Bopie5

I have this exact same question! The UC Davis app told me to do the FAFSA, but otherwise, I haven't heard anything about it...

The process of applying to grad school, although exhausting and discouraging at points, has made me more confident in my capability to write statements of purpose, cover letters, and other similar documents. Although waiting for decisions is UNBELIEVABLY stressful, I'm thankful for the skills I've already learned on this journey!

This is EXACTLY how I feel. Although I also get the feeling that there's a correlated relationship between how much time has passed since my submissions, and how much worse I feel about myself/my prospects...can't imagine how I'm going to feel in February ?

This is maybe a dumb question, but I can't seem to find the answer either on this forum or through googling. What dates do PhD programs usually start? I assume August, but does anyone have any info on whether programs start early or late August, or at some other time? Or does it just depend on the program?

I had four professors that I've had multi-year relationships with write LORs for me for my PhD grad apps. I want to write them all thank you notes and get them each a small gift, but I have no idea what to do! Obviously I'm a poor undergrad student with limited funds, but I do want to do something to show my appreciation for their time and energy...any suggestions?

@kgras13 @CaffeineCardigan I feel this! Two of my LOR writers uploaded them all at once, but two of them decided to upload every one literally on the day of the deadline. Every time another deadline day passes, I feel the nerves about those two all over again.

To be honest, somehow even more stressed? It feels really out of my control now, and I know everyone else is so qualified and worked so hard. I feel happy with how my apps turned out, but I feel like I have no way of assessing whether or not I'm likely to get accepted to any program, which adds a lot of nervousness.

I'm a Feminist and Gender theorist, primarily in 20th-century poetry! Depending on whether departments are theory driven, genre driven, or period driven, I'll probably be lumped in with Feminist Theory, Poetics, or 20th-C. At Northwestern, I specifically requested the Poetics track, whereas for most other programs I emphasized Feminist/Gender theory.

Like @GlacierPoint , I also have a free fee waiver code for Brandeis if there is more than one person who wants one! PM me for details!

Same! Not only that, I've been reading random threads that aren't even really relevant to me just to ponder a bunch of contingencies!

This is kind of extra, but I knew I'd need a formal "project" to occupy my brainspace over the next few months so that I didn't dwell on waiting for decisions, so I've signed up for teacher training to become certified as a yoga instructor! I think having a project outside of academia with a clear end and start date will help me in the waiting. Plus, getting in shape is always a good way to prep for a new life stage!

I'm already tired of waiting to hear back about decisions, and I only finished submitting my apps last night. I'm so exhausted and feeling a lot the same as @PsychWannabee--I'm feeling the weight of all of the better applicants, and worrying that I don't really stand a chance.

I've just submitted my 6th (out of 7) app! Only one more to go, and it's not due until January 5. I feel relieved--and now I can finally focus on my finals that I have tomorrow. So close to finishing out this process!

@Bumblebea Unfortunately the 20 page sample as it is has already been cut down from around 27! So it's gotten pretty lean for the theoretical moves I'm making. I think there's about an 8-12 page section that demonstrates my best writing and thinking, so I'm planning to excerpt that and put an abstract of the whole paper at the beginning. Since 10 is only a suggested length, I think I could get away with 11 or 12, but maybe not with 20! ?

Oof, everything everyone's said is so real. Worries: Coming right out of undergrad and not having any publications, I'm concerned that I look inexperienced. I also found two minor typos in my writing sample after I already submitted my apps ? Also worried that I'll feel like I'll have wasted a lot of time and money if I don't get in, since apps ended up costing more than $700. Also worrying that if I get in, I'll feel/seem really inadequate and not as qualified as other grad students in the cohort. Excitements: I love classes and academia, and if I get in I can't wait to interact with other students who are just as passionate as I am! Plus delving deeper into theory and getting the space to really pursue the research that interests me.

These are the REALEST moods. I knew I had a problem when I was awake at 2am one night reading Toril Moi's analysis of feminist potential in Freud and Lacan. Will I ever read a novel for fun again? Will my brain be able to handle any tv other than crappy reality competitions? the jury is still out. my brain is tired every minute.

Ugh, I submitted my 4th out of 7 apps today, and I'm so fatigued! I'm hitting that point where my apps are all my brain can process. Anyone else feel that thing where your brain shames you for doing anything else (especially fun/silly things) with the time that you could be spending on your apps? Like, I need to rest and do things just for the enjoyment of them, but every time I do, my brain tells me I should be working on my apps instead haha.

@Bumblebea @WildeThing @bernardthepug @Warelin Thank you all so much for the help and advice!!! I think I'll excerpt 10 pages from the strongest paper and add a short abstract detailing the overall arguments of the paper to the beginning. I agree @Warelin that disregarding the length is neutral at best and detrimental to my application at worst, and I don't want to do anything that knowingly jeopardizes my chances at getting accepted. Wish applications were just more consistent across the board about their requirements, but what can you do! Gotta make the best of it and send my best work in. Thanks again for the input

Hi everyone! I've reached a little conundrum in my application process. UCSB states that their "suggested length" for a writing sample is 10 pages, whereas almost every other school I'm applying to has been either 15-20 or 12-25. Unfortunately, I don't have a paper that neatly fits into UCSB's 10 page suggested length while also falling into my category of desired research (feminism and gender theory; embodiment, 20th-century). Here are my options. Any advice would be very helpful! 1) Submitting the 20 page paper that I'm using for all of my other schools and showcases my best writing while demonstrating the kind of theoretical work I want to do, despite the fact that it's way over the suggested length (a Kristevan reading of bodies, motherhood, and suffering in My Name is Asher Lev) 2) Submitting a 14 page paper that also shows my writing well, but not as well as Paper 1, and fits into my desired theory but not my desired period (a feminist reading of Frankenstein emphasizing gender roles and the feminine as monstrous) 3) Submitting a 12 page paper that's closest to the suggested length and shows my writing better than Paper 2, but isn't in my research area and doesn't really show the kind of theoretical work I plan to do (a literary-historical analysis placing a short story by Kate Chopin in its 1893 context to discuss how multiraciality and ambiguously raced bodies function in the literature and culture of the 1890s) 4) Picking a 10 page excerpt from Paper 1 and submitting it with an abstract of the paper as a whole. Help!

That's how I'm feeling too. I only really had the time and money to do 7, and while I really like the programs and feel like all of them would be a good fit, I feel like I would have better chances if I had the time/energy/money to apply to more schools.

I've officially spent over 35 hours since Sunday on my grad apps...the amount of fatigue is unreal, it's my last week of classes, next week is finals, and I still have four to submit!

@Hopeful and Not Thank you!!! It's hard because the schools I'm applying to don't specify, but I've opted for the CV!

@kgras13 Ah, I understand. I'm sorry! Fingers crossed that your third prof will respond to the emails and get it in, or that the committee will take your app as is and add it later.

@kgras13 Ah that's so hard! I had almost the exact same scenario with one of my profs. You don't wanna stress them out or alienate them like you said, but also they literally need to get their letters in because it's your future! You could potentially contact the Graduate Coordinator at the schools you're applying to? If you already have two in, they may be able to start reviewing and add the third when it comes. Or if there's another prof you could throw a hail mary request to?

@kgras13 You've probably already done this, but have you tried using the application's "Remind" function? Not all of them have it, but some of them have the option to send a reminder notification with a little note to your recommenders. I did that for one of my profs for the Northwestern deadline, and he ended up getting it in literally at the last possible moment. Could help maybe?