trolloped

I'm beginning to think this is my problem as well. I applied to 16 schools that felt like were a perfect fit, but it's looking like I am headed for a shutout...more than half the schools I applied to have notified acceptances, interviews or wait listings, and I've either gotten a rejection letter or heard nothing. I kept my interests specific, but I did not propose any "projects." I was advised by former professors and other grad students that since I just have a BA, a committee wouldn't be looking for anything specific beyond a definitive period and maybe some potential methods.

I'm beginning to think this is my problem as well. I applied to 16 schools that felt like were a perfect fit, but it's looking like I am headed for a shutout...more than half the schools I applied to have notified acceptances, interviews or wait listings, and I've either gotten a rejection letter or heard nothing. I kept my interests specific, but I did not propose any "projects." I was advised by former professors and other grad students that since I just have a BA, a committee wouldn't be looking for anything specific beyond a definitive period and maybe some potential methods.

@trolloped I don't think you are too old. I myself am a nontraditional applicant and have encountered many others in the discipline of comparative literature starting grad school after exploring lots of other possibilities in life. Your SoP and writing sample sound well-polished and your CV sounds stunning. Grad admission could be a random process about luck and doesn't speak to how good you are as a student/scholar. Let's wait for the other 6 programs to get back and hope for the best! 
I am not sure if you talked to potential advisors before you handed in the applications to see whether they were taking students, interested in your proposed project, etc. Apart from credentials, matching and timing are very important, too. I emailed almost 20 professors of interest from August to October last year, and found out that some of them were retiring, some leaving for a new school, some going on sabbatical, some not having the quota to take new students this year, and some simply not interested in my work. There are many possible reasons for rejection and many of those are not even related to how competitive you are as an applicant. You are a great student/scholar. Best wishes!

I'm so sorry that you've put in all of this work and have been having such a rough go with things this application cycle. I absolutely DO NOT think that you are too old to be applying to any PhD programs and hope that despite how everything has been going that you won't have to apply again next cycle. That all being said, I actually had a brilliant professor for my critical theory class who didn't finish his undergrad till he was in his 30s (he had started his BA, stopped, and then picked it back up later in life) and then went on to get his PhD at Yale. I also know a couple of graduate students here at my school (Texas A&M) who are well into their thirties with kids and getting their PhDs so if you are committed to getting yours I think you should not let what you think the committees might think about your age stop you. It sounds like you've been doing a whole lot of the right things to do so I don't really have any advice/helpful tips for you but perhaps some current grad students might have some valuable insight? I hope this cycle doesn't end with a shut out for you and best wishes.

You’re not too old. Hang in there. I went through several cycles, but for now just wait. I know it’s tough but there’s still schools left, don’t lose hope. If it doesn’t go your way know that it’s not the end of the world (feel free to reach out if you want to talk to someome who got shut out too).

hi, all!
I'm a long time lurker, first time poster, and this is my first time applying to PhD programs...and it is not going so well. I am starting to lose hope and I am struggling to come terms with the fact that it looks as though I am going to be shut out of all 16 schools that I applied to. I have received 4 rejection letters and I have another 6 implied rejections based upon what I have seen on the results board. I spent a year working on these applications, doing everything (that I thought) I could to make sure I chose the best schools with the best fit based upon my scholarly interests. I mostly applied to schools in the top 50 (based on US News) all over the country.
A little bit about me. I received my BA last spring. I have a 4.0 GPA, a litany of academic honors, I am proficient in French, I have great letters of recommendation, and I have excellent GRE scores. My thesis chair as well as many professors pushed me into applying to top schools: I had roughly ten professors (as well as many others) look at my SoP and my writing sample (my revised thesis) and after revisions, we were all very comfortable with how I was going to be presenting myself. But obviously, something is not clicking and I'm at a total loss. Except...
...here's the kicker, and here's what I can't get out of my head: I am 39. I turn 40 in June. Am I just too freakin' old to be applying to funded PhD programs?