Calling all French PHD 2020 Applicants ...

[Robert_Kerans]

I wonder how Cornell managed to go so fast!

[MonsieurHonoré]

@Volodine1 Does that count French literature as well? I can’t remember from all of the program descriptions if the literature program falls under the IFS umbrella  

[LabichedeRenaissance]

Hello! Joining the bandwagon here. Got accepted into UWisconsin and UPitt! Waiting on others :] Right now, as I go through the process, I'm becoming more conscious and paranoid about doing this entire thing in the first place. I mean : investing that amount of time with poor prospects of employment? I'm really passionate about research and teaching. However, two new elements have popped up in my life that are making it difficult. I just received an offer for a very well-paid employment position and I also got into a law school (one of the top 15 in the world). I just applied to those two as back-ups without any clue/belief that both would work out. Now, I'm stuck in a conundrum on whether to follow my passion or my logic (the one with $$). Anyone who has had the same experience or may be in the same boat -- some truthful advice appreciated. Ideally I'd like to follow French but I would really not like to have to explain employment prospects 5-6 years down the line. 

[Teddy Kellogg]

Hi there, first time posting! Quick question: has anyone heard from Duke, or spoken to their admissions department about when results will be out ? 

[xinyu_uynix]

congrats on all the good news!!

On 2/1/2020 at 11:26 PM, Robert_Kerans said:

A quick follow up on my interview with Columbia: I am not really satisfied with my "performance" although I tried to be as honest as possible. I think it was mostly the stress of having four brilliant people judging the quality of my research potential. Fingers crossed though, one never knows

Has Yale sent out decisions yet?

 

Yale is interviewing this week on Tuesday and Thursday. Not sure if there will be multiple rounds...

Now that we're in the final stretch, it would be really helpful if people could share interview questions that they found particularly challenging or unexpected, and how much of the interview was in French ??!!

Edited February 3, 2020 by xinyu_uynix

[Volodine1]

12 hours ago, MonsieurHonoré said:

@Volodine1 Does that count French literature as well? I can’t remember from all of the program descriptions if the literature program falls under the IFS umbrella  

it includes IFS and french literature combined. By French literature alone is separate. The French department and the IFS have two different admissions committees. Depends which one you applied to as primary. The other one signs off on the primary committee's decision, basically. 

[MonsieurHonoré]

On 2/3/2020 at 8:20 AM, Teddy Kellogg said:

Hi there, first time posting! Quick question: has anyone heard from Duke, or spoken to their admissions department about when results will be out ? 

@Teddy Kellogg I have a few colleagues who applied there, and they said radio silence so far, and nothing has been posted in the results - not sure if anyone else answered your question!

[MonsieurHonoré]

@xinyu_uynix 

First and foremost, be able to talk about your research.

Second, I think that anyone with an interview should be prepared to talk about some sort of teaching experience ... mention anything if asked (tutoring, classroom, etc.). 

Also, make sure that you're able to reconcile any type of choices you have made ( especially if they involve diverging interests) ; for example, I intended on double majoring in a science and French in undergrad, and ended up dropping the second major to focus on my writing/French. I have been asked why I chose to do that several times, in many interviews. Be able to justify those choices and explain why you made them. This applies to your interests within literature as well - if you're interested in two literary traditions for example or two different movements, be able to form a link between the two and talk about it. 

[LOiseauRouge]

On 2/2/2020 at 9:54 PM, MonsieurHonoré said:

@Volodine1 Does that count French literature as well? I can’t remember from all of the program descriptions if the literature program falls under the IFS umbrella  

French Lit is a different department, but we work closely with IFS and the visiting day should be the same for PhDs in either, so I would imagine French will be sending out interview requests in the next couple weeks.

[xinyu_uynix]

7 hours ago, MonsieurHonoré said:

@xinyu_uynix 

First and foremost, be able to talk about your research.

Second, I think that anyone with an interview should be prepared to talk about some sort of teaching experience ... mention anything if asked (tutoring, classroom, etc.). 

Also, make sure that you're able to reconcile any type of choices you have made ( especially if they involve diverging interests) ; for example, I intended on double majoring in a science and French in undergrad, and ended up dropping the second major to focus on my writing/French. I have been asked why I chose to do that several times, in many interviews. Be able to justify those choices and explain why you made them. This applies to your interests within literature as well - if you're interested in two literary traditions for example or two different movements, be able to form a link between the two and talk about it. 

@MonsieurHonoré That's very helpful -- thank you!! I'd also refer people to this comp lit thread. Page 26 has some particularly helpful tips:

 

[Robert_Kerans]

Hi! Has anyone heard back from NYU? It seems someone got an interview offer today.

[MonsieurHonoré]

@Robert_Kerans Wasn’t me ... perhaps it’s like Brown and they send interview invites out over multiple days? 

[MonsieurHonoré]

Also, did anyone else in the thread get accepted at Brown? I saw that one other person did ... I have a really hard decision to make between Brown and Cornell. Both wonderful schools and programs! 

Edited February 6, 2020 by MonsieurHonoré

[xinyu_uynix]

NYU has sent out a first round of interviews for Ph.D. in French Lit -- why do I get the impression that they are moving so much more slowly than the others...

[Robert_Kerans]

1 hour ago, xinyu_uynix said:

NYU has sent out a first round of interviews for Ph.D. in French Lit -- why do I get the impression that they are moving so much more slowly than the others...

I haven’t received anything! I must say I’m a little disappointed (NYU was among my top universities), but best of luck to everyone!

[claracgentes]

Hey there ! I am new to this thread. I applied to NYU's joint Ph.D. in French Studies and Anthropology... It's a new programme and I am not sure that they operate along the same timeline as the other French Ph.D. programmes. I have not heard from them yet... I am French and new to the whole US universities application process. If I understand correctly, the answers don't all come out at the same time right ? Does that mean one should be worried if they have not heard from the NYU yet ? This is so nerve-wracking !!

 

Good luck to all the applicants :)

[MonsieurHonoré]

Best of luck to everyone with an interview at NYU!! Sending good luck! 

[Volodine1]

23 minutes ago, claracgentes said:

Hey there ! I am new to this thread. I applied to NYU's joint Ph.D. in French Studies and Anthropology... It's a new programme and I am not sure that they operate along the same timeline as the other French Ph.D. programmes. I have not heard from them yet... I am French and new to the whole US universities application process. If I understand correctly, the answers don't all come out at the same time right ? Does that mean one should be worried if they have not heard from the NYU yet ? This is so nerve-wracking !!

 

Good luck to all the applicants

the joint French studies applications are reviewed by the IFS admissions committee. They are expected to make decisions next week. The interviewees appear to be applicants to the French Department, which is a separate admissions process. You and I can still hope to hear from IFS late next week! Good luck to you and congrats to the French interviewees!

[claracgentes]

1 minute ago, Volodine1 said:

the joint French studies applications are reviewed by the IFS admissions committee. They are expected to make decisions next week. The interviewees appear to be applicants to the French Department, which is a separate admissions process. You and I can still hope to hear from IFS late next week! Good luck to you and congrats to the French interviewees!

Thanks Volodine for the info. I feel so much better. Tous les espoirs sont donc permis !

[MonsieurHonoré]

@Robert_Kerans I just got my interview email from NYU now, so it looks like they aren’t finished sending notifications today 

[Robert_Kerans]

24 minutes ago, MonsieurHonoré said:

@Robert_Kerans I just got my interview email from NYU now, so it looks like they aren’t finished sending notifications today 

I got one too!! Such a relief...! Congrats!

[MonsieurHonoré]

@Robert_Kerans Thanks!! ?? You too! 

[sgb]

Well congrats to all of you... I just received my second rejection letter, so I'm just waiting for the rest of them now. I've seen people post interviews/acceptances from everywhere I applied except UMD, which is probably my only hope now... if I even get into an American program.

[Akela]

16 hours ago, MonsieurHonoré said:

Also, did anyone else in the thread get accepted at Brown? I saw that one other person did ... I have a really hard decision to make between Brown and Cornell. Both wonderful schools and programs! 

Hi ! ?

I'm the one who posted about getting accepted at Brown. I got into Cornell as well. I think I'll choose Cornell - although I'm still waiting to see how the interviews and visit at Princeton go. Cornell and Brown's programs are both very appealing, and of course they're both great schools !
Regarding their programs, I think Cornell's has a more interdisciplinary approach and allows more exchanges with other departments (English, Comparative Studies). And since I have studied both anglophone lit and comp lit, it fits my interests better.
On a more personal note, I like Cornell's environment better than Brown's (I enjoy being in nature a lot). I also felt a better connection when talking to one of the professor at Cornell on Skype. I felt like my interview with Brown did not go well, I genuinely thought I would get rejected. It might just be because the skype meeting with Cornell was not an interview but a more informal discussion.

Why are you hesitating ?

[MonsieurHonoré]

@Akela So nice to talk to you!

I really don’t know why I’m hesitating to be honest. There’s a lot of nostalgia involved I think with Brown (I went to a really small liberal arts college for undergrad) and I really enjoyed my interview experience with the professors there and it reminded me of that. I also really enjoyed my informal conversation with the professor at Cornell, and I agree with you - their offerings are wonderful and VERY suited to my interests - both are great schools. I love nature as well - miss it in fact - and I think that honestly Cornell would be refreshing for that reason, but it would be easier to get around at Brown for conferences and the like. 

I don’t want to make a “wrong decision” but there’s really no wrong decision to make. Also, growing up in a tiny house in the Appalachian mountains to an oppressively conservative family (I’m suuuuper liberal hahaha) ... I never thought in a million years that I would get to this point or have this choice to say yes or no. It’s very surreal.