Stately Plump

Don't worry, I'll -1 one of your innocuous comments. Only when you least expect it...

I definitely agree here. I found out after being accepted that one of the people whom I mentioned in my SOP had published an article (actually, it was his first ever publication, as a graduate student in the early 80s) on a topic strikingly similar to my writing sample. He mentioned, when I met with him, that my writing sample struck a chord with him, and he didn't forget it. And when I mentioned him in my SOP, I had no idea that he had published that article, because I was familiar only with his more current research. Additionally, my research interests are primarily non-dramatic Renaissance literature, and I have found out (again, only since starting) that the majority of Renaissance graduate students in my program are interested in drama. I don't know how this figured into my acceptance, but I can't help but think it played a role, as the admissions committee was (potentially) trying to diversify their cohort of Renaissance grad students.

I told my professors the results of all my applications, though I went to a small liberal arts college and had pretty close relationships with all my professors. I don't know that there is a particular decorum regarding how to handle this situation; it should probably be judged on a case by case basis. Congrats on UNC! EDIT to add: I would definitely, definitely inform your recommenders about your acceptances. Being admitted anywhere is so difficult, and it's always a nice feeling for a professor to know that a former student of theirs will be continuing in a field for which they have prepared the student.

I used to have time to read before I started graduate school

Congrats! Amazing feeling. I love it

Oh my gosh this process is so exciting. CONGRATS! Good luck to those still waiting!

My stipend is several thousand lower than this and I manage quite well. In fact, everyone in my cohort seems to manage quite well; occasionally we even go out for drinks/dinner, though always at the expense of the reading we should be finishing. EDIT to add: I live in a studio by myself. If I got a roommate I would save a ton of money, but it isn't a financial necessity at this point.

Hmm. I'm not sure about this. Perhaps the problem is that your romantic vision of what scholarly life was like was misguided from the start. I don't know that there was ever a time when, as you say, there was a "noble life of the mind where you are excogitating on first causes and the nature of things and then disseminating them to well-heeled, beautiful dreamers and the poetic geniuses of tomorrow." Scholarly life is difficult, grueling, repetitive, at times idle if not inane, and often jejune. That said, as a current graduate student, I find my life situation much more invigorating than some of my peers. Of the students with whom I graduated, I think my life is, at this point, the best: I get paid to read and discuss awesome books, basically all the people I hang out with on a daily basis love reading as much as I do, I'm never "late for work," I'm not physically worn out at the end of the day (though I'm certainly mentally exhausted), and I'm currently on the tail end of a four week break (some of my lucky peers had Christmas eve off, in addition to Christmas day). In four months I'll have a four month vacation, and if you try to tell me that summers aren't vacations for graduate students, I'll direct you to my friends who will be working 50 hours a week all summer. My life is really, really good right now. I've worked in a grocery store since I was 14, periodically working full-time. Let me assure you: the erudite rubbish I've been producing as an attempt to disguise my own emptiness is infinitely more effective than admitting my own emptiness and tying up another prime-rib roast nonetheless, as I did at the grocery store. As for the OP, I have no idea what you should do

I'm at BU now. They take one student every year who has already earned an MA elsewhere.

Haven't read anything non-school related since starting grad school. Get ready to give up that luxury Looove Jasper Fforde. The Thursday Next series is really brilliant. Silly and not too deep, perhaps, but also wildly creative in a rather unique way. So much fun.

Sounds like you've gotten a head start on the whole PhD thing (particularly because of English 792: Introduction to Recent Critical Theory and Method).

I would email the department for clarification. Ask them about the process and also ask about the percentage of students who receive funding, what that funding looks like, etc.

Yeah, don't get me wrong, I mentioned professors in all 10 of my applications. Just be aware that there are/can be downfalls to it. I think it can be really effective, and having since entered my department I'm confident that it's one of the reasons I was accepted, but I wouldn't be surprised if my mention of certain professors kept me out definitively of some other schools.

Haha. Yeah, I can think of a few others...

I mentioned 3 or 4 professors at the most. I too talked about resources such as libraries etc. If you do mention professors, be sure to read some of their work, ideally a selection of their work, so you have an understanding of their actual, current interests. It would be application suicide to discuss professor X's work as in line with your own interests, only to find out that you have misunderstood their interests (which, of course, you wouldn't find out, you would just be rejected). Good luck! It's almost over!