papillon

I still have not heard a peep from UVA, and my status on the website is not updated. I have an acceptance from another program that I am very excited about, but the funding is not great, so I would like to know all of my options before committing. Do you think it would be reasonable to contact UVA to inquire about my status? If I am rejected, I would like to know so that I can figure out housing and what not for next year. Then again, it seems like my status would be updated on the website if they had made a decision.

Yes, same. I also got an email yesterday, with an attachment with all the program information.

And public high schools! A nice bonus for us high school teachers. Also, I don't mean to make anyone nervous, but it looks like they notified on a Friday evening last year, so it seems possible that those accepted might hear something tonight.

Never mind, just got the email about the visiting weekend!

Hm, I still do not have an update about visiting days...and I also did not get the previously discussed email about when decisions would be out. Did those of you who got info about visiting actually receive an email, or just check the MyWisc site? Seems like I might not be on a mailing list or something.

Marginalia - does that mean that you got some info about a visiting weekend? And just in general, have any of the other admits heard anything from the school besides the congratulations message on the MyWisc site? I'm thrilled to have been admitted, but a little anxious to get some more info. It seems strange that the department has not been in contact with the exception of the website message.

Yep, mine too! Yay! Can't wait to get some more information about visiting, funding, etc.

Yeah, sure. (This wasn't my post that you replied to, but I figured you meant anyone who got that same message.) I applied for the literary studies track planning to specialize in modern to contemporary American lit with a focus on gender studies. As for stats, my GREs were 720 V, 800 Q, 5.0 Analytical Writing, and 720 Literature Subject. Undergrad GPA 3.97, no graduate work. No publications for English (I have one in a Chemistry journal, but I don't think that helped at all.) Highest honors on my undergrad thesis, and several awards in the department. My writing sample was an excerpt from my undergrad thesis, and my recommendations were all from professors I knew very well and had worked with closely. I finished my BA last year and have been teaching full time since then. Hope this is helpful and/or informative. Best of luck, murkyama, with this whole process!

Thank you for the congratulations, and same to you!! I couldn't believe my eyes either. I saw it while I was at work, and I definitely didn't get anything else done for the rest of the day! Thanks, intextrovert, for your insight. That quells any remaining doubts, and I can now celebrate wholeheartedly! Good luck to anyone who is still waiting to hear!

Yes, I have the exact same message. It still says pending as my status, but I did take that message to mean that I had been or would soon be admitted. I believe that once the program makes their decisions, they have to send that list to the director of graduate studies of something for approval (make sure everyone meets GRE minimums or something). I don't think you have to worry--I can't imagine they would put "recommended for admission" and then NOT admit you. At least, that is what I'm thinking/hoping. I'm already counting my chickens. Maybe that's not a great idea, but I can't help it. I'm already ecstatic.

I think that I'm just going to wait it out until the 14th, and then if I haven't heard anything, I'll contact them. I know that a bureaucratic reason is more rational, but it is making me think that those of us who didn't get an email might be on some kind of unspoken waitlist or something. It seems like the only reason why we wouldn't be finding out at the same time as everyone else. But actually I have no idea.

Yep, same here. It brings up the screen with all of my application materials with check marks next to them, and at the bottom there is the inbox with the one email from the 29th, but just the one email.

Yeah, the email about the 14th is not in MyWisc either, just the previous one from December 29th. Trust me, I've checked that website about a million times!

I also applied for lit, and did not get that email about the 14th, but I did get the email back in December that once and future grad mentioned. That's strange. You would think we would all get the same emails. Hm. Hope it's nothing. And that we all find out soon, and I can stop worrying that it's not nothing.

I think that they give low-end requirements for language study/undergrad major in their FAQ section in order to avoid discouraging exceptional but nontraditional applicants from applying. Those application requirements do not mean that they are likely to accept people with little language study or a non-English background; it just means that they theoretically could accept someone who showed great potential but lacked some of the standard preparation. As for the Literature GRE, if that is the test you are referring to, many schools are beginning to question its value as an indicator of graduate success. The fact that they do not require it does not mean they are not selective, but rather that they do not think of it as a useful tool. Many top programs do not require the test--Vanderbilt, Brown, Wisconsin, etc. If you are trying to decide when to apply, however, I would not recommend making that decision based on whether you think you will get in. Instead, I would recommend making that decision based on whether or not you feel ready to commit to a PhD program at this point in your academic and personal life. In other words, do you have a clear idea of what you want to specialize in? Which scholars you would like to work with? Are you ready to live in one city for 5 to 7 years, supporting yourself with a graduate stipend? Are you willing to commit yourself to very serious and time-consuming study for 5-7 years, knowing that it is very difficult to get a job in academia even after successfully completing your PhD? If not, then go for the MA and use that as a time to develop your interests, better understand your own goals, and improve your application. If you do feel ready for the PhD, then do your research, find programs that are truly good fits, and don't let the possibility of not getting in stop you. Best of luck with the whole application process!