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Thank you! The completely irrational side of my mind had absolutely convinced me, over the past 2 weeks, that my writing sample was the product of a bout with insanity, so I'm very relieved to have a tiny bit of good news (though it's not an acceptance, obviously). Hang in there, everyone. 

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6 hours ago, merry night wanderer said:

Just got an interview request from UMD--

3 hours ago, coffeelyf said:

Me too! Congrats! Kind of surreal in the middle of this waiting agony. 

Congratulations to you both, and best of luck with your interviews! This admissions cycle is beginning to seem more real now that we're starting to hear back from schools. 

6 hours ago, merry night wanderer said:

Thank you! The completely irrational side of my mind had absolutely convinced me, over the past 2 weeks, that my writing sample was the product of a bout with insanity, so I'm very relieved to have a tiny bit of good news (though it's not an acceptance, obviously). Hang in there, everyone. 

On a side note, @merry night wanderer, having read a draft of your SOP, I'd say that the good news is more than well-deserved!

 

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Last night I had my first acceptance dream of this cycle and I sure hope it's the last because waking up and immediately remembering that I likely have no chance really blows... Also, if I can find the willpower, I'm going to try limiting the number of times I check my email per day over the next couple months. Refreshing the email app on my phone every two minutes will only lead to increased anxiety, so I really need to control myself (...I say whilst checking my email). Luckily, my last semester in undergrad starts on Monday, so that should help distract me from the waiting. What are y'all's survival strategies for decision season?  

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For now I've just resolved to savor the free time before decisions roll in. I'll read whatever books I like, watch TV, keep working part-time at my local library, get my language skills back up to speed, and spend time with friends (I was basically a recluse during December). If I do get into grad school, I'll have plenty of stress to contend with during the summer and fall, so I want to enjoy myself a bit before then. I'll still check my apps every day, though; it's impossible to push them completely out of my mind.

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23 minutes ago, karamazov said:

What are y'all's survival strategies for decision season?  

Not sure if it's a survival strategy or an avoidance strategy, but I've been studiously avoiding all of the "useful for grad school" books that I checked out from the library and articles I printed out in Oct/Nov, and speeding through The West Wing on Netflix instead. I figure at this point, reading academic texts or research-interest-related fiction will just keep my mind on the emails that I don't expect to get for at least two or three more weeks. It feels bizarre and uncomfortable not to be working on something right now (you know, outside of my actual full-time job!), but if this is my last real break from the academic hustle for the next five years, maybe it's a good thing to slow down in a big way, at least until I hear back and have some direction for what's happening next. 

Fingers crossed that the semester starting will take your mind off things! Certainly you'll have a bunch of other things to think about (especially if you're writing a yearlong thesis project--I feel like spring senior year for me was a complete blur of thesis with everything else just scattered in). 

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I'm a high school teacher, so the next month or so for me is writing exams, grading exams, starting new classes, writing grants for a club I sponsor, planning the next two community events for the club I sponsor, filling out NEH and GL summer program applications, writing my NCTE conference proposals (which are due next week? lol), and doing some tutoring on the side. Basically doing a lot of prep work for a future that will hopefully be entirely different in a few months?

Oh, and watching a lot of TV. 

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I more or less forced myself to imagine receiving a rejection letter from every school I applied to. This is something I learned from a therapist friend, and it was actually rather soothing. I'd already developed a getting-shut-out plan, but this was an extra step to manage the uncertainty. 

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Should I expect to have an interview request for every place (if any) that winds up offering me admission? Or do some places just accept applicants without extending an interview first? If so, what form does an interview get transferred to the applicant such that they receive it (is it via email, application portal notification, phone call, or something else)? I am trying to stay prepared.

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3 minutes ago, HPurple said:

Should I expect to have an interview request for every place (if any) that winds up offering me admission? Or do some places just accept applicants without extending an interview first? If so, what form does an interview get transferred to the applicant such that they receive it (is it via email, application portal notification, phone call, or something else)? I am trying to stay prepared.

Most places do not do interviews.

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6 minutes ago, HPurple said:

Should I expect to have an interview request for every place (if any) that winds up offering me admission? Or do some places just accept applicants without extending an interview first? If so, what form does an interview get transferred to the applicant such that they receive it (is it via email, application portal notification, phone call, or something else)? I am trying to stay prepared.

As far as I know, most places do not do interviews - I was accepted to programs 3 years ago with no interviews at all in between. However, programs who didn't interview in the past may interview this year, which is the case with UMD. I think most of the time they will inform the applicant by email.

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Yup, most places don’t interview, but those that do will generally send an email to confirm a date and time. (And, for what it’s worth: Acceptances tend to be by email or phone call, depending on the program, while waitlists and rejections are generally by email (or even snail mail).)

5 hours ago, karamazov said:

What are y'all's survival strategies for decision season?  

Burying myself in my job (I work in higher ed administration, and this time of year is always plenty busy) and, in my down time, playing video games (I just acquired a Nintendo Switch, god bless). I’m also a fiction writer who’s trying to pawn a novel manuscript off on agents and get some short stories and essays published in various venues, so I have plenty of other reasons to obsessively check my email that have nothing to do with grad school and can sort of rotate what I’m anxiously awaiting/preemptively freaking out over at any given time. 

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2 hours ago, HPurple said:

Should I expect to have an interview request for every place (if any) that winds up offering me admission? Or do some places just accept applicants without extending an interview first? If so, what form does an interview get transferred to the applicant such that they receive it (is it via email, application portal notification, phone call, or something else)? I am trying to stay prepared.

There are a handful of schools that interview (they are listed a few pages back on this thread), but interviewing is not the norm, thank goodness. 

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Long-time lurker here. Just posting to share that I received an invitation to visit Emory today. I'm thrilled to begin the cycle with this news. Based on past years, does anyone know how many people they invite vs how many get accepted? Also, what are their teaching/service requirements of grad students? Here’s hoping we all get good news soon!

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4 hours ago, Rani13 said:

Long-time lurker here. Just posting to share that I received an invitation to visit Emory today. I'm thrilled to begin the cycle with this news. Based on past years, does anyone know how many people they invite vs how many get accepted? Also, what are their teaching/service requirements of grad students? Here’s hoping we all get good news soon!

Congrats! I also got invited to a Skype interview as I'm from abroad. Would be great to hear if anyone else here got good news! 

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On 1/8/2020 at 6:43 PM, merry night wanderer said:

Just got an interview request from UMD--

I received an interview request from them as well! First news of this application cycle for me. Best of luck!

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I haven't been on the forum for quite a while since starting my M.A. but I'm back and have applied for this cycle's PhD programs. Luckily, all applications are submitted and I have a lot of faith in my applications for this year, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed! Got the email for a visit/interview from Emory today so I'm thrilled, since I was outright rejected my very first time applying straight out of undergrad (which, in retrospect, was definitely a reach).

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7 hours ago, coffeelyf said:

Congrats! I also got invited to a Skype interview as I'm from abroad. Would be great to hear if anyone else here got good news! 

Emory U invited me to a Skype interview, too! I'm an international applicant as well.

Congratulations to everyone who received good news, and good luck to everyone who's yet to hear! Although Emory is one of my top 3 places, I'm still waiting to hear back from the rest of my schools, it being still quite early in the application season! :)

Edited by QuietLine
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