Datatape

Never mind, not going to lower myself to that level.

Because I have a weird cross-section of interests and I'd rather go to a school that's lower ranked but very strong in what I want to research/study than a higher ranked one where I'd be struggling to find anyone who had the slightest interest in my work. Ultimately, it's not about where you go to get the Ph.D., it's what you do with it.

Okay, guys. There is a whole lot of this going on: And there needs to be a whole lot of this going on: I promise you, IT IS GOING TO BE OKAY. You are all brilliant, but you really need to stop hyperventilating over every tiny hiccup you find in your applications. At this point in the game, you have pretty much done everything you could possibly do and it will be entirely in the adcom's hands, so just submit your applications, get a good night's sleep and try to relax.

Yaaaaaaaaaaay!

Everyone. Here. Go look at this: http://www.marthastewart.com/908309/whiskey-and-bourbon-cocktails/@center/276959/cocktail-hour#318716. Make them. Drink them. Breathe.

Caffeine and spite.

"The Yellow Wallpaper."

I don't think it matters one way or the other, unless the school specifically requires it. I submitted all my SOPs double-spaced last year and was wait-listed at three schools. I think it looks better and is easier to read double-spaced, so that's how I'm doing it.

Application #1 down. Do your worst, Emory.* *By which I mean please don't do your worst. In fact, if you'd like to be overly kind and handle me with kids' gloves, I'd be totally okay with that.

To everyone, whether you are doing this for the first, second, or third time, just remember: we've all worked incredibly hard to get to this point. Whether you get into the program of your dreams or not, that has nothing to do with your accomplishments and the work you've accomplished. I thought it was the end of the world when I went zero-for-seven last year, but it wasn't. This process forges you and makes you a stronger scholar and student. And when you feel like you can't go any more or you're going to die while waiting for those calls or emails to come in, remember this: You can't jump the track, we're like cars on a cable And life's like an hourglass glued to the table No one can find the rewind button now So sing it if you understand And breathe, just breathe

I highly doubt a Works Cited page would factor into your page count. As for a title page, I'd just advise against it unless mandated - let them get right to it without having to scroll past or flip over a single page. Just put your name and "Writing Sample" at the top of the document and let that be it.

Reading? For... pleasure?

Curses. Thanks, guys.

I've been really struggling with getting my writing sample under 20 pages. I initially wrote my thesis in Times New Roman 12 pt font, and it would make my life significantly easier to switch to Calibri 11 pt font. Does anybody know if this is kosher or if I should stick with Times New Roman 12? (I have always swapped over from Calibri 11 to Times 12 because I think it looks better and more professional, but it is the standard font in Word, so I can't imagine there would be an enormous to-do about it).

Well, I feel like I was just run over by a bookmobile. In honesty, though, that wasn't anywhere near as bad as I was expecting it to be. I don't know if I was just taking really horrifying practice tests or what, but I feel really good about it. There were only 11 questions I left blank because I had no idea and I was able to get through each other one, feeling either confident or comfortable with my answer. Would that everything turned out that way. :|

So I kind of just realized that three of my schools aren't going to get my GRE subject scores before the deadline. Oops. At least none of them were ones I was truly upset about cutting and I had three good backup schools to add onto my list. So this is my final (I hope) list: Really, really hoping for: Delaware Emory WUSTL UNC Chapel Hill Oregon Would be thrilled to go: Kansas Nebraska at Lincoln Could make an honest go of it: Georgia State Kentucky Nevada at Reno Texas Tech West Virginia Damn the torpedoes and full speed ahead.

I have four schools that require the subject test and two more that say it's recommended, but not required. I'm using my four free reports on the schools that require it and I'm going to wait to see how I feel about the test before I decide whether or not to report my scores to the other two schools. I generally have a pretty good gauge about how I did on standardized tests, so I'm going to go with my gut.

I'm not planning to mention I was waitlisted in my SOP. No reason to give them any cause to doubt you. Just concentrate on putting forth the best possible package you can for this year.

I had a friend who's finishing up her Bachelor's this year ask me about different possibilities for schools for her to look into for grad school. Her primary interests are medieval lit (I was able to help with that), narrative studies (again, was able to help with the assistance of Google), and comp lit (I had NO idea where to begin). She is nearly fluent in German and is an English/German double major, having just returned from six months studying abroad in Munich. She said she would very much like to work with medieval works even in a comp/lit program, particularly medieval German/Scandinavian texts. Does anyone know of any programs that I might be able to recommend to her?

Oh, I had such good intentions when I started this process. And yet here we are, almost November, and I still don't have a writing sample or statement of purpose that are anywhere near to done, I still have seven POIs to email and establish initial contact with and I've got the subject test breathing down my neck. I thought I'd have so much more time now that I'm not going to school, but moving to a new apartment and working 30+ hours a week at my office job and adjuncting at my alma mater and dealing with stupid family drama and - and - and - and - Somebody give me a hug, please.

Yeeeeeah. I'm gearing up for this on November 10 (was out of town at a family wedding on the 13th, otherwise I would have taken it then). I've done okay on the practice exams, but I've been brushing up on my weak spots (reading Paradise Lost, re-reading Canterbury Tales, brushing up on Shakespeare) and doing my best to keep from feeling like this.

Last year, I applied to seven schools and I really had absolutely no idea how to go about doing it. I didn't contact any POIs, I had a pretty weak statement of purpose, my writing sample was nowhere near as good as it could have been, and I was in such a tizzy between working, trying to pass a 200-level foreign language class and writing my thesis that it's a miracle none of the schools sent somebody to punch me in the face. I got onto three waitlists, none of which panned out, and got a much better sense of how to play the game this go around. It is a very holistic process, and there's no great advice I can give you except do your work early. I didn't even start looking into schools until mid-October of last year and by the end of November I was in a complete whirlwind, spitting out applications like a lawn sprinkler. Take the time to tailor your application to each school, make sure your writing sample is lined up with what you want to study, get in touch with your POIs early (and don't be offended if they don't respond). Most importantly, if you realize in the middle of the process that a school isn't a good fit for you, DO NOT BE AFRAID TO DROP IT, even if you're halfway through your application for that school. You will be much better served using your time, effort, and energy trying to get into a school that really hits the sweet spot with your interests rather than spreading yourself thin for a school that you probably wouldn't even go to if they accepted you.