grace2137

so....... how much should I be panicking about the fact that I just realized the version of my writing sample I submitted to three schools had a typo? ?? It's nothing insane that significantly alters the content of the paper, but the first couple words of a sentence were missing which makes the sentence grammatically incorrect ........ sigh. I guess at least I caught it before I sent it to anyone else.

omg thank you for pointing this out about Rutgers! I hadn't realized they shifted the date (though I will probably still try to send it in by the 15th just to get it over with). I have 7 apps due on the 15th as well. Submitted two last night and am hoping to do two each day over the rest of the weekend. And, much like everyone else, these are all my top choices too ?scary times. I just want to be done so bad. I literally have a bottle of champagne in the fridge waiting for me...

Same, same, same. I’m also a little salty because most other schools have given me fee waivers. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth when Ivy League schools with huge endowments still want me to pay... But alas, what can you do. I also wish schools would find a way to streamline the fee waiver process in general, it sucks for lower income folks to have to do so much hoop jumping to get the resources we need!

Oooh okay thank you so much for telling me! I was really getting worried - all of my other schools evaluated requests on a rolling basis (or have you request in the application portal) so I wouldn't have otherwise expected them to wait until after they received ALL the requests to evaluate them.

Yup - same here! I only have NYU due today. I thought Johns Hopkins was due today as well, but I discovered last night at 3am that it’s really not due until the 15th. Oops.

These are very specific, possibly dumb questions but perhaps you guys can advise: I'm using a version of my thesis for a WS. When I wrote it initially and turned it in, I had a separate title page at the beginning. I believe CMOS does mention that you can elect to put the title on the first page instead?? but it's not really the standard. should I leave the title page/would it count toward pg count since it isn't numbered? Most programs specify whether page count includes the bibliography/notes.. but a few of mine do not. Is it safe to assume it doesn't count if they don't go out of their way to mention it? Or would that be considered common sense that it does count? (since I'm doing chicago, all the notes are in footnotes, so the bibliography will only add 1-2 pages.) I might be stressing too much about little details. I've had profs tell me that while it's good to follow the rules wherever possible/making your paper more concise never hurts, it's also really not a big deal to spill over page limits by a page or two and that it's not something an adcom would toss out an app over. But now that I might actually be doing that, I feel really nervous about it. So... thoughts?

Hey y'all. I have a question... So UPenn states on their site that to apply for a fee waiver, you have to email your request in writing to an assistant graduate coordinator whose email is listed. I wrote to her about a month ago with my request and received no response, even after sending a follow up email about a week and a half ago. I need fee waivers wherever I can get them, so I don't want to give up on it too easily. Anyone have experience/advice dealing w something like this?

I've been assuming SOP is single spaced -- 2 pages single spaced ends up being around the same 1000 ish word count that other programs ask for? Hope I'm not wrong.

If it’s of any consolation, I’m also using my senior thesis as my WS even though I’ve finished it recently. It’s maybe not the MOST ideal, but profs of mine who have been on adcoms encouraged me to go this route instead of sending a couple shorter papers.

I am applying from BA & including a research section that lists an independent study and an upper level seminar structured around independent research projects. I don’t think it hurts to include these, but they also won’t be expecting you to have anything substantial in this arena as an undergrad (from my understanding).

I’m curious to hear other people’s responses about the etiquette with this — this is my first cycle, so my guess is as good as yours. But, there are still a few weeks before Dec 1st which is the earliest deadline yeah? I’m honestly not obsessively checking to see whether anyone has submitted letters and am erring on the side of trusting that my professors will get it turned in. I’ve heard there is generally a small grace period after the deadline for letter writers as well. To be fair, I do see two of my three frequently for class since I’m still in undergrad and we chat about how things are going, so I know it’s on their minds. My third recommender was a professor from a previous semester and he openly encouraged me to send him reminders if things aren’t turned in so that set a precedent with him. But, since thanksgiving is so close up on the December 1st deadline, I will probably shoot an email about a week in advance of that if things aren’t turned in because I know that would make it easy to forget. Maybe I’m too laid back

Hi - hopping on this thread to say that I would also love to get SOP feedback on my current draft, and am happy to swap with anyone from this cycle or send along to folks from previous cycles. Let me know if anyone is interested!

pretty sure notes don't count toward the page limit - just judging from the fact that several of the schools I am applying to have specified "not including notes"

Hey guys - does anyone have advice about CVs/resume for the PhD applications? I'm applying straight from undergrad, so I don't really have significant teaching experience/published articles, etc (though I do have a lot of work experience). I'm trying to figure out how I should tailor my resume from what I have on hand for when I'm applying for jobs... lmk!

Hi all - does anyone have experience w applying for fee waivers? Many ask for a letter from your finaid office verifying that you’re receiving need based aid and the app fee presents a hardship. I’ve been in conversation with my aid counselor about this, but I wasn’t sure if I need them to write a distinct letter addressed specifically to each program I apply to, or if I can have them write a general “to whom it may concern” letter that I send to all the schools. Any advice/insight about what has been successful in the past is appreciated!

Thank you for this!!

Hi all, Am currently trying to get through my first draft of a SOP for this upcoming admissions cycle, and would be eternally grateful if anyone with a successful app cycle in the past would be willing to share their SOP with me. I've combed through past threads and have picked up the general tips and tricks, but am having a hard time conceptualizing what the end product can look like - different ways to set them up, the amount of specificity/elaboration on certain components, etc. Feel free to PM me or comment below if you wouldn't mind me reaching out!

Hi all. Am working on narrowing my list of PhD schools, but am considering throwing some master's programs in the UK into the mix. Am still ambivalent as to whether it's the right call for me, but would love to hear from anyone who has experience with attending/applying to these programs. How did you identify programs there that were good for you, were there any notable differences in the application process (IE, is a "statement of purpose" here the same as one there?), were you pleased with your experience in the end, etc? I'm a victorianist btw if anyone has suggestions.

Hi all! I've posted once before, am glad to see this thread pop up. Guess I am doing this crazy thing after all! I'm in my last summer term of undergrad, and am spending my time working, narrowing my list of schools, and doing research for my thesis/WS. I also am planning on taking the regular GRE in late August/early Sept (I survived the subject test in April, thank god). I'm a Victorianist, right now most specifically interested in representations of theatre & drama in the Victorian novel, and how they relate to issues of female authority and embodiment. But, my overarching driving questions sometimes pique my interest in women artist figures more generally, representations of visual art/women as subjects of visual art in literature, women poets/poetics in the period, etc. Overall, overwhelmed, but feeling really excited.

A bit late to the party, but giving my sincerest thanks for all of your thoughtful replies!! Reading your perspectives/paths was super helpful and informative for me. I've decided to press on with applying, despite some of the advantages of taking a year or so off. I'm not so naive to think that it won't be crazy, but I'm fortunate to have the support/resources I need at school, and the ability to minimize a lot of other commitments to make applying feasible. I especially appreciated these responses in re: work/ life experience... I hadn't really considered that I'm perhaps coming at this pretty differently than most my age! I left home at 18 to move to NYC for school, and there's a big pressure to be interning and getting corporate job experience at my undergrad institution. So, I've tried it, I've been doing it over the summers/all semesters to support myself as a low income student while in school, and it's really not for me! Some of my experiences have been okay, and I think the corporate working world does have its appeal in some ways (stability and money, mostly) and I know I wouldn't die if I had to return to it, but it's not ultimately where I want to be. Having done the whole working full time hustling at corporate and survival jobs simultaneously to afford to pay rent and living expenses in New York City makes me a bit less green about "adulting" and what I want for my future than some others might be. And is good preparation for the responsibility and work the PhD entails. I actually do have the experience to trust myself in knowing what I want, and that's important to remember! I related to so much of this! I think you're right about having so many easily accessible resources helping with materials while in school. Being able to just drop by a professor's office and ask a quick question is so valuable! I have so many great mentors in my corner, and I should take full advantage of that. (Also, I hadn't thought about the fee waiver thing and not being able to qualify while out of school, but that's definitely an important thing to consider and I really appreciate you pointing it out. I'm a student pretty heavily dependent on financial aid for undergrad, so trying to get fee waivers for applications wherever I can is essential!)

Hi guys! Have been passively reading through this forum for the past year or so, but finally decided to post something. I was curious about if anyone has advice from personal experience about applying to PhD programs during the application during the fall of their senior year of undergrad, as this is currently my plan. I've had grad school on my radar since sophomore year, and have tried to think early about everything (taking courses that will help narrow my research interests, trying to line up recommenders, just took the GRE subject test, etc.) I've gotten conflicting advice from different professors at my undergrad school about it. The professors I trust the most who have gotten to know me more closely have been supportive, but most people's immediate reaction is "take a year off at least to work on your applications!" or "try to do fullbright/rhodes!" or "try working a normal job first!". But obviously, I think it's a really personal decision, and everyone generally bases their advice off of what they did. For me personally, there are a lot of practical/logistical/financial reasons why going straight through and not having scramble to work a survival job to support myself in a year off between undergrad and PhD (or spending senior year on the job hunt lying to hiring managers about my longterm career aspirations, lol) is more ideal, and I think I'd rather go through the process while having my usual support system/the normalcy of life at school than while in a post-grad slump, which is why I think I should at least give it a shot (especially because it's not at all uncommon to have to apply a few times before getting a spot anyway!) but I guess... Did anyone in hindsight feel like it was just too much? Does it ever work out for people who apply during senior year, or is it just too difficult to be a competitive candidate? Any thoughts/comments appreciated!