lolopixie

Yes, I was given this information when I emailed a question about my SOP, that the department typically gets 600 applicants.

Generally, my writing sample was three pages double spaced. I had one school want 500 words, so that is what they got. I'm a fan of the double space - cannot stand single spacing things.

H.A.T.E.U.

Here is what I did to prep for round 2: I have one rejection and one implicit rejection so take it for what it's worth...I'm still pending program decisions though; however, my friend did the same thing and he got in his top choice program and he was rejected across the board last year too (we didn't even get waitlisted). 01. Retook the GREs - mind you I had very poor GRE scores and was advised last year that this was a major weakness on my application 02. Completely rewrote my SOP (I think I kept 2 sentences from the one I used last year) 03. Rewrote my writing sample - I no longer had access to University resources under my username because I graduated, so I reached out to one of the people in my department and asked her if I could use hers because I didn't have access and explained why I needed it. She gave me her info within minutes of the email. 04. Looked at different programs for fit - last year I thought I had good fit programs, but maybe not. 05. Reached out to programs to ask them what my weaknesses were - only got a few responses and they said GRE scores limited my acceptance (some schools will give you a generic we had a lot of applicants blablabla you were good but we are limited blablabla) 06. I kept 2/3 of my recommenders and reached out to the department head, who I had built a better relationship with by this time, and changed one of my recommenders 07. Looked at the dissretation topics of recent graduates from the PhD programs to see if they were losing people in my field to see if I might be competitive or if they needed people in my field - this may have been for nothing, but it was something else to look at. 08. Had more people review my SOP and writing sample. Get on the board early, get some friends, and people are usually cool with helping you in exchange for your help with their own sample. I did reapply to 2 programs this year that I applied to last year and am waiting on responses from them still. Also, keep in mind that location should not be much of a factor in where you are applying. So what if you move to a small town that you never thought you would go to - you're going to spend the next 5ish years in the library anyways. Don't get me wrong, I did not apply to any frozen tundra areas because I know that I just can't handle weather in areas like say, Wisconsin, but I kept my mind a lot more open this year on that front too. Hope that helps a little, and I hope you don't have to go through this again because it does suck and the anxiety is so much worsh than the 1st time. I'm crossing fingers for you that you get accepted off one of those waitlists!!! Good luck! Edit note: I'm also in the "real world" working full-time in a non-academic job. You can do this stuff, but you will have to be extremely committed and sacrafice your personal life for a bit. It took me until August to allow my haze of full out rejection to clear and to begin working on this stuff again, but then I was full throttle for about 5 months on this stuff.

My friend received a rejection email to the PhD program for Purdue today. I have not received an email and my application is still "under review". Good news for me. I'm at least still in the running. I agree with the above that Purdue really does accept on a rolling basis. They aren't like some of the schools that send everything out in one day.

I appreciate your attempt at clarification and trying to stop me from throwing myself out the window. I guess I'll find out when I find out, but it doesn't seem like it will be good news from Miami. On a positive note, it is March and we should all know something from every school by the end of the month.

Postcolonial. I haven't gotten a decision yet.

FML. I guess this is an implicit rejection. Oh, devastation.

To my hopeful voice in the back of my head, shut up shut up shut up shut up shut up shut up Sincerely, Lolo

It seems that Purdue sends out acceptances on a rolling basis and keeps that rolling for a long time. Someone posted up on April 20th last year that they received a call in regards to acceptance to the program. I do not think it means you have not been accepted. I'm waiting with you.

Per another post on the board, someone has a friend that posted to fb they had been waitlisted. Has anyone heard anything? Waitlist notifications probably mean that acceptances have gone out. I'm sad

They sent it to me and approximately 500 other people!

devastation...i haven't heard anything.

If tards is not a part of your every day vocabulary, you need to get with the program!

I have an MA in English and I have a "professional" job. I work at a large corporate bank in the loan modification division as a coach. You can definitely get jobs. Make sure to enhance your research, critical thinking, and writing abilities. I truly believe my MA helped with my promotion to the position I have now because the hiring manager was impressed with my writing abilities. He thought it would be great for me to write the training material. There were 75 applicants for 2 available positions, and I got one of those. So, YES, I think the MA is valuable.

I know, right! My mouth dropped open in shock...I concur? Kiss my ass, Seattle!

No, this was from last year. Please don't confuse this with this year's decisions...just advising of the lovely phrasing of their rejection letter.

They have the rudest rejection letter ever....EVER *****Note: this is from last year - so don't start freaking out about info going out***** Thank you for your application to the University of Washington Graduate School. Your file has been carefully reviewed by the graduate admissions committee in the English Language and Literature (PhD) program. Unfortunately, the committee has decided not to recommend your admission and I concur with this decision. The number and quality of graduate applicants to the University of Washington are extraordinary and these difficult decisions are reached through careful consideration of all applicants to a given program. In many cases, enrollment restrictions are also a factor, limiting our ability to accept all qualified applicants. If you have questions regarding the reasons for this decision, they should be directed to the graduate program. I realize that this outcome is disappointing, but I do thank you for the time and effort you invested into applying to a graduate program at the UW, as I recognize that expenditures of money and time to do so can be considerable. I wish you well in your future educational endeavors. Sincerely, Gerald J. Baldasty Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School University of Washington Note: this email has been sent from an automated email address. If you would like further information concerning this decision, please contact the graduate program office to which you applied.

If that Yale graduate is just banking on their school name and has not published, shown excellence in teaching, prepped for interviews, and networked to get great letters of recommendation, then you would be in ahead of them. Remember, Yale/Harvard/Brown/Berkley etc etc etc don't place all of their students either. I know we wouldn't think someone would be dumb enough to rely on school name to get them a job, but I'm rootin for the tards to be graduating the year I'm applying for jobs

Thanks! Should you decide to go to Wake Forest, which you should because it is completely funded and an awesome program, I grew up in Winston Salem, so I can give you all the tid bits about town. I didn't even realize you had applied there until just now. What a cawinky dinky! I'm applying to your home town and you're applying to mine! HA!

Dear sweet baby jesus laying there in your manger....please oh please oh please let Miami report to me and tell me that I am in. I single out Miami because they should report like now. I cannot take this waiting anymore. AT ALL. The anxiety is on full blast and lolo needs a hug....constantly!

I'm still waiting on 5 out of 6 programs to report. I've only heard back from one school, and it was a rejection. This is also my second go at it. I've been able to hold down the anxiety until today. I know that, historically, Miami (FL) reports the last day of February, so I think that has really spiked the anxiety. I was a hot mess at work today. Running outside to check my phone at every chance to see if there was an email in there. Alas, there was not. The good news is, there has not been any responses posted to the results board yet. My plan B is to continue on at the bank I work at, and be highly medicated for the rest of my life to ward off the severe depression that is sure to ensue if I don't get in this year.

I'm pretty much in the same boat. I graduated out of my MA with a 3.9, a fantastic thesis, pass with distinction for my comps, 2 national conferences, 1 regional conference that I chaired my panel, recipient of travel grants, scholarships, a freaking publication, annnnnnnnd of course (as we all are) I was the "darling" of the department. My professors pumped me up and knew I would get in somewhere. They encouraged me to apply to a variety of schools, but gave me blessings (you know, the whole you gotta be in it to win it) towards applying to Ivies. I just knew last year that I would have a choice of which program I would go to because I just knew that I would get into more than one program. I would be able to choose which program gave me the best offer!!!! I was rejected from 10 programs flat out. BOOM! Ego check. I laugh at myself now. So naive. I had no idea how competitive it really is, and this year I also spent a lot more time digging into programs and finding ones that I really thought I would fit in. Still TBD if I get in somewhere. I seriously narrowed down my list and only applied to programs that I thought I stood a chance in hell of getting into, and that I would be a good fit in. Here's hoping.

Hey, how ya doin hahahahahaha. I hear ya. Other than KU, I'm in the radio silence area as well. I have resigned to the fact that I am not going to hear another peep until March.

Awesomeness! You better do it!