agunns

I didn't personally apply to any Canadian programs, but a cohort mate of mine applied to/heard back from McGill about a week ago

I've heard really good things about UT-Austin and University of Michigan. It also seems like Iowa and Penn State are strong contenders (although that's speculation based on faculty that I've talked to). I agree that it's really hard to judge especially since a lot of rhet programs are housed within literature departments!

I can provide some insight for UT-Austin! My advisor is on the English admissions committee and she said they are still reviewing applications. Decisions were sent out to those of us who applied to the rhetoric concentration because they have a separate admissions committee, but folks who applied to English haven't heard back yet.

I thought I'd start a new topic thread as admissions decisions start to roll in. I was surprised to get acceptances from both UT-Austin and University of Illinois this week (which was extra exciting because UT is my top choice!). I applied to Emory but since I haven't received an interview invite I'm assuming that I'll be rejected there. Who else has started hearing back about results?

Hi all, I'm gearing up to start my PhD apps for the Fall 2023 admissions cycle. I'm currently focusing on stand-alone rhetoric programs or rhetoric programs housed within an English department. My interests are (broadly) digital humanities, rhetorics of space and place, and archival theory. I've recently been working on rhetorical constructions of space and place in digital storytelling such as podcasts. I know for sure that I'll be applying to UT-Austin (English w/ focus on DLL), UMD (English), and NC State (Comm, Rhet, & Digital Media). Do y'all know of any other programs that have strengths in those areas? Thanks!

I've had an overall disappointing round this year in terms of PhD programs, but I did find out today that I've been accepted to the MA/MSIS in English and Information Studies at UT-Austin! This is especially exciting because this means I'll be able to close the gap with my partner after being long distance for over a year.

I would absolutely take being waitlisted as a sign of confidence! At least in my opinion, there are so many people vying for so few spots - a waitlisted spot means that they take you seriously enough that they would be interested in having you in their program.

I did not name him in my application, but he was part of my interview committee, so I think that's why he emailed me

Starting to feel less and less hopeful about UT-Austin. I've heard so far of one person getting accepted. I emailed the department on Monday to inquire about when admissions decisions would be sent out, and haven't heard back - no portal update either. I just want the wait to be over!

I received an email from GerShun Avilez confirming that I am on the waitlist - I haven't seen any portal updates or anything. It sounds like they are working on starting to send admissions decisions out, so hopefully you will hear back soon!

Just received confirmation that I am on the waitlist at UMD - after receiving outright rejections from UT-Austin and Northwestern, it was nice to have somewhat of a vote of confidence from a program!

Does anyone know when we might hear back from UT Austin?

I just received a Northwestern and UT Austin rejection within about 30 minutes of each other - here's hoping that there's some good news coming in the next few days

I also just received a rejection from UT Austin. Definitely a blow because it was my top choice.

Hi everyone! I just found this thread. I primarily applied to English PhD programs this fall, but I did apply to the American Studies program at UT. I am getting anxious to hear back!

I am re-applying to Northwestern this cycle. Last year I applied, and I received a very nice rejection email from Nathan Mead in early February. So, I would say that late January/early February is when we will likely hear back

I received an interview request from them as well! First news of this application cycle for me. Best of luck!

I definitely want to echo earlier posts here - I'm reapplying to PhD programs this year, and as I'm editing my writing sample, I've been reading Ruti's The Ethics of Opting Out. I've found it incredibly accessible and illuminating. I would also recommend reading Sara Ahmed! Ahmed might not be considered as seminal a queer theorist as Edelman, Halberstam, Berlant, etc., but I still find her work incredible powerful.

This is good to know! Thanks!

Hi everyone, I am gearing up to start my applications for the 2019-2020 cycle. I am primarily applying to English Lit PhD programs. A little background: my research interests are late 19th/early 20th c American lit, queer theory, biopolitics, and futurity. I completed an MA in Humanities at UChicago in 2017; my thesis focused reading Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper" as a biopolitical text and on understanding the body as a site of queer resistance. I recently started considering the possibility of an American Studies PhD, especially since my research interests are firmly set in American literature. For instance, the UT-Austin English program is one of my top choices. After doing some research, I realized that there is a great deal of overlap between the American Studies and English depts at UT, and so I'm considering applying to their American Studies program as well. I am mostly wondering if anyone is going through a similar situation of applying to English and American Studies programs. Or, is there anyone who applied to both in a previous application cycle? What would your advice be regarding approaching the different programs?

Hi everyone! I'm just getting back into the application cycle and hopped onto Grad Cafe for the first time in a while. I figured I would introduce myself here - I'm looking forward to chatting with everyone as we suffer through this year's applications. I completed my MA in Humanities at UChicago in summer 2017, and was set on entering a PhD program. I worked part time as an adjunct English prof in Chicago while applying to start a program in fall 2018. I ended up receiving one offer to the English program at IU-Bloomington. In an unexpected twist, I went to IU for admitted students days and realized that the program was not a great fit for me (which, to be fair: I had applied to IU last-minute based on the recommendation of one of my advisors - it had not been an original choice of mine). I was terrified to turn the offer down, but I ended up doing so because I didn't think it fair to myself or to the program if I wasn't 100% dedicated. Although, things did work out in the end: right after turning my offer down, I secured a job as a full-time assistant prof at the school I was working at. So, for the past year, I have been working as a full-time faculty member. I'm ultimately pretty happy that things worked out the way they did; I have really enjoyed the opportunity to teach, and I'm feeling a lot more sure of what I want as an applicant going into this next cycle. I'm really feeling the desire to return to school, so I'm applying to start a program in fall 2020. My primary goal is to enter an English PhD program, although I am also considering a joint MA/MSIS in English and Information Studies, as well as some MA programs in education as a backup. My primary research interests are late 19th/early 20th century American lit, queer theory, biopolitics, and futurity. My master's thesis centered on reading Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper" as a biopolitical text and understanding the body as a site of queer resistance. Right now my dream program is the English PhD at UT-Austin, although I'm also applying to UIC and Northwestern. In addition, I'm looking into the American Studies PhD at UT-Austin. Are there any fellow applicants in this thread who are going through their 2nd (or 3rd or 4th) cycle? In addition, are there any fellow applicants who are applying to American Studies programs as well as English? I'd love to swap advice and ideas!

I totally get that! I did a one-year MA program which finished last June, and I've pretty much thought of nothing but PhD applications from the moment I graduated. So, to basically pour my entire life into these applications and then end up not committing to a program this round was definitely a wake-up call for me, and was the first time I really started to think about life outside of academia. Not to say that academia shouldn't be a huge part of your life. For me, when I went to Bloomington and talked to other graduate students, they basically indicated that they do nothing but go to work and then go home because there's not much else to do in the town. While I realize that being busy is a necessary part of a PhD program, I think I unconsciously was gravitating towards programs in larger towns/cities because I want to know that I can get a break from academia if I need it, whereas in a place like Bloomington you don't really have that option. While you can't pick a school solely based on location, I'm starting to realize that it is really important to consider your life outside of school; at the end of the day, it's important that you overall feel fulfilled by the program you choose, whatever that means for you.

So, I second what @Melvillage_Idiot says about UMN - it sounds like USC and UW are becoming the final two for you. As far as those two go, I empathize with you regarding your concerns about location. Granted, I just decided to decline the only offer I received this round because I was really unhappy with the location of the school (and there were some issues with the program as well). I'm one of those people who strongly believes that, even though PhD is a huge commitment, you aren't defined solely by being a PhD student. Or, to put it another way, you're a person outside of your PhD work. To me, it's really important to consider your overall happiness when committing to a program; life can be unpredictable, and committing to a program in a location you aren't happy with might be a big risk. That's not to say that committing to a program that you aren't 100% sure about (in the case of UW) is any less of a risk. I guess the point I'm trying to make is that it's perfectly okay to consider factors outside of your program. Although you might not be super happy with UW itself, do you think having your friends/partner/the city will make up for some of the issues with the program? Having a good support system outside of school could make up for a lot. I hope this helped at all!

That's actually really nice to hear that it worked out for your husband! Gives me some hope for this next application round. I've already been doing some research into programs for this coming fall's cycle and I'm feeling confident that I've found some places that will be a much better fit for me!

Thanks everyone for all your replies to this post; it's been helpful seeing other perspectives. After a lot of thought I'm going to turn down Bloomington's offer and reapply to programs next year. Unfortunately once I got to campus days I learned some things about the program that I didn't feel great about. So, beyond just not being happy with the location, I'm not totally convinced I would be happy with the program either. I have definitely learned that location is a more important factor to me than I originally thought. It's not necessarily that I don't want to leave Chicago, but I realized that I do need to live in a town that's probably bigger than Bloomington. I talked with multiple professors and grad students in the English department, and they said that the usual time to completion (even for someone with an MA) in their program is eight years, and I wasn't willing to be somewhere I hated for eight years. I know I might not get to stay in Chicago for the next decade, but living in a small town and starting a program that I have some major concerns about does not feel right to me at the moment.