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@Bopie5 Thank you! Me too! 

Got word that my first letter of rec was submitted so I'm going to finish up my first few apps this weekend and submit! Crazy that 6+ months of work is finally coming to an end. Hardest part for me now is the personal history/diversity statement. I spent so much time on my SOP and worry this is going to come across as an afterthought. Good luck to everyone in the final push!

I am so incredibly stuck on trying to write a personal history/diversity statement. It's the final thing I have to finish before I can submit my first app, and it's driving me crazy. My first draft is terrible but I don't know how to pivot to something better.

Got word that my first letter of rec was submitted so I'm going to finish up my first few apps this weekend and submit! Crazy that 6+ months of work is finally coming to an end. Hardest part for me now is the personal history/diversity statement. I spent so much time on my SOP and worry this is going to come across as an afterthought. Good luck to everyone in the final push!

Got word that my first letter of rec was submitted so I'm going to finish up my first few apps this weekend and submit! Crazy that 6+ months of work is finally coming to an end. Hardest part for me now is the personal history/diversity statement. I spent so much time on my SOP and worry this is going to come across as an afterthought. Good luck to everyone in the final push!

I'm getting a ton of conflicting information regarding my SOP drafts and it's making me really stressed out and unsure how to proceed. I'm nearly at the point where I'm even questioning my decision to apply. 

I began a PhD program four years ago in a STEM field and graduated three years later with two master's degrees instead. This year, I will be beginning my PhD journey anew in a humanities field. My mindset about my PhD has completely changed during this process of self-discovery.
Four years ago, I applied to PhD programs because I loved being in the university setting, and I loved to teach. I thought that a PhD would be the ultimately gateway toward teaching at a four-year university. I treated research and my PhD as something that I simply had to put up with in order to reach my long-term goals. This made me miserable. I saw no end to what I was doing, thought of lab work beyond the bare minimum as a waste of time, was constantly stressed at my lack of progress, and was very worried about wasting my time in school possibly without getting the degree I wanted or the job I coveted.
This time around, though, I've realized something. When you love your field and the research makes you feel alive (even if it does sometimes lead to tears of frustration or distress), then it is not a waste of time. Why? Because when you think about it, what are you looking for in a job? Money? Something you love? A PhD program gives you all that, if you choose the right field, and if this is what you want. I for one want to go into academia. As a PhD student, I get to satisfy my curiosity, I get to express my insights in writing, I get to interact with intelligent scholars, I get to teach to my heart's content, I get to take advantage of campus resources, and I get to get involved in student affairs. And I will be paid for doing so. This is everything I've ever wanted in a job. If it is only for five years, then I will have the best five years of my life. Why would the best five years of my life be a waste of time? If I can't find a job in academia, I will at least have had these five years, and that is better than nothing. If I need another job, I can find another then. A PhD student isn't just a researcher; s/he is also a teacher and a student leader, if s/he chooses to be. An individual trained as a teacher and student leader will not be limited to a single path.

My advice is to touch on it but not spend too much time. I've been out of school for a while working in an unrelated field, and my advisor has suggested I just mention how I used that time  to research and narrow my interests, not mention much about what I was doing. In your case, I would weave it together with your MFA, and say you took time to write creatively and determine what theoretical approaches you were most interested in pursuing, etc. I would steer clear of mentioning the finances or that you wanted to write your novel first (unless the PhD is in creative writing)- focus on how your experiences make you more prepared to pursue a PhD.

I'm getting a ton of conflicting information regarding my SOP drafts and it's making me really stressed out and unsure how to proceed. I'm nearly at the point where I'm even questioning my decision to apply. 

Congrats on getting it done! I wouldn't sweat it, you'll have it on your CV for applications and it was good practice. I wish I could redo my first conference presentation over, but instead, I just used it as a learning opportunity. Sometimes that's all you can do!

I didn't consider rank one bit. Especially for English (also my field!), it's much less about the school or even department ranking, and much more the scholars themselves. The leading scholar in your specialty could be teaching at a lower ranked school, but they'd still be the best scholars in your specialty. With humanities PhDs, the competition will be pretty steep at most schools, and you become more competitive based on how well you fit with the department/faculty. Sorry, I know this doesn't answer your question, but I think you should focus more on finding faculty that would be willing to advise you, rather than overall school rank.

Wait, this is the first I've heard of Davis not offering funding. Do you have any links or anything to back that up? 

Jumping in to agree wholeheartedly. I feel the same way but about the quant section. I spent a ton of money on tutoring/prep materials and so many hours studying, and saw virtually no improvement over 4 months. I'm really upset that this one little test might make or break a long-term dream.

Minus the obvious need for tailoring to specific programs, I don't have any large critiques. I think they're both engaging and specific enough without committing too much to a single idea. Well done!

I think there might be some confusion here!

UPenn and Penn State are two different schools.

UPenn is part of the Ivy League and is in Philadelphia. They average around ~600 applicants per year according to the stats they put out.

Penn State is a state school located in State College and is part of the B10 conference for most sports.
If you're considering schools in major cities, I'd also recommend looking into the following on location alone:
-Columbia University
-University of California, Los Angeles (Great school; Part of the UC System)
-CUNY Graduate Center
-Northwestern University
-University of Texas- Austin
-Rice University
-Ohio State University (Population of Columbus is ~860k in the city; more if you include the metro)
-University of Southern California ( Great Private School in Los Angeles; not too be confused with part of the UC system)
-University of Illinois at Chicago
-University of Minnesota
-Northeastern University
-Georgia State University
If you're looking to consider slightly smaller cities, I'd give some thought to the following schools:
-Johns Hopkins University (Pop: 614,664)
-Washington University in St. Louis (Pop: 311,404)
-Saint Louis University

 

If you're interested in big cities, you might want to consider DC. GWU has some pretty active medieval scholars, and the job market would absolutely support your fiance's career goals. I second the concern about Penn State- it's in the middle of nowhere, several hours from any city or place with a strong job market. Might not be the best location for your particular needs.

Agreed, this is very frustrating. I met with a current PhD student whose advice to me included having my parents buy me a house at whatever uni I ended up at, since mortgage is cheaper than rent. I've never laughed so hard in my life- for those of us on our own, a PhD is no small financial decision.

Good luck! I went to GW for undergrad and my MA (different department, though I did know people in the museum program!), so if you have any general GW questions in the coming months, feel free to PM me!

Agreed, this is very frustrating. I met with a current PhD student whose advice to me included having my parents buy me a house at whatever uni I ended up at, since mortgage is cheaper than rent. I've never laughed so hard in my life- for those of us on our own, a PhD is no small financial decision.

I've seen and heard so many variations of that reddit thread that it's almost comedic at this point. In all honesty, I can't answer your question for you, because it's something that I only came to an answer on after several years out of academia soul-searching for the right path. But I will share some of my experience with you, and maybe it will help?
My first boss out of college had a recent PhD from Harvard in American Studies. She worked in the same field I did right out of my MA, but she told me she felt lucky to have a job because many in her cohort were not so lucky. Academic experience =/= corporate experience (from my job hunt after my MA, that's 100% true). Her story scared me so much, as I was 23 and academia was all I'd ever known, and I still had the idea of a PhD in my head. As a result, and also because of financial reasons, I waited and worked my way up the ladder for a few more years, explored my field (and made some money), and realized that I would always regret it if I didn't at least get my PhD and try for an academic job- key word being try. The nice thing is that I will have 5+ years of corporate experience on my resume to fall back on- if I can't get a teaching job, I will be able to get a job in my current corporate field. That really helped me decide that a PhD is the right choice for me. 
The reality is, and I haven't seen much of this on this forum, though maybe I've just remained willfully ignorant of it, very few of the people who get PhDs will get to stay in academia, especially the humanities. I think knowing and accepting that is necessary before deciding to pursue a PhD or not. Is it the one thing you really truly have always wanted to do, because you have a passion for research, writing, and teaching? Or is it because you have an image in your head of what life as a professor will be, and it fits with your image of your future? Neither is more valid than the other, but the former will probably lead to more success. The latter is probably a sign you should explore your other options- some that may be possible with a PhD, and some that maybe don't require one.
For what it's worth, I will miss the financial freedom and ability to end my day at 5pm that comes with a boring 9-5. It's unfulfilling on every level, but there are pluses. If you want to seek fulfillment outside the office (with kids, etc), it might be a great fit. I prefer fulfillment from my work, and I simply reached the conclusion I can't get that where I am. It's definitely a very personal decision.

I've seen and heard so many variations of that reddit thread that it's almost comedic at this point. In all honesty, I can't answer your question for you, because it's something that I only came to an answer on after several years out of academia soul-searching for the right path. But I will share some of my experience with you, and maybe it will help?
My first boss out of college had a recent PhD from Harvard in American Studies. She worked in the same field I did right out of my MA, but she told me she felt lucky to have a job because many in her cohort were not so lucky. Academic experience =/= corporate experience (from my job hunt after my MA, that's 100% true). Her story scared me so much, as I was 23 and academia was all I'd ever known, and I still had the idea of a PhD in my head. As a result, and also because of financial reasons, I waited and worked my way up the ladder for a few more years, explored my field (and made some money), and realized that I would always regret it if I didn't at least get my PhD and try for an academic job- key word being try. The nice thing is that I will have 5+ years of corporate experience on my resume to fall back on- if I can't get a teaching job, I will be able to get a job in my current corporate field. That really helped me decide that a PhD is the right choice for me. 
The reality is, and I haven't seen much of this on this forum, though maybe I've just remained willfully ignorant of it, very few of the people who get PhDs will get to stay in academia, especially the humanities. I think knowing and accepting that is necessary before deciding to pursue a PhD or not. Is it the one thing you really truly have always wanted to do, because you have a passion for research, writing, and teaching? Or is it because you have an image in your head of what life as a professor will be, and it fits with your image of your future? Neither is more valid than the other, but the former will probably lead to more success. The latter is probably a sign you should explore your other options- some that may be possible with a PhD, and some that maybe don't require one.
For what it's worth, I will miss the financial freedom and ability to end my day at 5pm that comes with a boring 9-5. It's unfulfilling on every level, but there are pluses. If you want to seek fulfillment outside the office (with kids, etc), it might be a great fit. I prefer fulfillment from my work, and I simply reached the conclusion I can't get that where I am. It's definitely a very personal decision.

I've seen and heard so many variations of that reddit thread that it's almost comedic at this point. In all honesty, I can't answer your question for you, because it's something that I only came to an answer on after several years out of academia soul-searching for the right path. But I will share some of my experience with you, and maybe it will help?
My first boss out of college had a recent PhD from Harvard in American Studies. She worked in the same field I did right out of my MA, but she told me she felt lucky to have a job because many in her cohort were not so lucky. Academic experience =/= corporate experience (from my job hunt after my MA, that's 100% true). Her story scared me so much, as I was 23 and academia was all I'd ever known, and I still had the idea of a PhD in my head. As a result, and also because of financial reasons, I waited and worked my way up the ladder for a few more years, explored my field (and made some money), and realized that I would always regret it if I didn't at least get my PhD and try for an academic job- key word being try. The nice thing is that I will have 5+ years of corporate experience on my resume to fall back on- if I can't get a teaching job, I will be able to get a job in my current corporate field. That really helped me decide that a PhD is the right choice for me. 
The reality is, and I haven't seen much of this on this forum, though maybe I've just remained willfully ignorant of it, very few of the people who get PhDs will get to stay in academia, especially the humanities. I think knowing and accepting that is necessary before deciding to pursue a PhD or not. Is it the one thing you really truly have always wanted to do, because you have a passion for research, writing, and teaching? Or is it because you have an image in your head of what life as a professor will be, and it fits with your image of your future? Neither is more valid than the other, but the former will probably lead to more success. The latter is probably a sign you should explore your other options- some that may be possible with a PhD, and some that maybe don't require one.
For what it's worth, I will miss the financial freedom and ability to end my day at 5pm that comes with a boring 9-5. It's unfulfilling on every level, but there are pluses. If you want to seek fulfillment outside the office (with kids, etc), it might be a great fit. I prefer fulfillment from my work, and I simply reached the conclusion I can't get that where I am. It's definitely a very personal decision.

Thanks for the advice!! 

That's awesome!! Congrats! Do you have any prep tips on how you did so well? I'm struggling with prepping for those because I'm so bad at coming up with things off the top of my head!

In my opinion, yes, absolutely. Finding an advisor or a team of faculty to work with is hard- finding someone who you get along with, work well with, AND they have the exact same interests as you? Nearly impossible! Find a program that supports your broader research interests, has faculty that challenge and excite you, and has an advisor who is interested enough in your topic/a topic similar that they will be supportive during the process. I think your situation of having 2-3 faculty who share broader interests plus one specific faculty member with similar interests is great.