Anyone else applying to Emory and submit their app today?

[darjeelingtea16]

I got an email a few days ago from Emory that was sent to all applicants about submitting your app by Oct. 31st to get an automatic fee waiver. I figured, I might as well. At least one out of eight of my apps this year is now IN...let the panic begin.

Anyone else applying to Emory and submitted their app tonight?

Just curious.

(Oh, and after much deliberation, I ended up applying to their Comparative Literature program instead of English, but I made the decision to choose which department to apply to about a minute before I submitted the app :/ )

[Timshel]

I couldn't get all my stuff in in time. I'm still working on my sample and SOP. I wish I could have saved the money, but I just couldn't get my stuff done in time.

I did go back and forth for a while between the regular and comparative lit and ultimately decided on the traditional program even though most of the classes I want to take are in the comp lit because the classes in the comp lit mostly discuss theory as opposed to lit, and they state that most of their placements are in language departments and other comp lit programs, and that's not really what I'm looking for.

[darjeelingtea16]

I think that's the aspect of the comp lit program that I had the hardest time with in my decision--that they said most of their placements are in language departments or other comp lit programs. I'm ok with being in another comp lit program (if I get in/get placed anywhere!), but I really, really, really don't want to be in a language department.

Ultimately, I decided on comp lit because my research does require looking at lit in a few languages, and while talking with various people affiliated with Emory's English department has indicated to me that their department encourages interdisciplinary work, I didn't get the sense that it was interdisciplinary enough to accomodate my research. I dunno. Hope I made the right choice!

Edited November 1, 2011 by darjeelingtea16

[perrykm2]

I wish I could have done this. I'm so slow. More power to you.

[darjeelingtea16]

It was ridiculously down to the wire. I got that email Emory sent out about it a couple days before the 31st and just busted everything out. I sent my SOP to a friend to look over, made edits where she suggested, submitted it a couple hours before the deadline, and am now hoping for the best.

I'm trying to get all my apps in earlier this year. My goal is to have them all in by mid-Nov when my GRE scores come out. I've been calling departments and the ones I'm applying to seemed pretty keen on getting my app as early as I could give it to them. Last year, I waited til' the day apps were due, and I wonder now (as one does after feeling like they've failed) if that's part of why I didn't get into any schools. This year, early app submissions!

[bdon19]

I'm trying to get all my apps in earlier this year. My goal is to have them all in by mid-Nov when my GRE scores come out. I've been calling departments and the ones I'm applying to seemed pretty keen on getting my app as early as I could give it to them. Last year, I waited til' the day apps were due, and I wonder now (as one does after feeling like they've failed) if that's part of why I didn't get into any schools. This year, early app submissions!

Do you really think this has any impact on admissions? I feel like I've heard that ad comms typically don't even start looking at apps until after the deadlines. I know for sure that at least my first one won't be ready until right up to the deadline...

[Timshel]

Do you really think this has any impact on admissions? I feel like I've heard that ad comms typically don't even start looking at apps until after the deadlines. I know for sure that at least my first one won't be ready until right up to the deadline...

Mine won't, either. My later date ones will be early for sure, but not the ones that are due December 1st. There is no way.

[Timshel]

Hey, I actually have a question about the Emory app. It says that you can send your "GRE student copy" while the department waits for the official version. Now, I may not get my "in the mail" version before this app is due. However, I will have the one that is available online. Could that work? I guess I'm just not sure what they want for this..... Does anyone have any idea?

[truckbasket]

I know for sure that at least my first one won't be ready until right up to the deadline...

Mine won't, either. My later date ones will be early for sure, but not the ones that are due December 1st. There is no way.

I think I've mentioned this somewhere before, but be prepared for system overloads on the final day of submission. Last year, four or five of online apps I was dealing with pretty much shut down due to traffic. For one of them, I kept having to hit refresh for hours on end.

If you can't get everything in a week ahead, perhaps at least get as much of the application filled as possible so that all you have to do is attach your PDF files and hit submit.

[darjeelingtea16]

Do you really think this has any impact on admissions? I feel like I've heard that ad comms typically don't even start looking at apps until after the deadlines. I know for sure that at least my first one won't be ready until right up to the deadline...

I think it depends on the schools. The programs I'm applying to this year each told me some variant of "Get your application in as soon as possible after the application opens." The only exception was Chicago, who never mentioned anything to me about that when I called, but I'm just going to get that one in earlier anyway. Out of the schools that did tell me to get my app in sooner, 5/7 told me that they like to start looking at apps close to when they get the apps.

Hey, I actually have a question about the Emory app. It says that you can send your "GRE student copy" while the department waits for the official version. Now, I may not get my "in the mail" version before this app is due. However, I will have the one that is available online. Could that work? I guess I'm just not sure what they want for this..... Does anyone have any idea?

For me, my GRE scores won't be out until Nov. 10 (took it Sept 30th). In the email from Emory about the fee waiver, it says:

However, you will receive the fee waiver even if some other

components of your application arrive later. This is often the case

with the letters of recommendation and official GRE and other test

scores.

So I just put in my GRE registration and the date I took it, and figured that would suffice. I then called Emory to make sure before I submitted, if it was ok that the scores were coming out in Nov, but that I didn't have them or my rec letters yet and they said that those can come later. I don't know if that's the case for the official December (or January?) deadline though. Might want to call...

I think I've mentioned this somewhere before, but be prepared for system overloads on the final day of submission. Last year, four or five of online apps I was dealing with pretty much shut down due to traffic. For one of them, I kept having to hit refresh for hours on end.

If you can't get everything in a week ahead, perhaps at least get as much of the application filled as possible so that all you have to do is attach your PDF files and hit submit.

This happened to me last year as well (the system crash thing). Also, judging from what some of the programs I'm applying to have said about getting apps in early, I get the impression that when the mass wave of apps comes in really close/on the deadline date, they weed out apps faster and don't devote as close attention to them as they would have if they came earlier.

Again, I want to stress that this is just information that I've gotten from calling some (not all) of the programs I'm applying to. It might be a different issue altogether with other schools.

Edited November 5, 2011 by darjeelingtea16

[Timshel]

Hey, I also noticed that the general Emory application asks you to list 3 POI. However, that isn't usually customary for the English department. Did you list anyone? I was thinking about contacting the English department to see if we should list anyone.

[darjeelingtea16]

I took that as optional, since it didn't have a little star next to it. Plus, they say in the app instructions that you don't need to contact anyone before applying. I actually only put down 2 names, and the app site didn't give me any error messages or anything saying that I needed to fill that part in.

[Timshel]

I took that as optional, since it didn't have a little star next to it. Plus, they say in the app instructions that you don't need to contact anyone before applying. I actually only put down 2 names, and the app site didn't give me any error messages or anything saying that I needed to fill that part in.

So you did put down two people? I'm really hesitant to do that........

[darjeelingtea16]

So you did put down two people? I'm really hesitant to do that........

I did, but to be honest, I'm kind of second guessing that decision. Then again, those were the only two people in the department who I felt could even remotely supervise my work. If your research idea is broader than mine (and I've been told the problem with mine is that it's far too specific...tried to broaden it but eh, we'll see), then maybe you can just leave it blank. I don't think it matters either way for them. Emory seems more lax in terms of needing to contact profs ahead of time or deciding who to work with ahead of time.