NotBill

I'm feeling really weird, guys. I keep trying to discipline myself to not look at the results and this forum, because I know it's only adding stress to my day-to-day life over something I decidedly cannot control, but the panic of realizing I may not get in anywhere represents some kind of unthinkable nightmare. More strange yet is that I'm completely self aware of how ridiculous it is to get upset about not being the 1% of people who get into the fanciest programs. Why is this a thing? Do we all want this simply because it's very, very competitive? Are we the problem? Lol I need to go for a walk or something.

I did as well. There's a video in there where the diversity officer patiently explains that he does not know the status of any admissions decisions, though we can ask him, even though he—definitely—does not know. But feel free to ask! (???)

According to this (somewhat old) thread, Illinois informs accepted applicants around February 9-12. I have no idea how accurate these date ranges are but I like to think they're generally more accurate than no information at all.

I feel incredibly grateful because I was invited to interview at U Maryland, which seems to be the first notification of any kind for an English PhD this cycle. At the same time, I'm incredibly antsy anyway and want to hear more, but it's going to be a long, long Spring.

Hey that's awesome! If I were you, I'd prepare by just reading as much recent stuff in your field as possible and stuffing your brain with that language so it's very 'on tap' as you interview. What's your background, btw? Coming out of a B.A. or M.A. (this would change my answer on what you should ask)? How far off is your interview?

Yes, these are good things to consider. As for (1), do LOR writers typically customize their letters much for each school? I just got the sense that they were sending something pretty "one-size-fits-all." But, I did supply them with a list and the remaining schools are on there as "low-priority" options, so it wouldn't come as a great surprise I don't think. Thanks for the reminder not to stress—it's hard not to sometimes!

Hi everyone! I graduated from with an M.A. in May and have finished 9 applications so far, and I've hit all my top choices. Should I just try to pump out as many apps as I can before the deadlines, or just be happy with what I have? What's bothering me is that with every app, my statements and samples got a tiny bit better, so I probably should have started with lower choices before culminating in my top choices. Maybe I'm overthinking it. Thoughts?