ElectedSilence

As a UCI alumnus, I also want to add some balance to Blop's comments, which set an unfortunate tone, and betray (to mind mind) a personal disposition that's a poor match for the public mission of a public school. I loved UCI as an undergrad, and know a number of impressive scholars who had their undergraduate literary education at UCI. I also know a lot of undergrads who showed up with little exposure to the premises of literary research, and acquired them, in varying degrees, during the course of their education. UC as a whole is definitely facing a tough time, as are many places. Funding is bleak. I know of few major schools that don't have absent eminences grises like Miller---this is, and almost always has been, standard practice, and the benefits of the relationship are, I think, obvious enough. The faculty who are there all the time are a stellar bunch. This is a tough time across the board, and I think indicting any particular institution in this way tends to come from either a personal and not universal set of circumstances, or from a lack of context about what's taking place in academia at large. I hope nobody is ignoring the funding issues Blop mentions; I hope nobody is giving Blop's perspective too much weight.

That was me. An email from the DGS saying that the department has offered, and the Graduate School still has to approve final offers before the letter goes out within the next two weeks.

typo earlier....13/550 this year

15 out of 550

Sorry, no details...I couldn't pick up and so just had a message. Will see what I can find out.

That was me. Phone call from the DGS.

I saw someone on the results board questioning the Yale acceptances, and saying that someone in the dept said they have no information on decisions and do not release by phone. I just wanted to confirm that the call was legit, and that the response the person on the results board mentions probably just refers to channels of communication through the office: they probably don't discuss details by phone and don't have official results except through those that the DGS has authorized. Just wanted to clear that up. Best wishes to all in this crazy season --

Hi Crae et al-- A cheap option to consider are the un-campus co-ops. Here's the page on daviswiki (which has other useful info too): http://daviswiki.org/on_campus_co-ops It's a good option if you're into cooperative living and general leftiness. Otherwise, I'd say you should get in touch with the department, let them know you want roommates, and maybe band together with some other first-years to get a 3 br, which makes things much more affordable. Or just ask current grads what to do--I bet they have some good advice.

I wanted to get one of my languages back into fighting shape in preparation for the fall, and asked to audit a grammar review at a nearby university. The graduate instructor was completely willing once he knew he had an interested student, and is even grading my quizzes and tests. Probly won't work everywhere, but worth a shot.

My admit was as an external for the M.A. to Ph.D.-track.

No change to online status as of yet, just a phone call and informal follow up email. Hang tough.

early modern, especially dramatic literature, mostly Elizabethan but extending for certain textual traditions into the 1730s. I think the faddish term these days might be the "long 17th century" [playful roll of the eyes]. Thanks for the encouragement; am very pleased am hoping the best for everyone on here.

That was me.

So my boyfriend and I are both applying to grad programs--I'm doing English Lit, and he's doing Architecture. Which means I'll hear mostly during February and March, while he'll hear mostly during March and April. Assuming that things go well for us both, we fear that I may be feeling the pressure to render decisions before he's heard from some of his schools. We want to be in the same location, but realize it's complicated and probably unlikely, although we've overlapped our schools as much as we could. Does anybody have any advice or tips on how to approach this, institutionally speaking? (advice on the emotional side of it is appreciated but not necessary--we'll do what we can and roll with it).

- Person: So you're applying for a Ph.D.? What in? - Me: English - Person: "I totally never got Shakespeare. What do you plan to study?" - Me: Shakespeare. - - Person: "What are you going to study?" - Me: "English literature." - Person: "You're going to leave finance for that? Be surrounded by all those backbiting hacks who write stuff nobody will ever read on their idiosyncratic pet projects, books that will just gather dust on a shelf somewhere? Do you know that these people all hate each other? They all pretend to be open-minded but can't begin to entertain an opinion they don't already hold themselves. Who's gonna pay for this? Are you sure you want to invest that much of yourself in something that isn't likely to get you anywhere?" - Me (decisively, because of those 4 years in finance): "Yep. I spent two years thinking about this and have decided that I want to die happy."

My transcripts cost $15.25 apiece. Thanks, UC. I guess that's what happens when governors and legislatures collaborate to strip higher education of public funding. [side note for us Californians: Jerry Brown will sadly be no better].

Here's a suggestion: as we make our way into academia as graduate students and, in many cases, professors, let's do our part to help lower the cost of applying. We all know it's ridiculously pricey, and filled with unreasonably high fees for things like score reports and transcripts. ETS is an object of special and deserved scorn. The only way to change things, over time, is to peep up, and make use of institutional forums like graduate student associations and admission committees. In that spirit, I'm curious to get an anecdotal, general sense of what this has cost people. I'll go first: Applied to 13 institutions, totaling $2,020. Breakdown: $955 application fees $695 to ETS for tests and scores $235 for transcripts $135 postal and portfolio services Anyone else care to throw in a rough figure?

Great point--though my boyfriend found that function harrowing last year. The information can definitely be useful, but I suppose it depends on how you use it (and how things go). Based on my purely anecdotal evidence (hat tip to GK), this function mostly allows you to heighten your apprehension and disappointments, or bask more self-satisfiedly in your successes.

So I've been a mostly passive observer through the last half-year, and after a very methodical approach to the application process, I want to throw in my two cents about this forum. My guess is that my information-gathering during this process is on par with the best of them--I've consulted my own faculty mentors, faculty at other schools, faculty at schools I'm applying to, graduate students I know, graduate students at the schools I'm applying to, faculty in other fields, just about anybody with any relevant information. So this is my take, for those of us wrapping up applications a little bit wiser (I'd be interested in your own takes), and it's also a word of warning for applicants in future years who might stumble across an outdated thread. Gradcafe has one very important function: it allows you to connect with other people who are going through the ridiculous rigors of applying to grad school. Its value is emotional, as it allows you to go through the rigamarole without feeling isolated. That's a very real and very estimable function. The ability to swap and read samples and statements is also great. But what gradcafe does terribly is offer concrete, usable information about how to apply to graduate schools. What I've found on here, when it doesn't approach truism, is either sketchy or even near misinformation. This place is a waste of time for trying to improve your application. Time spent here--if for the purpose of honing statements and improving scores--is better spent elsewhere: studying, drafting, asking acquaintances to evaluate, researching. Even real, true, bona fide current grads who weigh in with their expert advice are generally to be mistrusted. They have been through this process once, and as they saying goes, the plural of anecdote is not data. So the number one tip I have for future prospectives: come here for validation and support; do not come here to get tips on improving your application. Trust your faculty contacts above anything you read on here. What do other people think? This is only my perspective; maybe other people have had a different experience. I enjoy this place lots, but I've read some looney stuff, and enjoy this site for the voyeurism more than its utility. In any case - good luck all around!

I submitted a few with typos too - I think this is definitely common. I contacted the department administrators, who made a substitution. I also agree that a couple typos are unlikely to tip the scales. On a host of topics, I think departments project an air of high consequence as a way of making sure that things get in ROUGHLY on time and in FAIRLY good shape.