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Hey there! I wanted to start a thread where 2022 applicants could list their final decisions for where they will enroll in the fall! 
 
I will kick it off by saying that I've just accepted my offer at University of California - Davis !!!

I was in the Literature & Culture track! 

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. 

good luck to all -- Just want to advise against UConn for PhDs and MA/PhDs. Funding is not secure, relations with the faculty are tense, teaching load is 2:2 (and very work intensive, since the curriculum is always changing), everyone's unhappy, and literally no one is getting jobs. Still advisable for terminal MAs simply because they offer full funding, but the situation for PhDs is extremely bleak and likely to get worse. Avoid at all costs, unless you have an incredibly good reason not to
happy to answer questions by PM

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 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 have a professor from my undergrad who currently teaches at Yale, and she was on the admissions committee this year. She told me that they had even more applications than last year, but she mentioned that they ended up taking about 4% of applicants. It honestly feels high given how few they took last year. It's just outlandishly competitive... I don't know the first thing about being 'impactful' or having research that 'fits' - I thought I did, but so far it's been silence... 

I'm giving up my spot on the Cuny waitlist! But postcolonial/narrative theory
Yeah, I think that's true for sure. I guess I'm just looking for a justification as to why I didn't get in ? But yeah, it's clearly very competitive this year.

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 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 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 really think it's much more than good grades and good schools - just think about it: every applicant's got good grades. It has to be some other areas that distinguish the suitable ones for pursuing advanced studies from those who don't. I still think that it's about how impactful the work you do, or how impactful you are. But of course right now this is just a hypothesis of mine. If I get in then I'll know if this is true. ?

It will definitely take away from your creative work. In my experience, that work will be relegated to the breaks (summer, winter, etc). So if your creative work is your top priority, I’d prioritize programs that allow you to work on it. Have you heard from any of the programs with creative dissertations? 

I agree with Chocolate2292, having done a PhD myself, it will absorb most of your time. If creative work is your top priority, I'm not sure there's a point in an English Literature PhD.

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 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 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 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 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
 

This may be an obvious thing to point out, but is there a particular period, country, or other factor you are most interested in with life writing? If you prefer to study contemporary American memoirs of the South, you want to apply to programs that have strong contemporary American/Southern studies scholars. If you are most interested in queer life writing, you want to apply to programs that have faculty working in queer studies. If you are most interested in early modern life writing, you want to apply to programs with strong early modern scholars (and so on). Since life writing is such a broad category, it is worth narrowing it down to what type of life writing is most interesting to you. You don't necessarily need a professor who specializes in life writing to guide your dissertation, but folks who are in the same period/place/or area of specialization. 

A lot of people apply to these kinds of places purely because of the name and prestige, and fail to see that the fit itself is terrible. If the fit is especially good, why not try?

How do you know if you should apply to Stanford because the fit seems great but your 'self-knowledge' warns you against such a move? Thanks in advance! 

Wow. This site is an actual trigger, but I'm BACK Y'ALL. Let's see how this goes. 

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!

A department administrator mentioned to me that applicants should be notified by the end of the month, though it was in an email conversation about another topic.