echo449

I rotate between one theory, one novel, and one book of poetry so: Currently working through Fred Jameson's last book (Antinomies of Realism) because of that Verso sale for my theory; Jonathan Lethem's Chronic City for my novel; and Robert Creeley's Selected Poems etc..

Unrelated to this: Just realized that one of the professors that I listed in my SoP for school-that-will-not-be-named left the department at some point in the past year and the website was never updated. Should I try and send the department a revised SoP even though the deadline is past?

Thaaaat's interesting. Can you tell us any more about this friend? I.e. whether they were coming in with the MA, if they had just known a PI there?

Does anyone else ever feel a little grumpy when you come across a small spelling mistake on a program's website? It's petty, but my obsessive editing of my own materials makes every mention of an upcoming "semibar" just, uh, >:l-X-= (words fail me here).

Out of curiosity, have you asked the professors teaching the seminars why they allowed something like the n-word usage to happen? Did they comment on it/ impress upon that student how their relationship to the text does not occur in a vacuum?

Ha, WT that is what I'm hoping, though I feel slightly guilty doing so. I know from my own University there are 5 or 6 applying, though no one from my own area (20th century poetics and politics). But as to finals week: does anyone else feel deeply jealous of programs that are due in January? CUNY might get an app from me just because I'll have some chance to breathe before their deadline, polishing up the fit paragraph instead of assembling it in a state of half-panic. Though I did realize while applying to UCSC yesterday that one of the PoIs there for me is in fact the baby version of a professor writing one of my letters. So that's something.

Does anyone know why the numbers around here have dropped so dramatically? Is it cyclical? When I was applying last year, I remember this being a much, much more crowded space (I'm reapplying this year after only receiving a couple unfunded masters offers).

Okay just got my official rejection from Duke. Glad to actually know where I stand. Oh well! 9 to go.

Congratz to anyone reading who might've gotten in! I feel surprisingly okay right now--probably because I realized as I was putting all my stuff together for it that, despite the crazy awesomeness of the people there, no one actually shared my specific research interests. Oh well!

Ohhh I see. I guess I completely forgot I received this email in the app-blackout period immediately following the new year. Thanks!

Are you guys talking about English or Lit?

Unless you are worried about money or really doubtful that you could do well, take the lit gre. It doesn't make sense to shut yourself out of so many programs at this stage. It's the shittiest test ever devised by man but I'm sure that you will be alright if you study for it.

No problem! Also I forgot Yale, which is very good, but I was adamant about not applying to that many Ivies so I blocked it from my mind I guess. And talk to your old professors! They will be so much more helpful than we will be. It may be the case that they don't think you shold reapply to UVA (3 degrees from the same place can look weird to job comittees, unless yr Hahvahd), so keep that in mind when looking around.

Most places do not do interviews, and Emory is the most prominent of those that do. I gathered from scanning the results page that Penn State interviewed a couple people last year because of the competition, but I'm betting you will not run into any interview invitations in yr time.

I cannot speak to exactly what appeals to you, so you should look more closely at faculty but: If you are interested in 20th century American poetry, places like UPenn, Columbia, Cornell, WashU, Northwestern, Berkeley, UCLA, Penn State, U Chicago, UVA, and possibly Vandy depending on if you want to work in AF AM lit. Buffalo and Maryland arn't bad either. Duke is great for 20th century lit but poetry is not a focus there. Maybe someone else could help you fill in the blanks farther down yr list.

Sure, but it's a bad job market for everyone, as I'm sure you know, and whether someone should take an unfunded MA or not should probably be understood in terms of financial realities. That's a lot of debt to take on for this career, especially if they have undergrad debt.

Ten here, and I've had multiple people (professors & grad students) look at me funny for doing so few. Good to know that other people here don't have bottomless pockets.

I think the short answer is: sure. All of these institutions are respected and worth applying to. The long answer is: The job market being what it is, you should keep in mind that there is no guarentee of getting the kind of job you are talking about no matter where you go. All you are doing is optimizing your chances. I'm applying (probably foolishly) to only top programs not because I wanted to (there are a bunch of places I would have traded Ivies for b/c of cost/chances of acceptance), but because I was told, with all the thunder of Mordor, that there are just no jobs out there. It is important to keep in mind that you could go to Duke, be in the top of your class, and still wind up at a satellite campus of a state school. There is no guarentee. (edited for reading comprehension)

I mean you are proposing an area of interest in your SoP correct? If so, showing an awareness of current trends in the field/ how your work takes them into account can only help (unless you are talking about a place like Austin, which does not want a proposed area of research).

Um I would point out that Northwestern themselves do not say that: http://www.english.northwestern.edu/graduate/prospective-students/phd_program.html. Their listed average is around 95%, so there's that. Don't panic yet!