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I was in the Literature & Culture track!

I declined my offer from UW last week, so maybe they’ll be reaching out soon. Good luck!

Hey there, folks! I just declined my offer at SUNY Buffalo for the English PhD program. I don't know if they have a waitlist, but I figured I'd give ya'll a heads up.

I would like to echo this sentiment as well! From some of the programs I've talked to, they didn't really mention my grades/stats. They were more interested in how my research reflected a great fit for their program; they felt confident that they had the resources (several faculty members, interdisciplinary opportunities) to support my studies. I know we talk about "fit" a lot, but I think it's important to remember that most departments may not take more than one or two students per field of interest (though, wouldn't it be neat to be in a cohort with 4+ folks establishing expertise & supporting each other in one field??). So, I think rejections are less indicative of your PhD potential, and more indicative of the department's bureaucracy. Also, one of the schools that accepted me said that they read all three of my applications (applied three years in a row, yeesh), and the mere fact of witnessing my growth was indicative of my potential to succeed in doctoral study. So, don't give up hope! A rejection doesn't necessarily mean it's the end of the road.

I just got offered admission to University of Oregon via email! I'm so stoked, this was the only school I applied to back in 2020, and I applied in 2021 but they decided not to have an admissions cycle last minute (because of the pandemic). Thanks to the folks in this forum, because tbh I had no idea what I was doing when I first applied haha

I applied to the Literature and Culture track!

@Bopie5 I sincerely don't remember what I submitted for the "Teaching Assistantship or Fellowship Consideration" form. But according to the application portal, they received mine in December (I left my app sitting waiting for the SoP so long, I do not remember what I clicked/wrote in the app, I'm so sorry ?). So, perhaps you are right about that? & based off @wildsurmise's post, it seems that it may be true! @dogeared It may not mean the end of their admissions process! I'm sure there's going to be a lot of turnover once admissions roll out and people decline offers? @wildsurmise Oh yay! That's kind of a sweet relief hearing that someone got the exact same email experience. That clarification certainly helps, and well that just makes me want to live in WA even more. But on another note, are there folks that didn't select that in their application? I feel like it would be advised to do so, no matter what? Or maybe I am still really out of touch with the whole process, idk! UofO was the only place I applied to last cycle, and I was on their "very" short waitlist for a while, but ultimately didn't get in (COVID?). [& ty, I had to give that English major energy somehow lol] [general apologies for my post formatting, am new here, as is probably evident]

I tried scrolling through all the post history here to see if anyone else had mentioned this, so excuse me if I am at all redundant (so much engagement here, I love it!). For anyone curious about Univ. of Washington, I received the same email as the folks who posted Jan 25th. Two details that seemed left out that may be interesting is that (1) failure to complete the HR form they sent out "may" result in disqualification in the offer of employment, and (2) admissions results should come out around Feb. 18th. The email also emphasized that it did not correspond to an actual offer, so I wouldn't lose hope if you did not receive it. I'm curious if anyone else did receive this email? It seems rather odd to do paperwork for folks they may ultimately reject? I have re-read this email a ridiculous amount of times. I am usually fond of cryptic texts, but not like this. I remain ever hopeful. I got this email right after I got that email from UofO saying they didn't get any funding, which was absolutely devastating for me. It was ultimately a super emotional day. Good luck to you dear folks. I hope you are being gentle to your weary hearts, you've accomplished so much in just applying to PhD programs amidst a pandemic.