mostlytoasty

Thanks nhyn! I feel like the answers are right in front of me but I'm in the haze of March, so it's good to hear a comment like yours. I picked up a random job (restaurant hostess) last month and while it's kinda fun, I hate it and can't wait to quit (soon)! joe: that's a very good point. I would like to think, however, waitlisted applicants are not valued any less by committee members than the people already admitted, at least from what I've heard from my POIs and other students admitted off waitlists.

The last few months have been putting a lot of pressure on me and my SO of 6 years as my options to choose from continue to decrease with each rejection I'm currently waitlisted at U of M. On one hand it is one of my dream schools, on the other hand, Michigan happens to be the one place my SO has a problem with moving to for personal, family related reasons. He's basically not ready to move there just yet, especially since he will just be finishing up his schooling this spring (he's a transfer student; I finished in December). In a nut shell, if I went to U of M, he'd go abroad to teach for a year and then move to Michigan afterward. I support his desire to want to take a break from school and experience a different country; we do have long-term plans together, and think this would be good for us. Here's the problem... I'm not even sure if I'll be admitted yet, so we've been putting together a Plan B that if I don't get in, we'll move abroad together for a year to teach English in my mom's native country. She's well-connected there and could get us a decent paying job. The problem is: the more I think about Plan B, the more I actually feel compelled to go through with it. Now, I ABSOLUTELY want to get my doctorate, in fact, if it weren't for those personal issues I'd would be attending right away, granted I got in. I'm not doubting my desire to go into a six-year graduate program at all, but I do think this opportunity to teach kids abroad would be immensely satisfying/valuable life experience, one I probably won't have after I finish my PhD (I'd want to get settled somewhere in the US with a job and start a family around that point). My question is.. what are your thoughts on IF I get in off the waitlist, asking to defer? My case doesn't look very strong at this point: I want to live abroad and teach, earn some money (well, I have no loans and the school is offering full funding and a fellowship, so this couldn't be totally necessary), and compromise with my SO. I'm not sure how I'd make a convincing case that this experience would benefit myself as a future scholar (it will, for sure, I just don't know how to put it). I know I should have considered teaching abroad as an option before I applied this season, but the truth is it didn't cross my mind because I was so eager/set on entering a program, and still am. Before getting rejections/implicit rejections, I also thought I'd have more options location-wise. Anyway, I don't want my dream school to see me as flaky or wishy-washy because I am very committed to pursing a PhD, it's just that I think a year off would do my life some good. I'm also guessing that deferring is a hassle for the department? Sorry I am freaking out so much over a hypothetical situation. Perhaps if I get in my desire to pursue Plan B will disappear and I'll just go this fall, eh? But any thoughts would be appreciated.

I have another question.. what about telling schools about another's offer of rejection? I'm imagining I will have no acceptances—does it look too desperate to say, "I didn't get get any offers anywhere, please take me off your waitlist?" Haha.

But Penn State also has a terminal MA, so maybe by MA they mean MA? I hope. Because of the late deadline I'm hoping they're still finishing up... The suspense!

My boyfriend and I are planning on riding our bicycles across the United States before I start grad school (Western Express/TransAmerica route from SF to VA then to NY). If I don't get in anywhere we'll do it anyway... and I'll just be bitter. That'll be in June/July and I'm super excited! Oh yeah, and before that I'll also quit my job as a restaurant hostess. YES

When I got rejected from Berkeley my mom said, "I didn't like Berkeley anyway. Too dirty." Oh, and then after I told my dad I was waitlisted he said, "Waitlist? That's just a nice way saying you're rejected right?"

I did my undergrad at UCLA and still live in the Westwood area. Rent is expensive (My bf and I split rent of $1500 for a "nice" unit in a 4-plex, but I know friends who pay more to live in a shabby complex closer to campus) BUT if you're willing to live farther away from campus you can find better deals AND live in a much cooler neighborhood. Westwood gets, in my opinion, pretty boring after a few years. You can take the bus and bike to Santa Monica and Venice Beach very easily though (not that LA is very bike friendly). If you plan to have a car, I would look into living in a hip, happening neighborhood like Silverlake, Echo Park, Griffith Park, etc. Rent is much cheaper and you'll have more options for going out, as these neighborhoods have a lot of character.

I also got waitlisted! I don't want to get my hopes up... but U of M is one of my top choices! Ahhhhhhhhhsdkjhfjsdhfds intextrovert, how long did it take to hear back after being waitlisted?

Is this it for Berkeley acceptances? I read they accept ~40 people, so I'm wondering if just fellowship nominees got responses and there's still hope for regular admits...

I applied for the English PhD program and received an e-mail for an interview/visit yesterday! I talked to an old professor of mine and he said these were very rare. I was surprised to get this invite as well. Do most schools do this? I'll definitely attend this one since I will be on the east coast next week anyway, but I hope this isn't a regular thing because my current job would kill me (well, fire me) if I kept asking for days off!

Hi all. I have a writing sample I wrote for a seminar that has been polished/revised/reworked etc. BUT it comes up to 14 pages (13.75 if you want to get exact about it). All of the schools I'm applying to suggest to submit one that is 15-20, no more than 25, or 10-12 pages in length. While I don't think 14 pages is too much of a problem for the last option (I'll probably cut it any way), is it a problem for schools wanting at least 15? I didn't really think a page would make a difference but now I'm having second thoughts. I feel like if I try to push the document to hit the 15th page, I'd just be adding fluff—but then again, there's always room for further analysis. I feel like my paper is exactly what it needs to be in these 14 pages, but I don't want to look like I didn't try to meet their requirements. I wrote a senior thesis so I'm pretty sure they'd know I'm capable of producing "long" work.. but.. any thoughts?

Hope this is a quick, easy question to answer. I have a seminar paper that opens with an epigraph. It is super short and my paper is 14 pages long (for English programs). It's obviously relevant but I am just curious to know if it's a frivolous thing to have in a writing sample. this is all it is: The camera records visual facts: ie., all may be fictions. W.H. Auden "I am not a Camera"

When you take a subject test there is the option to report both Subject and General scores. I did this for four schools. A few weeks later I took the general and reported that to four other schools, totaling 8 different schools. Will ETS really send my general scores to the first four schools AFTER I took my subject test? Since I'm applying to ten schools it would be great to have 8 already paid for. But anyway, I don't think I'll save any money because I'm retaking the general test in a few weeks. In this case do I have to request scores to each school all over again? I assume you have to do this each time you retake it, but I just want to double check.

Thanks for your reply eucalyptus! Is it really inappropriate to list my internships? They have nothing to do with my academic research interests, but since they are all editorial or writing related I thought they'd attest to something (like my versatility or initiative as a writer). I would like to pursue a career in print as well. I also took English courses to receive academic credit for them (they are called "Community Internships in English" and require a research paper). Does that sound like it would be okay in that case?

Hi, Is anyone else applying, or has applied, for graduate programs in English with an interdisciplinary focus on the history of medicine/science or disability studies? (or something along those lines) I am planning to apply to schools with faculty of similar concerns, such as Columbia, U of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Michigan, Duke and UC Berkeley. All of these schools either have strong history of science/medicine grad programs or certificate programs as well, and support an interdisciplinary course of study. I would love to hear suggestions.

Hi, I am unsure of what to do when a school asks for recent publications and articles. I have no academic work that has been formally published, but I do have a lot of material from my internships and freelance work that has been published. They aren't particularly interesting—some are from a university magazine (interviews, sports, reviews, that sort of thing) and others are from a travel trade publication (writing about resorts and destinations). These are things I've written to help myself financially more than anything that has to do with passion. Should I list these things if that's all I have? And if I do, will the admissions committee be likely to look down upon such non-academic work? I don't want to be judged as an unsophisticated writer, especially since I'm applying for English PhD programs. I do have research papers and a thesis if that helps (but again, nothing published). AND/OR should these go in my CV? Thanks!