2020 Applicants

[theburiedgirl815]

On 1/31/2020 at 2:40 PM, NinaM said:

I know I get it. I wouldn't mind getting a rejection at this point, I just don't like not knowing. Are you going through the same thing with WashU as well?

Yes, haven't heard anything from them yet either, which is making me increasingly nervous.

[karamazov]

9 hours ago, NinaM said:

I have a question for those who have been contacted for an interview with Northeastern. I was contacted by the DGS and they said that I'll have "virtual meetings" with two different professors for me to ask them questions and so that they can introduce the program to me. They mentioned that the professors will be scholars in my field, however only one of them is. I'm not sure if they're going to be questioning me or the other way around? However, i haven't had an interview with any program yet and this might actually be the norm, i don't know. 

I was also contacted by Northeastern. They make it sound like they'll be letting us ask the questions, but I can't help but think that they'll have some questions to ask us, too. I'm going to review my WS, SoP, and the work of my PoIs just to make sure I'm prepared for whatever they might ask. Since they don't explicitly call it an "interview," I'm assuming they won't be brutally grilling us, but I definitely want to review everything just to be sure I can speak intelligently about my work, the work of my PoIs, and why exactly I'm interested in their program. I'm also deciding in advance what I want to ask them so I won't freeze up during the meeting, ask zero questions, and come off as unenthusiastic/uninterested. 

[merry night wanderer]

16 hours ago, noneckmonsters said:

UC Davis is the only UC I know of that advertises this kind of procedure on their website. As far as I know all UCs have basic funding packages that they match you with. UCD is the only UC I know that advertises differently. I don't know if I am misunderstanding their message online. I am also getting my info from phdstipend.com. Who knows? I'll keep you posted if you want. I applied to UCSD, UCSC, UCB, UCD, and UCLA. 

OK, excellent to know (and very useful website!). I totally missed this message, so I got paranoid, as I applied to a bunch of UCs as well. (UCLA, UCB, and UCSB... I also applied to UC Davis, but that's either waitlist or rejection at this point - not surprising, since two of the three faculty I had my eyes on were actually retired! yikes. Make sure you double-check faculty lists at the beginning of the semester, anybody future applicant who's reading!) I'm already pretty concerned about the cost of living for all the UCs, but they are excellent fits for me, and if I do actually do get lucky enough to get into one, I am likely going to heavily consider it. Keep me posted (and of course if I learn anything, I'll do the same!). 

Edited February 2, 2020 by merry night wanderer

[Brown_Bear]

In the midst of all this, I wonder if my research proposal in my SOP was good enough. I'm really having second thoughts about it. I put my best foot forward and suggested something, but it could have been more concrete. I should add I am interested in A.A. Lit and 19th/20th C American Lit. I tried to find faculty that'd be relatively close to me in outlook. I just don't know for certain. I kept it rather general and broad.

[onerepublic96]

1 hour ago, Puurple said:

In the midst of all this, I wonder if my research proposal in my SOP was good enough. I'm really having second thoughts about it. I put my best foot forward and suggested something, but it could have been more concrete. I should add I am interested in A.A. Lit and 19th/20th C American Lit. I tried to find faculty that'd be relatively close to me in outlook. I just don't know for certain. I kept it rather general and broad.

I'm starting to seriously second-guess myself, too. I didn't propose a project at all and mainly just focused on my research interests and the topics I'd like to work on...

[Brown_Bear]

16 minutes ago, onerepublic96 said:

I'm starting to seriously second-guess myself, too. I didn't propose a project at all and mainly just focused on my research interests and the topics I'd like to work on...

Yes. I should clarify that I don't know if it was a research proposal in my case, but instead small ramblings concerning interests in a field of pertinence to me. I spent a lot of time justifying the fit aspect, but perhaps, depending on how my app cycle pans out, I will need to rethink my strategy and develop a better research paragraph(s) if I apply again. But, we still have time to wait and see what happens.

[trolloped]

2 hours ago, Puurple said:

In the midst of all this, I wonder if my research proposal in my SOP was good enough. I'm really having second thoughts about it. I put my best foot forward and suggested something, but it could have been more concrete. I should add I am interested in A.A. Lit and 19th/20th C American Lit. I tried to find faculty that'd be relatively close to me in outlook. I just don't know for certain. I kept it rather general and broad.

 

55 minutes ago, onerepublic96 said:

I'm starting to seriously second-guess myself, too. I didn't propose a project at all and mainly just focused on my research interests and the topics I'd like to work on...

I'm beginning to think this is my problem as well. I applied to 16 schools that felt like were a perfect fit, but it's looking like I am headed for a shutout...more than half the schools I applied to have notified acceptances, interviews or wait listings, and I've either gotten a rejection letter or heard nothing. I kept my interests specific, but I did not propose any "projects." I was advised by former professors and other grad students that since I just have a BA, a committee wouldn't be looking for anything specific beyond a definitive period and maybe some potential methods.

[grace2137]

Anyone have any intel on what programs we can expect to notify next week (aside from previous years data, which might suggest JHU possibly)? None of the programs I applied to have released decisions yet and I'm losing my mind... It has had me really second guessing everything and feeling like i'm getting shut out even though I'm technically still in the running at 12 programs. ?

[Rrandle101]

10 minutes ago, grace2137 said:

Anyone have any intel on what programs we can expect to notify next week (aside from previous years data, which might suggest JHU possibly)? None of the programs I applied to have released decisions yet and I'm losing my mind... It has had me really second guessing everything and feeling like i'm getting shut out even though I'm technically still in the running at 12 programs. ?

It sounds like from what someone else said last week that Berkeley and the rest of the Northwestern acceptances should be coming out this week. Historically UT also notifies around now but someone called and the response was very vague so I'm not sure. Chicago also might be a possibility I think for the people who interviewed for them but I didn't apply there so I'm not as confident on the timeline for that school

[Romanticist]

I was told by my connection at UC Berkeley that the English department graduate admission team met last week. This might mean Berkeley applicants will hear back sooner rather than later. Historically, the first two weeks of February have been the time when acceptance emails were sent out, though it could really be anytime between now and April. Trying my best not to compulsively check GradCafe & my email & my application portal every 3 seconds!

[onerepublic96]

I’ve had 1 official and 2 implied rejections so far which means I should still be in the running for 12 more programmes, but still this waiting game has done a number on me. I’m questioning everything and am nearly convinced that I’m going to get shut out. The closer I get to potential notification dates, the more anxious I get, and every time at least a single acceptance from one of my schools is posted, my mind immediately jumps to ‘well you didn’t get a call/email yet so clearly it’s a no.’ I don’t know how to stop it and I just want to get it over with as quickly as possible (but obv with a favourable result.)  ?

[Emailchecker]

Here's to a week full of responses all. It's been tough seeing everyone react to their news and not getting any, but this forum helps. Seconding the fears for SOP but mine went to the other direction - I am afraid that it was too specific, missing necessary breadth. 

[CanadianEnglish]

41 minutes ago, grace2137 said:

Anyone have any intel on what programs we can expect to notify next week (aside from previous years data, which might suggest JHU possibly)? None of the programs I applied to have released decisions yet and I'm losing my mind... It has had me really second guessing everything and feeling like i'm getting shut out even though I'm technically still in the running at 12 programs. ?

I don't know which programs you're looking into but from my list it seems like Brandeis, Pitt, and Michigan mayyyybe Penn State will be this week. Penn State does their acceptances and rejections in waves (2 years ago I officially got rejected from Penn State in April?!). I'm pretty sure I've already gotten rejected from Pitt since another Caribbean postcolonialist got in last week and there's a slim chance they take two of us in such a specific field. Pitt also sends out their rejections via post which is so strange to me. 

I feel the second guessing too, it happens at this stage and especially when you see everyone else getting news. But I'm hopeful for all of us!!!!

Good luck during this week of potential news! 

[aussiekoala]

16 hours ago, theburiedgirl815 said:

Yes, haven't heard anything from them yet either, which is making me increasingly nervous.

I've been expecting a rejection ever since decisions started coming out, especially since someone on the board who got accepted mentioned that their research is in disability studies which is the same as mine. It would still be a huge disappointment though since it's one of my top schools. 

[Romanticist]

58 minutes ago, onerepublic96 said:

I’ve had 1 official and 2 implied rejections so far which means I should still be in the running for 12 more programmes, but still this waiting game has done a number on me. I’m questioning everything and am nearly convinced that I’m going to get shut out. The closer I get to potential notification dates, the more anxious I get, and every time at least a single acceptance from one of my schools is posted, my mind immediately jumps to ‘well you didn’t get a call/email yet so clearly it’s a no.’ I don’t know how to stop it and I just want to get it over with as quickly as possible (but obv with a favourable result.)  ?

I can relate to this anxiety. Such (seemingly) capricious, subjective, and opaque processes are engineered to engender existential dread, I think. But the wonderful part of this entire self-worth-through-a-cheesegrater game is that rejection results are never permanent. The no of today is a gilded yes of tomorrow. Like harsh peer review, it helps us hone our rough edges. I certainly learned a lot in my last decade of rejections.

I was rejected from a ton of schools and accepted to Cambridge, Edinburgh, and Glasgow in 2012 but received no funding offers and had a family emergency which meant I had to temporarily give up my dream. I was later rejected from all the (U.S.) schools I applied to in 2013. It crushed my soul. Fast-forward to this year when my first rejection was from Texas Tech, the lowest ranking school in my application pool. At that point, I pretty much gave up hope since the other schools were top tier schools. Imagine my shock when I was accepted to a top 20 school last week! With funding!!!!! 

This is all to say: don't give up hope for this year. And even if this year is not your year, that does not mean it is the end of your aspirations. I'm actually very glad I ended up not taking out loans for Cambridge, and that I waited this long for a funded acceptance, as the school where I was accepted is a much better fit for me (financially, geographically, academically, socially, and in terms of my research interests) and the school I am waiting to hear back from (Berkeley) would likewise be an ideal fit for me.  

Anyway, glad we are in this anxiety-fueled pressure pit together, and I hope you receive wonderful news soon!

Edited February 2, 2020 by Romanticist
spelling mistake

[rohrlikealion]

23 hours ago, merry night wanderer said:

I applied to USC, though I consider it a Very Long Shot. That's the only one; the rest for me are Lit. What about you? 

I only applied to two! I am currently finishing my MFA and could only handle that many applications. I am into multi-genre work, so I applied to Utah and Wisconsin-Milwaukee. 

[noneckmonsters]

5 hours ago, merry night wanderer said:

OK, excellent to know (and very useful website!). I totally missed this message, so I got paranoid, as I applied to a bunch of UCs as well. (UCLA, UCB, and UCSB... I also applied to UC Davis, but that's either waitlist or rejection at this point - not surprising, since two of the three faculty I had my eyes on were actually retired! yikes. Make sure you double-check faculty lists at the beginning of the semester, anybody future applicant who's reading!) I'm already pretty concerned about the cost of living for all the UCs, but they are excellent fits for me, and if I do actually do get lucky enough to get into one, I am likely going to heavily consider it. Keep me posted (and of course if I learn anything, I'll do the same!). 

Yeah, there are always ways around the stipends. I know people who got their Phd's at UCR and lived in LA the whole time. It's not impossible. Best of luck!! And yay for state/ public schools!! UCs are the best! I'm a product of the california public education system, all the way from Community College through MA. Went to an UC for my undergrad and a Cal State for my MA. Excellent institutions with top grade scholars and super interdisciplinary across the board. I can't recommend them enough to people. 

Also, I feel you on the reading through your statements of purpose and cringing. As I go back through mine I'm noticing that I have positive results in the ones that I mentioned women as my PoI, which in retrospect makes sense: I'm a radical feminist/ queer scholar... I make men uncomfortable and I think it comes through in my statement of purpose. LOL! At the same time, I am who I am... too old and woke to trade who I am for a Harvard... (no offense)

[noneckmonsters]

1 hour ago, Romanticist said:

I was told by my connection at UC Berkeley that the English department graduate admission team met last week. This might mean Berkeley applicants will hear back sooner rather than later. Historically, the first two weeks of February have been the time when acceptance emails were sent out, though it could really be anytime between now and April. Trying my best not to compulsively check GradCafe & my email & my application portal every 3 seconds!

I had to remind myself to breath after the first period in your post... Good luck to everyone!!! 

[ArcaMajora]

I just want to give everyone encouragement in these times.

If you don't have a specific project or a definitive method, that is okay. While yes, strategic specificity is key in things like the SoP, nobody here is expected to produce a dissertation prospectus. It can be incredibly helpful to have a project, but the projects in an SoP are going to be tentative and indicative of a direction than the play-by-play that programs will expect from you after qualifying exams. I came into grad school with some ill-defined notion of a queer archive that, while I have it in the backburner, is a project I'm not currently writing on nor do I plan on writing about queer poetic archives for my MA paper. If you don't feel that your proposal is specific enough, remember that right now, it's not supposed to be a hyper-specific document. What is more key is a strategic specificity that outlines a potential direction that your program can support and shows you're in conversation with current issues in your field, but one that does not foreclose the possibility of you growing within the program.

This process is notoriously tough. If anyone's expressing worries, I'm right there with you. I have heard whispers that this particular cycle is a touch more competitive than last year's due to the fact that there's an increase in applications for some programs. Of course, it must be taken with a grain of salt, but the general point I want to make is that this is a hypercompetitive process with almost no feedback except in most cases a decision. Fit is an elusive beast, and you could have an extremely polished SoP and WS, but there may have been circumstances in the department that meant that your app, as strong as it may have been, simply would not have meshed well with the program. If you find yourself staring at a sea of rejections/implied rejections, remember that it's the very likely case that it's not about you nor is it a final judgment on your skills. Fit, to priorities in the department (too many/too little grad students per cohort, too many in one field), funding structures/decisions dictated by admin, etc. and so many factors out of your control can go a very long way into determining the decisions you can get.

Edited February 2, 2020 by ArcaMajora

[meghan_sparkle]

3 minutes ago, ArcaMajora said:

If anyone's expressing worries, I'm right there with you. I have heard whispers that this particular cycle is a touch more competitive than last year's due to the fact that there's an increase in applications across the board. 

Just out of curiosity, are you referring to the string of tweets starting with Yale's DGS about this (which then professors at other programs echoed)? Or have you encountered whispers in your program/elsewhere? 

[Wimsey]

I also want to reassure everyone that it is okay not to treat the SoP as a project proposal. In fact, when I was revising my statement of purpose, one of my professors critiqued it for being too focused on a specific course of study. He recommended that I use phrases like "I'm interested in x" or "I'm curious to learn more about y," rather than "I will research x through the lens of y." Another prof emphasized that grad school is meant to train us as scholars and that programs don't expect (and maybe don't even want) their applicants to be committed to a fully delineated research project.

Edited February 2, 2020 by Wimsey

[onerepublic96]

1 hour ago, Wimsey said:

I also want to reassure everyone that it is okay not to treat the SoP as a project proposal. In fact, when I was revising my statement of purpose, one of my professors critiqued it for being too focused on a specific course of study. He recommended that I use phrases like "I'm interested in x" or "I'm curious to learn more about y," rather than "I will research x through the lens of y." Another prof emphasized that grad school is meant to train us as scholars and that programs don't expect (and maybe don't even want) their applicants to be committed to a fully delineated research project.

Thank you for this! This is exactly the advice I received from my own professors, and thus how I wrote my SoP. It’s really reassuring to hear that others have had the same advice given to them. 

[asdf1123]

2 hours ago, Wimsey said:

I also want to reassure everyone that it is okay not to treat the SoP as a project proposal. In fact, when I was revising my statement of purpose, one of my professors critiqued it for being too focused on a specific course of study. He recommended that I use phrases like "I'm interested in x" or "I'm curious to learn more about y," rather than "I will research x through the lens of y." Another prof emphasized that grad school is meant to train us as scholars and that programs don't expect (and maybe don't even want) their applicants to be committed to a fully delineated research project.

This is very true as research proposal and SoP are very different genres. Research proposals especially for grant applications require concrete plans and a confident tone. SoPs on the other hand need to show that one is intelligent, curious, informed of the current state of the field, and has the potential to grow as a scholar. Donald Asher's Graduate Admission Essays: Write your Way into the Graduate School of Your Choice was very helpful when I was writing mine.   

 

[ArcaMajora]

5 hours ago, meghan_sparkle said:

Just out of curiosity, are you referring to the string of tweets starting with Yale's DGS about this (which then professors at other programs echoed)? Or have you encountered whispers in your program/elsewhere? 

Both. My program's DGS acknowledged out loud that string of tweets from Yale's DGS, and I believe that UCI's seen an increase in applicants as well.

[pre-raphaelite]

hello! 

I am a first time poster (currently fretting over my application to Cornell) and the above posts have me mortified. I worry that I've gone too far in the other direction and treated my SoP a little too much like a project proposal. I'm a bit of a neurotic—and I know this time of the application cycle is ripe for neurosis—but I can't help but wish I had found GradCafe a little earlier... a reminder to personalize my SoP would have been useful. 

But, the SoP has been written, submitted, and reviewed by my professors, so I suppose there's not much I can do. 

Edited February 3, 2020 by preraphaelite