2020 Applicants

[Emailchecker]

Congrats @Heidelberger + @Deleuze for Wisconsin. Glad to see so many acceptances roll in, and feeling a bit of envy - did I apply to the programs that reply the latest? Sure, that's my luck. But they are all worth the wait. Still recovering from Chicago's implied rejection. 

[Indecisive Poet]

21 hours ago, meghan_sparkle said:

How should you take it when an interview goes ... well? I have a lot of previous interview experience, but had one today and was really shocked by how friendly it was.

Take it as a strong (although not definite) sign that you will be accepted! Mine with Chicago was a trainwreck and my partner claims his was too (although I don't for a minute believe him). I imagine others who were interviewed feel the way we do, too, so you should feel really great that yours went so well. According to partner's POI, decisions will be out by Wednesday, so I imagine they'll be spending Monday and Tuesday weeding out the mes and writing up funding letters to the yous!

Edited January 24, 2020 by Indecisive Poet

[onerepublic96]

1 hour ago, Deleuze said:

Also: I am waiting to hear back from a horde of other schools. Has there been any updates on the Duke responses?

I'm simply going mad waiting for more Duke responses now that they've begun... the randomness of their process is so frustrating 

[SomethingWicked]

I saw that Wisconsin has started sending some rejections, is anyone else still waiting to hear anything from them? So far it's been totally silent on my end. 

Edited January 24, 2020 by SomethingWicked

[Cryss]

49 minutes ago, Emailchecker said:

Congrats @Heidelberger + @Deleuze for Wisconsin. Glad to see so many acceptances roll in, and feeling a bit of envy - did I apply to the programs that reply the latest? Sure, that's my luck. But they are all worth the wait. Still recovering from Chicago's implied rejection. 

All of this! I haven't received any contact from any schools yet (thus, an implied rejection from Chicago). Send help. 

[xinyu_uynix]

I interviewed with Duke Lit earlier today and was absolutely crushed...Theory has never been a priority in my research/curricula, so I understand that Duke might not be a good fit for me, but still genuinely upset by my performance. Best wishes to everyone else though!! 

[WallaceShawn]

Rejection from Northwestern's Screen Cultures. Was actually feeling quite confident about that app since I wrote the extra essay to apply for the Critical Theory track. Oh well. 

[S_C_789]

1 hour ago, SomethingWicked said:

I saw that Wisconsin has started sending some rejections, is anyone else still waiting to hear anything from them? So far it's been totally silent on my end. 

@SomethingWicked I haven't heard back from Wisconsin either!

Will email them in a month if they don't notifiy me of their decision by then!

[AnachronisticPoet]

58 minutes ago, SheCyborg said:

@SomethingWicked I haven't heard back from Wisconsin either!

Will email them in a month if they don't notifiy me of their decision by then!

@somethingwicked They sent out some rejections out at 11:30 EST, but it sounds like it's fairly typical for them to do notifications (accepts, rejects, and waitlists) in waves

[KaterGator]

Congratulations to everyone who is getting acceptances and interviews! That’s wonderful news!

I finally made an account to check in and see if anyone has heard from SUNY Buffalo yet? It looks like in past years, people have started hearing back in late January/early February, but I’ve got nothing but radio silence so far.

Good luck to everyone! 

[SomethingWicked]

11 minutes ago, AnachronisticPoet said:

@somethingwicked They sent out some rejections out at 11:30 EST, but it sounds like it's fairly typical for them to do notifications (accepts, rejects, and waitlists) in waves

I figured they were doing things in waves. I guess I'm still trying to harbor hope that if they haven't rejected me yet, then maybe there is a chance for admission! Thank you for the time update though!

[digital_lime]

13 minutes ago, KaterGator said:

Congratulations to everyone who is getting acceptances and interviews! That’s wonderful news!

I finally made an account to check in and see if anyone has heard from SUNY Buffalo yet? It looks like in past years, people have started hearing back in late January/early February, but I’ve got nothing but radio silence so far.

Good luck to everyone! 

I'm also anxiously waiting to hear, but haven't heard anything yet! I'm kind of relieved that nobody else has, either, though.

[meghan_sparkle]

2 hours ago, Indecisive Poet said:

Take it as a strong (although not definite) sign that you will be accepted! Mine with Chicago was a trainwreck and my partner claims his was too (although I don't for a minute believe him). I imagine others who were interviewed feel the way we do, too, so you should feel really great that yours went so well. According to partner's POI, decisions will be out by Wednesday, so I imagine they'll be spending Monday and Tuesday weeding out the mes and writing up funding letters to the yous!

I'm not at all convinced by this (actually am starting to wonder whether me thinking it went 'well' is an ominous sign) but so sweet of you to say. Also: really?? At the end of my interview they told me "a few weeks"! (Though I guess the interviewers are not the people making the final decision so maybe they said that to everyone.) Either way... Wednesday is so soon!

[Cryss]

I wonder if we'll hear back from Rice or WashU today. I have that they both gave decisions around this time last year, I wonder if that trend will continue. 

[aitmatovfangirl]

any slavic lit 2020? got my first acceptance early jan from UIUC but haven't heard a peep since from any other school (columbia, Umich, Brown, Indiana, Northwestern)

 

Edited January 24, 2020 by aitmatovfangirl

[KaterGator]

12 minutes ago, digital_lime said:

I'm also anxiously waiting to hear, but haven't heard anything yet! I'm kind of relieved that nobody else has, either, though.

Oh, thank goodness. Glad I’m not alone!

[Wimsey]

2 hours ago, Cryss said:

All of this! I haven't received any contact from any schools yet (thus, an implied rejection from Chicago). Send help. 

I'm in exactly the same boat, including the Chicago implied rejection! I'm counting down the days until February, when I expect most of the decisions to occur. ?

[cruel optimism]

2 hours ago, xinyu_uynix said:

I interviewed with Duke Lit earlier today and was absolutely crushed...Theory has never been a priority in my research/curricula, so I understand that Duke might not be a good fit for me, but still genuinely upset by my performance. Best wishes to everyone else though!! 

I’ve observed from previous years that Duke Lit’s interviews tend to be particularly tough as compared to those of other schools — it’s as if if you weren’t grilled, your interview probably wasn’t a productive one. So, I think you shouldn’t feel so disheartened right now. I’m sure the way you experienced the interview was quite different from how the panel saw it. 
(On my end, I did absolutely trip up, but I felt that their questions were really useful in helping me think more rigorously about the finer details of my project.) 

[onerepublic96]

30 minutes ago, Wimsey said:

I'm in exactly the same boat, including the Chicago implied rejection! I'm counting down the days until February, when I expect most of the decisions to occur. ?

Same!! Nothing yet except the implied rejection from Chicago. I’m super anxious about Duke because last year the notifications went out in the last week of January, and then everything seems to go crazy starting in Feb. Fingers crossed to hear back from Duke soon and Northwestern shortly after... ?

Edited January 24, 2020 by onerepublic96

[caffeinated applicant]

12 minutes ago, onerepublic96 said:

Same!! Nothing yet except the implied rejection from Chicago. I’m super anxious about Duke because last year the notifications went out in the last week of January, and then everything seems to go crazy starting in Feb. Fingers crossed to hear back from Duke soon and Northwestern shortly after... ?

Yup--implied rejection from Chicago, another implied rejection from Duke Literature, and other than that? Nada. Based on past reporting on the results page, I expect to have 2-3 per week next week, though. All nice and spread out so I can worry longer, haha. 

I'm finding myself just desperately hoping that my first program comes through as an acceptance. Obviously I would be thrilled to go there even if it was the last program to report (otherwise I wouldn't have applied!), but if I get into that first-to-notify program, that means I'm going to grad school, you know? Whereas if I'm rejected from the first program, it means I'm stuck in admissions limbo for a while longer. (Lol, @ those of you who already have an acceptance--does the waiting feel easier afterwards??) 

[merry night wanderer]

Into Rice!

[digital_lime]

1 minute ago, merry night wanderer said:

Into Rice!

Congratulations!! I visited the campus and it was so beautiful that I almost applied! What a great opportunity!

[meghan_sparkle]

12 hours ago, Indecisive Poet said:

@urbanfarmer's interview tips are fantastic – I especially agree with their point about admitting what you don't know. I just want to add a few things that I desperately wish I had known before what I felt was quite a bad interview (that almost certainly squashed my chances at my dream school ?)

1. This may be obvious to you, but think of the interview as you pitching your work to the department. The point of the interview is to share your work with the faculty – both the past work you've done and future work you want to do – and to explain why you are excited to do that work at that particular program. I had no idea what kinds of questions to expect – did they want to get to know me better as a potential colleague? Did they want to hear about more ideas that didn't make it into my materials? Nope – they just wanted a better idea of how all of my interests fit together and some clarification of what I've done and what I want to do, research-wise. Our conversation never strayed from my SoP and WS. Talk about your past and future work in as specific terms as possible, rooted in arguments you have made and methods/avenues of research you want to pursue.

2. Review your statement of purpose and writing sample very carefully for at least a few days before the interview. Practice talking about them with confidence in very specific terms, and be able to explain how they link together. Do not waste time reviewing books/articles written by the faculty at that program. I spent far too much time doing this and didn't have a single opportunity to hint at my knowledge. I should have spent the time reviewing my own materials carefully.

3. As @urbanfarmer mentioned, do have questions prepared for your interviewers. But while questions about funding and placement may be welcome at some departments, I very much got the sense that my interviewers did not want to be asked about classes, placement, job support, teaching (whoops). They made it fairly clear at the end of the interview that I should have asked about the opportunities available to me within my specific field/subfield at the program, and what the work culture is like in those areas. I didn't think to ask about those things because I had already researched them well and I didn't want to seem like I hadn't, but in retrospect, I do not think it is necessarily a bad idea to ask questions you already know the answers to. For my next interview, I plan to begin the "question" section with "I'm really excited about University's program because of x opportunities in my Field. Would you mind talking a little bit about the opportunities and culture in Field at University so I can get a better sense of how I would fit in to your program?"

4. Similarly, when possible, throw in phrases reiterating that you are excited about and think you are a good fit for the program because of x. Only after my not very good interview did I realize I really just talked about me the whole time and made it seem like I didn't know or care about the program. I thought my understanding of the department's opportunities in my field and my fit with the department was evident from my statement of purpose, but in retrospect, I wish I had emphasized these things during the interview.

I agree with a lot of this, though I would just add the caveat that these interviews are usually 25-30 minutes, and it would be impossible to do all or even most of these things in that timespan. It just doesn't allow for it. I think if I had gone into my interview with these four tenets in mind, I might've panicked if I didn't get certain questions, been less open to the conversation's natural flow, interrupted or interjected in order to emphasize how excited I was or how I was a good fit (which no doubt would've come off badly). Bottom line, I don't think a 'bad' interview will rule a candidate out completely, especially one with strong materials—you're being admitted to write and research for 5-6 years; not be a talking head—nor will a good one guarantee acceptance. I think they're looking broadly for two things:

1. Can you participate in the intellectual culture of the department? Can you have a friendly, open-ended, casual discussion of ideas? Are you malleable and pliable or unyielding, when a new idea or question is introduced to you? Notice in that phrasing it's less about exactly what you say, whether you trip up, or whether your answer is right or wrong, and more about the orientation and attitude evident in your answers. If it puts you at ease and helps you stay present in the conversation, by all means, go over your SOP and WS for days and rehearse potential answers. But I don't think it's necessary, and worst case scenario, it can be really easy to tell when someone's answers are rehearsed because often they're less responsive to what's actually being asked. 

2. Are you personable? Given many programs have only introduced interviews in recent years, it's hard not to see them becoming the norm in light of not only increasing competitiveness, but also the exponentially increasing difficulty of the job market. At least in Chicago's case, given their focus on placement and research excellence, I have to believe that the interview is something of a 'ground zero' for job market interviews; a very early indicator of how you might fare (and/or how easily you might be trained) in speaking and conversing with other professors about your work and your hopes for it in a high-pressure, high-stakes situation. 

[madandmoonly]

5 minutes ago, merry night wanderer said:

Into Rice!

Congrats!! Feel free to get in touch if you have any questions! 

[Cryss]

17 minutes ago, merry night wanderer said:

Into Rice!

Congrats!!!! 

20 minutes ago, caffeinated applicant said:

Yup--implied rejection from Chicago, another implied rejection from Duke Literature, and other than that? Nada. Based on past reporting on the results page, I expect to have 2-3 per week next week, though. All nice and spread out so I can worry longer, haha. 

I'm finding myself just desperately hoping that my first program comes through as an acceptance. Obviously I would be thrilled to go there even if it was the last program to report (otherwise I wouldn't have applied!), but if I get into that first-to-notify program, that means I'm going to grad school, you know? Whereas if I'm rejected from the first program, it means I'm stuck in admissions limbo for a while longer. (Lol, @ those of you who already have an acceptance--does the waiting feel easier afterwards??) 

Same, same. I feel like if my first contact was an acceptance, I'd breathe a bit easier. But that's looking slim right now. 

Edited January 24, 2020 by Cryss