Brown_Bear

I am in a similar situation. I applied for the "English MA" choice. It seems like there are a few of us here that are awaiting a response. I don't know if there is an unofficial WL, because I was neither rejected nor accepted when the results first came, but, I am preparing for the former until I get proof of the latter.

As I said not long ago, I'm still eager on UW-Madison. Some people have posted results over the past few days. I have not heard anything yet nor is my portal changed. Is this an implied rejection?

I'm on my 3rd rejection, (OSU, Delaware, now Duke), and have 11 more waiting. I wonder if I am under qualified as a BA only applicant, with okay marks but not the best. Hoping for good news to come. It is discouraging.

Any more UW Madison to come? I haven't heard back through the first posted wave of information. I really am hoping for the best.

Goodness; I am still clinging onto hope. All of my apps still indicate I'm in review. Let's all have good fortune this cycle.

I had the fortune to visit this college over Thanksgiving break, because of my gf's family and other factors. I drove through it. The surrounding area is quite nice, and it gives off a 19th century American "rustic" feeling, like the scenery in a Hawthorne book or something. Spatially, the campus looks quite large, and I understand it enrolls a lot of people. I also applied there and did the Writing Center application. I don't have any more information, but just wanted to provide a couple of comments because it sounds like you're interested in it.

Question for all: I am trying to finalize my five classes for my final semester, this Spring session, and I am having a bit of an issue. I am registered for 5 classes, and when I sent my unofficial transcripts to schools during the application process, these courses appeared under the "Spring 2020" semester. If I get accepted, I understand that I will need to send a final transcript to verify that the information is correct and valid. Here is the catch--am I able to add/drop courses for my final semester of undergraduate, even if this will change what my final transcript looks like? I don't want to have an offer rescinded because the unofficial transcript doesn't match my final one. However, I may want to take different courses now that I think about it. Please, can somebody give me a strong opinion on this? This is a low-key concern, but a concern nonetheless. Thank you.

I reread one of my SOPs, and realized a sentence early on is a bit clunky. It barely works grammatically and I think that I should have omitted an extra word. Uh oh.. I hope this doesn't kill my chances .... :/. I spent so much time on the final half I may have missed a correctable error in the beginning.

Should I expect to have an interview request for every place (if any) that winds up offering me admission? Or do some places just accept applicants without extending an interview first? If so, what form does an interview get transferred to the applicant such that they receive it (is it via email, application portal notification, phone call, or something else)? I am trying to stay prepared.

I am getting jitters now. When is the earliest I can expect to hear back from a program? End of January? I need to prepare myself!

(Update): I have 3 deadlines left. All early January. One letter writer still needs to do these. What should I do? Email them tomorrow? What do I say?

One option is to scaffold through US News's rankings of English PhD programs, like the top 100, and go through each program looking for Victorian specialists. You may find some lowly ranked that are excellent for your interests. If you have the time or energy, it couldn't hurt to look at a ton from a ready-made list. It would also give you ideas for schools you may not have looked at originally. Just one piece of advice, and strategy for defining possible programs.

I have three applications with early January deadlines, and 1 of my letter writers still has to submit to these schools. I am hoping for the best with this one. I sort of wish it was done already before the holiday season.

Good luck! I know you've worked hard. I also applied to 14. Fingers remain crossed, as you said!

I am applying to 14 English PhD programs, and am nearly done my applications. I am beginning to move into the "waiting period," and am thinking about the odds of acceptance somewhere. I applied to a mix of top-20 programs and mid-tier ranked schools. I tried my best with each application. If someone applies to as many as I have, or more, what is a proper ratio of acceptance/waitlist/rejection that is typical? Or, is there no such ratio to strive for? What have been the experiences of current students? Was it linear (i.e. you got accepted where you thought you'd get in)? Or, does it remain as random as everything else accompanying this process? I am growing somewhat fearful of not getting in! But, I won't dwell upon it.

I'm applying this cycle, and let me tell you this myself, and reaffirm what other posters have said: start brainstorming a list of places you may want to apply to as soon as is reasonably possible. You should be looking at places that fit a certain criteria that you establish for yourself (ex; funding, research fit, location, size of school, ect.), and excluding others that do not. I found that it took me a few lists before I got to the 14 or so I am now applying to, and this process lasted a few months of long contemplations. Despite other suggestions, I myself wrote an entirely new writing sample from scratch over the summer, so in theory, it can be done. But consider matching your writing sample to your proposed area of interest, and think about papers you've already written and see if you can just add to them. When the time comes, the statement of purposes and personal statements will occupy a large amount of your time, most likely, so you will want to transition into preparing the first drafts of those so you can revise them. I agree too with the other posters, and you should identify your letter of recommendation writers sooner than later, and clarify with them of your intentions and that they are willing to write you a strong letter. Not to overwhelm you, but these are some of my thoughts. You can take your time, I think, but stay organized and focused on the biggest picture of what you have to finish.

I qualified for some fee waivers, but because I didn't submit early enough, I am too just eating up the application fees. I don't want processing times to slow down my submissions.

How long to hear back with admissions results? I'm reading on the results page on this website some people can hear back in January. Anyone have input based on their experiences?

They are spread out, but I have the goal of finishing all of my applications (including letter submissions) by the end of next week, which is finals week at my university, so around December 13th/14th or so.

Really worried that 2 of my letter writers haven't submitted any yet, but I've been busting their chops about it. What do I do???????

I'm 4 of 14 down so far and still trying to move forward! Best of luck everyone. Careful to minimize incorrect info on the application interfaces (as I may have done)

I just submitted my first of 14 applications yesterday, and I definitely have the impression that many things can go wrong during the application process. How does one cope with having to "make sure" that everything "looks" correct, and then having the courage to submit when it feels correct? I am sort of paranoid that I will be missing something, or not upload an important part that I needed. Especially when I am applying to so many schools, what did prior applicants here do? Just yolo it and hope for the best? I am obviously trying to prepare the best I can, but some of these interfaces are hard to navigate, and don't always match the specific program's requirements.

I'm in the same application cycle, and feel you here. I just took the most important points from my "master" SOP, and made sure to have ample room to tell the program why I'm a good fit, my research interests, and future goals. I don't think it is possible or viable to keep everything. I am under the impression that it is just the name of the game. With "brief" or non-descript ones, I just used my judgement and made it in the 750-1000 words range. I tried to only shorten when specifically asked. But this is my strategy, and you may approach it differently, and so just do what you think is right for you!

I've drafted my Statement of Purposes, and writing sample, and now have a couple of *Personal Statements* to compose for some of these English doctoral programs. One of these wants a personal statement, and the other wants a diversity statement. How should I go about constructing these? What should I avoid, or emphasize? Should I just read the directions verbatim and follow it to a "t" ? I've spent so long on SOPs that I am having a slightly hard time adjusting my reference point. Thank you.

I am applying to 14 or 15 places, and have 3 writers. One of these writers is extremely prompt about submitting their letters into my applications, and the other two, I have not yet had a single letter submitted. I don't want to grow overly anxious, but how might I confront them and ask them about their progress towards my letters? How frequently should I check in with them? What is the best way for me to phrase that I want them to get started on writing them without coming off as overly aggressive? Any tactics about this? I certainly want my applications complete, which includes the LOR.