directly if they've received funding.
@a_sort_of_fractious_angel The website's wording is so strange: "All PhD applicants for full-time study are automatically considered for departmental financial support. These awards are based on academic merit, not financial need." If you know the program is fully-funded, I guess the latter statement is actually meant to be reassuring, telling prospective applicants that they'll be offered funding if they get into the program regardless of their income level. But to someone who doesn't know that, it makes it sound competitive and "considered for funding" definitely makes it sound competitive. Anyway, I'm definitely taking your word for it that it's funded. But thank you for the offer! I'm not sure yet whether Buffalo will be on my "finalists" list.