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Indecisive Poet

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  1. Upvote
    Indecisive Poet reacted to Oklash in Do we anticipate a better application cycle next year?   
    I don’t know about “better,” but I forsee a shift in the admissions process that will probably remain permanent. I think admissions will continue limited admissions but will begin prioritizing academy trends rather than pure potential. And by trends, I mean that committees are going to want hyper specific things from potential scholars. 
    Its just that the academy has known for a long time that they are producing more phds than their are jobs. And for years, there has been a moral debate on whether or not accepting students is the right thing to do. Universities have been very afraid of over saturation. And before the pandemic, there was huge discussion on limiting admissions. But there’s no nice or non embarrasing way to announce a drastic change in student admissions.
    BUT I think Covid forced them to actually put those abstract thoughts of limitation into action. Before, we could only speculate would limited admissions would look like. Now the academy has experience on limited admissions. And even more so, they have begun considering how limitations can achieve a broader academy goal. Just look at U. Chicago, they have chosen rather experimental forms of assessment this year. And they have done so in a way that will directly sway the future of research. They will only accept black phds this year! Now I’m not saying that other schools will go that route. But just watching how this plays out and seeing academy reactions, I see universities embracing  very finite binaries. “This year we want scholars for victorian queerness”  “This year we only want Shakespeareans who are interested in our digital studies department.” Like they are going to both limit the number of entry for scholars but they will use that limitation to directly sway their own self interests. Specialty is one thing but committees are probably going to want something more specific than even that. 
     
    I’m rambling but my point is that I don’t think admissions will go “back to normal” next year or even after the pandemic. Yale will stay at 3 admissions for some time. Other schools will decrease admissions or prioritize certain applicants. Either way, I think we are looking at a shift in admissions and instead of it being “better” next year, we may just be playing an entirely new game. Heck, we were playing an entirely new game THIS year.
    ——
    So like, back to the admissions I mentioned, I think committee’s are going to look for different things when it comes to accepting applicants:
    - Will this student sway the job market and research trends in ways that we, collectively as a department, have deemed important and necessary? How?
    - Does this student have a solid idea of what their specific kind scholarship looks like? And do they have a scholarly identity that is, in our opinion, distinct enough for future employment?
    - Does this student know what they are getting into beyond academics (poverty, job scarcity, etc) How does their background let us know?
    So to sum all my garbage rant into a final point: Admissions committee have a different stance on admissions now. They will prioritize a very limited number and from that limited number, they will choose students based on a desired outcome rather than potential. Applicants have a different set of expectations....or they will have next year or in years’ future.
    ———-
    Another thing I want to note is that a good majority of applicants are not ready for a phd. The number of applicants may be huge, but in all honesty, there’s far fewer who are actually “ready.” Like yea, a lot are ready for scholarship and research but don’t prove that they are also ready for the reality of external factors out of their control.
    I’m not being cruel. If I am, I apologize. I think potential and skill is there for most applicants. There are so many amazing scholars out there. And in a perfect world, that’s all you’d need. But with the job market and humanities the way it is, its not enough to be a “good scholar.” You have to also be a firmly convicted one. And that has to be proven by proving that you have a very solid, and very unique idea, of what kind of scholar you are or are going to be. So yea, the number of applicants seem scary but not many meet this unspoken requirement. You also have to be good at teaching, the landscape of higher education is prioritizing instruction so students also need to understand that.
  2. Like
    Indecisive Poet reacted to MaoistTowelette in 2021 Applicants   
    The above was a mistake but is representative of my current mindset. 
    Whither Indiana-Bloomington?
  3. Like
    Indecisive Poet got a reaction from bikepedkait96 in Chicago, IL   
    Thinking about heading to UChicago in the autumn (if moving is possible by that point). If I do go, I'd love to rent a studio or 1-bd in Hyde Park, but I'm not sure that's possible on a $31k stipend (which ends up being closer to $26k when you subtract fees and taxes, although health insurance is covered). Any tips on what kind of price range I should be looking at, locations w/in Hyde Park, and how to approach finding places? I would be covering rent on my own the first year and then my partner would be joining me starting the second year so we can split rent.
    I'll also be moving from abroad and I'm not sure how to approach that yet. Autumn quarter starts September 29 and I was thinking about flying to Chicago about a month before that and staying... somewhere(?)... while I spend a few weeks touring flats.
    Edit: I've also seen on this thread that it's a bad idea to have a car in Chicago. Can anyone corroborate/refute?
  4. Like
    Indecisive Poet reacted to Bopie5 in 2021 Applicants   
    Granted, I'm on the east coast, and granted, neither of these are in English...but I got my rejection from Berkeley at 10pm and my acceptance from Michigan at 1am lol!
  5. Like
    Indecisive Poet got a reaction from Alyycat in 2021 Applicants   
    Good luck, everyone!!!! It's been a tough year and I hope that there is good news waiting for you all on the other side of it. I hope everyone has a restful holiday period in the meantime ❤️ ☃️
     
     
     
  6. Like
    Indecisive Poet reacted to Kapol-in in 2021 Applicants   
    Finished all my applications, did not anticipate having to write so damn much. Now it's the wait...
  7. Like
    Indecisive Poet reacted to JaneLWH in 2021 Applicants   
    Done with all but two of my Ph.D. applications. Now I have to concentrate on the MA ones.
  8. Upvote
    Indecisive Poet got a reaction from EffervescentMoon in 2021 Applicants   
    Good luck, everyone!!!! It's been a tough year and I hope that there is good news waiting for you all on the other side of it. I hope everyone has a restful holiday period in the meantime ❤️ ☃️
     
     
     
  9. Like
    Indecisive Poet got a reaction from Magic Lantern in 2021 Applicants   
    Good luck, everyone!!!! It's been a tough year and I hope that there is good news waiting for you all on the other side of it. I hope everyone has a restful holiday period in the meantime ❤️ ☃️
     
     
     
  10. Like
    Indecisive Poet got a reaction from cassidyaxx in 2021 Applicants   
    Good luck, everyone!!!! It's been a tough year and I hope that there is good news waiting for you all on the other side of it. I hope everyone has a restful holiday period in the meantime ❤️ ☃️
     
     
     
  11. Like
    Indecisive Poet got a reaction from Bopie5 in 2021 Applicants   
    Good luck, everyone!!!! It's been a tough year and I hope that there is good news waiting for you all on the other side of it. I hope everyone has a restful holiday period in the meantime ❤️ ☃️
     
     
     
  12. Like
    Indecisive Poet got a reaction from kirbs005 in 2021 Applicants   
    Good luck, everyone!!!! It's been a tough year and I hope that there is good news waiting for you all on the other side of it. I hope everyone has a restful holiday period in the meantime ❤️ ☃️
     
     
     
  13. Upvote
    Indecisive Poet got a reaction from kirbs005 in Transcripts (MA)   
    They will require both.
  14. Upvote
    Indecisive Poet got a reaction from Bopie5 in Statistics for English MA or PhD??   
    I could see it being helpful if you are planning to go into the digital humanities, but even then it is very far from necessary. I would not spend your time doing that. If you feel you have major gaps in your coursework record somewhere in the major fields of English literature (medieval, early modern, C18, C19, C20/contemporary, a general literary theory course) then you might audit a graduate course in that field to boost your CV/educational background. But as long as you have taken a range of classes in English already, I don't think that even that's necessary.
  15. Upvote
    Indecisive Poet reacted to WildeThing in Statistics for English MA or PhD??   
    In all but the rarest of exceptions, no; it will be a useless competence (from a professional/academic perspective). 
  16. Like
    Indecisive Poet got a reaction from riverbender in Interfolio for English applications??   
    I think most people choose not to use it but I don't see why it would be a 'red flag'. I used it last year because one of my recommenders hinted very strongly that it would be easier on her if I did. I applied to 14 total programs last year – looking back at my notes now, I can see that 8 of those programs accepted letters via Interfolio and 6 did not. This meant 7 total uploads for my recommenders instead of 14. I was admitted to 4 of the 8 Interfolio-compatible programs and 4 of the 6 programs that did not allow uploads via Interfolio.
    It costs about $40, I think, to subscribe to Interfolio for a year, and you get something like 50 letter uploads included in that subscription. I'm not sure it's something I would have done if my recommender hadn't pushed me to do it, but it can help your recommenders cut down on uploading time if you plan to apply to more than the usual 10 or so programs. Just double-check which programs do and don't take it first and make sure your letter-writers know they will have to do some uploads separately.
    Can I ask (out of curiosity) why you think interfolio is a red flag in academia?
  17. Like
    Indecisive Poet reacted to CyberHarpie in 2021 Applicants   
    First post woohoo!
    Hi everyone, after going through one application cycle in a socially distanced bubble before those things were even popular and getting rejected all around, I've decided that I'm long overdue for some camaraderie and commiseration. Officially throwing my name into the hat now.
    I'm an international applicant with a BA in English from the national university in my home country and an MA in Comparative Literature from King's College London. My interests are in East/Southeast Asian literature and cultural production, literary adaptation, popular culture and video game narrative (particularly interactive fiction). I've been working full-time for just over two years as a copywriter, which is okay, but my heart's still set on the ivory tower of academia.
    I made the decision to run the application gauntlet again fairly soon after receiving all my rejections, but then COVID-19 and the accompanying surge in anti-Asian sentiment around the world happened. As a result, my preparation's been rather halfhearted up until now. Still, I figured I'd take the opportunity to gain some experience and do the things I didn't do before, even if I fail to get in anywhere again.
    Nice to meet everybody and best of luck to all!
  18. Like
    Indecisive Poet got a reaction from Lighthouse Lana in Programs Accepting Apps for 2021   
    Just want to say that this spreadsheet is a very big help – to many people, I think! It's a great comfort to know that many programs are planning to neither cut nor curtail admissions this year. Thanks for your hard work, @jadeisokay ?
  19. Like
    Indecisive Poet reacted to jadeisokay in Programs Accepting Apps for 2021   
    no worries! thanks to everyone contributing.
  20. Upvote
    Indecisive Poet reacted to onerepublic96 in Parts of Application   
    I agree with @Glasperlenspieler. The WS is the most important part, and when I was applying, I was generally advised that recommendation letters + the statement of purpose are the second most important aspects. CV + transcripts + GRE scores are tertiary (in very rough terms). 
  21. Upvote
    Indecisive Poet reacted to Glasperlenspieler in Parts of Application   
    The writing sample is by far the single most important part of your application. Everything else is secondary. Whether the CV, or the personal statement, or your transcript, or your letters of rec are going to matter more is going to vary widely depending on who's reading your application.
    That being said, admissions committees will often decide how closely they're going to read your writing sample based on the quality of your other materials.....
  22. Like
    Indecisive Poet reacted to kitties in programs strong in ecocriticism + c20/21?   
    UC Santa Barbara has a lot of good ecocritics!
  23. Like
    Indecisive Poet reacted to oddbard in programs strong in ecocriticism + c20/21?   
    The Graduate Center, CUNY is strong in these areas!
  24. Like
    Indecisive Poet got a reaction from Bopie5 in Programs Accepting Apps for 2021   
    Just want to say that this spreadsheet is a very big help – to many people, I think! It's a great comfort to know that many programs are planning to neither cut nor curtail admissions this year. Thanks for your hard work, @jadeisokay ?
  25. Upvote
    Indecisive Poet reacted to onerepublic96 in Queer studies and Young Adult Literature   
    Everything @Glasperlenspieler said. Also, just throwing this out there, but you might not necessarily need to find a prof who works specifically in the YA lit branch of queer studies/theory/lit. Finding a queer studies prof who tackles some questions similar to yours, uses methodology that is interesting to you, etc. might just be enough. I'd regroup, look at programs that lean strongly into into queer studies or departments that have lots of people working in the area, go through each prof's research statement, see what they've been writing about and what courses they've been teaching, and determine if any of these things resonate with your own research interests. 
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