vondafkossum

Here’s a question: for those of you who applied to UW-Madison, did you apply as PHD or MA? I might have made a pretty awful error in submitting my application, and I’m hoping it hasn’t sunk me (because I *still* haven’t heard anything from them). I went hunting for some information, and in their FAQ I noticed a question I didn’t read the answer to previously: “Applicants to the Graduate Program in Literary Studies should choose the “English MA” option. You will be given the opportunity to indicate your intent to pursue the PhD in a subsequent question... Applicants to the Composition and Rhetoric and the English Language and Linguistics program should indicate the English PhD.” So, oops? I’m kicking myself right now.

Same. I'm kind of concerned about the person who submitted 22 applications. I need to know how they accomplished that? I did 9, and I was wiped.

Does anyone want to claim the UW-Madison acceptance/waitlists from the results board? The last couple years notifications look staggered and then rejections come out a week or so later. I'm trying not to go crazy refreshing my email, but....

No; interview requests go out to longlist candidates as far as I know. Perhaps @Warelin can weigh in on whether Chicago still extends acceptances to anyone they don't interview. I know last year we tried to confirm this but couldn't get any clear first hand accounts of anyone who had not interviewed and had been accepted (to my knowledge?).

This Doodle Poll is usually only sent to finalists or has been in the past. Usually Chicago sends out the poll to X number, interviews Y number, and offers acceptances to Z number.

Last year I got my decision from Northwestern on 2/4. From looking at the Admissions Results, it looks like everyone last year and the previous two years received notifications during the first week of February. Edit: I should update, I got a wonderfully concise and empathetic rejection email from the darling Nate Mead on 2/4. The University officially notified me of my rejection on 2/6

Is anyone digging in for Vintage Sci Fi Month? I picked up Martian Time-Slip this week, and I'm using it as a distraction from my students' horrible exams.

I'm a high school teacher, so the next month or so for me is writing exams, grading exams, starting new classes, writing grants for a club I sponsor, planning the next two community events for the club I sponsor, filling out NEH and GL summer program applications, writing my NCTE conference proposals (which are due next week? lol), and doing some tutoring on the side. Basically doing a lot of prep work for a future that will hopefully be entirely different in a few months? Oh, and watching a lot of TV.

I know how you feel, @Rrandle101. I submitted *almost all of my applications before 11/15, so I've been "waiting" for nearly two months now. At this point, I feel like I've driven myself bonkers already with will they/won't they??? Now I have to wait another two-ish months? Ugh. Sending calming, positive vibes to everyone still working down to the wire. I believe in you!

I was going to comment that mine are still outstanding as well. I just double checked, and now they've posted. Maybe they're updating them by hand? No idea.

I'm currently re-reading THE EXPANSE series by James SA Corey (I love the books almost as equally as I love the show, and this *never* happens), OVER THE TOP by Jonathan Van Ness, and THE BODY: A GUIDE FOR OCCUPANTS by Bill Bryson. Updike as a person sucked. I had the "pleasure" of meeting him before he died so I could get my dad's first edition of RABBIT RUN signed. He told me that he was surprised women still read his books. I do enjoy the RABBIT series, though; there's something really magnetic in Updike's prose, and I'm a sucker for middle-class suffering.

I don't really want to get into it--and I should have just not responded at all because I have neither the time nor the inclination to jump into a discussion here about the problems with K-12 education and how that transfers to the college level (or the problems with collegiate studies and how that transfers to K-12)--but so much of this conversation (like many going on here in different threads, like almost all of the ones about education in general) is rooted in inherent class and race issues.

I think this is a deeply unfair portrayal of what high school English is and/or does, speaking as a high school English teacher.

Still nothing for me. I'm reluctant to follow up again. I'm just going to eat the $90, I guess. How disappointing not to even receive a response, though! Every other program I requested a waiver for responded within 48 hours, even if I didn't qualify. Also, the waiver qualifications are so bizarre and varied, it's impossible to tell where you will or will not qualify for one.

Just an update, as I had the same issue; here's what I got back from the graduate coordinator today.: "There are always many requests and she has a limited number of waivers. She evaluates all requests and will let you know." So, hopefully an update soon? The fee waiver request was due by December 1, and the application is due by 12/15. Hopefully we'll hear soon?

In a weird way... no? I was shut out last cycle, and I survived. I also have a pretty well-established career to "fall back" on, though, so if I get shut out again, I'll just cry for a few days and (hopefully) move on. Yep! Done. Whew. Good luck!

Anyone else have a LOR professor just fall off the face of the earth? I've had no email response for the last three weeks (and he has no phone number?). I've contacted the department and been told to email again as he's usually very responsive by email. I have applications I want to hit submit on, but now I'm worried about listing him an LOR. What if he doesn't submit a letter? Is it too late to find someone else? Who else would I even find? Send cat pics, pls.

Okay. But I also asked: Is there anyone else who would be willing to write you a stronger recommendation than the tepid one? If you don't have anyone who'd be willing to write you a stronger recommendation than the one you already received, I'm not sure there's any point in worrying about it. If you *do* have someone willing to write you a stronger recommendation, I would approach them.

I think I'm confused as to how you've seen your recommendation. It is usually expected that the recommendations be confidential and submitted directly to the program by the recommender. Is there anyone else who would be willing to write you a stronger recommendation than the tepid one?

I suppose I'm a little wary of using something that wasn't successful last time. Perhaps I'm just overthinking it!

Howdy y'all! Some of you may remember me from last cycle, where I was shut out. Admittedly, I went into the process a bit blind, and I believe this cycle I've done a lot better job of finding programs with better fit/match to my research interests. (I also feel like I know *how* to apply a bit better--last cycle I left all my graduate work in Education off my application thinking it would be irrelevant [I swear I'm not stupid, but...]). With exception of one program, I plan on applying to a completely new set of programs. Here is my current issue/question: Should I submit an entirely different work sample, or should I continue to focus on refining my SOP/Personal Statement? My work sample, imo, is pretty solid. It's from my undergrad thesis, so it's been fairly thoroughly ripped and reworked by committee, and when considering it for these applications, I've had a new group look it over as well.

It does! Thanks so much @eddyrynes!

I am fairly familiar with those, but probably not as familiar with Berlant as I could be. Thanks!

Howdy all! I'm jumping into this cycle after being shut out last cycle, so you may have seen me around last year. I've spent about five years on the fringes of academia (the most fringiest, as I've been teaching high school English). I've tried to stay on top of what's been going on and I've attended MLA a few times, however I feel woefully under-read going into this cycle. My undergrad program was great, but most of the work I did was in early modern lit and hermeneutics. Does anyone have any recommendations for texts I should be reading and/or recent works in queer studies? I'm particularly interested in homosocial relationships within the structure(s) of contemporary lit and media (e.g. 20/21 c), particularly in science fiction and other genre works. Thanks in advance!

I’m out of reacts, but tbh SAME. At least I can put Berkeley in red in my obsessive spreadsheet and officially move on.