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I'd love to hear from you your thoughts on publishing and presenting at conferences. When should a new PhD student be accomplishing these? How many times throughout the PhD is 'good' or 'expected'?
Wow this is worded horribly, I hope it makes sense. I'm but a mere graphic designer.

Just accepted to Berkeley!!! I had completely written off Berkeley as an implied rejection, and was bracing myself for a shut out, so try to stay hopeful friends. 

Current 2nd year PhD student at a flagship Midwest school here. This time a couple years ago, I was deciding between 4 fully funded PhD program offers and even though each of them would have been great places to attend, I basically have never regretted my decision to choose the school I'm at now. To be honest, one of the main reasons I ended up choosing the school i I did and I think a really important factor to take into consideration (if your programs are all pretty much ranked the same, which mine were — ranked around 20 on the US News Report, whatever that's worth and all generally strong in 20th/21st century American which is what I do) is money. By that I mean, of course, how much your yearly stipend would be and how much that actually is when you factor in cost of living. I chose a stipend where I don't really have to watch every single penny and dime I spend. I am actually managing to save money for retirement, which I would have never been able to do with another offer I received from a more urban school with a much higher cost of living. A lot of the grad students I spoke to at the more urban school had to take out second jobs and live with roommates to make their stipend stretch further. Of course, there is nothing wrong with living with roommates for some people and I actually do right but I think the crucial thing is that I have the financial option to live alone if I ever wanted to. I love the flexibility that my more livable stipend affords me — I can go out for drinks and dinner with cohort mates and not stress if it's going to ruin my budget; I can pay for a flight for a conference and still pay rent while I wait for the reimbursement to come through.
And that brings me to another reason why I think money is so important — I think it's important to suss out how much money departments have for things like conference funding, fellowships, summer support, etc. Again, at the more urban school I was considering, I spoke to grad students who told me the max funding they got for conferences was $300. At my current school, you get a minimum of $300 for domestic conference travel. Most students there also began teaching their first year; while this might be unavoidable depending on the offers you have, if you have any offers that allow you to be on fellowship your first year, I would seriously consider those. Everyone in my program is on fellowship their first year, which gives you some time to get adjusted to grad school without teaching responsibilities and also allows you to knock a lot of coursework out in your first year. While I do enjoy teaching now, having that first year to just focus on adjusting to grad seminars and life in a new city was immensely valuable. I don't want to harp too much on the money because obviously we're not in this field to get rich but not having to stress so much about money has been great for my mental health and quality of living. 
One last thing (this probably applies more to people coming straight out of undergrad, like I was, but may apply to those with an MA too): your research interests might change and it's good to suss out if there's several people in the department you might work well with. For example, I applied to the school I'm currently at to work with one superstar professor in my specific field. But my research interests have shifted as I've taken more coursework and while I'm still interested in my initial field, my theoretical investments have shifted so that the professor I applied to work with probably won't even end up on my prelims committee. Of course, you can't predict how your interests might shift but when I was visiting programs, my undergrad advisors told me to make sure there were several people I could see myself working with, just in case a professor leaves or your interests do shift. I was quite sure that I would stay a 20th/21st century Americanist throughout (and still am!) but I made a point during visit days to connect with several other Americanists in the department besides my POI. I'm glad I did because that meant I didn't freak out when my interests began to change and was confident that there were enough Americanists in the department that I could form a solid prelims committee. 
Relatedly, when thinking about advisors, someone's specific research interests matter less than you might think. Obviously you want someone who is well versed in what you're working on, but many of my peers have found that it's more important that an advisor's personality and mentoring style line up with what you want, rather than making sure your committee is interested in exactly what you're interested in. Ask questions about a potential advisor's mentoring style (especially helpful to ask dissertators/people farther along if you can) — do they answer email promptly? Are they often on research leave and difficult to get a hold of? Do they let you know of relevant conferences and fellowships to apply for? 
 
This is a lot of information and I know the decision process can be overwhelming. Feel free to PM if you have any specific questions about the process and good luck to you all! 

I'm in the second year of an MA/PhD program.
Has your PhD so far been what you expected it to be?
The first and most important difference is that the universe is much smaller than it was during undergrad -- I don't interact much with anyone outside my concentration, much less the English department. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but the weird, freewheeling years of knowing everybody on campus are definitely behind me. 
Other than this, honestly, I don't remember what I thought grad school would be like. 
What are you impressions of your program?
Uh
I think that everyone in my program is a genuinely good person who is doing the work that we do because they think the world is better for it. 
I also think that they care deeply about the success of other people in the program. I don't know if I answered this question right.
Has anything about your program surprised you?
The amount of free time that I've had to schedule myself has been pretty massive. I know this is to be expected, but when you look at it and you're only on campus ten hours a week, after having a real person job and sitting at a desk for four times that long... well, it's strange.
The other thing is that, even though everyone in my program is really smart, nobody's, like, quoting Foucault at each other. We complain about overly opaque writing and heavy reading loads. There's no real need to present yourself as incredibly smart. We're all already here so we might as well be real with each other. At least, this is the vibe at my school.
How are you feeling in general about your experience?
pretty good.
Have you found your research interests changing?
Radically. Basically, when I came to grad school, I knew what I liked. Now, I know what the field needs and what I can do to help.
Are there any hardships you've faced that you want to share?
uhhhhh
it is sometimes harder than you'd think to find classes where you can write about the stuff you want to write about. this is probably because I'm still pretty early in the program. but because my concentration is small, there aren't a lot of classes. which sometimes means ending up in places you wouldn't expect. this is a good time to try new things, and new things can be good, but it can be a bummer when you don't have the chance to, you know, do the stuff you're trying to build a career around.
also (I keep editing this response as I think of new stuff, sorry). It is necessary, not just ok, but necessary, to build a life outside of your program. This doesn't necessarily mean a community if that's not your thing. But interests. Don't spend all your free time listening to podcasts about your area, or doing extra research. Do something else. Be a person in the world. You'll be much happier. 
How about any successes you'd like to celebrate?
going to my first conference in a few weeks!
I think my big question for current students is: what do you wish you had asked about or known when making your decision? Anything undergrads wouldn’t have the foresight to consider about PhD life when applying? 
When you visit, you want to know how people treat each other. There are SO MANY horror stories in grad school of students who double-cross each other, or advisors who give up, and stuff like that. I'd pay attention to how people treat each other, not just how they treat you. They know they're supposed to be nice to you. But if you pick up on really good communal vibes, that makes it seem like these people really care about each other, then maybe it won't be so bad spending seven years with them.
All of the stuff for finding faculty you vibe with and all that stuff... that stuff obviously matters. But in the day-to-day, you need your people. 
---
I'm writing here because I remember how I felt two years ago when I got that first offer. There was a snow storm and my workplace was shut down, so I was just sitting at home, refreshing my email. When the notification came in, I cried so much. I went straight to my friends' apartment and we ordered pizza and celebrated. It was such a great day. 
The thing about that day that I'm starting to realize was that it was exciting because I was going on a new adventure, and new adventures are exciting. And the validation of getting a yes meant so much. But now I look at that moment and think about how excited I was and, knowing what I know now, I think that I was justified in feeling that way.

I'm a fourth-year PhD at Ohio State.
Has your PhD so far been what you expected it to be?
The first two years were about what I was expecting and looking for. The seminars I took were, with a couple exceptions, fabulous and interesting. Reading for comps was even better -- I felt like I could finally do what I'd come to do, namely, sit and read wonderfully intricate, complex literature. The last couple of years, after I reached ABD, have been more difficult. I had a major "fuck this pointless shit" moment after my comps, and didn't do anything for a solid six weeks afterward. Morale has improved somewhat since then, and I've enjoyed working on my dissertation when I give myself the time to sit down and work on it. But the isolation and lack of motivation can be difficult. When you're in coursework or studying for comps, those things come from outside: you are around other smart people, and in order to keep pace, you push yourself to keep up with or exceed others. When ABD, in the absence of those things, you just have to train yourself to work regardless of motivation and the nagging suspicion that what you're doing doesn't matter. Overcoming that anxiety is half of the battle. And, to be frank, I wasn't prepared for the shift toward a structureless work life. It took me the better part of a year to write my first chapter, and far more time was spent on those process issues than the actual ideas of my chapter. 
What are you impressions of your program?
It's okay, though not fantastic. The size of the program makes it very easy for a painfully introverted person like me to be more or less anonymous. The department is so large that you will know a fraction of the people in it. If you come in with an MA, there's a good chance that you might get lost in the mire, because you're out of coursework so quickly that you don't have the time to build connections with faculty and other grad students. 
Has anything about your program surprised you?
The general lack of active interest people have in you or your project. They're willing to help you if you seek it out, but no one is concerned enough about you to "touch base." It can be easy to fall through the cracks. 

How are you feeling in general about your experience?
Not great, though I think that has less to do with my experience at OSU than my general sense that graduate education in the humanities is kind of a shit show. It's unconscionable how many admits programs make, knowing full well that a small fraction of them will get the jobs that they're all working toward. That's not right, and the pollyanna-ism that supports it ("You have got what it takes to make it! Your project is especially great!") is both pervasive and unbelievable, given how otherwise intelligent and aware of structural/systematic problems faculty are. 

Have you found your research interests changing?
Yes, of course. Your interests should change, because when you enter grad school, you really don't know much about what professional literary study involves. Personally, I found myself moving from the study of rhetoric and logic to premodern ecocriticism, the subject of my dissertation.  

Are there any hardships you've faced that you want to share?
I've already mentioned the isolation and motivation issues above, and to that I'll add crappy interactions with others. Don't get me wrong, there are a number of great, super cool people in grad school—other grad students, faculty, and staff. But there are also a lot of assholes in grad school, especially professors, who can be aloof, callous, and simply rude. Because I had such personable professors in undergrad, I wasn't quite prepared for the lack of "humanness" coming from some faculty. And, of course, this isn't meant to be an absolute statement. But the bad interactions seem to stick out more memorably than the good ones, unfortunately. 
How about any successes you'd like to celebrate?
Institutional fellowships, well-paid internships, well-received papers delivered at national conferences. It's not all bad! 
I think my big question for current students is: what do you wish you had asked about or known when making your decision? Anything undergrads wouldn’t have the foresight to consider about PhD life when applying? 
I would have asked more pointed questions about money and the longer arc of the program and how it imagines its advisors to operate. For the first, I would ask more about the actual conditions enabled by the funding you receive. Does it allow you to do the things you enjoy outside of school? (To stay sane, you must have a life apart from school, some thing or things that have nothing to do with textual criticism or departmental politics or the eccentricities of this or that professor.) Are vacations out of the question with the money you earn? (Probably, but still worth asking.) What kind of apartment can you get with the stipend? Can you go out and do things socially with the money? Etc. etc. etc. In short, you just need to think about your priorities beyond your education, and try to get a sense of how the material realities of grad school will allow you to stick to those priorities. 
Regarding the second, I would ask current students about how things have changed over the course of their tenure. How is life different in the coursework period from the exam reading period or the dissertation period? How has your dissertation advisor's role changed in that time? Has s/he continued to offer the same level of commitment or guidance, or has their interest in you or your project waned over time? If you already have a solid sense of the literary period you're going to be working in, you might start asking about how individual advisors work with their mentees. Which are the people who can never find time to meet with you? Which are the kind who will go out of their way to oversee and develop your work? Who will be honest with you about your shortcomings? (This is really important -- you ideally want to find someone who is both kind and honest. Many can be brutally honest, and many—most, even—will be too chickenshit to tell you when something sucks and why.) 
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I agree with you and @3131 in that the term insinuates that there is such thing as a monolithic “non-White” other, but I also want to push back (as a POC and student of “ethnic” literature, so no devil’s advocate here) to ask if there is relevance, any longer, to the origins and intentions of (capital E) Ethnic Studies as a field. 
From what I understand, the field was created as an attempt to subvert White political hegemony. It was a pan-ethnic movement built throughout the civil rights and post-soul eras to “revive” lost histories and identifications, and promote interdisciplinary thought. and certainly there are many problems with pan-Africanist and other similar traditions, but I think the history of this field is important. I need to research more, but I wonder if some of the departments that use this term do so because they housed thinkers who helped coin it. Which may no longer be relevant because of the work they did to carve out a space for non-white subjectivity in academia. 

I got into Columbia !

Delighted to say that UCSD just warmed this cold MN boy’s heart with an acceptance :‘)

@WildeThing I think this one was meant for you! 

I got into UConn PhD (not on the board yet). I received the email about 6-7 hours ago. I don’t even know what I’m feeling. I’d completely accepted another shut-out and was talking myself into alternative plans that now it doesn’t seem real and I don’t think it has even hit me yet. 
For future reference, it is a 5 year offer to TA from Y1. Specific duties will be sent in the future. I’m an African-Americanist. If anyone wants info PM me. Also if anyone has info on UConn (like CoL, campus, etc.), please PM me, too.
Thank you to everyone who was supportive through this process. Other than my wife you’re the first people I’ve told.

In at Princeton! wtf.....

No, I promise--I've served on grad admissions for many years, directing the committee several times, and  we're not looking for additional reading material! And we're definitely not looking to find out any dirt on our applicants in underhanded or nefarious ways. I'm not sure this is advice, exactly, but I'd just remind all applicants (especially at moments of disappointment) to keep sight of the fact that we have *way* more applicants who could clearly succeed in the program than we can admit. And even of those we admit (my institution aims for a cohort size of 6-8), we can't secure all of them academic jobs when they finish, even if they were spectacularly successful in the program (winning fellowships, publishing articles, writing stellar dissertations). We sometimes joke, grimly, that we're doing more of a favor to the applicants we reject than the ones we accept. Not to spread doom and gloom about the profession--I'm sure you've heard it all before. But it's worth keeping in mind that there are lots of ways to have a rich intellectual and professional life, inside and outside of academia.

I'm sorry but FUUUUCCCCCKKKKKKK, you guys,  I am invited to SMU's PhD visit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I am sobbing and screaming and SO THRILLED!
Happy birthday to me!!!!!!!

i got into Michigan!!!!! my first offer!!! i cried at work!!!!!!

Yassss accepted at Berkeley English bbs! Anyone else hear back?

Just got into UC Davis! Nice call from poi. 

Just received call from POI to inform me of acceptance to Davis! From what I could glean from the call (with very poor reception), they are calling the accepted students and sending out emails tonight. Also was interviewed by Riverside (don't think this is normal, probably has more to do with the fact that my work doesn't quite fit regionally with what UCR is presently doing). With that said, it sounds like people should be hearing back from them sometime next week (once they know more about funding). Good luck, fellow UC applicants! 

In at SUNY Buffalo for their English PhD specializing in Poetics! First acceptance, feels amazing! This is a dream program for me! 

Can confirm that Chicago has probably made most of its decisions. I just got an informal email from a POI telling me about this fellowship they're offering me and I confusedly asked whether that meant I was accepted! She said yes and added that she was surprised that the administrative gears were turning so slowly.
Anyway, I'm beyond excited and hope everyone will be released from this agony soon!!

Long time lurker here:) Just writing to claim the UChicago Comparative Literature acceptance on the board. Received an email from the head of the Admission Committee a couple of hours ago welcoming me to the program.
Excited as this is one of my top choices!

I've got an official rejection from Northwestern and Stanford to add to my collection. However, in less entirely negative and more unknown and mixed feelings territory, I got accepted to Wisconsin's Afro-American Studies MA. I applied both to the MA and English PhD as part of their Bridge program but have not heard back from the English program, so I have them as an implied rejection. I'm not sure what to make of this right now. The letter (which was dated January 25th?) made no mention of funding whatsoever, it just said that the official letter from the graduate school was pending. I've contacted them to see if I can figure out if there is funding or not, but assuming I was only accepted to the MA and not to both, I kind of assume there's none. So I'm waiting to hear back so I can figure out what I think about this.
Whoever posted the acceptance on the board, uhm, hit me up? That post said no funding, so I'd love to compare notes.

Posting a picture of my newly adopted puppy since today is tough for some of us (and to congratulate today's acceptances):

Accepted to UNL’s MA but waitlisted for funding ?