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shortstack51

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Posts posted by shortstack51

  1. Top 10 and top 20 schools often have 5-700 students applying for only about 10 or so spots, so it can be very competitive regardless of your qualifications. Most programs have about 150-200 people apply for 10 spots (sometimes less). When applying, it's good to apply to a broad range of schools to try to give yourself a good chance statistically of getting in.

    I'm also waiting to hear back from NYU. They seem to contact admitted people by phone, then those they're only admitting to the MA, and then rejections. My plan is to watch the results board. If no more acceptances come in by the end of today, that means they've notified everyone they wanted over the weekend (most likely).

    Most schools would prefer you didn't contact professors before applying, as far as I know, and even if you do contact them, it probably will not affect whether you get in or not. Your chances weren't hurt by not contacting anyone.

    Acceptance mostly has to do with how many other people you're competing with and how your research interests "fit" with the program. Both of these things are usually out of your control once you've constructed a good application. According to admissions committees, once they have narrowed it down to the top 50 students they want from the applicant pool, it's practically up to chance who gets picked. Those 50 are usually equally qualified.

    To put it in fewer words, it's very competitive to get into English programs in the US and the best chance you have to combat that is to apply to as many schools as financially possible with varying rankings (as long as you would be happy at those schools).

  2. I know, NYU was definitely, by far, my ultimate #1 choice! I would have probably been so elated that I had a heart attack if I got in.

    I am critical theory! Represent.

     

    My secondary concentration is Queer Theory, so I feel a kinship to my critical theory colleagues. My main concentration is Romanticism, and several faculty at NYU have done some work on what I am interested in researching.

     

    Sigh! Well, I suppose that's how it goes. I think my best fit is University of Washington (they have at least one Romanticist who does almost exactly what I would like to do), but that's also a decently long long shot. Of course, I only applied to schools that would be a good "fit" anyway, so I'll be happy anywhere!

     

    Meanwhile, I'm slogging through tons of grading I procrastinated on and I'm behind on this week's readings. Womp.

  3. I guess we didn't make the cut, shortstack! That's quite unfortunate. Of all the schools I applied, I felt that one was the best fit! Oy vay!! Not the best sign. Lol.

    Congrats you guys!!!! I am so happy for you all who got into NYU!! I bet you are all dying of excitement. . . So just go ahead and finish the dying process so I can get in. ;)

    I'm still holding out hope that they're not done yet! Not expecting to get in, though. I would have loved NYU. What is your concentration?

  4. This is just a general thank you from a lurker and first-time poster. It's kind of wonderful to see a supportive community of people here. One of my big concerns, as something of an introvert, is going to a new school and acclimating to new people and communities, but you all give me some hope that there will be cool people to meet at a great many schools. :) Also, it's nice to not be the only one who is feeling that creeping sense of anxiety and eagerness about what the next few weeks will bring!

    :)

    Hello and welcome! I'm glad you find support here. I think many of us probably would define ourselves as introverts. In my experience, there are usually plenty of wonderful people who are just as awkward, introverted, and excited about literature and discussion as myself in programs. One of the best things about graduate school, for me, was the close and intimate discussions that small classes and seminar-style instruction fostered. I know not all programs do this, but I think many do and it's a great experience.

  5. So, I have been trying to look at my application status for NYU through the SMTS system, and each time I put my UID into the field, I get a 404. Is that just me? Or should I just take it that I have probably been rejected?

    NYU is a bit of a longshot for me, and so a rejection wouldn't bother me; though, I would like to see it for my own eyes.

    SMTS is for checking the status of your documents. Once they send decision e-mails, it'll update there to say they've been sent, but otherwise it won't really help with knowing whether you've been rejected or accepted.

    I don't get a 404- not sure why that's happening to you. Either way, SMTS doesn't really say much except if they got your GRE scores.

    I would hazard that they haven't finished contacting their accepted applicants yet, so I wouldn't fret about rejections. Only 3 people that we know of have heard back.

  6. I'm sort of confused by that posting because I've been wait-listed for their PhD program and spoke with the director, who informed me that they extended offers to four applicants, and wait-listed three. Perhaps it's referencing the fact that many PhD applicants receive offers to join the MA program?

    That might be right. Last year they extended offers in late Feb I think to people for an MA instead. Ok, so I will still assume implied rejection. Thanks for the info and congrats on the wait list!

  7. Whoa, I had to double check, but you are right. I hope that doesn't mean I was rejected...

    EDIT: grammar (just woke up)

    Yeah, same. Yikes..I applied for the PhD program though. Last year they sent PhD acceptances in late February by postal. You could go back and check what they did last year for MAs (I would but I'm on my phone and expecting company!).

  8. davidipse: Does anyone at the schools you applied to write about or teach Ashbery? I enjoy his poetry, but didn't see his name mentioned among faculty interests or publications at any of the schools I looked at.

    Not sure if this is relevant, but the school I'm doing my MA has you read Ashbery in theory courses and we have at least one professor who I think has done work on him. I also know of one other program that has you read him.

    PM me if you'd like details

  9. For NYU people ( I'm not) one of my LORs is a prof there. He said many programs -- including English-- won't hear back until perhaps the 2nd week of March. Obviously, this is more rumor than super reliable inside info.

     

     

    Well...I guess that delays our acceptances by a few weeks, but I'm patient :)

     

     

    Is there an unusual delay? For the past 2 years, NYU has been notifying English PhD applicants the first and second week of February. If this is true, I'm in for a lot of angst the next few weeks. I'm supposed to hear back from another program in the next couple of days according to last year and then three programs next week. I can't take this waiting!

  10. Random thought: Is it just me or do the majority of people seem to be swapping their Verbal/Quantitative scores on the Results Board? I know I accidentally switched my numbers when submitting a result, but it seems like others are having the same issue. I get so confused by these Quantitative geniuses who are accepted to English programs with average Verbal scores  :P

    On the GRE scores page on the ETS website, they list verbal first and quantitative second, but on the results submission form the Q is first and V second. I think we're all just so used to listing V first that we stop and get confused when asked to submit Q first.

  11. Shortstack!! Since you're already in New York, go ahead and stop by NYU and order them to let me into their program by this evening.

    I'll make it worth your while! I'll give you a cookie.

    Haha no problem. I will do anything for cookies! I'll storm Washington Square and refuse to leave until they admit both of us ;)

    I hope we hear back today or tomorrow. They're a reach and I'd like to know ASAP whether to squash my foolish hopes.

  12. You shouldn't feel that way at all. With no disrespect to the writer of that post, all that stuff can at times work antithetically and come off as a negative. Grad schools want students to be "their product," as I've been told so many times before. If a candidate comes in with all that, then the slate isn't really as clean as departments would like it to be. Furthermore, I've also been told by a number of individuals on ad comms that impressive resumes and stats will only mean the candidate is judged harsher and ad comms will be less forgiving. So you have a shot at many, many schools. Hell, Harvard, I believe, doesn't accept anyone with a Masters, so that is food for thought.

    Agreed- except the point about Harvard. People from my program with MAs have gotten in in the past and I was encouraged to apply.

    But yes, there is a reason you'll see past rejections with people saying they've been published 4 times and they don't understand why the've been rejected. Schools are more interested in cultivating potential and developing their "brand." Admissions has much more to do with concentration/what the department wants to develop their program into for the year than stats.

  13. It's nearing the end of the week! And still no word from Vandy or NYU. Of course assuming rejection from Vandy. Who else is waiting on NYU??? If I get rejected there too I'll probably give up all hope! Lol.

    Also waiting on NYU! We've had a lot of weather issues out here, so the adcomm probably hasn't really been meeting as much as usual. I'm guessing we'll hear soonish though

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