britlitgrl583

Oh dang, I just realized you applied for comp. lit. This was for English. I have no idea if they have the same procedures for this stuff. Eeek, sorry!

I went through this process last year and know how much psychological anguish it can cause, so I don't know if this glimmer will help or hurt you more in the long run, but last year I was not invited to Emory's interview weekend and found out about a month later (via email from the dgs) that I was waitlisted. I don't know if this has changed this year or not, but I guess they interview and make acceptances from that batch, waitlisting the rest (and they may outright reject some of those people.... I'm not sure) and then notifying later the extra non-interview waitlist people, who would naturally be lower on the list than those interviewed. Ultimately I took myself off the list, but I don't think they would have gotten to me anyway :-/ Best of luck!! I hope everyone hears great news soon!

I second Zotero for organizing (and collecting) PDFs. They seem to be marketing it specifically to academics, so it's designed to work with things like jstor. A few potential problems to note, though: It's a firefox add-on, so if you use any other browser you'll need to switch (a transition that was more difficult than it should have been for me). It also can be confusing at times. I still don't know how to delete something I've saved or how to remove it from a folder. But all in all it's by far the best free option out there right now!

First of all, I know how awful you must feel, and I sincerely hope you try again and meet with more success in the future! Second, can I ask why you applied to these specific universities? I'm only asking because, all numbers aside, what I think really matters is that the school is the perfect place for your research interests--it is 100% without a doubt perfect for the package you're selling in your sop and writing sample. I was accepted to 2 schools (and rejected by 10), and I now see that these two schools were by far the most well-suited for what I wish to pursue. Neither of them are very highly ranked, but I'd much rather be at a lower ranked school that's perfect for me than an ivy league that has maybe one or two professors in my sub-field but who have different theoretical approaches than me. I know you're frustrated and angry (who wouldn't be with the odds in this game?!), but your post sounds to me to be number-centric (and thus, all the responses you've been getting re:the GRE have been number-centric)--especially when you consider a "safe" school to be ranked in the 30's or 40's (although clearly you realize that there are no safe schools, thus the quotes)--so I would recommend, if you haven't already, stepping away from scores and rankings and location (although, I get the feeling that coordinating with your spouse might be an issue, in which case, I have absolutely no advice for that!) and taking a good look at any and all programs, and finding the perfect fit. Of course, I genuinely mean that question about why you picked the schools you did, and I think an answer to that might help these lovely people give you better advice. Hope I helped!

Thanks, both of you! I'm excited for the visit and I know I'm probably worrying for nothing, but it just helps put my mind at ease if I know exactly what to expect I'll probably be sticking to one drink, as I'm quite a lightweight (but luckily, that's just the right amount to help me relax enough to be super-charming and witty... or so I think). If anyone else has stories about campus visits or advice they'd like to share, I'd love to hear it.

Some people who have made campus visits already this year have mentioned dining with faculty as part of the itinerary. I've never had the opportunity to converse with faculty outside of the classroom or office hours, so I'm a little apprehensive of this experience (especially since I've heard that some faculty members host this dinner at their own homes!). Can anyone who has been through this let us nervous nellies know what to expect and maybe what rules of etiquette are important here?