the giaour

To be fair, aren't most American-holding PhDs on university faculty pages also hailing from the 90s and earlier? The job market is awful at the moment, but it's awful whether you've got a degree from Oxford or a degree from an excellent American program. I think you ask a very good question--and I'm not sure which institution is more likely to get you a job immediately after graduation--but I seriously doubt you'll be unemployed forever with a DPhil from Oxford. I'm at a top-10 (non-Ivy) US institution now, and I love it, but job prospects aren't looking good for my colleagues even with the stellar American degree and teaching experience. ComeBackZinc's advice is sound: make sure you've got all the information you can possibly find before you make your decision. Oxford is an enchanting place to study, after all. Congratulations on your success!

To echo truckbasket, I also sat for the October exam last year, and was surprised by the new format. My score, though, was actually better than I thought it would be. I, too, received multiple fully funded PhD offers, so there's hope! Best of luck to you who haven't taken it, and for those who are already done, truckbasket is right on: now you can get back to perfecting the important components of your applications. We're cheering for y'all =)

The problem with publishing early is that once it's out there... it's out there. Forever. You can't take it back. WellSpring isn't the only one who's been told that publishing early isn't always the best idea. I was told that a good first publication would be 1) a chapter from the dissertation, perfected 2) in a kick-ass top journal. None of my friends with MAs had publications, and they all had successful application seasons.

Just to add an additional witness to this thread, I'd have to say that everything from truckbasket's first post is 100% in accordance with what I learned when I was applying last year, at least as far as top programs are concerned. If you want to get in with your MA already in hand, your cv must be stellar: 4.0 in your area of interest, clearly articulated (and nuanced) statement of purpose, obvious evidence that you are capable of excellent work and that you've already done some noteworthy things. But if you've done those things and you do your research well enough, an MA is certainly NOT a disadvantage (obviously). Everyone in my MA cohort who applied last year was accepted to multiple programs... and one of them did get in to Penn State, though I do think it's true they usually only take a couple MAs. Best of luck!

You might have a look at the University of Virginia. Definitely a more traditional program--much less theory-focused than many other top schools--though of course you can still find people here who enjoy teaching and studying the areas you mention. I've been a grad student here for two years and can attest to the abundance of courses every semester that are NOT theory-based. When we've done theory readings in a course usually it was something I expected from the course title or description (for example: Medieval/Renaisance Theater and Theory). Additionally, I think UVa would be a good fit for you according to your areas of interest. It's a very, very strong 19th- and 20th-century department with fantastic poetry people here, too. Best of luck to you!

Selden, I think you're right that the wait list is by area. I know they want a well-rounded cohort and try to fill out all areas if it's at all possible. Probably not very much help to you, as it's what you already supposed, but that's been my impression. Thanks so much for all the well-wishes! Lyoness, I'm glad you feel like UM is a good fit--very happy for you! And congratulations to you, HowByronic--I sense a theme here. You wouldn't happen to be another 19th-centuryist, would you?

Thanks, guys! I cried after I got the phone call--UVa was number one on my list. I'm going to talk with Braden tomorrow but assuming all goes well with the questions I have for him I think I will very likely be coming to UVa this fall. By the way, lyoness, that means I'll be declining my offer from UT-Austin (I know you're waitlisted--I was a UT-Austin-board-stalker for a while--congrats on that, by the way!). I don't think I'm in your area, but sometimes things shift in funny ways toward the admissions deadline, so here's hoping it means good news for you, somehow!

I was admitted off the wait list--I'm the poster from this past Sunday. What details would you like to know? Myareas of interest include nineteenth-century literature and culture, textualstudies/book history, and the digital humanities.

I just returned from a visit, and only really have one thing to contribute (apart from agreeing with what's already been said, especially about the fact that it's no longer YOU trying to impress the program, but the other way around--and definitely check out those links above). I found that if you really want to get professors to talk about why the department operates the way it does (and this is especially good if you can talk to the DGA/DGS or the chair of the department), you should ask them what about their program in particular prepares its candidates for the job market. Everybody should be ready and enthusiastically eager to discuss the specific reasons for their department's approach to job market preparation, and it certainly opened up other areas of discussion for me as well: why they have certain course requirements, how they see your teaching assignments contributing to your desirability as a new hire, etc. If they can't articulate how their program makes you competitive in the field when you're looking for a job (and not necessarily a job at a tier-one research school, either), then you might want to look at alternatives. And just fyi: I wrote things down so I wouldn't forget what I had questions about. Sometimes the conversation naturally covered my questions, but having them written down helped me feel much more relaxed. It should be fun for you--so go out there and make them win you over!

I don't think it's bad form. This is the end of the week, in my opinion! For what it's worth, I know that he has sent emails to a couple groups of people on Sundays this year.

Sareene, have you tried contacting Gordon Braden directly? He is fantastic, and would probably get back to you relatively quickly. Especially given all the activity that's happened lately (according to the results board) I'm sure he's expecting a few emails. I'd try it! It is March 25, after all... Best of luck to you!

Leto, I'm so very sorry! That is a recurring nightmare of mine--to think I'm in somewhere only to find out it's not true. Thanks for going to all the trouble to sign up and let us know what happened--that was very considerate of you!

Thanks for the reply, cicada, but I was asking whether the admission posting (via website) on the results page was from somebody who had gotten in off the wait list, or from somebody who had already known for a while that they had been admitted and had just noticed that their status had finally updated. I am aware that decisions have been made, but for people who are already on the PhD wait list, it's confusing to see a post about someone being accepted to the PhD program from the website--I was just trying to get more information about that specific post on the results page.

Was somebody really just accepted via the website--after not hearing anything at all? Or were you on the wait list and just found out you're in? (Seems an odd way for UVa to go about it!) Or perhaps the website was just confirmation of an acceptance you'd already known about...? If you're out there, and can enlighten me (and others who are anxiously waiting on the wait list), please do, and many thanks in advance!

I second that!