2019 Applicants

[havemybloodchild]

3 minutes ago, snorkles said:

I wrote "enganglement" in my Stanford SoP. I'm sure they had a good laugh while throwing my application in the rejection dumpster. Seriously though, I had a typo in my Chicago SoP, and it didn't seem to matter at all; mistakes happen. Still, "enganglement" ??????

"Enganglement" made me giggle.  I'm kind of gangly and very clumsy so I'm pretty sure I experience enganglement on a daily basis.

[havemybloodchild]

To any lurking English professors: please make yourself known so we can pepper you with very annoying questions like what GRE score would make our applications failure-proof and also make not-so-subtle appeals to you to wield your power for good on our current, clearly not failure-proof applications.  Thanks.

[tcatherine]

Question for the CUNY acceptances (and congrats, too!), are we talking CUNY Graduate Center? Or am I an idiot and there are other CUNY schools offering PhD programs. 

[emprof]

29 minutes ago, kendalldinniene said:

To any lurking English professors: please make yourself known so we can pepper you with very annoying questions like what GRE score would make our applications failure-proof and also make not-so-subtle appeals to you to wield your power for good on our current, clearly not failure-proof applications.  Thanks.

I'm the director of grad admissions in English at an R1 university. I'm not lurking to find any information on applicants! (By the time we've read your applications multiple times, we have more information than we can even process!) Rather, I'm trying to figure out what information might have been shared about particular/additional fellowships awarded--specifically, whether other admittees are aware that they were not awarded these funds. FWIW, GRE scores are really bad predictors of who will succeed in graduate school, and we try not to rely on them almost at all. 

[ArcaMajora]

Anyone who applied to Cornell, looks like decisions are being released right now. Didn't make it

Congrats to anyone who has gotten accepted tho Cornell seems to historically notify all results on the same day, so there should be a flood of Cornell results coming in today and/or tomorrow.

Edited February 13, 2019 by Ranmaag

[havemybloodchild]

11 minutes ago, emprof said:

I'm the director of grad admissions in English at an R1 university. I'm not lurking to find any information on applicants! (By the time we've read your applications multiple times, we have more information than we can even process!) Rather, I'm trying to figure out what information might have been shared about particular/additional fellowships awarded--specifically, whether other admittees are aware that they were not awarded these funds. FWIW, GRE scores are really bad predictors of who will succeed in graduate school, and we try not to rely on them almost at all. 

I’m glad you’re here! 

[emprof]

Just now, kendalldinniene said:

I’m glad you’re here! 

Oh, thanks! I read the posts speculating about profs lurking and started to feel sheepish ... 

[havemybloodchild]

Just now, emprof said:

Oh, thanks! I read the posts speculating about profs lurking and started to feel sheepish ... 

I tend to think of everyone in English as a sort of fairy godperson rooting for students (I had an amazing experience with my department in undergrad), so please take my use of the word “lurking” as a gentle rib 

[Bopie5]

16 minutes ago, emprof said:

'm the director of grad admissions in English at an R1 university. I'm not lurking to find any information on applicants! (By the time we've read your applications multiple times, we have more information than we can even process!) Rather, I'm trying to figure out what information might have been shared about particular/additional fellowships awarded--specifically, whether other admittees are aware that they were not awarded these funds. FWIW, GRE scores are really bad predictors of who will succeed in graduate school, and we try not to rely on them almost at all. 

As someone who spiraled into stress thinking that I had said something on here that invalidated my app, thank you for this post, and for being here! The clarification and candor are deeply appreciated.

[emprof]

1 minute ago, kendalldinniene said:

I tend to think of everyone in English as a sort of fairy godperson rooting for students (I had an amazing experience with my department in undergrad), so please take my use of the word “lurking” as a gentle rib 

Oh, I wasn't in the least offended! But I know all too well the inevitable paranoia attendant on the application process. (It keeps going throughout the academic life cycle: tenure, promotion, fellowships, book proposals, grants ...) I just didn't want to be the source of additional anxiety! Definitely love the idea of being a fairy godprof. 

[ArcaMajora]

3 hours ago, ana21 said:

I dreamt I was accepted into my first choice, was super happy throughout the dream and it felt very real; only to wake up, check my email and be disappointed as there was nothing.. nothing at all

Kinda freaky, I had a dream about my top choice not too long ago. It was far more ambiguous, and in fact my dream seemed to be almost toying with me some sort of existential crisis about 'how far would you be willing to get accepted into the school of your dreams' o_O I don't want to comment on what that school is though, considering I did just get rejected from the one school that appeared in my dreams way too often haha (lookin at you Cornell.)

That kind of dream you had sounds awesome and yet terrifying. There's the high of being accepted in the dream, and then you wake up in real life to an empty inbox... it's not great on the mind lol. (and my university e-mail is probably very tired of me refreshing over and over.)

@emprof Thank you for joining the forum And welcome! Like Bopie I was terrified that anything I said here would hold me liable to some sort of apocalyptic outcome in admissions, but I'm really glad that a professor like you did come forward (there's definitely a faculty presence in GC, but I don't think English faculty specifically have been forthcoming with accounts to my knowledge, someone with years of experience in the forum feel free to correct me though) I do have to say, the thought of a fairy godprof in residence is an awesome idea for future applicants (especially those planning for Fall 2020). Any advice you give would be indispensable.

Edited February 13, 2019 by Ranmaag

[jadeisokay]

@emprof, you're the adcom hero we need and (frankly) deserve. 

[vondafkossum]

And, I finally have my last rejection. I’ll be back here in a couple weeks, scouring old threads to figure out how to present myself as a more impressive applicant next year. Right now I’m going to take some time to feel sad about this shut out, but I have so much happiness in my heart for everyone who got into programs. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for those of you still waiting to hear back. 

 

Good luck, y’all, with all your endeavors!

[trytostay]

@vondafkossum Mope for a bit and then turn that sadness into fuel for next year. This process will have made you a much stronger applicant for next year and you'll be able to tackle next cycle with a whole new perspective! Just remember it's not a reflection of you or your work. Stay positive. 

Edited February 13, 2019 by trytostay

[mandelbulb]

@vondafkossum i'll be rooting for you!  

[emprof]

1 minute ago, Ranmaag said:

Kinda freaky, I had a dream about my top choice not too long ago. It was far more ambiguous, and in fact my dream seemed to be almost toying with me some sort of existential crisis about 'how far would you be willing to get accepted into the school of your dreams' o_O I don't want to comment on what that school is though, considering I did just get rejected from the one school that appeared in my dreams way too often haha (lookin at you Cornell.)

That kind of dream you had sounds awesome and yet terrifying. There's the high of being accepted in the dream, and then you wake up in real life to an empty inbox... it's not great on the mind lol. (and my university e-mail is probably very tried of me refreshing over and over.)

@emprof Thank you for joining the forum And welcome! Like Bopie I was terrified that anything I said here would hold me liable to some sort of apocalyptic outcome in admissions, but I'm really glad that a professor like you did come forward (there's definitely a faculty presence in GC, but I don't think English faculty specifically have been forthcoming with accounts to my knowledge, someone with years of experience in the forum feel free to correct me though) I do have to say, the thought of a fairy godprof in residence is an awesome idea for future applicants (especially those planning for Fall 2020). Any advice you give would be indispensable.

No, I promise--I've served on grad admissions for many years, directing the committee several times, and  we're not looking for additional reading material! And we're definitely not looking to find out any dirt on our applicants in underhanded or nefarious ways. I'm not sure this is advice, exactly, but I'd just remind all applicants (especially at moments of disappointment) to keep sight of the fact that we have *way* more applicants who could clearly succeed in the program than we can admit. And even of those we admit (my institution aims for a cohort size of 6-8), we can't secure all of them academic jobs when they finish, even if they were spectacularly successful in the program (winning fellowships, publishing articles, writing stellar dissertations). We sometimes joke, grimly, that we're doing more of a favor to the applicants we reject than the ones we accept. Not to spread doom and gloom about the profession--I'm sure you've heard it all before. But it's worth keeping in mind that there are lots of ways to have a rich intellectual and professional life, inside and outside of academia.

[millw]

12 minutes ago, emprof said:

But it's worth keeping in mind that there are lots of ways to have a rich intellectual and professional life, inside and outside of academia.

This reminder actually gave me a little bit of peace at the end of a long day of grad admissions, especially since I'm spending about half of my time thinking of various backup plans. Thanks @emprof

[Fedallah]

4 minutes ago, emprof said:

No, I promise--I've served on grad admissions for many years, directing the committee several times, and  we're not looking for additional reading material! And we're definitely not looking to find out any dirt on our applicants in underhanded or nefarious ways. I'm not sure this is advice, exactly, but I'd just remind all applicants (especially at moments of disappointment) to keep sight of the fact that we have *way* more applicants who could clearly succeed in the program than we can admit. And even of those we admit (my institution aims for a cohort size of 6-8), we can't secure all of them academic jobs when they finish, even if they were spectacularly successful in the program (winning fellowships, publishing articles, writing stellar dissertations). We sometimes joke, grimly, that we're doing more of a favor to the applicants we reject than the ones we accept. Not to spread doom and gloom about the profession--I'm sure you've heard it all before. But it's worth keeping in mind that there are lots of ways to have a rich intellectual and professional life, inside and outside of academia.

TY @emprof. This is super comforting for me as i'm currently halfway through my first app cycle and am still waiting for any speck of good news =/ 

[havemybloodchild]

20 minutes ago, vondafkossum said:

And, I finally have my last rejection. I’ll be back here in a couple weeks, scouring old threads to figure out how to present myself as a more impressive applicant next year. Right now I’m going to take some time to feel sad about this shut out, but I have so much happiness in my heart for everyone who got into programs. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for those of you still waiting to hear back. 

 

Good luck, y’all, with all your endeavors!

 

You have a lot to be proud of, having worked through this whole hellacious process and seeing it through to the end. 

You will dominate next cycle, I have faith!!!

[vondafkossum]

@mandelbulb @kendalldinniene I’m out of reacts, but I appreciate it! Thank you!

[Musmatatus]

Is anyone else having trouble submitting results? It says there must be an error, but won't tell me what the error could possibly be!! Can't see a darn thing wrong with it. 

(The result is a UCSB English waitlist, fyi.) 

[Sav]

2 minutes ago, sugilite said:

Is anyone else having trouble submitting results? It says there must be an error, but won't tell me what the error could possibly be!! Can't see a darn thing wrong with it. 

(The result is a UCSB English waitlist, fyi.) 

I had to submit mine twice earlier! 

[havemybloodchild]

16 minutes ago, sugilite said:

Is anyone else having trouble submitting results? It says there must be an error, but won't tell me what the error could possibly be!! Can't see a darn thing wrong with it. 

(The result is a UCSB English waitlist, fyi.) 

Niiiiice!!!

[emprof]

2 hours ago, Fedallah said:

TY @emprof. This is super comforting for me as i'm currently halfway through my first app cycle and am still waiting for any speck of good news =/ 

The waiting is brutal. But your abilities and your potential don't hinge on the responses. Grad admissions is an agonizing process. It's actually a committee that many faculty groan about, because it's so difficult to parse the minute differences between excellence and excellence. Even a straight "no" could mean that you were a contender until the very last second. 

[emprof]

2 hours ago, Ranmaag said:

@emprof Thank you for joining the forum And welcome! Like Bopie I was terrified that anything I said here would hold me liable to some sort of apocalyptic outcome in admissions, but I'm really glad that a professor like you did come forward (there's definitely a faculty presence in GC, but I don't think English faculty specifically have been forthcoming with accounts to my knowledge, someone with years of experience in the forum feel free to correct me though) I do have to say, the thought of a fairy godprof in residence is an awesome idea for future applicants (especially those planning for Fall 2020). Any advice you give would be indispensable.

I was thinking about this while I went for a run, and I did think of two concrete pieces of advice. 

1) When identifying faculty with whom you think you'd like to work in a particular department (and you should definitely do this, to make a case for why you are a good fit for this department specifically), make sure they are full-time, tenure-line faculty with publications. Lecturers, visiting professors, and "instructors" generally cannot sit on dissertation committees. Applications that talk about working with such faculty can come across as naive or under-advised. (There are of course major ethical issues about the exploitation of non-tenure-line faculty, which is an issue for another conversation ...) 

2) Applications often provide an opportunity to draft an optional statement that explains how you would contribute to the diversity of the scholarly community. If you are a URM (under-represented minority), or a first-generation college-student, or have an unusual educational trajectory (started in community college, say, or worked full-time to pay your way through college), or a minoritized gender/sexual identity, or have a diagnosed disability: this is a great opportunity to disclose that information. Admissions committees are ethically obligated to ensure the diversity of their cohorts, and committees are dedicated to making sure that candidates with these markers compose a substantial part of their admitted cohort. (Could you imagine the rightful outcry if a prestigious institution admitted an all-white, all-male class? Cf. this article.) BUT: if you are a white, straight, cis, relatively privileged child of professional parents, this is NOT a good place to talk about how you have volunteered with underprivileged populations and so understand their plight, or are committed to teaching writers of color. Such diversity statements, however well-intentioned, can inadvertently communicate a kind of "white savior" attitude that can actually work against you. Although it seems counter-intuitive *not* to respond to an opportunity to make a case for yourself with additional information, it's probably safer not to submit a diversity statement than to make a far-fetched or unconvincing case.