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wildsurmise

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Posts posted by wildsurmise

    2021 Applicants

    in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition

    Posted

    1 hour ago, jujubee said:

    Anybody else waiting for a San Diego rejection? Saw some last Friday and wondering why I haven't gotten mine yet. Could they be doing it alphabetically?

    Meanwhile, I know Irvine has sent out acceptances and I saw a Riverside one on the results page, so not holding my breath for them, too. That leaves Santa Barbara before I get a second-year shutout from UC schools.

    (Also, this is to anecdotally confirm how hard it is for internationals to get into UCs but then again, maybe I'm just not brilliant enough or didn't come from a prominent school, etc etc ?‍♀️)

    I mean, according to these stats (https://www.graddiv.ucsb.edu/documents/stats/ENGL_Grad_Profile_Final.pdf) it seems it's even twice as difficult to get into UC Santa Barbara English if you're simply not a Californian? Which I found pretty odd, and is one of the reasons I decided at the last minute not to apply. I should note these statistics are from 2013, but I'm assuming their in-state practices haven't drastically changed.

    2021 Applicants

    in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition

    Posted · Edited by wildsurmise

    1 hour ago, carakay said:

    Hi all, 

    I'm new to this forum so just wanted to say a massive congratulations to all of you receiving offers and i have my fingers crossed to all of you awaiting positive news. I am in the latter camp ☺️ I have received quite a few rejections already and the only school I'm still waiting on is Princeton so I am not holding my breath, but I am eager to learn from this cycle and apply again next year. I'm an international student and don't know anyone from the US education system so I'm feeling a bit lost in this whole cycle and am trying to work out where to focus my energies next time. 

    I'm really interested in hearing your thoughts on... Do you think being an international student has any impact on admissions (positive or negative)? Do you think me not being able to speak/write another language may have an impact? Is there anything else you think I should be aware of when applying again next year?

    Just for a bit of context, my background is: 

    • first class undergraduate and master's degrees from good universities (Cambridge and Oxford) 
    • GPA 4.0 equivalent 
    • GRE 95 - 99 percentile (subject and verbal) 
    • 1 publication (not a particularly well known journal!) + no conference presentations 
    • Strong references 
    • Contacted faculty in the schools I applied to and had positive email exchanges r.e. supervision
    • What I think is a well-researched SOP (but I have not had anything to compare it to, as over in the UK our SOPs are more like a thesis proposal) 
    • No facility in foreign languages 

    Part of me is wondering whether I am in a position to make a competitive application at all and maybe I should not spend the money, hope and time again next year. I have a full time job and caring responsibilities so the thought of trying to get any more articles published in my spare time is a bit daunting for me.  So I'm so grateful for any of your thoughts! 

    Please let me know if this isn't the most appropriate thread for this question - just looking for any insight from those of you who may know the US system better than me. Thank you so much! C

    You seem competitive to me! I wouldn’t give up hope—this seems to have been an unusually intense cycle with schools getting far more applications than usual. From my quite limited experience, international students don’t seem to be at a significant disadvantage, besides a lack of familiarity with the US system (though I’ve heard it may be trickier for international students to get into UC California schools, but don’t quote me on this).  I’d suggest perhaps trading SOPs with someone on here next cycle for feedback (I could probably look at yours) and reading some US examples—in particular I’d recommend making sure you make a pretty specific case for why the department faculty/ resources are a great fit for you. And if you wanted to beef up your CV a bit you could also consider applying to some (virtual) conferences—seems to be less work than publication. Feel free to dm me with any questions! I almost applied to some British programs this year, and was quite overwhelmed by the differences.

    2021 Applicants

    in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition

    Posted

    10 hours ago, TheorySchmeory said:

    I have to wonder if English grad program admissions committees are more sensitive to the hermeneutics of their rejection letters than committees in other subjects, since they know their recipients will put their letters under the analytical microscope...

    Perhaps some are, but I think part of the problem is that it seems many of these rejection letters (like Vandy's) aren't even from the English department, but from the "vice provost for graduate education," and just talk about the graduate school in general recieving many apps. So distant... especially when we put our hearts and souls (and paychecks) into these applications! 

    2021 Applicants

    in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition

    Posted

    Just now, Cordelipup said:

    This is so helpful to hear! I feel this disconnect as well. Did you recently complete your MA? And were you able to complete it while also teaching? I thought going straight for the PhD would be the best route for me, but now I'm considering other options.

    I'm graduating this May, currently in my second year (planning on starting phd in the fall). I'm teaching one class of first year composition each semester for my university, but not teaching middle/ hs during the program. My current professors were really helpful in giving feedback for my SOP, and my writing sample comes from an MA seminar paper. It can also be nice to have solidarity/ venting sessions with classmates who are also applying.  

    2021 Applicants

    in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition

    Posted · Edited by wildsurmise

    1 hour ago, Cordelipup said:

    It feels so good to hear about everyone who has gotten in, especially people who have stuck it out for multiple cycles! I am so happy for you all.

    Does anyone have experience going from teaching middle school/high school after undergrad and then straight to a PhD program without doing a Masters? If so, I'd really appreciate any advice!

    I'm not exactly in this group, but adjacent--I taught middle and high school before pursuing an MA, now a PhD. I personally felt so out of the loop with the discipline of English that crafting a "relevant" SOP and writing sample that engages in current discourse for PhD apps felt very out of reach (when I was still teaching), and my MA has been so informative, enjoyable, and edifying. Though I also wasn't an English major in undergrad, which is probably relevant.

    2021 Applicants

    in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition

    Posted

    On 2/5/2021 at 5:18 PM, R Westy said:

    Did anyone else not get any sort of email or anything from WashU? I checked the portal and it still just says “submitted.” Confused, but assuming it’s just a glitch and I’ll get the rejection email/status update in the next few days? 

    I think there's a fair chance y'all or some of you are waitlisted-- no one's posted any of those this cycle and there have been WUSTL waitlistees in years past. My waitlist email from BC came a couple days after the acceptances and rejections were posted.

    2021 Applicants

    in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition

    Posted

    36 minutes ago, FlowerNinja said:

    Hi, I didn't receive the email, but I am also a Washington resident. Was it the sort of email only sent to out of state applicants as an instate already fulfills the legal requirements??? 

    Argh sorry about all this admissions crypticness-- I'll just paste the bulk of the UW email here for the sake of transparency, I'm not sure about state resident status:

    "I am pleased to let you know that your application has been advanced for consideration into the second round of our review process. The applications included in the second round of review represent just under 15% of our total applications for admission to the Literature and Culture track, so this is a significant achievement, although it is important to note that we have not yet selected our finalists and this letter does not constitute an offer of admission. We expect to communicate final decisions on or around February 18th.  In the meantime, as we continue with our ongoing review of applications, we need to ask that you please submit to the UW Human Resources department as soon as possible and no later than February 4, 2021, the form explained below.

    The University of Washington is committed to ensuring a safe environment for all members of the UW community. As a part of that commitment, and in recognition of Washington state law, candidates for employment are required to complete a sexual misconduct declaration (see attachment). This includes prospective graduate students who might be offered employment-based funding with admission.

    To ensure continued consideration for student employment, please complete the sexual misconduct declaration as soon as possible. Make sure you complete all sections and attach your electronic signature." 

    2021 Applicants

    in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition

    Posted · Edited by wildsurmise

    31 minutes ago, mirror_ said:

    I tried scrolling through all the post history here to see if anyone else had mentioned this, so excuse me if I am at all redundant (so much engagement here, I love it!).

    For anyone curious about Univ. of Washington, I received the same email as the folks who posted Jan 25th. Two details that seemed left out that may be interesting is that (1) failure to complete the HR form they sent out "may" result in disqualification in the offer of employment, and (2) admissions results should come out around Feb. 18th. The email also emphasized that it did not correspond to an actual offer, so I wouldn't lose hope if you did not receive it.

    I'm curious if anyone else did receive this email? It seems rather odd to do paperwork for folks they may ultimately reject? I have re-read this email a ridiculous amount of times. I am usually fond of cryptic texts, but not like this. I remain ever hopeful. 

    I got this email right after I got that email from UofO saying they didn't get any funding, which was absolutely devastating for me. It was ultimately a super emotional day.

    Good luck to you dear folks. I hope you are being gentle to your weary hearts, you've accomplished so much in just applying to PhD programs amidst a pandemic.

    I had that exact same experience with the  Oregon and Washington emails that day! Was first so mad (especially because the teaching application for Oregon was so much extra legwork) and then pleasantly confused by the Washington email. I feel like the UW sexual misconduct declaration could have been just part of the application for everyone to streamline things, or at the end of the process when they're actually selecting people, but whatever. It also is directly tied to hiring employees in the state of Washington (a state legal requirement), so if anyone applied and DIDN'T select that you're interested in the teaching fellowship (or however you phrased it),  then you probably wouldn't have gotten the email. 

    [and haha, I love your "I am usually fond of cryptic texts" ?]

    2021 Applicants

    in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition

    Posted · Edited by wildsurmise

    On 2/1/2021 at 7:00 PM, cassidyaxx said:

    Has anyone reached out to Notre Dame at all? I'm wondering if they'll be doing interviews this year or just sending outright acceptances, but I've been hesitant to contact any programs as it's still rather early. 

    No, I have thought about asking, but yeah it does still seem a bit early and I don't want to come across as too demanding ?... I'm leaning towards hypothesizing no ND  interviews at all this year as it's getting later and later, but zooms may still happen I suppose? 

    2021 Applicants

    in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition

    Posted

    1 minute ago, silvestre stallone said:

    Ugh... Same. I'm watching all the X-Men movies in order of release. That's right... two decades worth of films. Just trying to distract myself somehow. 

    The WUSTL acceptances this morning have amplified this super dread. Twice as many applications?! 

    Honestly, though, congrats to all who have been accepted, and best of luck for those waiting on good news!

    I am one of the WUSTL admits-- so relieved to have an acceptance but I feel for your angst. Apparently they could only accept 2-3% of applications this year!? 

    If it's any small help, it was a personal email from the DGS--my portal still isn't updated. So maybe they're going out one by one and there are still some to come? Sorry for all the dread, this process can be so so terrible. I was anxiously refreshing GC constantly so much beforehand. 

    2021 Applicants

    in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition

    Posted

    29 minutes ago, shamrox said:

    Hi, All,

    It would seem that the lion's share of responses from BC have been issued. I'm curious for those still waiting, did you also say you'd be interested in the master's program, as well? I'm wondering if that's why my app is still in "submission" status. 

    I'm one of the waitlisted, but I was accepted to the MA 2 years ago, and I would guess that your hypothesis is right--decisions for the MA typically go out late February/ early March. It's also possible they're still emailing the waitlistees--I got  my notification about an hour ago.

    What would you choose?

    in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition

    Posted

    Thanks for all this sound advice. 

    So as an update, I was pretty much committed to Duquesne especially after reading all this, but then Wake offered me a $10,000 stipend... And after talking with students there, no one seems to be going further into debt, and they have time to work part-time jobs to make ends meet pretty comfortably. Duquesne is still offering more money, but the program seems more rigorous at Wake (based off of my perhaps faulty one day visits). There are professors I like and share interests with at both places.

    Oh the conflict!!

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