beardedlady

oh boy y'all there is so much more where that came from

It's been a sad time poetically speaking, with Meena Alexander passing away just two months ago...

i had my trusty roommate call again (because calling would be way too anxiety-producing for me). apparently interview invites don't indicate application standing. they're for extra questions (about projects). i'm not quite sure what that means, but i don't think every applicant received an email about it so i would still take it as a good sign?

@mandelbulb I love you.

Can't say I'm not disappointed to not hear from Emory (really wanted to live in Atlanta!) but my sincerest congrats for the interviewees--go rock your interviews!
And also congrats to all of those accepted! It really is nice to start seeing good news for people.

Can't say I'm not disappointed to not hear from Emory (really wanted to live in Atlanta!) but my sincerest congrats for the interviewees--go rock your interviews!
And also congrats to all of those accepted! It really is nice to start seeing good news for people.

Hi everyone! Long time lurker here! I posted the UIUC acceptance. Still in utter shock. I applied to many, many programs and I'm surprised that the first one I've heard back from is an acceptance.

I don't have concrete suggestions re: specific programs, but one way to tackle this is to look at who's writing criticism that speaks to you and where they teach. When I was looking where to apply, I followed the trail of queer theorists, for instance. This may be productive also because it simultaneously provides you with some important information regarding your theoretical field of interest, and an understanding of who's who, increased exposure to the current debates, etc.
Good luck!

Thanks! I'll take you up on that when I get in (I've chosen now to sprinkle the logic of self-fulfilling prophecies on top of general self-preserving negativity--I'll never get in anyway!--to make things interesting). Yes, both Cvetkovich and Minich, as well as Lisa Moore. It's a shame to hear that Cvetkovich won't be around anymore though, @Mumasatus!

Thanks! I'll take you up on that when I get in (I've chosen now to sprinkle the logic of self-fulfilling prophecies on top of general self-preserving negativity--I'll never get in anyway!--to make things interesting). Yes, both Cvetkovich and Minich, as well as Lisa Moore. It's a shame to hear that Cvetkovich won't be around anymore though, @Mumasatus!

I'm now reading Baldwin's Go Tell it On the Mountain, after starting Alaisder Gray's Lanark and finding it too horrifying and nightmare-inducing for application-writing season. I will return to it once the terror of applications subsides (April?) because I do love its grotesque craziness. Hoping to begin Auster's 4 3 2 1 in a few days (I love historical, intergenerational narratives and generally like Auster, so I'm hoping it'll be good). My favorite novel this year has to be Americanah, but in terms of all time faves... The Well of Loneliness and Wide Sargasso Sea are right up there.

I don't really feel like I have a dream program. Every time I go into one of the department websites I decide that that one is my number one, and it fluctuates daily. In terms of location, my favorite would probably be UT Austin, and the least so would have to be the NYC schools (I honestly don't know how I'll be able to afford to live there). Since if I'm accepted anywhere, I'll be dragging my significant-other along with me halfway across the world, I have the added stress of his ability to find a job in his field etc. Thankfully, he's an American citizen, so no work-visa issues...
If I don't get in, I have a few ideas of what I could do but no real plan. I don't think I'll be able to go through a second round of apps both money-wise and life-wise. But who knows?
The TOEFL was an idiotic waste of money, especially considering that all of the schools I applied to required the GRE, whose V section is obviously much more difficult. Why both for crying out loud?? On the other hand, now there's ample confirmation that my English skills are unequivocally up to snuff. As if the 20 page WS, SoP, and LoR's wouldn't have been more indicative of that anyway... Salt up the wazoo on this.

@Bopie5 It really is a great novel! I can't wait to start devouring some of Adichie's other books.
I see we have many overlapping interests--with drama being the only exception. I'm also applying to Columbia (AHHH Halberstam!) and Chicago (AHHH Berlant!) but they're so far out of my reach I might as well go open a Blockbuster on Mars. 

Applying to the 2019 cycle of PhD programs, first-time applier. Writing an M.A. thesis at the moment, and have completed my course requirements.
SoP still in work, but has gone through a few drafts, and pretty near finished except for the program-specific paragraphs and some touching up. I have a pretty solid list of programs that I need to finalize; currently looking at 14, but want to narrow this down to 10-12. WS in poor shape, but I have a schedule for completing this, and I hope to get feedback from at least 3 people. Have taken the GRE and TOEFL, and this was by far the easiest for me to actually get done. SoP has put me in an existential crisis (WHO AM I? WHY DOES MY EXISTENCE MATTER?) and WS has brought me to the verge of tears. Not taking the subject test. Will need to get feedback on my CV. So still a long way from being ready to apply...
My interests are theory-centered, focusing on feminism, queer, and disability. Concerned with 20th/21st American/Brit representations of bodies in both poetry and prose. I'm a bit worried about this, because it runs counter to how many departments frame the field/subfield, geographical, and generic divisions. Will have to think how to fill the field/subfield categories in the applications.

Building a list. More and more departments are moving away from this horrible, expensive, soul-crushing, pointless exam. This is what I have so far. Please let me know of other programs. Also: should this become a google-doc? A website? (Started this on gradadmissions subreddit.)
African American Studies/Africana Studies: Cornell; Northwestern; U Mass Amherst
American Studies: Harvard; NYU; University of Michigan (American Culture); University of New Mexico
Art History/Visual Studies: University of Arizona; University of New Mexico
Chicanx and Latinx Studies: University of New Mexico
Comparative Literature, Literatures not in English, Literature: University of Michigan (Asian Languages and Culture); Stanford (Modern Thought & Literature); University of Pittsburgh (Hispanic Languages and Literature)
Cultural Studies/Media Studies: MIT (Media Arts and Sciences); University of Washington, Bothell (Cultural Studies MA)
Ethnic Studies: UC Berkeley
English: Harvard; Oregon State University (MA, req for PhD); Stanford; UC Riverside; U Mass Amherst; University of New Mexico; Washington State University; Wayne State (MA, req. for PhD)
Cinema Studies/Film: Ohio University (MA), University of Toronto*
History: Emory; Northwestern; University of New Mexico
Latin American Studies: NYU (Latin American and Caribbean Studies: optional, req.for joint journalism PhD); U Conn
Linguistics: MIT; UCLA; U Mass Amherst; University of Michigan
Middle Eastern Studies: CUNY Graduate Center (MA, optional)
Musicology: Brandeis ("highly recommended" but not req.), Cornell (?), UCLA (recommended but not req.)
Native American, American Indian, Indigenous Studies: University of Arizona
Performance Studies: NYU; UCLA (Culture and Performance within World Arts and Culture/Dance)
Philosophy: UBC*; University of Michigan; University of Pennsylvania; UW Madison
Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies: Emory; Oregon State University (optional); UW Madison (MA)
 
*Canadian programs tend not to require GRE. For now, I'm listing Canadian programs esp. in fields where there aren't a lot of other options.
note: Please confirm before applying to these schools. This list of disciplinary categories is provisional, I am revising and updating as I get more info. Some fields listed here traverse humanities and social sciences (e.g. gender studies). Sticking mainly to PhD programs, but throwing in MAs as I come across them, esp. if it looks like they might be funded.

What I was trying to get at, and perhaps wasn't clear enough, is that you should  identify for yourself what areas of lit. your'e interested in, beyond the specific essay you are currently writing. Such areas could be a mix of theory/genre/geography/time-period. My research interests are also theory based (queer/feminism/disability) but I can also say that I want to focus on 20th/21st century women's writing, both American and British. This is obviously still very broad, but much more refined than if I just said that queer theory interests me, and more informative than saying that I'm interested in a specific text or a specific theorist.
I *think* this would be pertinent in two ways: 1) it'll help you situate your interests in current discussions and help you consider what the context of potential research could be. That is, if you had to write an M.A. thesis or other substantial research project right now, what would it be (other than what you're currently working on)? What types of texts, time-periods, or theories would you find interesting? And how would you tie them together? 2) You're going to want to find programs that suit your broad interests, I assume, and such categorizations will help you do so.
More generally, I think that without coming to a fuller and clearer understanding of what it is that interests you in literature, it'll be much harder to "sell" yourself to programs. The hard part is that a lot of the times we don't even know what the potential categories that interest us are. It was only very late in my B.A., for instance, that I discovered queer theory, which is now one of my main interests. This is why it would probably be helpful to talk with professors who could point you in appropriate directions and suggest reading materials for you to peruse.
But I really should mention that I have zero experience in applying to M.A. programs in the States, and have no idea what they expect from their applicants. I am currently completing an M.A. in my home country and applying to PhD programs in the U.S. I believe that my advice to you here would be applicable in any case, but people with more experience with the process will probably be able to give you better ideas/suggestions.