Datatape

Everybody makes some typo or another. Everybody. 99.9% of them will not even be noticed; these adcoms are reading so many applications that they probably won't even pick up on something like that.

Well, I meant more along the lines of I'm in Florida, you're in Minnesota, so I'd almost certainly assume a rejection would reach you before me. If you haven't heard anything by now, you're probably still in the hunt. And thank you for the good wishes; I already have an acceptance, so I'm not wringing my hands too much over Oregon, but it would have been a good fit. Ah, well.

Oh, Katia, I'm so sorry - I never meant to induce angst. If it makes you feel any better, my Oregon rejection letter arrived in Florida today. The letter said they had 176 applicants this year and could only admit about 10%. That one stings a little bit because my POI was on the adcom and every contact I had with him was initially quite positive. Oh, well.

Oh, Gainesville is a wonderful city. It's very pleasant, a total college town, with extremely accepting and laid-back people. Pretty much the only sliver of pleasantness in this godforsaken state.

So, Oregon's snail-mail rejections started arriving today. I didn't get one, but I'm about as far away from Eugene as you can get and still be in the continental U.S. If my mailbox is still empty tomorrow, I will feel much more confident. And Billy Goehring and no_foam_cappuccino, if those are your actual pictures, y'all are damn adorable. You quit being such a good looking couple! Quit it right now!

The best advice I can give: 1.) Do your homework early. Research programs as soon as you are able to pull yourself together from getting rejected. Last year, I got my last waitlist rejection in late April just before I defended my thesis. I graduated in May and spent most of late May and early June researching programs and professors to try and find the best fits for me. If there are particular things (authors, genres, forms of criticism) you like, go onto an academic database and start searching for who's writing on them. You will find scholars who you want to work with in this way. 2.) Start saving. Squirrel away money wherever you can to foot the bill for as many application/GRE fees you can. I applied to thirteen programs and the total fee (GRE scores, application fees, transcripts from three schools, GRE subject test) was close to $2000. It was a huge financial burden, but so many of these applications are dice rolls and you need to give yourself as many rolls as you can afford. Eventually, boxcars are going to come up. 3.) Make contact with professors who you want to work with, even if it's just to inquire about whether they are able to take on students. You never know when one of them will give you a huge amount of inside information or will let you know that they are on the adcom. 4.) Unless you have no other choice, don't be restricted by geography. Look at programs across the U.S. (or international programs). A number of schools offer stipends to help you move across country. It's also good for you as a person to experience living somewhere you never have before. 5.) Rewrite and rewrite and rewrite your writing sample and statement of purpose. These are the single two most important parts of your application. Unless you have an absolutely brilliant piece of writing outside your area of expertise, make sure your writing sample lines up with what field your statement of purpose says you want to work in. 6.) Be prepared for the fact that, even working extremely hard and preparing as much as you can, you may not get into your top picks. Half of this battle is mental preparation. Getting rejected always sucks and even if you have an acceptance in hand somewhere else it stings to have a program tell you "no." There are a lot of very talented applicants who strike out every single year, and even if you feel a program is perfect for you, you can't predict whether a school took four students in your specialty last year or your POI is the black sheep of the department who has serious enemies on the adcom. These things are out of your control. Getting rejected is a part of this experience; people who get in to every single program they apply to are an extreme exception to the rule. 7.) If your GRE (or TOEFL) scores are low, work to increase them. Yes, these tests are horrible and don't give an accurate picture of you as a scholar. You still do not want to give an adcom any reason to cut you, and unfortunately this is an objective number they can look at when it comes down to the nitty-gritty. Above all else, try not to get discouraged. If this is your dream, keep at it. Last year, I got three waitlists, none of which converted. This year, I had an acceptance the first week of February and have two other waitlists, with half of my schools still to officially tell me anything. It may not feel like it now, but you can always strengthen your application and try again. These schools aren't going anywhere. If you really want this, take a long, hard look at your application materials (or have a professor you trust look at them) and determine what you need to work on in order to make a stronger run at it next year.

Oh, my God, all of this good news. YOU GUYS. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYGMguS2dD8

Oh, boy. Somebody just posted a rejection from Oregon via U.S. mail. I'm going to be on edge until I can get home and check my mailbox tonight.

Didn't get in, but wanted to congratulate you both: Chapel Hill was my #1 choice and it's an absolutely fantastic program.

Which USC, Southern California or South Carolina? Because I still have not heard one peep from South Carolina.

Acccck! Mostlytoasty, I am so sorry, I accidentally downvoted your UCR acceptance post. And it turns out I'm out of upvotes anyway so I can't balance out my stupidity by upvoting your Colorado acceptance. I'm so sorry. I'm a miserable failure and ought to be shot.

No need for anything too complex. Dear Dr. So-And-So: My name is skybythelight and I am one of the applicants for the University of BFE's English Ph.D. program this year. I am sorry to bother you at what I'm sure must be a busy time, but I have not yet heard back from your program and was wondering if you could please let me know when I might expect to hear from UBFE. Thank you very much for your time. Sincerely, skybythelight

Be strong. I didn't get my first waitlist notification last year until almost the first of March, and I almost made it in on my last waitlist, which was still waiting to see if they could admit me in the last few days up to and a few days after the April 15 deadline. You genuinely never know what's going to happen at any time.

Congrats! Phenomenal school and program. What's your area of interest?

Oh, Lawd. Does anyone want to put the rest of us out of their misery and claim that Chapel Hill acceptance?

I haven't heard anything from South Carolina either. I'm inclined to think that's a false entry.

WHY AM I ALWAYS OUT OF UPVOTES.

Emory will probably send out rejections in the next few days.

I actually have a very similar experience - my dad's taken a little while to fully support what I want to do, but my mom has been extremely supportive the whole time. And I agree; the professional/mentoring support I've gotten from professors at my Master's institution (to say nothing of the collaborative support of my cohort mates) did worlds for me getting the confidence to make the leap and apply for Ph.D. programs, as well as keeping me sane along the way.

Yes - I recall last year, one student was rejected from all but two of her schools. Those two? Duke and Chicago, far and away the highest-ranked in her list. it ain't over til it's over.

I certainly can't imagine that would look bad in any way, particularly since it is tenure-track. That would speak very highly of your abilities and the confidence of that university in hiring you on for such a position.