CyberHarpie

For me at least, late is relative. If there's still a month before your application is due and you've done your research on the prof and why you want to work with him/her, then it probably wouldn't hurt. If your deadline is next week, however, that might be cutting it a bit too close. I guess it depends on what you're intending to get out of the potential exchange as well. Most professors are unlikely to have the time at this stage to entertain lengthy requests for consideration or discuss their work in detail, but I've been advised by others more experienced than myself that a short "are you taking in new students" could be a lifesaver, especially if a particular professor's presence is a big factor in your choice to apply to a program. All the best!

If there was a competition on who's the most behind schedule on their grad applications, I think I'd be a shoo-in for first prize. The more I think about how much more I have to do, the more panicked I become, so I'm just not going to think about it and keep moving forward. @haleydanielle I feel you - the procrastination is real. Hope you and everyone else on here is making good progress! I didn't reach out to any professors during my last application cycle (mainly because I was also terrified of the process), but I don't think that's the reason all my applications were unsuccessful. This year I've sent out two so far and gotten replies for both, so it seems like the terror was unwonted. Definitely reach out if you think your research dovetails with that of a particular professor really well. One of the professors I emailed said he wasn't on the adcomm last year and didn't even realise someone had applied to work in his area, so it could be very helpful to at least notify a POI of your intention to apply!

If anyone's still looking at UOregon Comp Lit, they've changed their tune slightly. The website now says "Please check this site again after December 1, 2020. We will update information about the Fall 2021 admissions process at that time." and sneaks in a mention of January 10, 2021 as the deadline for Fall 2021 admission. So don't strike them off just yet!

First post woohoo! Hi everyone, after going through one application cycle in a socially distanced bubble before those things were even popular and getting rejected all around, I've decided that I'm long overdue for some camaraderie and commiseration. Officially throwing my name into the hat now. I'm an international applicant with a BA in English from the national university in my home country and an MA in Comparative Literature from King's College London. My interests are in East/Southeast Asian literature and cultural production, literary adaptation, popular culture and video game narrative (particularly interactive fiction). I've been working full-time for just over two years as a copywriter, which is okay, but my heart's still set on the ivory tower of academia. I made the decision to run the application gauntlet again fairly soon after receiving all my rejections, but then COVID-19 and the accompanying surge in anti-Asian sentiment around the world happened. As a result, my preparation's been rather halfhearted up until now. Still, I figured I'd take the opportunity to gain some experience and do the things I didn't do before, even if I fail to get in anywhere again. Nice to meet everybody and best of luck to all!