and...and...and...

The Big Sleep (Howard Hawks version)

I don't know what to do with all that time I previously spent staring at my email waiting for decisions.

Aeplo--totally agree about the heat, August is going to be miserable.

And I love how uptight and defensive people get on these boards (so easy to troll!)-- forget pretentious douchebags, a lot of people need to take themselves a whole lot LESS seriously.

And for the record, the two worst states are Nebraska and North Dakota.

So, uhhh... why is everyone disregarding the advice from this year's applicants who said the GRE is the least of our concerns? According to every accepted applicant on this forum (as well as every admission committee member I've ever encountered), we'll be evaluated on our writing sample, statement of purpose, letters, grades, and scores -- in that order. Focus on your writing, friends -- we have a long year ahead! The GRE is probably the least of all our problems. Stately? Grimwig? Others?

WUSTL!

I just sent Stephen Greenblatt an email, I'll let you guys know what he says

Glass half full = we don't have to take a statistics course ever again, grad school or no grad school.

Remember why we're doing this, guys. It's about the excitement of fresh paper and used books, the smell of dust on the shelves in the corners of the library where no one else wanders, and the realization that our interests are so obscure that we will be the only ones who gleefully re-read our dissertations post-publication to highlight the two brilliant sentences.

I had a student once write a paper like that and put his works cited page in green color. I gave him a point or two just for having the gumption to do that.

I had a student who wrote an entire paper on how he wanted to be a "raper" when he grew up (translation: "rapper").

Memorable moments: "I really enjoy raping."

So glad I didn't apply during undergrad.

Heeey, all you joint English/Women's Studies PhD people - WE STILL HAVE HOPE!

Just got this email back from Aimee Germaine, the graduate director for Women's Studies at U. Michigan:

"The joint program notifications have not yet gone out. We expect decisions to be released within the next week."

(Not sure if that means this week or next week, but I'm not complaining at this point since I feel like I temporarily dodged a bullet.)

Yeah but you got into Indiana, which is a freaking GREAT program. So don't let Michigan get you down. Who needs 'em?

Nope. I was notified early because of a fellowship nomination, which I found out today I didn't get but was named an 'alternate' for. Though I have for sure been admitted, I won't know anything about funding for the next few weeks or so, until the general admits are finalized. So for right now I'm in limbo, and I'm afraid to get my hopes up, in case I don't get in anywhere else.

Man, this is the most bipolar couple of months I've ever experienced. Of course, it doesn't help that my personal life is similarly up and down and different every other day. Ughhhhhhh. Please just let it be April 15th already.

THIS. First CD ever. Not much of an improvement on my first self-bought cassette: Celine Dion - The Colour of My Love. Wish I had had a cool older sibling pushing me on to REM, MBV, Nirvana and Pavement.

I will say, this site is both the best and worst thing to have happened to me in the last few years.

I know we all navigate the Results boards like pros, and have charts and graphs (in our heads if not on paper) of when our schools will likely notify us of decisions...

However, I went ahead and emailed some of the schools I'm applying to. Here's what I found out, hope it's helpful! Feel free to add more if you know of more ETAs of schools! (Sidenote: the graduate admissions staff were all very friendly and helpful. It was nice to actually have contact with someone and remember they're not [all] soulless robots.)

University of Michigan (English and Women's Studies joint PhD - assuming English is similar)
"Decisions are still being made, and no notifications have gone out yet. We expect to have decisions and to notify students by next week." (received 2/8)

Brown University, English PhD
"Thank you for your message. We expect admissions notifications to go out later this month and certainly no later than March 15. Applicants will receive email notification from the Graduate School informing them that a decision has been made and is available to view via the Embark online application system." (received 2/8)


Rutgers University, English PhD
]"We will begin making offers after February 17th." (received 2/9)
(After the 17th is Presidents Day weekend, so I'm not sure whether they'll be notifying over the weekend or the next week...going to try not to obsess about that!)

University of Illinois, MA-PHD track, English
They said in their confirmation email that it would be early March, so I didn't bother them again

University of Missouri, Columbia, English PhD
They also gave a date in their confirmation email which I'm REALLY hoping is way later than they will actually notify - on or before March 31 (yikes that's late).

OKay so again - feel free to add if you know more! I find this information useful and anxiety-lessening. Best wishes to everyone!

I GOT ACCEPTED INTO INDIANA! AHHHH!!!!! I didn't think I would be hearing from them until March...

Congrats, and...! That's awesome. I heard back unexpectedly early from a program today, too. It feels gooooood. :-)

But someone posted a phone interview (?!?!) with Penn Comp Lit...aaagggghhhh...I didn't even know they did that!

I applied to 13 programs and I've gotten a response from only one so far.

Good things come to those who (have no choice but to) wait, right?

Ah! Thanks for pointing that out -- I didn't know that change occurred. Will mentally move Stanford to the back of the line for my "when I might have my hopes crushed" calendar. :|

Only here would this be funny.

heh...lay...

While those are all vitally important jobs, they offer no intellectual stimulation whatsoever. As much as the job market, public opinion, and (financial) opportunity cost suck for humanities PhDs, there are very few other jobs that provide the kind of intense intellectual pleasure that academia does.

hopefully because this is what matters to you.