2021 Applicants

[queenofcarrotflowers]

2 hours ago, Magic Lantern said:

Finally submitted all of my applications. I feel kind of numb. Strangely, there is no catharsis at all, no sense of closure, no nothing. lol

Yup, it's such a bummer that there isn't even a slight catharsis to it. Submitted my apps relatively early, thought to myself beforehand 'hey I've got basically no chance of admission anyway so I'll feel much better and forget about it once they're in!'... oh the sweet summer child I once was.

[queenofcarrotflowers]

17 hours ago, Cloudbury said:

Thank you poster above for the well wishes and I wish you could help us get accepted. ? 

Anyone heard anything from schools yet?What are you guys hoping to specialize in? 

Nothing yet! (at least, according to the excessive amount of times I've checked my portals today...)

 

I'm hoping to specialize in Southeast Asian and African Anglophone!

 

[languageisaskin]

@Cloudbury Someone listed in the results section that they had an interview on 1/12/21. Only one data point, so I was curious to hear from others! 

[semiotic_mess]

7 hours ago, languageisaskin said:

@Cloudbury Someone listed in the results section that they had an interview on 1/12/21. Only one data point, so I was curious to hear from others! 

That was me!

[silk]

On 1/14/2021 at 7:54 PM, jkv152 said:

I'm patiently waiting to hear back. I applied to six programs and I know it's a bit premature, but here's hoping I start to hear back in another one to two weeks. I know decision timelines are contingent on the school and department. I'm in Film and Media Studies and it seems that a majority of programs inform around Jan-Feb. Any other FMS folks?

hey, i actually applied to the ma program in cinema studies, university of washington. pretty excited about the result!

[jkv152]

1 hour ago, silk said:

hey, i actually applied to the ma program in cinema studies, university of washington. pretty excited about the result!

Nice! I applied to the PhD program at Washington. Do you know when we expect to hear back? I’m curious if they send out all acceptances/rejections for both MA and PhD at the same time. Good luck to you!

[silk]

@jkv152 it seems that it's mid to end of february for phd applicants, and march for ma applicants! (at least that's what i gathered from the handful of posts on the results page)!

thank you, and good luck to you too!

[cruel optimism]

On 1/13/2021 at 2:52 PM, onerepublic96 said:

I just wanted to pop in and wish you all good luck. I can't even begin to imagine how stressful this process must have been this year, and each one of you smart, strong candidates deserves to make it into your first-choice programs. ?

Seconding these sentiments as we head into the latter half of January.
Best of luck to all of you, and just know that however your results turn out (hopefully for the better), you've already accomplished so much by making it through not only a tedious application process, but one made even more challenging by *gestures at everything* These Ridiculous Circumstances

[ShivD]

On 1/15/2021 at 1:47 AM, languageisaskin said:

@Cloudbury Someone listed in the results section that they had an interview on 1/12/21. Only one data point, so I was curious to hear from others! 

I also have not heard anything from Duke Literature. ?

[Warelin]

Please remember that you are not your acceptances. You are not your writing sample nor are you your statement of purpose. You are not your grades. You are much more than that. Please don't let your acceptances define you.

[languageisaskin]

@ShivD Comforting to know I'm not alone, but I hope I didn't cause any unnecessary anxiety by posting! Wishing you the best, and personally going to try to stay away from the results page for a while... 

Edited January 17, 2021 by languageisaskin

[Alyycat]

Oof, the long wait through January ? If trends are similar to the last few years though, results for a few of my programs should be out this month. Here's hoping for good news for everyone!!

Is anyone else here interested in Narratology/Narrative Theory?

[jadeisokay]

good luck to everyone applying! i want to reiterate that you are not your acceptances or rejections! you are wonderful inquisitive people 

[ShivD]

18 hours ago, languageisaskin said:

@ShivD Comforting to know I'm not alone, but I hope I didn't cause any unnecessary anxiety by posting! Wishing you the best, and personally going to try to stay away from the results page for a while... 

No, not at all. As you said, it is much better to not wait it out alone. The mad thing is that for some time, Duke's result is what I was anxious about the most since I heard that its interview can be pretty intense. But now I am feeling calmer. 

[dancewmoonlight]

16 hours ago, Alyycat said:

Oof, the long wait through January ? If trends are similar to the last few years though, results for a few of my programs should be out this month. Here's hoping for good news for everyone!!

Is anyone else here interested in Narratology/Narrative Theory?

I heard back from Northeastern University's English PhD on the 15th. Rejection. They noted they had an exceptionally competitive pool this year.

It's chill, though. They were my second choice.

[Kapol-in]

4 hours ago, dancewmoonlight said:

I heard back from Northeastern University's English PhD on the 15th. Rejection. They noted they had an exceptionally competitive pool this year.

It's chill, though. They were my second choice.

Wow already? I'm assuming they have either rolling admissions or a very early application deadline?

[Magic Lantern]

I'm both hoping and dreading that some of my application results might come out this week. My current job can be quit dehumanizing at times and I'm considering quitting it. I am also living in a city far away from family, friends, and everyone I love and care about. I drag myself to work every morning, and sink into depression at night/on weekend. To me, a grad school offer not only means a chance to pursue my intellectual passions, but also a new place where I might meet new people and start a new life that's actually worthwhile.

Sorry for posting this random/irrelevant information here...

I hope we will all hear some good news in the next couple of weeks!

[Lighthouse Lana]

2 hours ago, Magic Lantern said:

I'm both hoping and dreading that some of my application results might come out this week. My current job can be quit dehumanizing at times and I'm considering quitting it. I am also living in a city far away from family, friends, and everyone I love and care about. I drag myself to work every morning, and sink into depression at night/on weekend. To me, a grad school offer not only means a chance to pursue my intellectual passions, but also a new place where I might meet new people and start a new life that's actually worthwhile.

Sorry for posting this random/irrelevant information here...

I hope we will all hear some good news in the next couple of weeks!

I totally get it. I'm in a similar position; my job makes me miserable and getting into a PhD program would be such a relief. But I think one thing that I've learned from the last application season is that it's always good to have a back-up plan. As for myself, if I don't get into a program, I plan to quit my job. That way, at least I can try to find something new to look forward to. And if I do get in, it might be worth it to suck it up and stay until the summer because I'd need to save up. 

Don't get me wrong; if I don't get in it'll be devastating and that's okay. You don't need to deny your feelings. But remember it's still very early to jump to conclusions and, if grad school is your ticket out of a miserable situation, it might be worth it to have a back-up plan!

And lastly, this forum is for all of us! No need to apologize for sharing your feelings. Wishing you the best ❤️ 

[dancewmoonlight]

8 hours ago, Kapol-in said:

Wow already? I'm assuming they have either rolling admissions or a very early application deadline?

Deadline was December 15. And yeah, I was shocked to hear from them.

Edited January 19, 2021 by dancewmoonlight

[kirbs005]

4 hours ago, Magic Lantern said:

I'm both hoping and dreading that some of my application results might come out this week. My current job can be quit dehumanizing at times and I'm considering quitting it.

Same here too - I just don't enjoy my job, despite the friendly team and excellent benefits. I get anxiety related chest pain from it that I didn't get pulling all nighters during my MA. It helped me realize that I need to find something I'm passionate about and enjoy. That's teaching and research and this will help me get there and be more enjoyable despite the fact that the job market is rough and my schedule will be wild. 

But this did lead my partner and I to a longer conversation about how neither of us really like the city we're in so that if I don't get in we'll probably still be looking to make a change. And it's helping me be okay if I don't get in. Trying to remind myself my list got dwindled by the pandemic and who knows what's going to happen.

[Magic Lantern]

2 hours ago, Lighthouse Lana said:

I totally get it. I'm in a similar position; my job makes me miserable and getting into a PhD program would be such a relief. But I think one thing that I've learned from the last application season is that it's always good to have a back-up plan. As for myself, if I don't get into a program, I plan to quit my job. That way, at least I can try to find something new to look forward to. And if I do get in, it might be worth it to suck it up and stay until the summer because I'd need to save up. 

Don't get me wrong; if I don't get in it'll be devastating and that's okay. You don't need to deny your feelings. But remember it's still very early to jump to conclusions and, if grad school is your ticket out of a miserable situation, it might be worth it to have a back-up plan!

And lastly, this forum is for all of us! No need to apologize for sharing your feelings. Wishing you the best ❤️ 

Aww thank you so much!! It's definitely a great idea to have a back-up plan. Knowing that not getting in won't be the end of the world also takes away some of the anxiety. Thanks again, and I wish you all the best!!  

[Magic Lantern]

50 minutes ago, kirbs005 said:

Same here too - I just don't enjoy my job, despite the friendly team and excellent benefits. I get anxiety related chest pain from it that I didn't get pulling all nighters during my MA. It helped me realize that I need to find something I'm passionate about and enjoy. That's teaching and research and this will help me get there and be more enjoyable despite the fact that the job market is rough and my schedule will be wild. 

But this did lead my partner and I to a longer conversation about how neither of us really like the city we're in so that if I don't get in we'll probably still be looking to make a change. And it's helping me be okay if I don't get in. Trying to remind myself my list got dwindled by the pandemic and who knows what's going to happen.

That's a great way to think about the situation! We can still make changes in our lives with or without a grad school offer. Thanks for helping me put things into perspective!

[lilgreenblatt]

5 hours ago, Magic Lantern said:

I'm both hoping and dreading that some of my application results might come out this week. My current job can be quit dehumanizing at times and I'm considering quitting it. I am also living in a city far away from family, friends, and everyone I love and care about. I drag myself to work every morning, and sink into depression at night/on weekend. To me, a grad school offer not only means a chance to pursue my intellectual passions, but also a new place where I might meet new people and start a new life that's actually worthwhile.

Sorry for posting this random/irrelevant information here...

I hope we will all hear some good news in the next couple of weeks!

This is so relatable to me. You are not alone in these thoughts. Even though I didn't like my job, it was still really rattling when they let me go. I'm finishing up my final two weeks and then I have no clue what to do for the next six months...I just applied to an unpaid virtual internship, so I feel like I'm almost regressing just looking for something to do to fill my resume and my time. Luckily, I live with my parents, so I don't really need to worry about the fall out from not having my paycheck anymore. I was trying to save money for rent and expenses while in grad school, so now I'm starting to get nervous about not having that next year. Yikes. I'm in need of some good news.

[jujubee]

Thank you for all your thoughts and apprehensions. They make me feel seen despite some silence we've had here in the last few days. This year's forum has certainly been less active than last's and that made me wonder about the state of everyone's health, knowing full well the anxiety and anticipation that comes after app submission. In my case, my backup plan is to go for the deferred admission to a English-CW program but with partial funding, it is not a very attractive option. My main source of worry is what colleagues will think of me if I get shut out this year; most of them have gone to top programs in the US and UK and one is usually dismissed if no grad experience abroad. I am also hoping for the best but the more I read how competitive this season is, the more I feel inadequate and sure, SURE that I won't be getting in anywhere.

But that doesn't stop me from compulsively checking GC and reddit everyday, and jumping when an email notification comes in.

Hugging you all from across the Pacific. 

Edited January 19, 2021 by jujubee

[ghost-enthusiast]

Hi all! I want to echo all that's been said here and introduce myself. Though I can definitely be obsessive about checking grad cafe, it's been so so helpful to come to this forum and not feel so alone, especially in a process that's hard to understand from the outside. I decided to create an account when my scrolling of past forums got a *little* too excessive, but I'm looking forward to being on this wacky journey with you all!!