2021 Applicants

[CyberHarpie]

8 hours ago, unnnknown said:

Thank you so much for your advice! I'm wondering if it's a little bit late if I'm just trying to reach out to professors these days?....

For me at least, late is relative. If there's still a month before your application is due and you've done your research on the prof and why you want to work with him/her, then it probably wouldn't hurt. If your deadline is next week, however, that might be cutting it a bit too close.

I guess it depends on what you're intending to get out of the potential exchange as well. Most professors are unlikely to have the time at this stage to entertain lengthy requests for consideration or discuss their work in detail, but I've been advised by others more experienced than myself that a short "are you taking in new students" could be a lifesaver, especially if a particular professor's presence is a big factor in your choice to apply to a program. All the best!

[unnnknown]

6 hours ago, CyberHarpie said:

For me at least, late is relative. If there's still a month before your application is due and you've done your research on the prof and why you want to work with him/her, then it probably wouldn't hurt. If your deadline is next week, however, that might be cutting it a bit too close.

I guess it depends on what you're intending to get out of the potential exchange as well. Most professors are unlikely to have the time at this stage to entertain lengthy requests for consideration or discuss their work in detail, but I've been advised by others more experienced than myself that a short "are you taking in new students" could be a lifesaver, especially if a particular professor's presence is a big factor in your choice to apply to a program. All the best!

Thanks for the reply!!

Also, these days I've heard that for the programs in the US students would tend to contact professors after submitting the application, while for the programs in the UK people prefer to contact them before the application? But I always assumed we should contact before wherever? Or is it also possible to email them later? Now I'm confused...

[WildeThing]

Programs in the UK, at least when I was applying, accept you directly to the dissertation phase so you don't do any coursework. Given that, it's expected that you have a clearer idea of what you're going to work on and for some programs this involves figuring out who your advisor would be or if there's faculty to support you. So it makes sense that in the UK you contact the potential advisor in advance whereas in the US there's no expectation to do that because you would be spending 2-3 years on other stuff before you actually work with them anyway.

[EffervescentMoon]

On 11/21/2020 at 4:29 PM, The Hoosier Oxonian said:

I did list the other places I'd applied on all the apps that asked for it, and I don't think it made a difference to the outcome. My best guess is that schools want that information because they want to get a sense of where their competition is (I know for sure that all the schools I turned down asked me to confirm where I'd decided to go instead), but I don't think adcomms are under any illusions about whether their applicants are also applying to many other programs. So I wouldn't worry about it!

Thanks for the info!

[kirbs005]

Hit the submit button on two of my applications today (and am just waiting on letters for the third). ??Thought there would be a little more relief, but now I'll just be nervous till the Spring. 

This is not meant to stress anyone out, I promise! I have a very short list of schools and have been working on things since the summer. Good luck to everyone who's in the home stretch! You all can do it and you're all awesome! You're so close and you will feel such a sense of accomplishment (however fleeting it may be for some).

 

Edited November 24, 2020 by kirbs005

[cassidyaxx]

Is anyone else thrown by Boston University's announcement today that they're closing admissions? It's only a few weeks until deadlines and now I have to find a backup school to apply to. I hope other schools don't follow suit.

[Bopie5]

Submitted 6/13 of my apps today. Going to do 4 more tomorrow, and then the last 3 next week. I can't tell if I'm relieved or even more anxious now that they're submitted. 

How's everyone else doing?

[Kapol-in]

On 11/29/2020 at 4:34 PM, Bopie5 said:

Submitted 6/13 of my apps today. Going to do 4 more tomorrow, and then the last 3 next week. I can't tell if I'm relieved or even more anxious now that they're submitted. 

How's everyone else doing?

I finished all of my applications and all of the LOR's are submitted as well. I just have to wait a little bit for final grades to be inputted at my university so that I can show a better GPA.

[Cryss]

Good luck and good vibes to everyone submitting applications! 

[lilgreenblatt]

Finished mine last week and all my letters have been sent off as well!! Fingers crossed and prayers (for those who believe in them and want them) for all! 

[Bopie5]

1 hour ago, lilgreenblatt said:

Finished mine last week and all my letters have been sent off as well!! Fingers crossed and prayers (for those who believe in them and want them) for all! 

I sent all 14 of my apps on Sunday and Monday, and all four of letter writers got their letters in, which is such a relief. 

@lilgreenblatt I loved reading your SoP, and I’m really hopeful for you! I’m going to project good things into both of our futures. 

Wishing you (and everyone else) the best. I’m sure this forum will slowly dissolve into worry/anticipation/anxiety over the next few months, but for now we should all celebrate the accomplishment of even getting our apps in given the circumstances! 

[kirbs005]

Anyone applying to Ohio State and having technical issues? 

One of my recommenders couldn't get the letter uploading (kept getting an error message). Apparently you can send to gpadocs@osu.edu directly

Edited December 4, 2020 by kirbs005
Issue resolved

[EffervescentMoon]

In case anyone was wondering, CU Boulder announced they were no longer accepting applications for next year. Guess I will have to find another program to replace it on my list.

[DanArndtWrites]

Would anyone want to do an SOP swap?

[Kapol-in]

Modern Thought and Literature deadline is today it seems like. Confused about where to check admissions decisisions for it, I'm assuming on the website they give you when you complete your application? The website shows you the LOR's you requested.

[Magic Lantern]

Submitted 2 of my applications, 8 more to go, but at this point I just feel completely burned out.

[Sigaba]

1 hour ago, Magic Lantern said:

Submitted 2 of my applications, 8 more to go, but at this point I just feel completely burned out.

You can do it. You will do it. 

If possible, consider the benefits of setting up a time table for completing and submitting the six remaining applications. Ideally, the time table will include breaks during which you'll take care of yourself.

Give some thought to the kind of workflow that will work for you best right now. Do you want to finish one application at a time? Will you feel better if you work on your top choices first? Would a 'production line' approach help?

What ever mix of tactics you select, understand that you've worked very hard to get to this point of the process and you're almost there. You will have time to relax during the holidays.

When it's time to get back to it, consider the advantages of a "lessons learned" exercise -- you will be submitting more applications as a graduate student.

You can do it. You will do it.

[Magic Lantern]

19 minutes ago, Sigaba said:

You can do it. You will do it. 

If possible, consider the benefits of setting up a time table for completing and submitting the six remaining applications. Ideally, the time table will include breaks during which you'll take care of yourself.

Give some thought to the kind of workflow that will work for you best right now. Do you want to finish one application at a time? Will you feel better if you work on your top choices first? Would a 'production line' approach help?

What ever mix of tactics you select, understand that you've worked very hard to get to this point of the process and you're almost there. You will have time to relax during the holidays.

When it's time to get back to it, consider the advantages of a "lessons learned" exercise -- you will be submitting more applications as a graduate student.

You can do it. You will do it.

awww thank you so much!! Your reply really made my day!

[robertsona_grad]

Welp, applied three or four days ago to Yale (combined PhD with Film and Media Studies), Irvine, and Berkeley. Got into Cambridge and rejected from Oxford two years ago, so we'll see what happens. Simply waiting for 2/3 of my rec-letter writers to submit before the 15th. Good luck to everyone!

[Indecisive Poet]

Good luck, everyone!!!! It's been a tough year and I hope that there is good news waiting for you all on the other side of it. I hope everyone has a restful holiday period in the meantime ❤️ ☃️

 

 

 

[JaneLWH]

Done with all but two of my Ph.D. applications. Now I have to concentrate on the MA ones.

[Kapol-in]

Finished all my applications, did not anticipate having to write so damn much. Now it's the wait...

[Alyycat]

Hi folks! Just got all six of my apps in and wishing you all the best with yours! Realllly starting to wish it was February already though so I could get all the unknowing out of the way, haha.

Is anyone familiar with Ohio State's program, by chance? It's prob my topic pick right now but I'm not sure how often they accept people (like me) applying to their integrated MA/PhD straight out of undergrad.

[JaneLWH]

 

3 hours ago, Alyycat said:

Hi folks! Just got all six of my apps in and wishing you all the best with yours! Realllly starting to wish it was February already though so I could get all the unknowing out of the way, haha.

Is anyone familiar with Ohio State's program, by chance? It's prob my topic pick right now but I'm not sure how often they accept people (like me) applying to their integrated MA/PhD straight out of undergrad.

Alyycat, I considered applying to Ohio State's program as well, though I ended up not doing so. They have a fairly extensive team of scholars in my area of interest (Romanticism) but I am skeptical as to whether they are a good enough "fit" for my approach. I am currently an undergrad as well, and, based on what I've gathered from Ohio State's website, they do appear amenable to applicants who are not MA recipients. They however emphasize that they expect you to be abreast of and engage with contemporary scholarship on your field. If your writing sample and personal statement demonstrate that, I think you should be fine. Good luck!

[DanArndtWrites]

Finishing up mine. Ended up finding a 20 page writing sample i can use. It's not had as many eyeballs on it as my shorter one but the prof I wrote it for was willing to write a LoR for me and its just two of my six programs so...