trytostay

Nope!

CONGRATULATIONS @FiguresIII!!!!! holy moly thats incredible

Eighteenth-century!

Got a call from POI at NYU. Voicemail said they have some “very exciting news” ... That means I got in, right? Right?!?! I’ll roll over and die from embarrassment if it means they referred me to their master’s program lol.

Officially a rejection from Chicago. My POI emailed me with a very kind note. I figured this was coming, but it still stings. I’m not sure if others have been rejected after an interview at Chicago, but it’s hard to not take it personally. I’m not planning on the rest of this cycle going well. Blargh.

CONGRATS @Englishtea1

Yeah, Rutgers typically isn’t this early! I wonder what specialty? Also odd that there’s only one.

7 hour flight today and WiFi is $45. Looks like I’ll be working on meditating for the next 7 hours while I can’t check this stupid, awful, horrible website lol

Yes, yes, yes. I agree with all of this and it's how I'm approaching the situation as well. It might not work out this year, and while I'll be sad, it's just a bump in the road in the longterm. I'll spend the next year learning a lot about myself and my work and I will be able to demonstrate that to schools in the 2020 application cycle.

I wonder if this means English literature interviews/acceptances from NYU are going out soon...

THANK YOU @Fedallah @sad_diamond !! I appreciate that kick in the butt. I’ve been trying to spread positivity around these forums since everyone seems so anxious. Thanks for reminding me that it’s far from over and that I have a lot to be proud of.

Has anyone considered starting a discord server? Or is there one already? Not sure if it’s been discussed or not — I’m very new here. Just seems like a good resource for us!

If grad school doesn’t work out this cycle, I’m not sure. I have a few options. One option is to move to a town that my best friend lives in and end things with my significant other. It would be expensive to move, but my current rent is just astronomical. The other option is to just stay put and re-do this year all over again: stay with my significant other, work the same job, etc. I’m torn. This year went by fast, but it wasn’t the happiest. But I’d imagine moving and entirely disrupting my life would be difficult — plus, living in NYC has a lot of perks throughout the application process, namely being able to use NYPL, being close to my mentor, and being able to attend seminars and socialize with faculty from schools I want to apply to. I’ll have to do a lot of thinking. However, it was quite a difficult year on a personal level. I’m really torn! It’ll give me something to think about instead of my impending rejections though, lol.

Feeling really upset about it being a likely no from Chicago after making it to interviews. Definitely not feeling good about my chances at Columbia now. Why must I be so awkward in interviews?! I’m starting to think about what the next year of my life could possibly look like: re-applying and going through this process again. If this whole ordeal has taught me anything, it’s how badly I want this. I guess that’s a silver lining! (Must. Cling. To. Silver. Linings.) I know I’d be beyond lucky to get in anywhere, but especially after interviewing at Columbia and Chicago, I’m feeling quite sad that they’re becoming likely rejections.

Yes -- congrats to @FiguresIII !!

Looking like it's a no from Chicago. Bleh.

Oh, I'm so happy to find another interviewee! Congratulations! My interview was pretty straightforward. No, they aren't asking us to make pitches. At least from what I gathered, if they interview you, they want to accept you. They're just trying to rank you within the final applicants for your specialty. Then once they hear from the admissions committee how many people they can accept, they'll accept the top ones based off of how many they're allowed. (Note: they can sometimes be allowed 0!) My interviewer said this was the last part of the process that was in their hands and the rest of it is up to a committee. For me, it was clear they were asking about the weaker points of my application. I'm fresh out of undergrad and I only switched to the English major in my senior year. Obviously, an admissions committee would notice the risk of accepting me into their PhD program when I am so new to the English discipline. My interviewer asked me questions about that, and I'm assuming in their "pitch" they will defend those weaker points of my application based on my answers, because they do want to accept me. It just still unfortunately might not work out based on things outside my control -- like maybe someone did better than me in the interview, and maybe the committee won't give c18 enough spots for me to be included in the accepted applicants.

I'd say given that no other interview requests were posted on GradCafe, they aren't only interviewing people they're considering, and that it's just for certain specialties. I think they interviewed me to rank me within the c18 applicants. I have no idea why some specialties would do this, but not others. I think it's odd that I'm the only person on GradCafe who posted about an interview request, and I don't think it's necessarily a good thing. It seems like they had some questions about me as an applicant. (In my deepest anxieties I wonder if they only offered me an interview to appease my mentor, who is active amongst the c18 community there.) He did say that they (they = c18 faculty) are going to be making a "pitch" to the admissions committee to try and get as many slots as possible. So, I think that's how it works at Columbia: the admissions committee lets faculty from certain specialties read the top applicants' work and then those specialties explain why they want to accept the people they've interviewed (if they've interviewed); then, the admissions committee determines how many spots each specialty gets.

I just finished my Columbia interview. My interviewer basically told me that at this point they want to accept everyone they're interviewing (for my specialty, which is eighteenth-century British), but funding won't allow for that, hence the interviews. It'll likely be one, or potentially even none, of us from c18 that gets selected. In retrospect, I wish I'd spoken a bit more intelligently, made a stronger case for myself, and explained what set me apart from others. I think I'm a solid candidate, but not necessarily worthy of Columbia when I'm put up directly against others, and I'm definitely not good at interviews or first impressions. I do feel like I somewhat blew a chance at that school but I'm trying, trying, trying to remain positive and not shroud myself in negativity. I'm just happy to know I was seriously considered. I think you guys will find this information useful: He told me I'd hear back before the 22nd, but no sooner than the 15th, since that's when the admissions committee is meeting. Hopefully that gives all of you a date to keep in mind for Columbia. To speak to what @pdh12 said above, yes. If I get shut out this year, which is a strong possibility in all of my wide-eyed naïveté applying to ridiculously hard schools, I'll be re-applying next year. I want this badly and I feel like getting shut out will only make me a stronger applicant next year. I'm trying to remain realistic, but not pessimistic. It's a hard process.

Congrats to the CU Boulder acceptance! I hear you guys on the mentor thing. I'm really nervous to let mine know how this has all gone for me... She was so supportive and emailed quite a few of her colleagues at schools I applied to. I feel really embarrassed and kind of like I let her down. I have a couple interviews lined up, but I honestly think they're not going to go well. I've never been good at first impressions or interviews in general. Bleh.

Don't cry, even if it is too early. If they didn't accept you, it is not a reflection on you as a person or the quality of your work. It simply means that you were not a good fit for the school for a thousand different variables. Just breathe. It'll really be okay!

I am especially bummed for NW because I felt like it was such a great place for my interests. I made the crucial mistake of picturing life in Evanston and attending there. Ah, oh well. Trust the process, trust the process, trust the process...

Pretty bummed about not hearing from Northwestern. Hoping for good news from other schools! It's really hard to stay positive throughout this process.

18th-century British. Not getting an interview is definitely not an implied rejection. I’d say most people don’t get an interview at Columbia and an interview just means you’re one of the final people, not that you’re accepted by any means. You don’t have anything to worry about!

Eighteenth-century British and yes I do! My friend (also c18 British and same alma mater) was interviewed last year as well. She was given an offer.