MaoistTowelette

Early modern dude here. I've been wait listed at Vanderbilt and Buffalo. 
I don't want to influence anyone's decision unfairly, but I hear the hazing process at both schools is rough, bordering on sadistic: They make you eat a bowl of Skyline chili. So if you don't like the taste of ketchup-soaked cloves and lukewarm pencil shavings, you may want to direct your future elsewhere. 

That does seem insanely high, especially given the numbers this cycle and how popular a school they've been in previous cycle. Perhaps they typoed and meant to say 2%? That would suggest a pool of over 250 which is closer to the numbers from other schools.
The cynical perspective might see the 20%, if not an error, to be a ploy to suggest that it's worth applying to the school; but this would be cruel, disingenuous, and would clash with what you've said about their letter.
Of course, if it is simply the truth then holy shit, why is no one applying to UI-Champaign?

Thought I'd done this already:
 

Thought I'd done this already:
 

How do folks like us with great record collections strike out?

i dont know...wait.... do you also specialize in postcolonial and/or marxist theory ?

How do folks like us with great record collections strike out?

How do folks like us with great record collections strike out?

How do folks like us with great record collections strike out?

How do folks like us with great record collections strike out?

someone posted an acceptance from syracuse, which i think means i've been rejected from everywhere
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=coCjlhyFug8

It's gonna be an honor just to get a rejection letter from Harvard. Or so they think. 
I'd like an official notice from Buffalo. 

It's gonna be an honor just to get a rejection letter from Harvard. Or so they think. 
I'd like an official notice from Buffalo. 

I mean, I'm a pretty private person and I don't really like atten--MARY ANN. My name is Mary Ann. You can read my academic work on my google scholar page https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=2xYWTxMAAAAJ&hl=en but my more interesting article comes out todaaaaaay with McSweeney's!! Will 100% post iiiiiiiit!!! EXCIIIIIITED!!
Also, no one make fun of my headshot even though I look like I survived the Titanic sinking and am still coming to terms with it. I made the mistake of, last minute, sending that photo into a Young Scholars thing where I was talking about some projects I'd been doing and they needed my picture and now it haaaaaunts me. 

Who are you and when will we be able to read your wonderful things?

I only have Michigan left and I went to a state school, so no hope there. I've decided I'm going to write a book, this year, and publish it out of spite. This process really fucking sucks, guys.

I'm an early modernist and I tanked at most of those. If you would ever feel comfortable sharing your SoP and writing sample I'd be grateful; I clearly do not know what to aim for, nor the right stance to take. Plus it's just plain fun checking out other folks' work ?.

I'm an early modernist and I tanked at most of those. If you would ever feel comfortable sharing your SoP and writing sample I'd be grateful; I clearly do not know what to aim for, nor the right stance to take. Plus it's just plain fun checking out other folks' work ?.

Sure. But any number of people on here claim to have received acceptance letters from POI.
Perhaps in these particular instances these particular professors are, just temperamentally, quite eager to contact applicants whose friendly exchange they remember months, and hundreds of applications, later. It sounds to me, however, like a relationship had been built; how, I do not know, and if I admit that I suspect that the applicant's mentor reached out to a friendly colleague to put in a word on that student's behalf I do so without bitterness. And in any case this is the last time around for me. But just for the sake of knowing I would be interested to know what goes on, as would, I'm sure, other older or working class students who may be throwing hundreds of dollars out the window on chances they, as outsiders, just do not stand. 

Thank you both for saying well what would have sounded bitter coming from this non-trad student. 

Bring on that final assault of rejections! 
 

Bring on that final assault of rejections! 
 

Thank you both for saying well what would have sounded bitter coming from this non-trad student. 

Bring on that final assault of rejections! 
 

Bring on that final assault of rejections!