2020 Applicants

[onerepublic96]

This has been a pretty slow week, which means the next one is likely to be rapid-fire acceptances & rejections from a whole slew of programmes ?

[caffeinated applicant]

And now in addition to the potential six-week wait period for a rejection, notes about an "active reserve" list at Berkeley. What does that mean? Is it a second pool of waitlist students? Does Berkeley's Graduate School mandate that departments can only have a certain number of waitlist students that is fewer than what the English department requires, necessitating a second list? Is the waitlist like one alternate for every accepted applicant and then "active reserve" is another pool of other qualified people? Do they actually pull from "active reserve" or is the waitlist large enough that they wouldn't need to?

I expect never to hear the answers to these questions, but I truly wish that I could listen in on these meetings. What a strange process, building graduate student cohorts--there's so much that is inscrutable from the applicants' side of things.

Edited February 6, 2020 by caffeinated applicant
lowered the snark level lol

[olivetree]

  On 2/6/2020 at 6:12 PM, Emailchecker said:

Am I the last human being that hasn't heard any word from any program so far? I am even scared typing this because I feel as though I will be praying for a response only to get a rejection. Mostly just tired of being nervous...it's a slow-motion train crash...

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You're not alone! I also haven't heard a peep from any of my programs... it's hard not to catastrophize, especially seeing all the results pour in for other people on the forum. Just one more month until we're officially put out of our misery!

[Emailchecker]

  On 2/6/2020 at 7:52 PM, olivetree said:

You're not alone! I also haven't heard a peep from any of my programs... it's hard not to catastrophize, especially seeing all the results pour in for other people on the forum. Just one more month until we're officially put out of our misery!

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Thank you good person! I don't remember my MPhil apps to be this painful. Maybe I am just afraid of the worst... 

[Les Miserables]

  On 2/6/2020 at 4:41 PM, caffeinated applicant said:

I feel like I am going to lose my dang mind waiting to hear anything, anything at all, from UMD...  I didn't receive an interview, but I seem to recall that UMD is one of the schools that only interviews some candidates, not all candidates on their short list? Maybe? (There was definitely some school that did this, but I can't for the life of me remember who it was.)

Back to refreshing my email... 

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I'm in the same boat as you. I heard a solid nothing from them so far but am not sure if I should take it as an implied rejection or otherwise.

[Wimsey]

Got my Chicago rejection, with a referral to MAPH.

Edited February 6, 2020 by Wimsey

[Shakespeares Sister]

Chicago's out. Not so good news on my end.

[politics 'n prose]

Also just got the Chicago rejection (after having to reset my password on the applicant portal because I could not for the life of me remember it). Alas!

[onerepublic96]

Rejected at Chicago, as expected. Didn’t get referred to MAPH, either, which now worries me... though perhaps that’s because I already have an MA...?

Edited February 6, 2020 by onerepublic96
stupid brain moment

[vondafkossum]

Rejected from Chicago (as expected, given that acceptances are already out), but I did not get referred to their MAPH—which I expected to receive since they offered it to me last cycle. Hmm. 

[meghan_sparkle]

  On 2/6/2020 at 9:50 PM, onerepublic96 said:

Rejected at Chicago, as expected. Didn’t get referred to MAPH, either, which now worries me... though perhaps that’s because I already have an MA...?

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I would guess it's because you already have an MA, yeah!

[Barquentine]

Chicago rejection with the MAPH referral. Does anyone have any idea when UNC might notify?

[Cryss]

 

  On 2/6/2020 at 9:50 PM, onerepublic96 said:

Rejected at Chicago, as expected. Didn’t get referred to MAPH, either, which now worries me... though perhaps that’s because I already have an MA...?

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Same. Rejection from Chicago without referral to MAPH. I have an MA too, so that's what I was thinking.

Edited February 6, 2020 by Cryss

[caffeinated applicant]

Rejected from Chicago, no MAPH referral. Finally I lay my weary hope to rest!

[Rrandle101]

  On 2/6/2020 at 7:46 PM, caffeinated applicant said:

And now in addition to the potential six-week wait period for a rejection, notes about an "active reserve" list at Berkeley. What does that mean? Is it a second pool of waitlist students? Does Berkeley's Graduate School mandate that departments can only have a certain number of waitlist students that is fewer than what the English department requires, necessitating a second list? Is the waitlist like one alternate for every accepted applicant and then "active reserve" is another pool of other qualified people? Do they actually pull from "active reserve" or is the waitlist large enough that they wouldn't need to?

I expect never to hear the answers to these questions, but I truly wish that I could listen in on these meetings. What a strange process, building graduate student cohorts--there's so much that is inscrutable from the applicants' side of things.

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I had visited Berkeley over the summer on a road trip from San Francisco to Austin and I asked the grad coordinator about how the waitlist went usually and he kind of snorted and said, "well I mean, this is Berkeley so we don't really ever use it except in rare occasions" so best of luck if anyone is waitlisted there but his response did not sound too positive

[merry night wanderer]

  On 2/6/2020 at 11:44 PM, Rrandle101 said:

I had visited Berkeley over the summer on a road trip from San Francisco to Austin and I asked the grad coordinator about how the waitlist went usually and he kind of snorted and said, "well I mean, this is Berkeley so we don't really ever use it except in rare occasions" so best of luck if anyone is waitlisted there but his response did not sound too positive

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This is why I kind of looked at the "reserve" post askance! Like when do they  need to use a waitlist, period? lol But naturally, I'm sure there's a lot we don't know. 

Edited February 6, 2020 by merry night wanderer

[CanadianEnglish]

  On 2/6/2020 at 7:52 PM, olivetree said:

You're not alone! I also haven't heard a peep from any of my programs... it's hard not to catastrophize, especially seeing all the results pour in for other people on the forum. Just one more month until we're officially put out of our misery!

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I'm in the same boat! Some of my programs have already sent out acceptances (Pitt and Penn State) and I've got radio silence. But no news must be good news! Hopefully next week is the week that everyone starts hearing back from somewhere. 

[caffeinated applicant]

  On 2/6/2020 at 11:44 PM, Rrandle101 said:

I had visited Berkeley over the summer on a road trip from San Francisco to Austin and I asked the grad coordinator about how the waitlist went usually and he kind of snorted and said, "well I mean, this is Berkeley so we don't really ever use it except in rare occasions" so best of luck if anyone is waitlisted there but his response did not sound too positive

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w  o  w.

Not sure there's anything else to say to that...

[meghan_sparkle]

  On 2/6/2020 at 11:44 PM, Rrandle101 said:

I had visited Berkeley over the summer on a road trip from San Francisco to Austin and I asked the grad coordinator about how the waitlist went usually and he kind of snorted and said, "well I mean, this is Berkeley so we don't really ever use it except in rare occasions" so best of luck if anyone is waitlisted there but his response did not sound too positive

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Really? Man, if so, this is just crazy and so inappropriate of him to say. I know multiple people from my university who've turned down Berkeley English or Comp Lit just in the last few years. There are people every year who get accepted to multiple top programs, and, faced with an impossible choice, turn down places for all kinds of reasons. It isn't a rare thing and no program is above it. 

[The Hoosier Oxonian]

  On 2/6/2020 at 11:44 PM, Rrandle101 said:

I had visited Berkeley over the summer on a road trip from San Francisco to Austin and I asked the grad coordinator about how the waitlist went usually and he kind of snorted and said, "well I mean, this is Berkeley so we don't really ever use it except in rare occasions" so best of luck if anyone is waitlisted there but his response did not sound too positive

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In all honesty, hearing this makes me a little bit gladder about the rejection I expect in the next few weeks (which I was already somewhat happy about - I applied more because I was encouraged to shoot for the stars than because I thought it was a good fit).

[Wimsey]

Got my official Berkeley rejection. Thank u, next.

[The Hoosier Oxonian]

  On 2/7/2020 at 2:31 AM, Wimsey said:

Got my official Berkeley rejection. Thank u, next.

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Guess my complaining about the six-week wait was premature - I just got mine too. Bye, Berkeley!

[karamazov]

I'm a tiny bit puzzled by the lone Brandeis rejection that was posted on the board today... It looks like they've sent out rejections mostly on the same day in past years, so I'm curious as to why only one person got one today. Strange. I guess maybe they'll release more tomorrow? 

[merry night wanderer]

Okay, okay, fine, California, I get it! lol

[spikeseagulls]

After having my flights delayed for nearly 10 hours, I finally landed and opened my phone to a Berkeley rejection. Knew it was coming; it still stings a bit though!