Purled

useful idiot

I think I'm going to be sick. I also wish I'd stumbled upon thegradcafe after beginning grad studies.

fur coat

Yes, a crapshoot, indeed. The majority of applicants at this stage/applying to such highly regarded programs are eminently qualified, look very impressive on paper, and have the confidence and backing of very solid LOR writers. With so very few open spots and such a crush of applications, it's all an idiosyncratic match game. Especially in Theory.

food fight

Yes! This exactly!

I didn't have the opportunity to write a senior thesis, as I transfered to my undergrad at the beginning of junior year, and thesis proposals were due at the end of sophomore year. That being said, I've had several top-of-the-field professors lament the theses explosion that's swept through undergrad institutions the past few years. The profs - two of which were theorists, so take this with a grain of salt - described the majority of theses as wastes of faculty time and attention, and that the opportunity to write a thesis had been severely overextended. That said, I wish I'd been allowed to write one.

Though I think it would probably be a good idea to send an email mentioning that you're looking forward to meeting with them one-on-one, and briefly mention some topic or area of shared interest that you look forward to discussing with them. As long as you keep it short, polite, and informed, it can't hurt at all, and they may appreciate the time and thought you've put into the e-mail. At the very least, it'll bring your name to the front of their minds, and they may review/re-familiarize themselves with your app/statement.

Haven't heard from them, either. It's probably my last name, as well - I'm in the dead center of the pile. So, glimmers of hope, but mostly false hope, I know. Just wish we could fast-forward a month or so. Anyone know roughly how many applicants there are (were)?

I assume it was grad-app-exhaustion on the part of the coordinator. Ugg. Embarrassing.

There are a lot of references to this email on the results page - what was weird about it?

Did you happen to apply to any Bay Area schools (i.e. Berkeley)? Unbeatable w/r/t food.

under cover

This is the (one of several) part(s) that I find terrifying - the courtship aspect. I tend to kind of fall apart in interview situations, or just generally when social subtlety is called for, so I'm dreading the next step in what is already a difficult and trying process.

boy toy

place holder

under paid

arrest warrant

foot fetish

I appreciate the gesture towards balance and the acknowledgment of literature's last hurrah. That being said, piled beside my bed currently: J.M. Coetzee - Summertime David Markson - The Last Novel Giorgio Agamben - Nudities Adam Foulds - The Quickening Maze Thomas Dumm - Politics of the Ordinary Octavia Butler - Parable of the Sower Stanley Cavell - Little Did I Know Michel de Certeau - Heterologies Thomas Mann - Doctor Faustus Norman Lewis - Naples '44 Wendy Brown - Walled States

Just thought I'd jump in and introduce myself while we're all sitting around watching our inboxes. Theory here, as well (seem to be a lot of us); 6 applications, but clearly should have been double that. Congrats to the UVA admit! It's almost painful, or at least a bit scary, to know that they're beginning to roll out decisions.

If you're applying for theory, keep in mind that theory is actually political philosophy, and yes, the sample is really rather important, with the level of importance increasing with application to increasingly competitive schools. If you're applying to highly selective theory programs - and most theory programs are very small and selective - then most applicants will have equally strong GPAs, GRE scores, and LORs. You have only two actual areas to stand out from the crowd and win the support of someone on the addcomm - your SoP and your sample. Good luck!!