TheorySchmeory

Does anyone know if there is a thread for soliciting advice on making a choice between English graduate programs?

Yup, accepted with no funding, though I am apparently on their waitlist for TAships. I have a funded offer so I don't plan on attending.

Congratulations! That's wonderful!

Is anyone else applying to / does anyone have any insider knowledge about SUNY Binghamton's Comp Lit PhD?

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...

My first non-rejection letter of the cycle came today in the form a waitlist email from UConn! Considering how few people UConn is accepting this year and how many people probably applied I do feel some sense of relief (however attenuated). Does anyone have any recommendations for what a waitlisted applicant can/should do to maximize their chances of acceptance off the waitlist?

BU is still accepting MA apps on a rolling basis until 3/5, and Northeastern is accepting MA apps until 6/15. But someone please correct me if I'm misunderstanding either of those! I should also note that tons of European English MA programs are still accepting apps for the Fall semester, but that may not be what you had in mind. Hope this helps!

This is my second cycle applying to PhD programs; 2 rejections so far, no interviews. Really not feeling hopeful, and not looking forward to going through it again in a year... For what it's worth, I think the usually absurdly competitive process is even more cutthroat this year, as people are applying to PhD cycles to put off entering the barren COVID job market post-graduation.

Is anyone else trying to stave off the horrible suspicion that this cycle will yield nothing but rejections across the board? This is my second go-round and I have virtually no back-up plan, and to add insult to injury, I feel more or less convinced that pursuing an English PhD is in fact the only thing I want to do with my life for the next six years or so... Are there any good ways for coping with the dread of complete rejection?

Thank you!!! I can't believe I hadn't noticed this feature until now!

Where might I be able to find a results page for English Lit acceptances/rejections?

That's very exciting! What program is that for?

Not to speak out of my expertise here, which is limited to what I've seen and experienced from a single application cycle, but I'm not sure the ideas of "Reach" and "Match" can be applied to graduate programs in the same way as they can be readily applied to undergrad programs. Although an applicant's statistical chances might be higher at one school than another, many perfectly qualified applicants are rejected from programs for various unpredictable reasons (maybe their interests aren't well suited to the department, or a professor they would like to work with is going on leave, etc.). Some people are rejected from lower-ranked programs and accepted to higher ones. Forgive me if I'm only repeating information you already know, but I just wanted to opine that these categories are not ultimately very useful for applicants thinking about grad schools. At any rate, that is a really useful list, and and thank you for sharing it here!

Thank you for the response—I've put myself on the waitlist, and I guess I'll just see what happens!

So I had thought that my waitlist purgatory was over after being rejected from UVA's waitlist, but today I received an email from Columbia (I was rejected from their PhD program then sent over to their MA committee, which is an option available to all applicants) informing me that "We are unable to offer you admission at this time; however, the Faculty Admissions Committee has recommended that we place your name on a short wait list." Does anyone have any sense of how meaningful this result is and whether or not I should put my name on the list? I have no idea how selective this kind of recommendation is, and there's no reason to think I would have much of a chance of being admitted off of the waitlist if I were to put my name on it. I suspect that even if I were accepted off the waitlist I might not take the offer, but if I put my name on the waitlist there will at least be the possibility of being able to make that decision when I have to. I was wondering if anyone had any input or has been in a similar position before.

I learned a couple of days ago that I've been rejected off of the waitlist at UVa for PhD admission. I have, however, been granted admission to their MA program (as is the case for anyone waitlisted for their PhD), and this is my only offer for this cycle. I'm tempted to write off the MA program completely for financial reasons and take another shot at PhD admissions for next year, but I'm worried I'll regret not taking the MA offer if I have similarly dreary results on the next go-around. Is anyone in/has anyone been in a similar situation? I know UVa is a top program, and if I took the offer I would be well-positioned for PhD admission afterward (their MA students seem to have very good placement records). But ultimately I'm not sure the debt would be worth it, especially given the state of the economy that I'm graduating into. I'm also not sure what people who are not admitted to PhD programs do in between application cycles to try to improve their profiles. I know a lot of it comes down to chance and which faculty are looking for which kinds of advisees, but I'm worried my applications for the next time around wouldn't look all too different, and given that I've been nearly shut out, that would not be a good move. If anyone has any words of advice, I would be very glad to hear them!

I can throw my hat into the ring as another waitlisted applicant at UVA.

Do I dare ask if anyone has heard news yet from the Duke Literature program? I've heard back from every other program so far, but no word from Duke.