lyonessrampant

I can only imagine. I'm at over 1500 for 14 schools and that doesn't include test fees. . . This process sucks

Hey, So I've been lurking a while and decided to say hi more formally. I'm applying to a ton of places because I really want to start my Ph.D. next year. Hear's hoping something works out! All English Ph.D. Harvard Stanford Brown UC-Berkeley Duke U of Chicago UT-Austin UWI-Madison CU-Boulder U of Oregon UWA-Seattle U of Utah WashU U of Minnesota Interests: Early Modern Poetry (about 1590-1620 specifically), critical theory (psychoanalysis, gender studies, and strucuralism/poststructuralism), late Medieval hagiography

I hope that you're right

I can't say for sure, of course, but I've gotten emails like this in a previous cycle when I omitted something from my application. One program required everyone to submit a TA application even if they didn't intend to TA. Did the original application require 2 writing samples? Some do and if you didn't submit the second, you may be getting the reminder email. This probably comes from the grad school rather than the department. A lot of places require the grad school to verify apps are complete before submitting them to the department. Either way, good luck!

Where would one get that bar? As a former debater/current coach who opines regularly on the relative virtues (or lack thereof) of Mr. N, I feel entitled to one of those "Will to Power" bars. . .even if entitlement still requires a credit card

Oh yeah, I'm not defending that paragraph/tone. I think it was in poor taste to add it and am curious if it is part of the form letter now. I don't quite see why it would be added, and I don't know if any of you would want to do it, but I think emailing MAPH about the insensitivity of that addition would be a service to them (even if they potentially don't see it that way).

So, was this on everyone's email/mail correspondence then? What is the name of the person who sent you the letter, if you don't mind my asking? If it was Joan Wellman, she's sort of like the coordinator of the program and can be unintentionally insenstive. However, this paragraph, not in the email I received from one of the MAPH directors in 2007, seems like a bad addition.

So, this is only a starting point, but check out US News and World Report for overeall English Ph.D. rankings as well as their specific category rankings. For medieval/Renaissance, here's the list: 1 Harvard University Cambridge, MA University of California--Berkeley Berkeley, CA 3 Yale University New Haven, CT 4 Columbia University New York, NY 5 University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA 6 Stanford University Stanford, CA 7 University of California--Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA 8 University of Chicago Chicago, IL 9 Cornell University Ithaca, NY University of Michigan--Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI For the Shakespeare/Education connection, check out Bradin Cormack at UChicago, Jeff Dolven at Princeton, and David Riggs at Stanford (though he specializes more in Marlowe and pedagogy). Read some of their stuff, especially Dolven and Riggs, and then use their works cited to find other scholars you might want to work with. Good luck!

I got my MA from UC. That program does have something of a reputation of being a cash cow, though I did get some funding, which helped. However, I NEVER felt like a second-class citizen. I had a lot of friends who were in the Ph.D. program. I took the highest level graduate seminar offered (though MA students must get permission from the prof to do this. The point is to make sure that you won't struggle too much in a seminar designed for 2nd-year Ph.D. students. After first quarter, pretty much every prof says yes. At least, I never heard of anyone being told no.) and got a better grade than some Ph.D. students. I know a lot of UC MA students who have been very successfull in getting into great Ph.D. programs. My results this year are mixed. I was told I was very close at UC and Princeton but couldn't be offered a spot. UC said it was because they went from 25 offers last year to 11 this year. Maybe they're just being nice, but I do feel much better qualified. Anyway, I think that an MA made me a better scholar, and I am optimistic about next year when my personal circumstances allow me to apply more widely and put a reasonable amount of time into the app process, which I didn't do this year.

Very good point. I wish I'd done that rather than just applying to all Ph.D. programs, finding myself with one Ph.D. offer I turned down, and then only the MA offer when my app was referred from the Ph.D. to the MA process. It seems there are lots of good MA programs out there, so applying to both MA and Ph.D. makes a lot of sense.

Mims, my husband and I have done quite a bit of time apart because of the Army not fieldwork, but the basic outcome is the same, since you're not together, right? In my experience, the first separation was about 6 months and was sort of early on in the relationship, but I got to fly down to see him once. Currently, he is deployed to Afghanistan. He left about a month after our wedding and I've seen him once since August. He'll be here for some leave next month (YAYYYY!) and then home for good August. The time apart sucks, not gonna lie, but if it is limited, I think it is definitely do-able. I'm putting off starting my Ph.D. for a year, though, because I need to be with him for the year after he gets back and he already has one year of law school done. However, we'll spend his third year apart (assuming I get in places again next year), but one or the other of us will fly to see each other on breaks so it will be fine. I guess what I'm trying to say is that it shouldn't be a big problem if you and your SO work on the relationship, both make sacrifices, and the time apart is limited in such a way that you both know there is a pretty firm date when the separation will be over as opposed to some nebulous amount of time. All that said, it can be really, really tough. Good luck!

I also knew a lot of UChicago Ph.D. students who already had MA degrees. True, UC doesn't usually take more than 1 or 2 people from their own MA program (this includes philosophy, english, and other humanities), but I don't think they're anti-MA. I've also seen a few programs that require an MA (UIUC) or commit to the MA if admitted at that school before moving into the Ph.D. I think a lot of it has to do with where you get your MA or BA from. If you're from a small school that is relatively unknown for your BA, you may need to go to a prestigious MA program to sharpen your writing, make contacts, and demonstrate ability to do graduate level work. Duke, for example, includes quite a few of these reasons in their FAQs section about why to do an MA. I don't recall their admitted profiles, but they definitely seem pro-MA. Bottomline, I guess, is that if you can't get in to where you want to go with just a BA, then you may have to do an MA to be more competitive with the BA people coming from schools with big reps that can carry a lot of weight.

I'd pretty much second the other advice about accepting a funded Ph.D. over the unfunded MA. I turned down a funded offer to Notre Dame (for a variety of reasons) to go to UC's MA program with funding, and I still had to borrow quite a bit. In this economy, if I were you, I'd go for less debt, a program that sounds like it fits your interests better, and a guaranteed position leading to a Ph.D. I loved my MAPH year actually and am a far better scholar than I think I would have been if I'd gone the Notre Dame route, but that said, I also have a lot more debt. . . Either way, good luck!

JK of course. Hope it works out for you!

I agree with lotf's point about class. . . being able to afford even some private schools was never even a possibility for me and a lot of people navigating this process. I think programs should accept people on their own merits, not whether they come from certain classes or even ethnic groups. Of course, overcoming adversity testifies to perseverence, and in that case, I think it could matter, but I'm not a fan of affirmative action-type policies that write a blank check just because you can check a box. I consider myself about as liberal as they come, and I whole heartedly support programs to level the competitive playing fields by providing services to address poverty and disadvantageus living/educational situations, particularly at elementary and secondarly levels, but by this point, we've all had WAY more opportunities and advantages than the majority of the population . . okay, I'm off my soapbox. So, think about how you can get where you want yourself, not as someone who is entitled to it because of class, ethnicity, or who you know. Maybe that isn't how you think at all, but I did get that impression from your original post.

I know my friend is waitlisted there for English, so you should definitely turn it down :wink:

I think you'll relax and enjoy yourself, at least you should if this campus and these people are the ones that you will be spending the next 5 years or so of your life with. I was pretty uptight before mine. I'm not nervous about whether I'll have something to say (I competed in speech and debate for 4 years and have coached 4 years as well) but I was nervous about fitting in, you know finding "friends" and I found there were a few people I clicked with right away and the profs were cordial, engaging, and witty. As cliche as it sounds, be yourself and try to show them the type of person you are because that's probably what they'll be doing too. Have fun!

I second socialpsych. Instead of talking about their competition, talk about how excited you get to be here at your top pick. . . perhaps showing them a dance card with only their name

Just an observation, I think it is AWESOME that all these anonymous pseudonyms representing real people, many of whom feel pretty dehumanized from this process, are quick to offer solace and advice to other complete strangers. I love grad cafe (even when it is infuriating because of the results search . . .)

I'm sorry to hear that you've had such a rough go of it. It sounds like you do have a lot of distinctions. I feel similarly jilted this year, particularly after receiving some very strong LORs and assurances from my MA profs at a top 6 school. However, the economy this year has had some pretty significant impacts, as one of those some profs reminded me. UChicago in an email after I requested any feedback said I was a very serious candidate but that they couldn't offer me admission this year because they slashed the cohort in half. I also turned down a Ph.D. offer to Notre Dame in 2007 (for a variety of reasons) so while I'm not a successful applicant. . . I do feel like I might have some advice to share. Your test scores are okay, not great, so (if you apply again) you might want to retake them. I also have okay not great scores (700 V, 6 AW, 650 Q, and 680 or 92% on subject). Northwestern told me that they like 700+ scores. . . but UC said they don't use them as much more than as a benchmark to sort through the first 1/2 of the pile to reject and then they don't matter. I don't know what their cutoff is, but I figure that with the increasing competitiveness, schools might begin setting that benchmark higher and some schools, like Northwestern, apparantly care more about them. That being said, a lot of schools say these scores don't matter, and people on this board have gotten into some great schools without great test scores. . . so I think this depends a lot on the school AND what the rest of your app looks like. If everything else is super strong but your test scores weak, well, I don't think it matters, but if the test scores are a bit low and some other parts are weak. . . I think they might matter more. If your LORs are as strong as you say, then I would think that there might be something in your SoP or writing sample that might be a bit weak. Most schools agree that these are the two most important components of your application. Did you tailor these two documents to each school you're applying to in order to demonstrate that you "fit" with their program? Did you write about people you think you'd like to work with and how their research interests mesh with your own? If not, this would be a good place to revise if you apply again. It sounds like you don't have an MA. . . maybe that would help improve your writing skills, hone your research intersts, bulk up your CV etc. Speaking of your CV, do you have some conference presentations and/or publications to boost it? It sounds like you've got some teaching experience, which is great, but maybe diversify that a bit. Finally, keep in mind that this whole process is a crap shoot. . . and sometimes really qualified people don't get in. Good luck and keep your chin up

Shea, I attended MAPH with funding. Any questions you might have, please feel free to message me. What is your concentration? I can tell you about profs, living in Hyde Park, the advantages and disadvantages of UC, and what your cost will be like.

Thanks for the thoughts, DarlinClementine. I hadn't thought about asking for a potential deferral due to my personal circumstances. I'll think more about that. All the best!

email group is fine with me. I'm pretty amenable to what other people want to do.

I'm on board. I've decided that even if the last school I'm waiting on accepts me, I'm not going to go (for a variety of reasons). I plan on continuing to check this forum, so if those of us interested in helping each other keep in touch here, we can maybe even PM each other parts of SoPs and stuff like that.

I'm really not sure about the sentiments on publishing. I presented at a conference with both profs (full Ph.D.s etc) in my field and advanced Ph.D. students presents in early modern and medieval lit (my area), and I've been offered publishing opportunities. Why would you turn something like that down? It is a peer-reviewed publication. . . so why should you ever turn any peer-reviewed publication down?