2022 Applicants

[xdfaddsbads]

I hear this from many of my already tenure track friends often. I have detoured in life from my MA being very fast track academic and debate coach etc- to then having kids having a contracting business, and the dreaded adjunct life. But to be honest the job market isn’t guaranteed in any field. Pursuing what your passionate about is important. If getting your PhD in English won’t hurt you, financially, then it’s worth chasing your dream. You could get paid more to teach at high school level, or teach at a variety of institutions or even *gasp* adjunct at better pay then with a MA. Which ain’t that bad really. Adjunct teaching is by far easier than other jobs I’ve held, waitressing, cleaning, or the bigger money maker residential contracting business I run with my partner. It’s a great flexible gig, and I think it’s always worth going for your dream. I am doing it also after a long time away. I think it’s important for academics who always want to lament on the terrible job market to reflect on what other careers might be like. And I can tell you they aren’t as flexible, rewarding or engaging. So basically yes you def should do it! In my opinion ?

[maryroseman]

Wanted to wish everyone well! I just submitted all my apps & want to throw up lmao. I applied to Buffalo for Poetics, and to UIC, UDenver, and UCSC for English Lit with creative dissertation. 

Fingers crossed for all of us, and good vibes to everyone finishing up apps right now!

[snorkles]

On 12/8/2021 at 7:22 AM, Glasperlenspieler said:

The process is likely going to vary substantially from program to program. A philosophy professor who has frequently served on the grad admissions committee at Rutgers recently did a write up of what the process looks like there. While it's a different discipline and other departments are likely to do things differently, I think it gives some useful insight into how your application might be read: http://static1.1.sqspcdn.com/static/f/1011404/28477892/1635443782310/Tips+for+applying+to+PhD+Programs+in+Philosophy2.pdf?token=DbN71X3m2lBFlti4y2w3rbeCk6o%3D

I'd like to emphasize the parts about developing faculty relations and getting eyes on your materials. Good luck to everyone!

[s.renteria]

Hey all,

I hope everyone is holding up ok! I'm not sure if anyone here is also applying to Michigan State/ has applied to Michigan State in the past? I don't think I've seen anyone post about it in this forum. ? I was just curious because I found data here on GradCafe showing they sometimes get back to students within a couple weeks of the deadline 12/1 (at least the Rhet/Writing PhD program does) and I'm nervous/ not sure how accurate that is? ?

[illcounsel]

Just finished submitting all 13 of my applications. Online forms are haunting my dreams.

[s.renteria]

@illcounsel Congratulations! I'm still working on three ? As scary as it is to wait, major kudos for being done with the first step! Wishing you the best of luck!

[illcounsel]

@s.renteria Same to you!!!!!

[NotBill]

Hi everyone! I graduated from with an M.A. in May and have finished 9 applications so far, and I've hit all my top choices. Should I just try to pump out as many apps as I can before the deadlines, or just be happy with what I have? What's bothering me is that with every app, my statements and samples got a tiny bit better, so I probably should have started with lower choices before culminating in my top choices. Maybe I'm overthinking it. Thoughts?

[Warelin]

15 hours ago, NotBill said:

Hi everyone! I graduated from with an M.A. in May and have finished 9 applications so far, and I've hit all my top choices. Should I just try to pump out as many apps as I can before the deadlines, or just be happy with what I have? What's bothering me is that with every app, my statements and samples got a tiny bit better, so I probably should have started with lower choices before culminating in my top choices. Maybe I'm overthinking it. Thoughts?

I would try to not stress too much over this. There are so many factors that determine an acceptance. It's unlikely one will ever know which factor will result in anything and a lot of these factors are outside of one's control.

As for other applications, I'd ensure the following before submitting anywhere else:

1) Did your professor and you agree on a number of applications they'd be willing to write for? Are they open to writing more?
2) Are the additional universities in places you could see yourself living for 5 years or more?
3) Are there additional professors at these universities that you could see yourself working with?
4) Does the school provide enough funding to live without working an additional job?  

[Hard times!]

Has anyone applied to U of Pittsburgh? Something very weird happened. It is only today that I realised that they still have the 2021 portal active and I had registered with that. All my letter writers have sent their letters to that portal. I had uploaded my No matter what I did, the dropdown lists for sessions and courses didn't return a single result and I assumed that they had closed admissions already-- I am an international student and often confuse eastern and central time zones. But later in the evening went through their website and saw that you were supposed to apply with something called gradcas. I wrote to the graduate coordinator but of course it is a Saturday for everyone and the deadline was December 10. 

Is there anything at all I can do to address this absurd situation? Pittsburgh was one of my best fits-- I wouldn't have cared so much had it been a reach school. 

[NotBill]

2 hours ago, Warelin said:

I would try to not stress too much over this. There are so many factors that determine an acceptance. It's unlikely one will ever know which factor will result in anything and a lot of these factors are outside of one's control.

As for other applications, I'd ensure the following before submitting anywhere else:

1) Did your professor and you agree on a number of applications they'd be willing to write for? Are they open to writing more?
2) Are the additional universities in places you could see yourself living for 5 years or more?
3) Are there additional professors at these universities that you could see yourself working with?
4) Does the school provide enough funding to live without working an additional job?  

Yes, these are good things to consider. As for (1), do LOR writers typically customize their letters much for each school? I just got the sense that they were sending something pretty "one-size-fits-all." But, I did supply them with a list and the remaining schools are on there as "low-priority" options, so it wouldn't come as a great surprise I don't think. Thanks for the reminder not to stress—it's hard not to sometimes! 

[Warelin]

1 hour ago, Hard times! said:

Is there anything at all I can do to address this absurd situation? Pittsburgh was one of my best fits-- I wouldn't have cared so much had it been a reach school. 

I'd e-mail the graduate coordinator. I don't think they'd penalize you for something like this. As a sidenote, try not to think of schools as "reaches" or "safeties". People have been rejected from schools with higher acceptance rates while being accepted to schools with lower acceptance rates. We never know what causes a school to accept or reject a certain applicant.

 

 

4 minutes ago, NotBill said:

Yes, these are good things to consider. As for (1), do LOR writers typically customize their letters much for each school? I just got the sense that they were sending something pretty "one-size-fits-all." But, I did supply them with a list and the remaining schools are on there as "low-priority" options, so it wouldn't come as a great surprise I don't think. Thanks for the reminder not to stress—it's hard not to sometimes! 

It really depends on the professor. Some professors might be willing to submit to more schools. Others might not be as willing to write more recommendations. I think it's always important to remember that everyone is balancing out a lot of things during the end of the year. I imagine most would be more than happy too as long as they knew to check their e-mails for additional requests.

[thecat00]

Hi everyone, I have another question --

I just received my Fall semester grades. Is it recommended to go back and upload a new transcript that shows these grades? Or should this only be done for programs that explicitly require or ask for it? 

Thank you.

[kpyjkh]

Hi everyone,
New here, just got an invite for an interview with UIUC’s complit and I’m wondering if anyone has interviewed with them/has any advice. What should I keep in mind? What questions should I ask? I listed two faculty members that I would like to work with in my application, but only one of them is going to be present at the interview – the other prof at the interview is someone who’s also related to my interests, yes, but from a field I’m less familiar with. On top of that, I really didn’t expect them to work this fast and I’m still working on several other applications (that are making me very anxious), so any advice would be great. Thanks!

[NotBill]

13 hours ago, niamhhh said:

Hi everyone,
New here, just got an invite for an interview with UIUC’s complit and I’m wondering if anyone has interviewed with them/has any advice. What should I keep in mind? What questions should I ask? I listed two faculty members that I would like to work with in my application, but only one of them is going to be present at the interview – the other prof at the interview is someone who’s also related to my interests, yes, but from a field I’m less familiar with. On top of that, I really didn’t expect them to work this fast and I’m still working on several other applications (that are making me very anxious), so any advice would be great. Thanks!

Hey that's awesome! 

If I were you, I'd prepare by just reading as much recent stuff in your field as possible and stuffing your brain with that language so it's very 'on tap' as you interview. What's your background, btw? Coming out of a B.A. or M.A. (this would change my answer on what you should ask)? How far off is your interview? 

[scoobydont]

Decided to wait a year to apply again (thought showing how I did in the master's/having a relevant writing sample would be my best option), but I wish everyone luck!

Also, I'll be presenting at NeMLA in March, so if anyone else will be there, maybe we can meet up!

[zetasp]

On 12/1/2021 at 8:22 AM, A Small Raven said:

Oh good you're applying to 11! Here I thought I was maybe being psycho overkill applying to 12, glad I'm not crazy ??

Hahaha no, no worries. When I applied for PhD and MA programs out of undergrad, I think I applied to like 15 schools hahaha. It's so nerve-wracking. I do lots of research all the time, and when I applied to undergrad, I knew all the stats and ranks and everything, but graduate school is so different. It's not as much of a numbers game (and, ugh, the numbers are terrifying because most programs accept between 8 and 20 (thought 20 feels very high)) as it is a fit game--it's all program specializations, faculty interests, and who is or isn't in the program already. It's a wild time. I think this year, with all of the insanity of the pandemic and with my own personal business, I'm too exhausted to be as obsessed and nervous about applications as I was last time around ? Still, I don't think 11 or 12 is too much, especially if it eases your mind, you know? And I still got 4 acceptances out of 15 (I don't think I was ready, on paper or in actuality, for a PhD yet), and I'm at a program I love! So it's worth it, I think. Much luck!!!

[kpyjkh]

16 hours ago, NotBill said:

Hey that's awesome! 

If I were you, I'd prepare by just reading as much recent stuff in your field as possible and stuffing your brain with that language so it's very 'on tap' as you interview. What's your background, btw? Coming out of a B.A. or M.A. (this would change my answer on what you should ask)? How far off is your interview? 

Thank you!!!

And yes I should’ve been clearer, my bad: I have an MA, got it in 2020 and took a break (you know, the world) but decided to try applying this year. Both my BA and MA are in lit (“foreign lit” but mostly English) and are from non-US institutions, so I’m not sure how it would be categorized by the committee. My interests are a bit all over the place: my MA thesis was on film and my statement is on the intersection of cultural history, postwar German & Japanese fiction & film. While I mentioned both Japan and Germany in my SOP, atm I’m more comfortable dealing with Japanese now as I only have B1 German and am *very* rusty since I didn’t touch anything German for more than a year. What worries me the most now is that in my application I listed two professors (one doing memory studies and the other Japanese studies), but the ones who will be meeting with me are the memory studies prof and a prof from German (and they said part of the interview would be in German, too). The interview was supposed to be on Friday (!) but I couldn’t make it so now it’s on Monday - either way, not enough time to do anything other than re-read all my documents, I guess? 

(And I really don’t know what they expect re: German so I’m worried I would blank out when they start talking in German… will try to work on this as well)

[clara salmon]

19 hours ago, scoobydont said:

Decided to wait a year to apply again (thought showing how I did in the master's/having a relevant writing sample would be my best option), but I wish everyone luck!

Also, I'll be presenting at NeMLA in March, so if anyone else will be there, maybe we can meet up!

Hey, just lurking and wanted to say I'll be at NeMLA too! I was in last year's app cycle and am currently at UC Davis. I'll be going with a friend so we can surely all meet up if that interests you!

[s.renteria]

 Hey everyone! Just an update--I just received an acceptance email from Michigan State for the doctoral program in Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures! I don't think anyone else on here applied there, but I figured I would share some happy news. I hope all of you are doing well and that the apps (and interview @niamhhh) are going smoothly!

 

[sadevilminion]

I have some upcoming deadlines with writing sample limits of 12 and 15 pages, but my writing sample is 17 pages long! I'm curious what everyone does in this situation? Do you just submit the first 12 pages or do you chop it down to fit a full essay into 12 pages? Neither programs specify that it can just be part of a bigger paper.

[s.renteria]

@sadevilminion I had to shorten my writing sample as well! I ended up taking some portions out from the middle so that I still had a logical ending to the paper. What also helped me was adding a short abstract to the beginning explaining the gist of the paper (some of the schools asked for this specifically). I'm not sure if that's standard and it's also a bit counterintuitive, but it made me feel less concerned about the chunks I took out!

[Hard times!]

1 hour ago, sadevilminion said:

I have some upcoming deadlines with writing sample limits of 12 and 15 pages, but my writing sample is 17 pages long! I'm curious what everyone does in this situation? Do you just submit the first 12 pages or do you chop it down to fit a full essay into 12 pages? Neither programs specify that it can just be part of a bigger paper.

My primary essay has quite a few images and even the reduced versions are over 1 mb. For one of my applications I had to make do with a completely different writing sample because the system didn't allow anything over 500 kb. So much for intelligent systems. My sample is over 20 pages and some programmes want 10 haha! Some programmes are really considerate and are willingly to consider anything between 15 and 25 pages (oh so nice!) 

[Cordelipup]

Did anyone else receive an email from UW late last night about filling out a required sexual misconduct declaration? The email says that it does not predict future admissions decisions, but I did not receive one last year and I remember others on this forum had discussed receiving this email. They could also very well just be requiring all applicants to fill out the form this year! 

[Hard times!]

3 minutes ago, Cordelipup said:

Did anyone else receive an email from UW late last night about filling out a required sexual misconduct declaration? The email says that it does not predict future admissions decisions, but I did not receive one last year and I remember others on this forum had discussed receiving this email. They could also very well just be requiring all applicants to fill out the form this year! 

Yes, I did as well! And I think when I was working on the form they said something in the way of everyone receiving such a form!