JustPoesieAlong

Congrats and best of luck to your husband! Looks like someone else got an invitation too! Crazy to see results for English on the board...

Love it! When I was applying to MA programs, I had this fantastic dream that Michelle Obama called me up on this stage in front of tons of people to tell me that I had pretty much been accepted to all schools ever and that she, Barack, and the whole country were all "so proud" of me. That dream left me so damn happy that I don't even care how silly it was.

Holy moley. Looks like the first English result is up! Someone was accepted to SUNY Buffalo. Congrats to him/her/them!

Hi there! I hope we aren't the only two...We moved across a couple states so I could pursue a funded MA program. I spent a couple of years after graduating working, but really miss academic life and spent some time narrowing the scope of my focus. This time out has been great since I've been able to really refine my research interests. We have two kids now and, thankfully, my husband's job should be transferable. Texas is our home state, but the strongest schools in my area are not near there. I'd love to get us closer to home, but we're on board with moving elsewhere if it's worth it!

Ha! Same! Looking forward to seeing happy news here. ?

@Daenerys congrats on what sounds like a very productive semester! I'm not applying to any of the same schools, but I am also married with children and am excited to see someone else here in the same boat. I've been feeling like I'm the only one around here--but, the again, I never asked. My family is super supportive, but I am still anxious about moving everyone again (we moved for my MA too).

@Dogfish Head This has been driving me crazy as well. I think part of the confusion is that some schools are more particular about what counts as "official." It took a bit for me to figure out that scanned official copies are technically not "official," but are still good for most schools. I scanned my official copies and have uploaded them for all of my applications. Only one school required a legit official copy (in addition to the scanned copy, no less). I will also add that all the little additional things that keep popping up in the applications themselves is also incredibly frustrating--especially when they seem to be in direct conflict with all of the instructions given up to that point. 8. Need to wrap up the 8th tonight/tomorrow.

Oh boy, me neither. I am really glad I took the time to just finish my thesis without fretting over grad school apps. Of course, that meant I had to scurry in order to find a job right after, but it wasn't too terrible since my husband was working as well and could cover the rent. Like I mention above, I took a couple of years off before deciding to try for PhD programs, and I'm very glad I did. Not only did it give me a chance to make some money and gain additional experience but it also gave me a good amount of time to mull over my materials--especially my writing sample--and read more about the line of interest I'd like to pursue.

These were my two big reasons for choosing an MA program over an MA/PhD opportunity. I had never been away from my family and wasn't sure how I would manage. I also wasn't entirely sure I was ready to commit to six years of training. In the end, I am very glad that I chose this route, especially because I still wasn't ready to commit to a doctoral degree at the end of my master's program. I enjoyed my work immensely and think I did well in my program, but just wondered if there were other opportunities that would bring me similar satisfaction. After two years out, though, I am ready to return. I've been working as an editor and writer for a research institution and, as much as I like my job, it doesn't excite me the way my academic pursuits do. I don't know if having an MA makes me more competitive, but I have gotten a sense from POIs and other knowledgeable folks I've talked with that the certainty and maturity I've gained both from my master's degree and my time out of school makes me at the very least a more interesting candidate--if not more attractive. The one caveat I would add is that I attended an MA program that was fully funded with a very nice stipend. I may feel differently if I had been facing the prospect of significant debt for the MA.

I had multiple professors look over my SOP and none suggested I include citations. Hopefully that's okay with adcoms!

I'm still waiting for one of my letter writers...I emailed her 12 days ago to check in and was told not to worry, the letters would make it in. Nearly two weeks later, I'm definitely worried. I feel like I can't really do anything else at this point because it'll come across as pushy. I just can't believe they still haven't gotten them in! Luckily, I have four letter writers--I've been alternating which ones I submit depending on the institution. The letter writers for the apps with earlier deadlines have all been very prompt, thank goodness.

Wanted to echo @Glasperlenspieler: I would definitely not contact after you have submitted your apps. I spoke to POIs at about half of my institutions. Since I had specific questions, the conversations seemed to go well. They also offered opportunities for me to share more about myself and my research interests. I have no idea if it will make a difference regarding my admission chances, but it gave me a good sense about the programs I'm applying to and reinforced my desire to work with those individuals.

I've had some productive conversations with senior faculty after sending them an email. I don't find that it matters too much if it's a senior faculty or not; I think the biggest concern is whether or not your interests are a good fit with theirs. My strategy has been to find the scholars I am genuinely hoping to work with, reach out by telling them a little about my work and my interests in their program (esp. by mentioning how their work on X area has influenced mine), then conclude with a request to talk further about their program if they have any availability. The times I've done this have resulted in a phone call with said faculty. It seems to work better when they get a sense that you're inquiring about the program, not just trying to make sure they know about you. Personally, I have found it encouraging to remember that this is also about me finding individuals that I actually want to work with--not just about convincing them to work with me. When a faculty responds positively, it reassures me that the program is a place where I want to work. That's not to say that I write off any who don't respond, just that it's reassuring to talk with those who do. That said, I did most of this in late October/early November. I do think the timing could change the dynamic some, since it's the end of semester and coming up on the holidays and many of the application deadlines, depending on your program.

I think it would be better to demonstrate in your SOP how your work would benefit from working with that particular individual, perhaps mentioning a specific course or two they've offered that would be of special interest to you. That's the approach I'm taking, anyway. I haven't seen an option to name faculty I've spoken to on any of my apps. Good luck!

@snickus I'm glad I'm not the only one who planned on being further along at this point. I had such a nice timeline worked out where I would be nearly done before Thanksgiving (US). HA! Oh well. I just finished a top-to-bottom revision of my Personal Statement, based on feedback from a professor who said that, although the first version was fine, it wouldn't stick in the minds of the over-burdened adcomm members. I think what makes these so difficult is that it feels like such a fine line between a bland, cover letter-style statement and a weepy story about our personal lives.

@snickus Hi! I've got my main list down, but now that I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, I keep worrying that I should add more. The programs I applied to are all ambitious, but are near perfect fits for my particular interests (early modern medicine and medical rhetoric). There are one or two with slightly later deadlines that I'm thinking I may try to squeeze in, even though they aren't quite as great as far as fit goes. I'm applying to UMich as well. Does your program also require a personal statement? I struggled so much for those darn two pages! Still working on it now, actually... Good luck to you!

Greetings, all! I've been quite the lurker on this site and decided to say hello. I'm an early modernist applying to English PhD programs (got my MA a few years back). Now that I can see the light at the end of the tunnel with these applications, I am dreaming longingly of all the TV shows and movies I've been putting off while working on this stuff. I thought it might be fun to get a thread going about what we plan on doing to distract ourselves while we wait. Since I'm applying for English PhD programs, I'd like to tell you I have lots of books in mind to read, but frankly I just wanna chill out and binge watch stuff for a bit. So, here's my list: The Good Place The Wire (seasons 2+) Lady Bird Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing Missouri One Mississippi (season 2) Transparent (latest season) Olive Kitterage Chewing Gum The Hollow Crown (embarrassed not to have seen this yet, considering my field) Any Cohen Bros movies (actually planning a marathon and rewatching of the ones I've already seen) I know I'll never have time to get to all of this, but hey, a girl can dream right? Also, I work a 9-5 job, so my evenings are pretty much my own--a luxury I know I will miss when/if I get into a program.