OpenBook

Someone in the African-American Lit subfield just turned down Stanford for UCLA, so our waitlist may move.

I had two interviews last year, and was accepted to both universities after my interviews. I had prepared some very basic interview answers (to imagined questions like "why our university?" and "what do you bring to the table?"), but was surprised by the specificity of the actual questions I was asked. My interviewers wanted to know about very particular choices I had made in my writing sample, they wanted me to defend which texts I had selected, and they offered me a new direction and asked how I would, if I chose to, incorporate it. The questions were chapter level, but they still quoted specific lines from my writing sample. They asked about my understanding of the critical background and the varying approaches I could have taken. It was, in short, a very personal interview. I asked my basic "what's the culture like?" questions at the end, but I wish I had taken the time to read some of the interviewer's texts more fully so I had specific questions for them. It's clearly not required, but I remember feeling very worried after the interview. In my second interview things were looser, I had received a better offer from the first interview institution already and was merely investigating this other school to make sure, so I was more relaxed and I remember cracking a bunch of jokes and all of us laughing. It was still a REALLY important interview, because I was able to ask more general PhD student questions (like, "what's something you wish you had known before your first year of the PhD?") and the answers I received have stayed with me. But, the tone was very different because I was much more confident. So, I'd say reread your writing sample, consider school-specific questions, and be prepared to be unprepared. I had taken notes on the answers to questions I thought I'd be asked, and while I wasn't asked anything from that list, the list really did help me ad lib when the time came. Being relaxed would probably help, but there's no magic way to achieve that, so don't be worried if you're a nervous wreck - I was for my first interview, but knowing my own writing clearly helped us all move past that.

I doubt it does, unless otherwise stated!

I will admit I have little information on this, but I can take a stab. I was talking to a professor who studied in the UK when I was applying, and I specifically chose not to apply to UK PhDs because she said that the SoPs are much more of a formal proposal. You have to really know what you're able to do and lay out how you'll do it, and even have messaged with a faculty member who would be willing to be an advisor. Here, we still spend a bulk of the SoP describing our plan, but we're allowed to switch it up more afterwards and don't have to have done as much work on it yet. I'm not sure if this was outdated information, though, or just her experience, so please take my statements with a grain of salt!

I definitely listed them, though I attached each POI to some specific aspect of my project or interest that I said I'd love to work with them on/discuss more. I would love to see what others think.

I didn't contact any professor before mentioning them in my SoP, and I don't see any reason why one would. I mentioned 2-4 faculty members in each of my SoPs from the institution to which I was applying, which I think is typical. You don't need permission to say you would love to work with or learn from someone, so I'd suggest writing your SoP with that in mind.

Hey all! I am in my first quarter of my PhD now, in part thanks to Grad Cafe If anyone has any questions about my program (Stanford English), what my experiences were with other institutions I was accepted to (Indiana, Ohio State, UWisc, Uillinois, Rochester), or wants to see my application materials, please DM me!

I'm not as comfortable sharing my work, since I feel really strongly about my project, but I would be happy to look over yours! Just PM me if you're comfortable with that.

Hey, just wanted to share here that I'm an early modern person rejecting all but the Stanford offer below this weekend. So, hopefully some movement will come from that! Indiana University UWisc Madison UIllinois Urbana-Champaign Ohio State Rochester

Just wanted to share that I've gotten very lucky (and had a great letter of rec from a poi who went to Stanford), so I'll be declining a few of my offers this weekend. Hopefully there will be a spot opening up for people on the waitlist at a couple schools!

OMG!!! CONGRATULATIONS!! That's so exciting!!!

As a straight-to-PhD graduating undergrad here, I'll chime in to say that I only contacted one PoI, at my top school, over the summer. She never got back to me, so I never reached out to anyone else (I was rejected from that same school). I did mention, in detail, specific PoIs in all of my SoPs, but nothing more than that.

I've thought about this a lot on the yield side of things. I knew many people who said they were taking a year off because of the pandemic, and therefore there will be more applicants for next year. However, many programs have reported an uptick in applications. Is that because, like me, people saw this as their opportunity to apply to more schools due to the lack of GREs? I was able to apply to 18 schools as a low-income student because I had been saving up for this, and the lack of GRE freed up a ton of money for me. I imagine other people are in a similar boat. So I wonder if most people who could apply did, and therefore next year will be less impacted, or if we'll just keep seeing insane increases.

Not a typo, but before a big interview I was looking for a SoP and saw a professor's name from the wrong school!! Had a mini heart attack and then realized I was looking at the wrong file lol. This process is not helping my anxiety!

PLEASE post that! Love that idea, I would post a copy in my room!