dazedandbemused

IMO, the best way to find out what a good academic CV looks like is to go to various English department websites and take a look at the CVs that the professors have uploaded. A large amount of them, especially the top schools, have full pdf versions of their CV uploaded. While it's very unlikely that you'll need the 8-12 pages that some of them have, you can at least look at how they set up the various sections of their CV and how they've ordered their accomplishments. Hope this helps!

So I took the test last year and had almost the exact opposite experience as you all, thoroughly convincing me that this test is bollocks. I took a TON of practice tests and did absolutely horribly, so I was definitely enjoying the jocular defeatist attitude that thestage mentions. Amazingly, when I did the actual test I ended up getting a weirdly large amount of questions that directly related to the 18th century lit class that I was taking that same semester, so I ended up with a 650/85%. And you know what? I'm applying to PhDs again because I really don't think that my pretty good score did anything at all to help my application; even if I had the most perfect app ever (which I really didn't) I still don't think it would have made much difference. So don't worry about getting tossed out for crappy scores, you guys should be fine.

Austin is basically my dream school right now. Did you go there for undergrad, or are you a PhD there now?

I'm glad I'm not crazy, because I've heard the exact same things as you, which totally put me off the school. I have a friend who just finished her PhD at Northwestern and mentioned that few of the people she knew from U Chicago were satisfied. Also, in the words of my advisor, "The Chicago English department is a den of vipers."

Hey all, I don't know about you but I'm finally getting to the point where my list of schools is basically set and now I've got to hunker down and get those apps out. My biggest worry, and the reason I started this topic, is knowing what kind of department you could be entering next year. I thought it would be great to have a place where people could mention what schools they're familiar with so that interested parties could PM each other about the various schools. I'm all about schools where you don't feel like your whole life becomes "what are you working on?" so while rankings ARE important, I care way more about support systems. I'll lead by example; I'm currently doing a post-baccalaureate at University of Pittsburgh, so if anyone has questions about the department here, shoot me a message and I'd be happy to reply.

This was one of my favorite things about Buffalo when I applied last year. They were really kind and communicative during the whole process and if I'd made it off of the waitlist (which was apparently sooo close) I would have gone in a heartbeat.

Wow, that article is kind of hilarious in its obliviousness! The comments are even funnier though. But in response to the OP, I would say that you can't judge how flush someone is with cash by their past experiences. I most certainly don't have any large quantities of cash, but when I was in undergrad I went to a couple of Broadway shows because those were the things that I valued. With student rush tickets, it's about 35 dollars. When the money's tight, some people would rather eat expensive restaurant food and walk everywhere; others would live on PB&J as long as they could afford to put gas in the car. I wouldn't judge your classmates for their experiences, because a lot of my undergrad experiences helped to open new areas of inquiry to me as a scholar, including a few international trips. As Usmivka said, they sound like some pretty interesting people

Yes, what Rachael2687 said. Schools such as UIUC, UConn, Penn State and IU Bloomington where you don't have to continue to the PhD, but you don't have to reapply to get into program.

I'm also applying for a Masters, but I'm doing about equal numbers of PhD applications as well. Then again, most of my MA programs are feeders into the PhDs there, so I guess I'm leaning a little more heavily toward PhD.

For me, the PhD is primarily a means to an end. My dream is to work at my undergraduate institution as a professor, because I love to teach and I feel like I have a lot that I can give to the atmosphere there. I'm not too gung ho about research even though I definitely enjoy it on a good day. In order to do what I really want to do, I have to have a PhD, so that's what I'm doing. Perhaps not that inspiring, but such is life.

Someone may have asked/answered this question earlier, but does anyone have any particular knowledge of Bloomfield? I've heard that it's nice but I'm wondering what kind of things there are to do there; it doesn't seem like there's an area that's really alive the way Murray Ave. is in Squirrel Hill. Any thoughts?

I've got the same problem with writing sample lengths as you, except I haven't written anything in my subfield that I'd want to submit because I only recently became interested in it and the few classes that I took weren't particularly conducive to writing sample material. At this point I have made the completely insane, likely impossible decision to write a new paper and make a 10 page and a 15 page version of it. Luckily, the program I'm in this fall leaves me with significant research time outside of classes, so I will be putting my time and the library's resources to full use.

I got a four on the writing when I took the GRE as well and I couldn't believe it! I guess I hadn't spent nearly enough time reading sample essays because when I read through a few afterwards I realized that, just as Stately Plump says, the ones with great scores were totally high school. I still haven't decided if I want to take the test this year because I did it last application season and once felt like enough. Then again, I've never been able to get super excited about blowing standardized tests out of the water; I usually do it once and take what I get.

THIS. I applied to about 13 programs last year, and honestly, maybe 7 of them were a good fit. This year, I've already got about 18 schools on my list, and maybe half of them are MAs. I did A LOT more research this time so I'm only reapplying to about 3 from last year, but the fit is way better with my current list. You live and learn I guess!

I'm curious if anyone has information about Lobos Management. I've heard from a variety of sources to stay as far away from them as possible because of how horrible and unmaintained their properties are, but I keep coming across listings from them for absolutely beautiful apartments. Is it possible they've changed their ways? Or am I just being fooled by the paint over the moldy walls trick?

I'm going to be starting a post-bac in the fall, but I personally never would have done it without funding. Unless you feel confident that you will be able to make great connections and that it will truly add to your CV I wouldn't do it. I say that because you could end up doing all of that work only to walk away with a couple of new classes and not much else to show for it. Would the professors in the program be willing to write you new LORs? How involved would they be in helping you to move on to the next stage of graduate work? The real question is whether the good outweighs the bad; in my program, for instance, even if I don't get straight into a PhD I have a named fellowship to put on my CV and I've been paid to sit around taking awesome classes. What exactly is the school gaining by giving you this opportunity, and what do you get out of it in return?

I'm in the exact same boat. It doesn't particularly help when your undergrad professors keep assuring you that your chances are phenomenal while the voice in the back of your head keeps chanting "only 5-7% acceptance rate". The program I'm starting in the fall is only for a year so I'm starting the application process all over again and I can't say I'm looking forward to it. The stress almost did me in this time!

Out of curioustiy, can you elaborate on the bloodbath? Virginia is pretty high on my list too, but this bloodbath sounds ominous...

I hope you don't find this question offensive, but is this paper for a graduate class? I ask because, to be honest, it sounds a little bit unfocused for something written above an undergraduate level.

Hey randompsychologist, just wanted to check if you'd heard anything back from them yet.

Thanks for the advice! And so you know, I got a letter in the mail from on Wednesday. It was dated May 9, but I don't know if they sent all of them out on the same day. At this point, I seriously can't afford to pay for school, so I'd become used to the idea of taking out student loans. When I got the offer from them I didn't want to get so excited about the money only to sabotage myself. I spoke to my department contact at Boston College and they seemed fine with it and my advisor thinks it's a pretty good idea, so I've decided to go with it. As much as I would LOVE to work with the people at Boston, I've got great people at Pitt, too. I think I'm most worried because the program is relatively unknown even though it is at Pittsburgh. Do you know how manhy applicants they had?

I'm currently in the grip of what feels like a pretty big problem and any help would be appreciated. I just found out this morning that I've been accepted to Pittsburgh's Hot Metal Bridge Program which is a new fellowship initiative that they started last year. It comes with 12 credits of tuition remission per semester plus a $19,000 stipend just for showing up. There aren't any strings attached; I'd basically be there to take classes and prepare myself for another round of PhD apps. I don't think post BA programs are even a thing for English type people, so that was surprising as well. It might look good on a CV, but on the other hand I can totally see committees reading it and thinking "What the heck is a Hot Metal Bridge?" To further complicate matters, I've already sent my letter accepting admission to Boston College. I really like their program and some of their people are great, but I wasn't offered any funding for the first year although there is a significant possibility of funding in the second year. I can't decide what the long term effects of either choice would be; while the masters program is at a really good school that would offer amazing local opportunities, the thought of going to school debt-free and with no program obligations is super tempting. Plus, I learned so much during this application season that I'd almost like the chance to have a do-over next year, even if I only end up in an MA program again. The biggest problem with Boston, really, is how to withdraw my promise of admission without coming across like a total waste of their time. I guess what I'm asking for is advice from anyone who may have gone through either track or who knows someone who did. I'll also take advice from people who are just good at giving it I don't want to look back in three years and wish I had taken the other option even though there will always be something appealing about the road not taken...

I was at the top of the waitlist at SUNY Buffalo for a PhD, and I was told that it was almost a certainty that I would get in off of it. Unfortunately, that didn't work out, so I'm doing a masters at Boston College. I was sad, but it gives me a chance to aim higher next time

Thanks for all the advice. Readwritenap, you speak wisdom into my neurotic brain This process has definitely been hard on my nerves (I feel like Mrs. Bennet when I say that) and the thought that I had made a huge mistake just wouldn't go away. Lazaria, your point in particular is one that I originally made with myself when I first chose Boston, as all of my other offers were also one year. I'm just terrified of owing more money than I already do. However, Boston does have the possibility of a teaching fellowship in the second year, so it is possible that I'll only end up paying for one year. In the lucid light of day, I've returned to a state of certainty about my choice. Boston it is!

So, I just accepted my offer from Boston College last night. Here I am feeling great about my future when suddenly, an offer from Rochester appears in the mail. I'd basically resigned myself to being super poor and living in Boston, but the thought of not going into quite so much debt is really pulling at me. Boston's offer is completely unfunded, and it's a two-year program, while Rochester's is a one year and has a half tuition scholarship. My advisor has told me repeatedly that doing a one year is a massively horrible idea, but in the back of my head I keep thinking that it can't be THAT bad. And how do you tell a school that you just accepted that you've changed your mind so quickly? I'm at a loss right now...