You!Machine.

I think standard procedure is that they admit and name their waitlist from invited candidates. Looks like bad news for those of us who haven't yet heard anything It is a bit silly to not let us know our fate already though...

I've had similar concerns in a different field and one professor in particular who tried to convince me of applying to a safety school in addition to the 12 top-tier programs I'm applying to. I really respect him, but I think the safety school move is somewhat outdated. Sure, if you are someone whose career goal is just to be in the field regardless of where you end up, then by all means, apply to a safety school. For me, I want a degree that will not only be respected in the United States and give me a leg up on the people vying for top jobs at top programs, but also will give me the freedom to live in Europe and open doors purely through name recognition (of the school, that is). So as far as I am concerned, the only place I am willing to do my PhD is at one of these top programs. If I get 12 rejections this year, then I take what I have and apply again next year. And, if after all of that, it doesn't happen, then I'll re-evaluate on. It shouldn't be taken as a sign of cockiness or a lack of passion for my work, it's just the reality of the market situation today and I think if you've decided on a strategy that you're happy with, screw what anyone else says.

Thanks so much for your reply. I spoke with him today and things actually went quite well. Very friendly and even a few genuine laughs in there along the way. All in all, it was a pretty relaxed conversation. I did discuss how I came to my current interests and where I wanted to take them. And I got some good feedback on what he thought was good and what he thought I should avoid for the time being. Then, just to keep the conversation going, I asked about resources at the program, class sizes, room for inter-departmental cooperation. I think it went really well and, although I don't know how much he will have to do with the decision-making process (he seemed pretty removed from it actually), I at least felt validated that someone of his stature was convinced by my research. Also, I'm amazed that I didn't make a total ass of myself...or I did and he was just a very nice guy about the whole thing... Now the big question: Since a brief email led to a phone call that went very well, I'm wondering if I wouldn't have similar luck contacting other professors. Is it too late in the game to make a move like that? Is it better to wait until my application is already submitted? Should I approach this possibility with caution and take what happened this first time as an anomaly rather than standard fare?

jungle canopy

I disagree. Adcoms read thousands of these things and, I imagine, about 100% of them are in some way positive. Letter writers need to use language and examples that make a candidate shine in comparison to other applicants. I've had similar worries in getting letters from non-native speakers in the past. My biggest concern was that my letter writer's English was nearly fluent, but that recommendation letters are a genre unto themselves. My approach to ask if she had written one for the States before and see how she responded. She had. I prodded. She seemed to know something about the process, but didn't seem entirely certain as to what committees were looking for. Do you have access to another letter from a native speaker that you're happy with? I did, and I passed it along to my non-native speaking letter writer so that she could get a feel for the style and emphasis. If you don't have a letter, you might consider contacting a native-speaking professor you know and explaining the situation to them. Perhaps they have an example of a letter that they'd be willing to clean of identifying information and forward along to your non-native speaking writer as a point of reference. Lastly, and this is always a tricky option, you can suggest that you help review it once it is written. I don't know what your relationship with the letter writer is like, but if he/she is open to allowing you to see the letter, that's your safest bet for finding out if it's up to par/influencing the overall quality of it.

[Re-posting from another forum in the hopes that someone might be able to offer some advice.] I contacted a professor I am interested in working in at the top school in my subfield a few weeks back. I was hesitant to do it, but much to my surprise he emailed me back almost immediately, saying that my research sounds very promising and that if I'd like to set up a phone conversation, I could. I didn't really know how to reply to him, except I knew that I had to say yes. So, two questions: 1) Have any other literature (or humanities based) applicants had this happen to them? In the sciences I understand, but I was taken aback by this offer. 2) Does anyone have any advice on how I should approach the phone call? I've already outlined my central interest in our email exchanges. Should I wait for questions or jump right into why I came to the topic I came to? Should I talk about some of my other ideas and secondary interests? Should I mention my statement of purpose at all? Should I ask for advice about what angles/key ideas to include/cut? Should I ask him to have a look at my statement of purpose or is that an absolute no-no? I don't know what lines to draw, what to avoid and what to be sure to do...please help!

twin beds

I contacted a professor I am interested in working in at the top school in my subfield a few weeks back. I was hesitant to do it, but much to my surprise he emailed me back almost immediately, saying that my research sounds very promising and that if I'd like to set up a phone conversation, I could. I didn't really know how to reply to him, except I knew that I had to say yes. So, two questions: 1) Have any other literature applicants had this happen to them? In the sciences I understand, but I was taken aback by this offer. 2) Does anyone have any advice on how I should approach the phone call? I've already outlined my central interest in our email exchanges. Should I wait for questions or jump right in to why I came to the topic I came to? Should I talk about some of my other ideas and secondary interests? Should I mention my statement of purpose at all? Should I ask for advice about what angles/key ideas to include/cut? Should I ask him to have a look at my statement of purpose or is that an absolute no-no? I don't know what lines to draw, what to avoid and what to be sure to do...please help!