PhD English - 2025 Application Cycle

[ForTheCulture]

Don’t give up hope just yet! It’s hard with rejections rolling out, but it’s not over. 

[bgt28]

Just got rejected from Duke's Literature PhD program.  

[gagne]

2 hours ago, bgt28 said:

Just got rejected from Duke's Literature PhD program.  

I’m sorry that happened to you!! What are you planning to study/research?

[bgt28]

@gagne Broadly put, I'm interested in African American literary and intellectual life in the United States from the ratification of the 14th Amendment in 1868 to the present moment.

[bgt28]

14 hours ago, ForTheCulture said:

Don’t give up hope just yet! It’s hard with rejections rolling out, but it’s not over. 

I'm trying not to get into the mental space where I see Duke as a harbinger, so these are important words to heed, especially knowing how all our minds want to wander.

[ForTheCulture]

4 hours ago, bgt28 said:

Just got rejected from Duke's Literature PhD program.  

I swear Duke is not accepting anyone. Please don’t think this has anything to do with your abilities and scholarship. 

[gagne]

1 hour ago, bgt28 said:

@gagne Broadly put, I'm interested in African American literary and intellectual life in the United States from the ratification of the 14th Amendment in 1868 to the present moment.

Did you also apply to Illinois? I feel like you and I may have chosen one of the same profs if so for research. I’m into archives, memory studies, and communities and locality of archives. My MFA critical thesis could be summed up as: “what if you wrote poems about your friends?”

[bgt28]

@gagne I did not, and I’m kicking myself for it. Your work sounds very interesting. We share archives as a core theme.

[gagne]

19 hours ago, bgt28 said:

@gagne I did not, and I’m kicking myself for it. Your work sounds very interesting. We share archives as a core theme.

I mean apparently Illinois was not taking a lot of folks but Irvin Hunt might be a good contact if you go through another cycle in the future. His research is about mutual aid and activist archives of Black Americans since early 20th century.

[bgt28]

Just seeing his association with Roderick Ferguson and Fred Moten makes me happy and I’m already excited. Thank you for that. 

[gagne]

Buffalo surprisingly said yes!!

I lived there 2019-2022 so quite excited and surprised.

[bgt28]

@gagne Congratulations!!!!!!!! 

[bgt28]

Just got rejected from Brown's English PhD program. 💔

[ForTheCulture]

Just now, bgt28 said:

Just got rejected from Brown's English PhD program. 💔

Same... Not surprised. 

[bgt28]

9 minutes ago, ForTheCulture said:

Same... Not surprised. 

@ForTheCulture 😭 I know 

[gagne]

6 hours ago, bgt28 said:

Just got rejected from Brown's English PhD program. 💔

Brown and the Ivies claim more rejection casualties… I wish schools genuinely released acceptances, waitlists, and rejections on the same day or over a few days. Knew this was coming as Brown acceptances were two weeks ago.

[TheDigitalHumanist]

22 hours ago, bgt28 said:

Just got rejected from Brown's English PhD program. 💔

I'm so sorry! I know it's tough regardless. However, I read that Brown is going through significant budget cuts and that some programs are only accepting two students this cycle. With that, evening during the best of cycles, it can be a crapshoot, let alone one of ruthless budget cuts. Trust me, I know. I've been there! Sending you all the best energy for a positive outcome with another school that you'll love and will value you and your research.

[bgt28]

@TheDigitalHumanist Thank you, I appreciate you saying that. 

[bgt28]

Another one bites the dust. Rejected from Hopkins. 

[cre25]

Rejected from Northeastern today, putting me at 0a/0i/4r/6p 🙁. It looks like waitlists/acceptances may have come out for Brandeis too, which would be a fifth rejection. As someone who focuses on women's, gender, sexuality studies and only applied to U.S. schools (with our insane political climate), starting to feel resigned to not getting in anywhere this cycle :///

[chattycoffee]

@cre25 Feeling the same way as a fellow WGSS focus 😭 trying to hold out hope but it's starting to get grim

[gagne]

@cre25 and @chattycoffee sending y’all love and some hope that the right school will come around 

[bgt28]

How's everybody feeling? 

[chattycoffee]

Just got my UConn rejection : ( just waiting on Yale now, really regretting not applying more places but working a job, TAing and going to school made this season really get away from me

[gagne]

Nudged UCSC with an email this morning and they got back to me by end of day. They said they’re still making deliberations but will not be offering me admission/an acceptance to their program. Makes sense given I applied to creative/critical concentration, which only has 1-2 people per year. Glad to be going to the school that accepted me.

1a/4r