dilby

I think because of how quickly one year in my current job has gone by, it's not so stressful for me to think about the possibility that I'll have to do it again. Being away from academia has certainly given me some confidence that research/teaching is what I want to do, but having a year where I don't owe my free time to anyone but myself has, for the most part, been really lovely.
When my mentors (professors) ask what I'm up to, they sort of envy being able to dive into anything I'm curious about (like, say, reading biographies or Shakespeare plays instead of books that are strictly or even tangentially connected to my research areas). And the time has just blazed by. If any of you find yourself in a similar situation, I think/hope you'll have a similar experience.
A year is no time, and you will keep getting smarter while you're away from school—even if you're not doing something you think is "special" like joining the peace corps or whatever (although that would of course be a wonderful way to spend your time). In fact, when I came back to my thesis to start working on this cycle's writing sample, I was amazed at how much the distance from my writing enabled me to think about my argument differently and reconstruct/strengthen it. If I get shut out this year, I'm almost excited about the possibility that another year of life will make me an even stronger applicant.
I also haven't been able to do any plays since college (where I did 1-2 per semester), so if I don't get in I think I will probably actually audition for some stuff around town this spring/summer rather than thinking I have to set aside all of my mental energy for applications. I know someone who is putting on Cymbeline in June and that one is a blast.  

You're exactly right  I feel lucky to have a very close relationship with Shakespeare because of a regionally famous English department program at UT (with its own cute little Wikipedia page!) where students perform plays in a barn-converted-into-an-Elizabethan-theater in the middle of rural Texas. The alumni community is huge because the program has been going for 49 years and the audiences are pretty huge and really enthusiastic. When they did Cymbeline a couple of springs ago, people literally screamed when Iachimo emerged from the chest in Imogen's room. And (lol) when the shepherd boy emerged from offstage holding Cloten's head. And (lol) when Zeus showed up.
Unrelated to Cymbeline, last spring Winedale did one of the best Midsummers I've ever seen, complete with Hippolyta suggestively delivering the line "I was with Hercules and Cadmus once" to a packed, inebriated audience who had NEVER heard it delivered that way before. It felt like the roof was going to come off of the barn.
 
I hope you both are hanging in there. It's always hard to make a change to the structures of comfort/affection/affirmation that are built into your life--that's clearly one of the reasons this process is so difficult for so many people.
For me, those moments of fear and/or loneliness and/or vulnerability are usually where Miyazaki's films come in to make me feel like, hey, at least this old dude in Japan thinks that the universe errs on the side of kindness to the afraid & downtrodden. I'm sure you have your own sources of comfort, and I hope they're working for you right now (and if you're looking for a new one, try this wonderful film).
......just stay the hell away from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind for a little while. It'll be there for you later.  

That's infinitely more impressive and productive than what I've been doing ?
 

I've really been enjoying checking out a dozen art films from the library and then binging Parts Unknown on Netflix instead

I’m an English/Theatre double major and I’m still in undergrad, so theatre stuff is eating up all of my time! For my senior project, I’m directing a piece of devised poetic theatre using poetry by TS Eliot and Anne Sexton as the text, and that is passing the time sooooo quickly. Being in rehearsal every night really makes the days slip by!
Also got a yoga studio membership, and am going to class 3-4 times a week. That helps a lot with self-compassion, relaxation, mindfulness, and also passing the time haha.

The post-Brexit London episode is one of my favorites. There's something really soothing, and somehow hopeful?, about Nigella Lawson making a hungover Tony breakfast. I'm glad that moment exists.

Hey everyone, full-time lurker here! I just posted a topic panicking about one of my apps so I thought I might as well introduce myself ?

I graduated last May, this is my first application cycle, and oh my goodness has it been a stressful experience. I'm interested in Modernist and fin-de-siecle literature, really love phenomenology and affect theory! 

What are you guys doing to pass the time and/or ward off endless anxiety?

I'm leaning yes, if only based on the lack of other posts and Chicago's history of not reaching out until 2-3 weeks later than now. Definitely don't start worrying yet  

Thought I'd share this tidbit, mined in my current interview manic-terror-anticipation mode. It seems kind of reliable(?)-- From a thread in "interview tips and tricks":
As I bet you all know, very few English programs interview (and Columbia is historically not one of them, Caien).  Sometimes a professor will informally contact a student, but only a couple of programs interview their whole short list.  Off the top of my head, Chicago and Duke Literature (but not English) have interviewed in the past few years, and I think but might be mistaken that Emory and Notre Dame do as well?  It does change, though--Stanford used to and doesn't anymore, Chicago didn't and does now.  I am not sure about Comp Lit, though, since I didn't apply--it is my general impression that interviews are more common in that field, in particular to test language skills. 
However, I did have one interview last season.  Quite honestly: it was nerve-wracking; I don't think that it went very well; I was admitted anyway.  
The interview questions were entirely based on my writing sample and the substantive proposal in my SoP.  If I were to give any advice, it would be to be extremely familiar with the material in these documents, as well as research beyond what was expressly mentioned but would inform your field of proposed interest.  Although that probably sounds ridiculous now when it feels like you could never not know these intimately, in over a month, when you are maybe taking other classes and definitely focusing on other things, putting in the work to really refamiliarize yourself with those documents and the research that you did to generate them will pay off.  The tip that I received (and did not do, but realized too late was a great idea) is to make a couple reminder notes to yourself on post-its and put them around your computer screen (since it will likely be a Skype interview with 2-3 profs).  If you are stressed and start to panic, even one word that sets you off in the right direction can be helpful.  If you are really worried and don't think it would be too much of an imposition, you might ask a recommender who is familiar with your application to compose a few relevant questions, or even try to do this yourself.  Be as relaxed and as confident as you can, know that you can answer questions somewhat cagily to direct the conversation toward surer ground, and don't worry too much-- they are just trying to get to know you and what you want to study as well as they can in 20-30 minutes!  

Hi all, I'm just stumbling onto this community (better late than never I suppose!!). I finished my BA in May 2018; I'm applying for the Fall 2019 admissions cycle. My big interests are in the circulation of the Victorian novel in British colonies, 19th C colonial politics, ecocriticism, and genre studies.Good luck everyone!

@mandelbulb thank you! my primary field is 20c American. I’m particularly interested in mass culture and modernist aesthetics of the interwar period and narratives of US imperial culture therein. My top choice schools are UPenn, Duke, Stanford, and UConn. 
@dilby well at least there was one person enjoying that test! 

Ha! I bet you're right. I was the person who accidentally laughed out loud at the passage from Tristram Shandy. 

Ha! I bet you're right. I was the person who accidentally laughed out loud at the passage from Tristram Shandy. 

Ha! I bet you're right. I was the person who accidentally laughed out loud at the passage from Tristram Shandy. 

Just wanted to drop in and say hi to everyone! I didn't know about GradCafe until a week ago and it has been a revelation. I'm making my way back to academia nearly five years after finishing my undergraduate due to a military service obligation and I've felt alone and afraid in this whole endeavor until now. Really glad I found some people to share this crushing anxiety with and to know I'm not alone in all of it. Also, small world- but I'm pretty sure I sat right next to @dilby during the GRE subject test this past September when I was still in Texas. 

It's because we officially live in THE AFFECTIVE TURN, my friend
dread it, run from it, affect theory still arrives

I swear I'm not trying to stir the pot, but according to the 2018 Acceptances thread the first person to receive a notification last year was a SUNY-Buffalo admit exactly one year ago today. So.....it begins I suppose  

One or two of you have mentioned video games to pass the time. If you have the inclination, What Remains of Edith Finch is a slow, beautiful narrative game currently available for free through the Epic Games Store. I sat down to take a look at it out of curiosity and ended up playing through the whole thing in one sitting. Strong recommend but it's real sad.  

It's because we officially live in THE AFFECTIVE TURN, my friend
dread it, run from it, affect theory still arrives

Lol, note to self - post memes earlier in the day for maximum reputation

It's because we officially live in THE AFFECTIVE TURN, my friend
dread it, run from it, affect theory still arrives

Lol, note to self - post memes earlier in the day for maximum reputation

It's because we officially live in THE AFFECTIVE TURN, my friend
dread it, run from it, affect theory still arrives

It's because we officially live in THE AFFECTIVE TURN, my friend
dread it, run from it, affect theory still arrives

It's because we officially live in THE AFFECTIVE TURN, my friend
dread it, run from it, affect theory still arrives