Include CV with Ph.D. Applications?

[Podsnap]

I've read a lot of talk around the forums about the importance of one's CV when it comes to Ph.D. applications; namely, people are concerned that they don't have any publications, enough conference presentations, etc.

However, I'm planning on applying to mostly top 10 schools in English/Literature and, from what I've gathered, none of these schools appear to ask for a CV as part of the application materials.

Am I missing something here? When people refer to their CV in this context are they more just concerned about what they have or haven't done, as opposed to what their CV actually looks like?

As a follow-up question: Does anyone have experience with including a CV in an application when it wasn't explicitly asked for?

[lolopixie]

I'm not really sure about the questions you pose on people's concern to their CV. I would assume content, but that's just a guess.

The majority of the schools I applied to last round did not directly ask for a CV, but I provided one to every program. For the applications that only had online submissions, I uploaded it to the "additional documents" area - they all had a drop-down option to indicate that it was a CV. For schools requiring a paper based portion going to the English department, I included a hard copy in that packet.

[lyonessrampant]

I did the same as lolopixie. The CV gives you space to showcase your experiences and qualifications without needing to use part of the precious space in your SOP.

[Podsnap]

Thanks for the responses. In my situation, I think I actually have a bit more on my CV than most applicants, so I'm hoping that including it will help more than it will hurt. I suppose my concern was potentially irking adcoms by including materials that weren't directly asked for. I've heard that this can be frowned upon in some situations. I can't really imagine it making too much of a negative impact, though. I think I'll probably follow your lead and just include it.