lyonessrampant

I would recommend a folio service. I used Interfolio, and it decreases the amount of work your LOR writers have to do. There are ways to deliver by email using Interfolio. I used it for all 14 schools I applied to last year. You will need to ask them to update the letter for you if you end up re-applying next year. Letters dated a year (or more) old don't look good. If they keep the origional letter, it can be easy for them to update if you send them a revised CV or something saying what you've added or done since the last letter, what the topic of your new SOP, or writing sample is, etc. I would also send them your SOP.

Ask about the possibility of top-off funds. For public schools anyway, I think the TA stipend is a set amount, so asking for them to increase that probably won't get you anywhere. However, top-off funds and fellowships can sometimes be found.

I know today's calls have been made. There is an acceptance posted on the results page as well. There will be more notifications, probably next week.

Sorry, cquin. Best of luck on your other programs!

I don't know how many the first round includes. There are usually a couple full-year fellowships and then some offers that are 1 semester fellowship and 1 as a TA for the first year. I believe all funding packages are for 6 years no matter how the first year is worked out. There will be notifications beyone today, though, so don't lose hope if you don't hear anything today. Best of luck!

I can tell you that the first round of admits will be contacted this afternoon. Good luck to anyone getting the call, and do PM me if you have any questions about the program or school. Best of luck!

The last few years the acceptances have only come from the pool of interviews. This is also a rough memory, but last year I think about 2/3 of the interview pool were accepted. Good luck to those of you interviewing!

Yep, I had a few acceptances on the weekends last year as well.

What a complicated situation! I hope things work out for you and your partner!

I would email the DGS. I notified that a paper I had put as under review got accepted for publication. I was able to use this to lobby for more money from the university I ended up accepting. It can't hurt, as others have said.

Hey people applying to Minnesota: I go there and I hear that we're actually increasing our cohort this year. I believe they are shooting for a cohort of 12. There are 9 of us this year so way more than four either way!!! Good luck!

I came from a tiny, tiny liberal arts college in Montana, and I do think that hurt when I first applied. However, I was offered a position at Notre Dame and only applied to Notre Dame, Harvard, Penn, UChicago, and Cambridge. . .so I don't think that really speaks to anything. I was young, naive, and had no idea how hard this whole grad school thing was/is. The benefits: really strong LORs, though not from rock stars. Tons of diverse classes and a really, really solid foundation, which translated into high test scores. A feeling of well-being and support because of personal attention. Disadvantages: Name recognition, real preparation for applying to graduate school, and a sense of how competitive things really are. For me, the benefits outweighed the costs. I did an MA to be with my partner and am now in a graduate program I love working with rock star faculty in my subfield. I don't think the name recognition will play a HUGE role, but like others said, it might make a difference on the bottom line. It may also affect how hard a school goes for you. One girl in my cohort has her BA from Harvard. She got a full-year fellowship while most of the rest of us got 1/2 year fellowships (or none at all), and while she's very nice, lots of other people had more accomplishments. However, having a Harvard grad in your cohort matters (I think) for a large state school. I say this only to say that it mighe fiht make a difference where you're from when it comes to prioritizing highest funding packages or something, but largely, I think it is the quality of your research, the potential you have for strong scholarship, and the fit you have with the department that makes the most difference. Bottom line: If you're applying, you can't do anything about where you got your BA from, so don't stress about it. Focus on your writing, developing innovative research approaches, and establishing a clear fit between yourself and the department you are applying to. Those things, in my experience, matter the most. Best of luck to you all!

I got a Facebook message from a publisher at this company. They had the title of my BA thesis and said they wanted to publish it. Same deal as OP. I thought it was odd because my name is super common, I went to a tiny liberal arts school, and my thesis is not online, but I decided not to do it because it isn't peer reviewed. I would agree with others. It might not be a scam exactly, but it isn't really advantageous either.

You're right, cquin. If the sentence provides an attribution, you don't need the last name in the citation, but if that is not the case, you should use the last name, particularly if you're worried about the need to disambiguate.

I remember doing that for some of the programs I applied to last year. Perhaps the overlap in research topics between current candidates and your own work might not be as important as the number of people working with someone you want to be your advisor. Most advisors don't work on more than a few dissertations at a time, so you can look at those kinds of numbers to see if people you want to work with are overburdened, ready for new blood, etc. However, a lot of that information may not be posted on the websites or be as transparent to a department outsider, so in short, I wouldn't put too much stock into it, but if you've submitted all your apps and have time, looking at that info can't hurt. The anxiety is awful. . .particularly in January and February, so if it helps calm you, certainly do it!

You can take the test multiple times. All of your scores will show on your report (as they do for the GRE), but you count your highest score. I would probably encourage you to take the October test if you're still in school. I got a 680 and spent about a month or two studying putting in a few hours a week on average. That's just my experience though. Good luck!

You all will make it. Deep breaths and, well, I drank TONS of whiskey in your places. Now that I'm in a Ph.D. program I still drink lots of whiskey, but it is for different reasons now. In my experience this says that whiskey is always the solution Seriously, though, get your apps in, do your best, and then try your best not to dwell on it. It won't make decisions come any sooner.

If you think her letter will be reflective of your skills and speak to your scholarly potential (which might be the same in English or philosphy), I wouldn't freak out. If you've got another prof on the wings who could sub for philosophy and you think might write a more nuanced philosophy letter, I'd go to him or her, but if not, I'd stick with what you've got. Programs get hundreds of apps (at UTA, where I applied last year and was admitted, nearly 600 English Ph.D. apps), so I don't think they'll spend time searching everything they can find. It probably won't make a big difference if you go with the same letter. Good luck!

A lot of programs will take LORs later if everything else for your app has been turned in. Contact the school's DGS secretary and ask.

I would recommend focusing on your specific subfield unless you can articulate a clear connection between the two. I think the Romantic influence on the Victorian novel seems connected enough to me to not sound scattered. I would probably, if I were you, identify myself as a Victorianist and then demonstrate in your SOP and writing sample that you know a lot about both areas in terms of where the intersection lies. In one round of apps, I addressed both my early modern and medieval interests. Though I only applied to a few top 10 schools and it was the middle of the recession crackdown on cohort sizes, that wasn't successful. Last year I got five admits and submitted a much more focused SOP. I was told in feedback from a few of the schools where I was close but not admitted that my SOP was strong, so I do think that demonstrating focus is important. That said, interesting intersections of periods is where a lot of current interdisciplinary work is being done, so if you can articulate the connection (which I didn't do before), I don't think that disadvantages you.

Depends on the program. In my experience (I've gotten acceptances from 6 schools), a lot of programs like to see what you know and that you're ready for the rigorous work of a Ph.D. program. A lot of programs want to increase their completion rates, and that comes from focused people who have a pretty good idea about what they want to do. Obviously, there are different perspectives on this issue, but from my experience, demonstrating a knowledge of your proposed subfield and a more specific research area (that may be the same area your dissertation will emerge from) proves skill and preparation.

I would recommend staying close to the listed requirement. You really don't have anything to add about the kind of work you want to do? What is your proposed dissertation project or research area? There is ALWAYS something more to say about that, even if it is just intelligently phrased research questions. I think 600 is too short for a 1000 word limit. Most of the schools I applied to wanted 1000 words, so check what the other programs you're applying to ask you to do. If most are in the 1000 word neighborhood, I'd add.

Hmm. . . do you have alumni status with your undergrad uni (or current status)? Most schools have Chronicle of Higher Ed subscriptions. I think you should be able to access most links on this page without a subscription: http://chronicle.com/article/Almanac-2011-Profession/128455/?m-nav A rough summary: less than 50% of people entering Ph.D. programs finish with the degree and, if I recall correctly, about 10-20% of those (optimistically) get TT jobs at 4-year universities.

Hey OP! I technically applied three times. I got accepted at Notre Dame my first time applying and then to U of Chicago's MA program and then not again until my third time, when I had quite a few 20-50 USNWR range programs. I took the program I liked the most with the best overall funding, and I'm happy where I'm at. I share this only to say that sometimes things don't work our the first (or second. . or more) time(s). However, if you're improving your application each time, your odds will get better. Make sure to apply broadly and be thinking about your career trajectory. If you're applying to and eventually end up at a school not in top 20, 30, 40, even 50, that isn't the end of the world, BUT you need to be aware of the job stats. . they're dismal, to say the least. This means thinking about whehter you'd be willing to work at a community college or a prep school once you finish your Ph.D. This doesn't mean you won't get a TT job, but the odds aren't good. . .knowing all that and still deciding to apply isn't a sign of delusion, in my opinion. It means you want what you want and you're willing to do what it takes to get it. Check out the Chronicle of Higher Ed for those stats. Also, keep heart, this round may yield a top 10 offer, and then you likely (though not guaranteed) won't have to worry about the post-degree job prospects as much! Best of luck to you!

If I recall correctly from last year, when you order ASR's they automatically put all test reports on the form, including subject and multiple test attempts. There may be a way to say you don't want the subject test sent, but you'll have to look into that.