Ategenos

Same here. High five, Proflorax!

Hey ya'll! Just received my TOship offer from the Writing Program. Good luck, everyone!

Oh, that's simple. Once you get to a high enough position in academia, you turn into a vampire. You drink blood to survive, of course, but to walk in the day you need to drink in people's despair. Most of the year, the stress of one's own students is enough to get them through the day... but once a year, as winter turns into spring, as the days grow longer and life once again blooms, an extra infusion is required!
 
Cunning and intelligent as academics tend to be, they soon came up with the graduate application process. Think about it: doesn't that explain it a lot better than any so-called rational explanation? ;P

African American Studies and DH aren't exactly that uncommon... admittedly, I don't know so much about Print Culture. There's a bunch of other schools you could be applying for, either for a PhD in the English, American Studies or, in some cases, African American Studies departments. As for specific unis you chose:
 
NYU, Yale, Rutgers: so competitive that it is sometimes easier just not to apply to them (my supervisor at my current university, for example, said that my work might be good enough, but my record would exclude me).
 
BU, meanwhile, lets in very small cohorts (5 this year!) in order to give them a ridiculously good package (3 years no-duty fellowship and then a light teaching load, 24000 dollars a year, yes please!). Toronto, like most Canadian universities, apparently has a preference towards Canadians. In other words, 5/10 of your choices were already tough nuts to crack (and I can't talk for the others, as I don't know too much about them) in a process that is difficult enough already. If you apply again, maybe try including more mid-high and mid-range schools.
 
Then unfortunately there's just all the hackneyed old suggestions: make contact with POIs, try and visit departments, and try and target your SoP to really show an understanding and appreciation of each individual department - to this end, I always thought it looked good to find something a bit more obscure about the department to show that you have really researched them. Of course, also show an understanding of your POI's research (and make sure that they are active in the department when it comes to supervision, publication, etc). Obviously get as many people as possible to read the SoP and Writing Sample, especially if you can find a couple of faculty members who are willing to tear it to pieces and tell you how to put it back together.
 
I can't really talk about it in detail without seeing your SoP, but also try not to be -too- specific in what you want to do. Remember that the majority of these places want to mould you, and you have more coursework to do. You want to have a solid direction, but you don't want to imply that you already have a thesis in mind... although I'm sure others might disagree with me here.
 
If you've already done all of this, then I have less to offer... one other thing, though... it can also be useful to email graduate directors once you've got your first list of potential programs (before you begin cutting it down to your final choice) and ask them whether the department is actually looking for students in certain fields. Very often they're looking to fit particular holes in the department, after all... for example, one of my universities (I was told by the assistant graduate director) was not looking for ANY budding Victorianists this year, so anyone who applied to them with this in mind was shit out of luck.
 
I got absolutely nowhere last year, but made sure to do all the above - and this year, despite being confined geographically by the location of my fiancee, things have gone much better.

Don't I know that sting. I tried last year, and still went for one tiptop program this year, but... eh... as long as you go somewhere with a good fit, a supervisor who pushes you, and a reasonable reputation, it'll all be good.

1) As far as I've been told, it depends on your focus... although obviously, more languages will never hurt you when applying for a comp lit program... although personally I'd go for Hindi or Mandarin (though it really depends on what sort of work you are wanting to do again).
 
2) Attend conferences, email POIs and graduate directors, see if it's possible to go and visit the department. In terms of POIs, the best thing I found was just showing that you know about their work, the field they're working in, and in general can somewhat engage them. On the other hand, I got wait-listed at a department I never even went to or had any contact with (then again... I bet you that if I had managed to visit and made good contact with people, it would have been more likely to be an acceptance).
 
3) Don't base the schools you choose on whether or not they require the subject test. If the school fits you, and they require the subject test, then you should be taking it. Just prepare as much as possible (read the Norton Anthology of British Literature, the Norton Anthology of American Literature, and the preparation books for the test, and you'll be fine - luckily, you have plenty of time to prepare!)
 
4) You should work to death on your writing sample. Remember, alongside your SoP, this is pretty much the main thing you are going to be judged on. It has to be excellent and, in my opinion, it should also tie into the work that you want to do - it doesn't have to represent it exactly, but they should be able to see the connection.
 
5) Eh... it can't hurt, but it means nothing. Apparently undergraduate and postgraduate conferences are sort of 'eh' to admission committees, and so is mere attendance at conferences. If you've attended and presented at a professional conference or two, however, THAT can look good.

Oh, that's simple. Once you get to a high enough position in academia, you turn into a vampire. You drink blood to survive, of course, but to walk in the day you need to drink in people's despair. Most of the year, the stress of one's own students is enough to get them through the day... but once a year, as winter turns into spring, as the days grow longer and life once again blooms, an extra infusion is required!
 
Cunning and intelligent as academics tend to be, they soon came up with the graduate application process. Think about it: doesn't that explain it a lot better than any so-called rational explanation? ;P

Oh, that's simple. Once you get to a high enough position in academia, you turn into a vampire. You drink blood to survive, of course, but to walk in the day you need to drink in people's despair. Most of the year, the stress of one's own students is enough to get them through the day... but once a year, as winter turns into spring, as the days grow longer and life once again blooms, an extra infusion is required!
 
Cunning and intelligent as academics tend to be, they soon came up with the graduate application process. Think about it: doesn't that explain it a lot better than any so-called rational explanation? ;P

Oh, that's simple. Once you get to a high enough position in academia, you turn into a vampire. You drink blood to survive, of course, but to walk in the day you need to drink in people's despair. Most of the year, the stress of one's own students is enough to get them through the day... but once a year, as winter turns into spring, as the days grow longer and life once again blooms, an extra infusion is required!
 
Cunning and intelligent as academics tend to be, they soon came up with the graduate application process. Think about it: doesn't that explain it a lot better than any so-called rational explanation? ;P

I hate the expression "putting off life". It devalues an entire set of choices, and is founded upon the common societal discourse concerning academics: that they don't work hard, and that it's some kind of easy ride... Getting a job outside academia is a choice. Continuing the academic process is also a choice. Life is what happens when we're making these choices, and is not dependent on the option we choose.
 
Saying that, if you've decided an alternative path is the one for you, this is cool... and I am happy that the whole process made you realise what it is that you want to do.

I hate the expression "putting off life". It devalues an entire set of choices, and is founded upon the common societal discourse concerning academics: that they don't work hard, and that it's some kind of easy ride... Getting a job outside academia is a choice. Continuing the academic process is also a choice. Life is what happens when we're making these choices, and is not dependent on the option we choose.
 
Saying that, if you've decided an alternative path is the one for you, this is cool... and I am happy that the whole process made you realise what it is that you want to do.

I hate the expression "putting off life". It devalues an entire set of choices, and is founded upon the common societal discourse concerning academics: that they don't work hard, and that it's some kind of easy ride... Getting a job outside academia is a choice. Continuing the academic process is also a choice. Life is what happens when we're making these choices, and is not dependent on the option we choose.
 
Saying that, if you've decided an alternative path is the one for you, this is cool... and I am happy that the whole process made you realise what it is that you want to do.

You have to be hardnosed about this. As much as School 1 might be cozy, the place with more resources is probably going to make you more employable at the end of all of this... and as for not thinking you'll be happy there, how much of this is because you already feel comfortable with School 1 (friends going, know it well, etc)? Fact of the matter is, if you make an effort when you get there, you'll most likely make this other university just as much of a home as you've already constructed out of School 1 in your mind... and you'll have more money to relax in those few precious hours that you have off than you would otherwise. As for the friends... even if you don't become best buddies with the people in your department, as long as you can at least be amiable to each other, there are tons of other departments full of students to get to know.
 
Other people will no doubt disagree with me...

Right up until you made this post and spoiled the surprise... now, alas, they'll have all cleared out.

I dunno. I sort of agree with bfat. It would be different if you were talking about how upset you were missing out on <x> or <y> school (although I'd say even this should be kept to other threads)... but chatting about all the schools you've had to turn down should definitely be kept to another thread. It's like talking about the sweet feeling of illegal narcotics running through your system to a bunch of people in rehab.

I dunno. I sort of agree with bfat. It would be different if you were talking about how upset you were missing out on <x> or <y> school (although I'd say even this should be kept to other threads)... but chatting about all the schools you've had to turn down should definitely be kept to another thread. It's like talking about the sweet feeling of illegal narcotics running through your system to a bunch of people in rehab.

From my experience thus far at the graduate level (Masters work), hard work, a spark of creativity, and a willingness to accept and adapt to criticism are all you need to do well. If your application convinced the department, then you're almost certainly good enough. The people I've seen start to flag at the graduate level are the ones who don't quite do enough work, who coasted to a degree during their undergrad, and who can't shake this trend as they move onwards and upwards... and the ones who are so enamoured of their own views that they refuse input and refute the notion of their fallibility.
 
Then there's the worst kind: the ones who combine both these flaws. Brrrr.
 
Luckily, imposter syndrome is usually seen in the sort of students who are neither of these types, so you're probably okay.

You say this, but I come from Britain, the most boring and grey place in the world, where nothing happens without booze of the finest quality! I reckon the Old World should get in on this, too!

I hate the expression "putting off life". It devalues an entire set of choices, and is founded upon the common societal discourse concerning academics: that they don't work hard, and that it's some kind of easy ride... Getting a job outside academia is a choice. Continuing the academic process is also a choice. Life is what happens when we're making these choices, and is not dependent on the option we choose.
 
Saying that, if you've decided an alternative path is the one for you, this is cool... and I am happy that the whole process made you realise what it is that you want to do.

I hate the expression "putting off life". It devalues an entire set of choices, and is founded upon the common societal discourse concerning academics: that they don't work hard, and that it's some kind of easy ride... Getting a job outside academia is a choice. Continuing the academic process is also a choice. Life is what happens when we're making these choices, and is not dependent on the option we choose.
 
Saying that, if you've decided an alternative path is the one for you, this is cool... and I am happy that the whole process made you realise what it is that you want to do.

Congrats to all the acceptances today!
 
I just got my acceptance to another one of my favourite programs (UConn). Admittedly, they seem to have admitted me into the PhD, as opposed to the MA/PhD, but I am hoping to get that sorted!

Congrats to all the acceptances today!
 
I just got my acceptance to another one of my favourite programs (UConn). Admittedly, they seem to have admitted me into the PhD, as opposed to the MA/PhD, but I am hoping to get that sorted!

I asked Joseph Black about the interview. He said this, which made me feel better: "Most -- a very large majority  -- of those we admit do well: well enough for them to agree to the offer. And they need to be very sure of themselves to tell us no: we will push them in return."
 
Of course, I'm still going to prepare the crap out of this thing, but what sort of potential grad students would we be if we didn't do the assigned reading and often some more on top of that? ;P

Proflorax was saying that in previous years they have tried to make accommodations for those who weren't able to get a TO position. I think they usually have enough positions for MOST people, though - and new intakes get priority, I'd imagine, because 'veteran' TOs are likely to move on to actually teaching within the English Department after two or three years. I'm actually quite looking forward to teaching writing, now I've read the website, but I - for one - would definitely be moving on to teach the subject when the opportunity offered itself.

And congrats to you (and to all the other potential Umies)! UMass is actually my joint top program (with two others). Although the funding is not as good as the other two, the fit is really great, and my fiancee is already studying Philosophy there... Gods, I want to get in to those other two, but at the same time... if I do... it'll be a really tough decision... the I-wish-I-could-split-into-three kind of decision.
 
I read your post on the other forum about finding out, Proflo, and I know exactly what you mean. My email was accidentally scrolled down, so I saw all the acceptances last night and thought 'Shit, well, that's that then...' and then, just before going to sleep, I saw the little scroll bar, scrolled up... and there it was! Man, it might have been midnight by that stage, but I called ALL the people and didn't end up sleeping until 2am. When I originally read it, I actually shrieked aloud, terrified my dog, rolled about on the floor...
 
... coz I was in the same boat as you. Last year, I just got almost straight rejections (except for a couple of wait-lists)... and that stings, you know? Made me feel like a bit of a failure, even if I knew that it was just because my application had been flawed, and made me question pretty much everything I was doing... but then getting in... Gods, it was like a year and a half of stress just vented out of me in a gout of sheer hysteria, and I was left falling back into the calm and optimistic mindset that is far more natural to me. Haven't slept so well in ages, and woke up feeling bright-eyed and bushy-tailed despite having only five hours sleep.