2020 Applicants

[SomethingWicked]

12 hours ago, onerepublic96 said:

Desperately trying to polish 6 applications due on the 15th as we speak. 

Good luck! You're almost at the finish line. 

I finally got all of my applications in, and now I'm ready to go into hibernation until January. Anyone else dying from mental exhaustion? 

[Indecisive Poet]

In another surprise twist, recommender 3/3 hasn't uploaded his final batch of letters yet because he's at a conference until the 16th and not checking emails ? I've emailed my two December 15th programs to ask if they'll still consider my application if his letter is late.

Edited December 13, 2019 by Indecisive Poet

[Indecisive Poet]

22 hours ago, indoorfireworks said:

Ugh, me. I have a good amount of teaching experience, but 300 words is far from enough to cover anything in sufficient detail. I'm not stressing it much since, as you noted, funding is guaranteed. Anyway, I'll share mine with you via pm if you're interested. 

I'd love to read yours if you don't mind! I have no teaching experience, so I'm just trying to mention a bit of everything I've done.

[onerepublic96]

4 minutes ago, Indecisive Poet said:

In another surprise twist, recommender 3/3 hasn't uploaded his final batch of letters yet because he's at a conference until the 16th and not checking emails ? I've emailed my two December 15th programs to ask if they'll still consider my application if his letter is late.

For what it’s worth, a couple of my schools have emailed me their ‘deadline approaching’ reminders and specifically said it’s okay for recommendations to come a few days after the deadline. But of course, best to check with your schools directly. 

[politics 'n prose]

Yup, a number of schools I applied to made it clear in their app guidelines that those elements of the application that are a third party’s responsibility (i.e., letters of rec and test scores) won’t count against you if they’re late. It’s a good impulse to check with your December 15th schools, but chances are you’ll be fine!

[The Hoosier Oxonian]

16 hours ago, onerepublic96 said:

Desperately trying to polish 6 applications due on the 15th as we speak. 

Trying to quell my unexpected wave of superstition as a I prepare to submit my remaining five apps on Friday the 13th.

[Wimsey]

I have seven apps due on the 15th. ? It was originally eight, until I saw that Rutgers changed their deadline to the 28th. I'm aiming to send 3 on the 13th, 2 on the 14th, and 2 on the 15th. Several of these schools are top choices for me as well, which just adds to the stress.

[grace2137]

2 hours ago, Wimsey said:

I have seven apps due on the 15th. ? It was originally eight, until I saw that Rutgers changed their deadline to the 28th. I'm aiming to send 3 on the 13th, 2 on the 14th, and 2 on the 15th. Several of these schools are top choices for me as well, which just adds to the stress.

omg thank you for pointing this out about Rutgers! I hadn't realized they shifted the date (though I will probably still try to send it in by the 15th just to get it over with).

I have 7 apps due on the 15th as well. Submitted two last night and am hoping to do two each day over the rest of the weekend. And, much like everyone else, these are all my top choices too ?scary times. I just want to be done so bad. I literally have a bottle of champagne in the fridge waiting for me...

[Cryss]

My 3rd recommendation writer has me on the edge of my seat. Last night, she uploaded 7 out of the 9 letters I asked for, then said she wouldn't be available to do any academic work from today till early January because of family emergencies. I informed her about the two missing, but she said I should find another professor to write letters for any further applications.  The two applications are due tomorrow. 

Now I'm dying a little on the inside with every passing minute.  My other two writers have completed all of theirs. Any advice? 

Edited December 14, 2019 by Cryss

[The Hoosier Oxonian]

And I am done! All applications are now in (except for Oxford, but their deadline isn't until January 10, so I'll work on that over the Christmas break). Now to get back to undergraduate life and that final paper that's due on Monday...

[merry night wanderer]

5 hours ago, Cryss said:

Now I'm dying a little on the inside with every passing minute.  My other two writers have completed all of theirs. Any advice? 

I am so sorry this happened to you. I would contact whatever backup professors you can think of right away and let them know about your prof's emergency. Can you also contact the two schools you're missing a rec letter from, too? Often the schools are constrained by institutional app submission procedures, but I often find that whatever GA or admin is coordinating the process in the actual English department is very understanding.  

Seriously, what a nightmare. Crossing my fingers for you. 

[Indecisive Poet]

5 hours ago, Cryss said:

My 3rd recommendation writer has me on the edge of my seat. Last night, she uploaded 7 out of the 9 letters I asked for, then said she wouldn't be available to do any academic work from today till early January because of family emergencies. I informed her about the two missing, but she said I should find another professor to write letters for any further applications.  The two applications are due tomorrow. 

Now I'm dying a little on the inside with every passing minute.  My other two writers have completed all of theirs. Any advice? 

Oof. That's awful – I'm really sorry. In the time it took her to send that email, she could easily have uploaded her two remaining letters (I noticed that it took my recommenders an average of 2 minutes per program to upload). FWIW, both December 15th programs I emailed said that they accept letters past the deadline (but not as late as January). Is there another professor you know really well who you can ask to write you a letter within the next week? Perhaps they'd take pity on you if you explained your situation.

[Cryss]

1 hour ago, merry night wanderer said:

I am so sorry this happened to you. I would contact whatever backup professors you can think of right away and let them know about your prof's emergency. Can you also contact the two schools you're missing a rec letter from, too? Often the schools are constrained by institutional app submission procedures, but I often find that whatever GA or admin is coordinating the process in the actual English department is very understanding.  

Seriously, what a nightmare. Crossing my fingers for you. 

Thanks. I do plan to email the 2 programs asking them if anything can be done. I have resigned myself to not having letters sent in to those two on time. 

 

1 hour ago, Indecisive Poet said:

Oof. That's awful – I'm really sorry. In the time it took her to send that email, she could easily have uploaded her two remaining letters (I noticed that it took my recommenders an average of 2 minutes per program to upload). FWIW, both December 15th programs I emailed said that they accept letters past the deadline (but not as late as January). Is there another professor you know really well who you can ask to write you a letter within the next week? Perhaps they'd take pity on you if you explained your situation.

That's exactly what I was confused about. My other letter writers uploaded all 9 within 10 or 15 minutes. The hard part is writing the letter and that's done, so I'm not sure I understand what the hassle is with uploading those extra two. I  don't wanna be insensitive to her issues or ruin our relationship though. I just wrote a polite but strongly worded email reminding her that these 2 were included in the 9 schools and that I have already submitted and paid the fees. I told her to let me know if I should request an extension and she can do it in January. No response yet. 

I emailed a Grad professor who I had a good relationship with and worked with in my Master's program (although he did not teach me). The timing is terrible, but I am crossing my fingers he still says Yes. At this point, even a (very) late letter is better than no letter. 

Edited December 14, 2019 by Cryss

[merry night wanderer]

Finishing up my Rice application and I've noticed something curious - almost every single one of their graduate students has an M.A. from another school. If schools have firm preferences about this, I really wish they'd say something (though I am already in M.F.A. no man's land where this issue is concerned). 

[politics 'n prose]

Heh, "MFA no man's land"--I think I'm gonna have to borrow that one from you.

It's possible that I inadvertently applied to one or two PhD programs that have an unspoken preference for students with MAs (lookin' at you, Carnegie Mellon); at least Penn State straight up tells you that the PhD program wants nothing to do with students who don't already have an MA.

I also spent more time than was probably useful or productive attempting to parse whether some of the programs I applied to (Chicago comes to mind, and maybe Chapel Hill) prefer students who only have a bachelor's...which left me wondering whether my MFA would just be treated as a nonentity, or if it would somehow be a liability. Fun times!

[onerepublic96]

9 hours ago, Cryss said:

Last night, she uploaded 7 out of the 9 letters I asked for, then said she wouldn't be available to do any academic work from today till early January because of family emergencies. I informed her about the two missing, but she said I should find another professor to write letters for any further applications.  The two applications are due tomorrow. 

That is... bizarre. I'm sorry. I realise shit happens, but to say 'find someone else' when the due date is tomorrow (and considering, as others have said, that in the time it took to send that email she could have uploaded the remaining recommendations) is really a dick move. 

[Warelin]

49 minutes ago, politics 'n prose said:

at least Penn State straight up tells you that the PhD program wants nothing to do with students who don't already have an MA.

Penn State's structure is that the majority of its graduates apply to the MA program. Most of the graduates from their MA program then continue onto their PHD program. As a result, they only accept 1-2 people with an external MA into their PHD program which is determined by how many people leave after the MA.

[politics 'n prose]

Oh, yeah, I get that (and, to clarify, I did indeed apply to Penn State's MA)--I was being a bit unkind and imprecise in my framing there. I just meant that Penn State was the only school I applied to that made it very clear that you must apply to the MA program, unless you already have an MA from somewhere else (pretty much every other school I applied to has an integrated MA/PhD program with a single applicant pool regardless of whether you already have an MA). To be sure, I appreciated Penn State's clarity--which is often sorely lacking from other schools' program pages!

Edited December 15, 2019 by politics 'n prose

[DRMF]

5 hours ago, Cryss said:

Thanks. I do plan to email the 2 programs asking them if anything can be done. I have resigned myself to not having letters sent in to those two on time. 

 

That's exactly what I was confused about. My other letter writers uploaded all 9 within 10 or 15 minutes. The hard part is writing the letter and that's done, so I'm not sure I understand what the hassle is with uploading those extra two. I  don't wanna be insensitive to her issues or ruin our relationship though. I just wrote a polite but strongly worded email reminding her that these 2 were included in the 9 schools and that I have already submitted and paid the fees. I told her to let me know if I should request an extension and she can do it in January. No response yet. 

I emailed a Grad professor who I had a good relationship with and worked with in my Master's program (although he did not teach me). The timing is terrible, but I am crossing my fingers he still says Yes. At this point, even a (very) late letter is better than no letter. 

I had something similar happen to me, though in my case the professor didn't even tell me that he's unable to submit to the rest or why; he just straight up stopped replying to my emails and ghosted on 1/3 of my apps waiting for his letter. I scrambled to find someone who wrote it and sent it in to all the rest, some of which were >3 days past deadline. Ask anyone you could think of; at this point a kind personality and free time is more important than knowing you well. Send them your SOP, CV and highlight all the points you'd like them to address. In my case I asked a prof who taught an intro class (>100 people) my 2nd year of college, who I knew was always willing to help students but barely knew me.

[onerepublic96]

Solidarity with anyone experiencing recommender issues ❤️ currently hoping and praying that my last recommender will upload the 6 letters due tomorrow... no response to my reminder email from earlier today 

[grace2137]

so....... how much should I be panicking about the fact that I just realized the version of my writing sample I submitted to three schools had a typo? ??

It's nothing insane that significantly alters the content of the paper, but the first couple words of a sentence were missing which makes the sentence grammatically incorrect ........ sigh. I guess at least I caught it before I sent it to anyone else.

[cruel optimism]

3 minutes ago, grace2137 said:

so....... how much should I be panicking about the fact that I just realized the version of my writing sample I submitted to three schools had a typo? ??

It's nothing insane that significantly alters the content of the paper, but the first couple words of a sentence were missing which makes the sentence grammatically incorrect ........ sigh. I guess at least I caught it before I sent it to anyone else.

Just caught a typo in mine a few days ago (submitted it to three schools too). But hey, if you've been hammering away at the writing sample for so long and hadn't spotted the mistake, perhaps your readers won't notice it too. 

[okonivek]

I caught a very small error (an "s" missing) in my critical essay. I'm not that worried about it, as it's part of a quotation, and could be construed as the author's error (or preference). Still, I hope no one notices. 

[politics 'n prose]

Heh, I’ve made a deal with myself not to look at any of my application materials until decisions actually start rolling in. I’d rather blithely operate under the (possibly misbegotten) notion that my SOP, writing sample, and CV are typo-free than spot something wonky and spend the next few months feeling like the dope that I indisputably am. 

For serious, though, a single typo—shoot, even a few of ‘em—will not sink an otherwise solid application. Have heart, friends!

[Cryss]

26 minutes ago, politics 'n prose said:

Heh, I’ve made a deal with myself not to look at any of my application materials until decisions actually start rolling in. I’d rather blithely operate under the (possibly misbegotten) notion that my SOP, writing sample, and CV are typo-free than spot something wonky and spend the next few months feeling like the dope that I indisputably am. 

For serious, though, a single typo—shoot, even a few of ‘em—will not sink an otherwise solid application. Have heart, friends!

This is exactly what I did. I mean, granted, after looking at those materials over the course of months, I had no desire to re-read a 25 page sample. But my decision to protect my sanity during this time included not re-reading anything I have sent. If there are mistakes, then ignorance is bliss.