eriksmegs

Yes. Assuming it is the same this year as last, you would be guaranteed funding for five years. And, yes. The offer was for full tuition plus the stipend of 13500ish a year.

I have no info about funding, but if you have questions about the program feel free to message me.

Based off a funded offer last year, the "almost full waiver" really does include all except those fees. If I remember correctly, the 200 is per semester, except I think Washington is on the quarter system, so that might be three times a year. Also, it's about 13500 a year starting out, but once you earn your M.A. they raise your funding to 16500 a year. Just fyi.

I'm ISFJ, so I hope not

When I was applying, I was paranoid about schools matching my applications with my GREs and transcripts, because I took the test/graduated under my maiden name. Some schools had application tracking websites that informed me if any pieces of my application were missing. I ended up calling a few schools who listed they hadn't received my scores, as well as all schools that didn't provide this information for me online. I'm very glad I did so, because at four or five of my schools my scores and applications weren't matched. The good news is matching up my scores and applications only took a five minute conversation with these schools. The people I spoke to were very nice and happy to help---it was a pain that I had to go through this process, but the process itself was pretty painless. So if you're worried about your apps and scores matching, it's probably not a bad idea to double check, and it's easy enough to do so.

Arizona State is strong in both areas

I find I can't focus on moving and starting classes at the same time without wanting to curl up under my desk and rock back and forth. So I'm just focusing on moving for now (less than a week!), and I'm a pretty equal mix of nerves and excitement.

If the school mentions they offer fee waivers if necessary, I say go for it. I applied for fee waivers at three schools and was granted it at two of them, which saved me about $150--not too shabby for just having to send in a little paperwork. I don't know anything about requesting a waiver from a school who doesn't mention if they grant waivers. One bit of advice: if you are going to request a waiver from a school, make sure you start submitting your application a couple of weeks before the deadline, because they often require you to submit paperwork which then has to be approved before you can finalize your app.

I'm happy to read SOPs or send mine as an example

Many of the schools will tell you what they want submitted in the header (generally your name/application number, etc.)--for schools that didn't specify, I just used the same sort of format as for those that did. Also, while I think you should leave your paper in MLA if it was originally written using MLA, there may be some cases in which it's okay not to use MLA. For example, my writing sample was originally written as an English/history paper (for an interdisciplinary summer research grant--so I agree it's okay to use a paper not written for a class), and my citations were in Chicago format. While I cut my paper down so the writing sample contained the sections most heavily focused on literature, I left the paper in Chicago format, and was still accepted to several programs. I just wanted to throw that out there in case anyone is in a situation similar to mine.

Maybe "odd" wasn't the right word so much as "amusing." I just get a kick out of seeing Denzel Washington and Keanu Reeves in a Shakespeare production But I adore Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson. I was a little unsure about spending the money for Emma too, but I had a friend highly recommend it, so I decided to give it a try. I LOVE it--honestly, I like it better than the Gwyneth Paltrow version, and just as much as the Colin Firth Pride and Prejudice (in fact, I might even like it a little more--gasp! I know. crazy.) And while my friends and my mom don't agree that it's as good as P&P, they still love it as well. So, for what it's worth, I'd say give it a try. It's only $20 or so on Amazon right now, or some libraries might have it.

I don't know that these are on Netflix, but I love Kenneth Branagh's Much Ado About Nothing (some odd casting choices, but on the whole, I think it's fabulous), and I absolutely adore the 2009 BBC Emma with Romola Garai.

I still haven't.

I can only speak from my own experience--I went to a small, not particularly well-known liberal arts college, and I received two funded BA to PhD offers and a couple of MA offers. However, I know that professors at some of the schools I got my offers from are friends or have worked with my adviser (and lor writer) from my undergrad, and I'm pretty sure that helped me out as far as helping my application jump out at them. So I would suggest talking to your professors about where they recommend you apply, and adding one or two of those schools to your list--networking is, unfortunately (or, I suppose, fortunately when it works in your favor), all part of process. This is in no way meant to imply that you can't get into a school without having connections there, but just to say it may not be a bad idea to include a school or two where connections may help you. And, of course, as Stately Plump and Fiona Thunderpaws have stated, luck is a huge factor as well, and I wish you all oodles of good luck in the coming app season. Acceptance fairy dust coming your way!! (and please feel free to PM me as well if you want another SOP for reference--I had a horrible time finding samples until I stumbled across this wonderful place--or if I can help in any other way)

I haven't heard from them yet either.

This just made my night

I think having fewer pages makes it easier to focus on making each page the best it can possibly be. I pulled my 15 page* writing sample from a 30 page English/History paper I wrote, so I cut out the parts that were more saturated in history, leaving those parts more focused on literature (of course, I blended those parts together so it wasn't blantantly obvious that chunks of my paper were missing). I also gave my paper a firmer grounding in recent scholarship. And then I submitted the 15 page sample to all of my programs (except for two where I used a different sample entirely because my area of focus for those programs was different). I was waitlisted (with encouragement that I would probably be accepted) at a school that explicitly asked for a 20 page sample. I think schools are more worried about samples being too long than a little shorter than is asked for. *my 15 pages isn't counting the title page and bibliography, so the whole thing came to 18 pages

I started by searching for programs with strengths in my area of interest (medieval). I looked for multiple faculty members focused on medieval literature, and schools with extra medieval resources (such as medieval programs where I could take interdisciplinary courses). Then I took out any school that didn't offer at least the possiblity of full funding, any school that required an MA before admitting into PhD (I don't have an MA), and any school that wasn't in the U.S. (since my husband is being so wonderful about uprooting, I figured it was fair to promise him we would at least stay in the country). At this point, I still had 20+ schools. So, I did a more concentrated study on faculty and took location into consideration to find "good fits." For me, a "good fit" was a school with 3-5 faculty members working on medieval literature, particularily on topics that interest me (Arthurian lit, miracle stories, etc.), in a location that I felt comfortable living (nowhere hot+humid). I admit, a lot was also based on my gut feelings, especially when choosing between schools with similar programs--I would look at how friendly the school website was, if the family housing was dog-friendly, and if the program really seemed dedicated to their students. These may seem like silly things to make decisions on, but they helped me avoid schools that I felt uncomfortable about. This got me down to 15 or so programs. I then e-mailed the list to my undergraduate advisor for her input, and made some adjustments based off of her advice to end up at my 13 programs (and it's a good thing I asked her advice, because she suggested the school I've decided to attend). I aimed for a well-balanced mix of reach schools and decent-chance schools, although it's pretty much impossible to predict ( I didn't really consider any school a "safety" school). I didn't look too much at school rankings or placements--I guess I just figured that the outcome of my doctorate is going to be more a result of what I put into it, and as long as I could get into a supportive program and be willing to work my very hardest, then everything will turn out as it's meant to, whether that involves tenure or a return to editing magazines. In the end, it all requires a leap of faith

Thanks! Salt Lake has three months of winter where everyone pretty much stays indoors, so I figure Arizona will just kind of be the opposite of that Congrats on your acceptance as well!

Arizona State University for me! I never really pictured myself in Arizona until now....it's funny how getting a fully-funded offer can change your opinions about your ability to withstand certain climates.

Ha ha, I had the opposite experience. I was having trouble making myself decline an offer and my husband was pretty sympathetic, but the second I half-jokingly asked "but what if my other school rescinds their offer?" he rolled his eyes and made me sit down and decline right then. And I felt much better.

I just turned down my offer, and I have my fingers crossed that you get it! Good luck!

I don't know if presenting at conferences is necessary or how it is viewed by schools, but I say go for it if you have the interest and opportunity, because conferences are fun! The nice thing about conferences is that you don’t have to do a bunch of extra work for them—take one of those excellent papers you are working on that you have really enjoyed writing, and submit an abstract to a conference. Then all you have to do for the conference is edit your paper down to the appropriate length for presenting (general rule is 2 minutes per double-spaced page, but I’d test this first, because it might take you less time or more time depending on how fast you read). At most of the conferences I have been to, you just read your condensed paper, and then answer a few questions from the audience. It’s fun to get your ideas out there and discuss them with others, and to listen to other presentations, especially if you can find a conference that focuses on your area of interest. Also, schools sometimes will help pay for you to attend conferences, so that’s something to look into if you’re interested in presenting. Just my two cents.

Yes. Tuition and health, vision, and dental are covered, plus you get a stipend of $13,725 a year (but this would go up to around $15,000 once I hit masters status, so if you are coming in with a masters you would probably start out at that).

Are others still waiting on Oregon? My online app still just says "submitted," and I haven't heard a thing....I'm just ready for the whole waiting process to be over.