Fall 2013 English Lit Applicants

[ktlynnjoy]

Also Berkeley has errr, an SOP guide which I've completely ignored. I find such templates annoying, restrictive and useless. Is this a very bad decision? No one I've sent the SOP to seems to care that I've ignored the template (I've footnoted that I've seen the template in my SOP, and didn't like it precisely because it was against the philosophy of lit, and my work etc).

One of my professors (who is well-published and well-respected) instructed me to completely ignore any guidelines that any school gives about SoPs and to just "write something interesting."

I can't say that I've looked at this template for Berkeley, but I doubt you need to worry about following it, nor are you likely to need to note that you've seen it/why you've gone against it/etc in your SoP.

Unless you're WAYYY out in left field (and maybe not even then), you probably (like 99% probably) don't need to worry.

Just my $.02

[NowMoreSerious]

Can we at least wait another week or two before we start freaking out? My summer just started. Ok fine I've been freaking out for months.

I still have to take both GRE's, argh. Yeargh.

[Two Espressos]

Can we at least wait another week or two before we start freaking out? My summer just started. Ok fine I've been freaking out for months.

I still have to take both GRE's, argh. Yeargh.

I've been freaking out for about two years, lol. I'm just ready to get through this goddamn thing. Unlike the more tenacious members of these fora, if I'm shut out from programs this season, which considering acceptance rates is probably going to happen, I'm not going to apply again. I'll just do the research/writing thing on my own and pursue other career options. As I see it, if I'm neither waitlisted nor accepted anywhere, that's a pretty clear sign that I'm not cut out for a Ph.D. So I'm super anxious to see how the coming months dictate the rest of my life!

Don't sweat the GREs by the way, at least the General Exam (I have not and do not plan to take the subject test in literature). They're less important than most other application materials, and I found the exam to be a lot less intimidating than I had feared.

A question for my fellow applicants (and successful applicants from former seasons!): how much weight would you put in reading recent articles, books, etc. by prospective faculty advisers? I haven't done that yet.

Edited June 26, 2012 by Two Espressos

[Datatape]

I'd... be careful not to get too caught up in it. If there's something that really did speak to you or sparked an interest, then by all means, talk to the professor about it. But you don't want to get in the trap of trying to read the most recent thing by every professor you're trying to work with. That way to madness lies. Better to find something that really is in tune with what you want to work on than just try to show that you've read the most recent thing.

I'll give an example: one of my dream professors to work with is Cheryll Glotfelty, the grande dame of ecocriticism, who works out at the University of Nevada, Reno (and is also the DGS, but that's a story for another time). Rather than try to find the most recent work of hers, I'm going to mention to her when I email her a rather small, not oft-cited article she wrote that really helped the concept of ecocriticism click for me and showed me how to bridge the existing studies into what I want to do, studying Southern lit.

Edited June 26, 2012 by Datatape

[Two Espressos]

I'd... be careful not to get too caught up in it. If there's something that really did speak to you or sparked an interest, then by all means, talk to the professor about it. But you don't want to get in the trap of trying to read the most recent thing by every professor you're trying to work with. That way to madness lies. Better to find something that really is in tune with what you want to work on than just try to show that you've read the most recent thing.

I'll give an example: one of my dream professors to work with is Cheryll Glotfelty, the grande dame of ecocriticism, who works out at the University of Nevada, Reno (and is also the DGS, but that's a story for another time). Rather than try to find the most recent work of hers, I'm going to mention to her when I email her a rather small, not oft-cited article she wrote that really helped the concept of ecocriticism click for me and showed me how to bridge the existing studies into what I want to do, studying Southern lit.

Thanks for the advice! I can definitely see how trying to keep up with the most-recent research could be a "way to madness."

A digression: One of the things that most pisses me off about applying to graduate school is the game of make-believe we have to play with research interests. For example, I'm interested in 20th century British and Irish literature and 20th century to contemporary continental philosophy. There are plenty of professors under whom one could conceivably work in these areas. In one sense, I'm not sure I even understand the point of razor wire match-up with prospective professors. I'm in no position to write my dissertation, so why should I pretend that my interests are at a dissertation level of specificity? At this point, I've narrowed my list down to ten or so departments with professors who broadly intersect with my interests. But many of them differ in significant ways. In fact, after scouring the faculty lists of the top 75 or so programs, I haven't found a single professor who "perfectly" matches up with me. Others on here have, and that's why I'm stumped.

Basically, that was a roundabout way for me to ask: how precisely should my research interests align with prospective professors?

[Datatape]

When I was talking about that with the Graduate Director of my Master's program, he gave me very good advice: "As long as you can put together a committee of three or four professors to cover everything, you're golden." I'm doing such a specific area myself that there's very, very few professors who would line up with me perfectly, but you can bet there are a ton of departments out there that have enough professors doing either Ecocriticism or Southern Lit that I'll be able to form a dissertation panel. The point of listing professors you want to work with is to show how much you've done your research and know the faculty of the program you're applying to. There's almost never going to be That Perfect Professor (and even if there is, you can bet he or she is going to be on sabbatical the semester you're starting), so the best thing to do is just get as close as you can and be willing to bend and flex a bit. By the time you finish writing your dissertation, you're going to be the person in the room who knows the most about your topic anyway, so don't fret about it too much.

[claire56]

This is my first season applying. Finished my M.A. in 2011, and didn't apply last year at all. So all of this is very new to me. I'm going into all of it with this attitude: I am going to try, but there's only so much hoop-jumping I'm going to do. I see a lot of people talking about how they're finding out about research interests of faculty at schools. I'm looking for someone who "generally" fits, but I'm not scrutinizing their background and going to cater myself to them too, too much (not saying other people are; you're just being reasonable; I'm just saying I'm lazy and am not going to do that much freaking work to really customize my SOP details to every little nook and cranny of that school and that faculty). I want to do a PhD, but half of me wants them to take me as I am and with what I'm interested in.

I'm working hard on a writing sample that fits my research interest, but the way I see it, if it's not good enough in general, maybe like someone else said, I'm just not PhD material. That said, I have classmates who went right into a PhD from our MA program (most of them stayed at our school), and I know I'm about the same as them. So it'll be frustrating if I don't get into a school. I'm not even aiming all that high. I'm looking at plenty of what one would call the "low end" schools (not that I think any of them are really "low end"). I'd be happy to get into a school that was ranked 95 or 100, and I'm not kidding about that. The school where I did my M.A. is ranked 87, and I was fine with it.

We should all take some consolation in knowing this: even if we do not get into programs, these great books are still there to read. (the primary texts AND the theory/criticism texts).

[claire56]

Oh, quick question since I am TOTALLY new to this. Are acceptances usually a phone call and rejections usually a letter or email? Or do all schools do it differently? Just wondering because that way I'd know if something comes in the mail or over email, I'd know "probably a rejection." I imagine it's EXTREMELY pleasant for them to let people know of acceptances, so they probably take joy in doing that over the phone. All kinds of good feelings for them and you, right there in live phone conversation.

When I got into my M.A. program, it was a phone call. They actually had to leave a voice mail message because I was at work and didn't pick up, but still, it was a phone call.

[ProfLorax]

Oh, quick question since I am TOTALLY new to this. Are acceptances usually a phone call and rejections usually a letter or email? Or do all schools do it differently? Just wondering because that way I'd know if something comes in the mail or over email, I'd know "probably a rejection." I imagine it's EXTREMELY pleasant for them to let people know of acceptances, so they probably take joy in doing that over the phone. All kinds of good feelings for them and you, right there in live phone conversation.

When I got into my M.A. program, it was a phone call. They actually had to leave a voice mail message because I was at work and didn't pick up, but still, it was a phone call.

I recommend spending some time combing through this forum and the result board. You'll quickly find that there is no hard and fast rule for contacting applicants, even within a department. When I first joined this forum, I spent a few days reading the threads that were directly related to the schools to which I am applying. It was so helpful! I discovered that one of my top choices also requires a full-on teaching application, separate from the PhD program application, so now I know to set aside time for that. I also searched the results board for my top choices; it helped me get an idea of when those schools send out decisions and how. Even then, I noticed that within departments, the timeline and method of contact isn't across the board.

[margarethale]

Oh, quick question since I am TOTALLY new to this. Are acceptances usually a phone call and rejections usually a letter or email? Or do all schools do it differently? Just wondering because that way I'd know if something comes in the mail or over email, I'd know "probably a rejection." I imagine it's EXTREMELY pleasant for them to let people know of acceptances, so they probably take joy in doing that over the phone. All kinds of good feelings for them and you, right there in live phone conversation.

When I got into my M.A. program, it was a phone call. They actually had to leave a voice mail message because I was at work and didn't pick up, but still, it was a phone call.

honestly, it totally varies from school to school. I had a number of acceptances via phone and a few via email. All of my rejections though were via email. I would say that if you get a phone call from an area code that's from your school's city, you're probably in. If you get an email it could honestly be good or bad news. It just depends on the school.

Best of luck in your applications this season!

[NowMoreSerious]

I've been freaking out for about two years, lol. I'm just ready to get through this goddamn thing. Unlike the more tenacious members of these fora, if I'm shut out from programs this season, which considering acceptance rates is probably going to happen, I'm not going to apply again. I'll just do the research/writing thing on my own and pursue other career options. As I see it, if I'm neither waitlisted nor accepted anywhere, that's a pretty clear sign that I'm not cut out for a Ph.D. So I'm super anxious to see how the coming months dictate the rest of my life!

Don't sweat the GREs by the way, at least the General Exam (I have not and do not plan to take the subject test in literature). They're less important than most other application materials, and I found the exam to be a lot less intimidating than I had feared.

A question for my fellow applicants (and successful applicants from former seasons!): how much weight would you put in reading recent articles, books, etc. by prospective faculty advisers? I haven't done that yet.

I haven't read that many articles by prospective faculty advisors. I think it's pretty important reading recent articles just for the fact that it will acquaint you with the field. I don't know how much it will help you directly since you can't cram too much about that into such a short SoP. I think the writing sample is much more important. I only know this stuff because my partner went through the Phd process last year and got into many good places.

Edited June 26, 2012 by ImWantHazPhD

[claire56]

Just a little vent. I'm sure I'm not the only person who feels this way. Some days I just feel really hopeless about all of it. Like, there's no way I'm getting into any program. So many people in my cohort applied to a bunch of schools and got into none. I was/am so enthused about the whole thing, but then I think...jeez, I'm working so hard to package myself to the best of my ability, and the likelihood of my getting 11 rejections is amazingly high. Ugh.

[dazedandbemused]

Just a little vent. I'm sure I'm not the only person who feels this way. Some days I just feel really hopeless about all of it. Like, there's no way I'm getting into any program. So many people in my cohort applied to a bunch of schools and got into none. I was/am so enthused about the whole thing, but then I think...jeez, I'm working so hard to package myself to the best of my ability, and the likelihood of my getting 11 rejections is amazingly high. Ugh.

I'm in the exact same boat. It doesn't particularly help when your undergrad professors keep assuring you that your chances are phenomenal while the voice in the back of your head keeps chanting "only 5-7% acceptance rate". The program I'm starting in the fall is only for a year so I'm starting the application process all over again and I can't say I'm looking forward to it. The stress almost did me in this time!

[bfat]

The whole process is certainly mentally and emotionally exhausting. You spend months and months working so hard to put this "package" together that's the best academic version of yourself, then you send it out into the world, knowing that you're more likely than not to fail. So you don't want to get your hopes up too much, but at the same time you need that passion and determination and excitement to make your application as good as it can be. It's a strange juxtaposition of emotions and mental effort that also requires a bit of aloofness to prevent total breakdown if you don't make it the first time.

On a similar note, I'm taking the GRE again on Saturday, so I have a lot of these conflicting sentiments bouncing around. I know it's the "least important" part of the application, but it's also one of the first parts of the application that people will look at, and one of the only "quantitative" aspects. It's also my last chance to take it for this app season and I'm at a bit of a disadvantage right now (I'm almost 8 months pregnant--apparently my brain has shrunk by 6%--because that happens!--and I'm certainly not at the top of my game, focus-wise... plus the fact that I'll need to take a pee break about every 20 minutes, lol). So yeah, there's this conflict between "This doesn't matter that much" and "I know I could do better if circumstances were different" and "This score could either mean nothing or send my app to the trash bin."

Gee, I sure could use a drink right now... D'oh!

[margarethale]

Just a little vent. I'm sure I'm not the only person who feels this way. Some days I just feel really hopeless about all of it. Like, there's no way I'm getting into any program. So many people in my cohort applied to a bunch of schools and got into none. I was/am so enthused about the whole thing, but then I think...jeez, I'm working so hard to package myself to the best of my ability, and the likelihood of my getting 11 rejections is amazingly high. Ugh.

I was in the exact same boat last year. I had every professor telling me that I was certain to get into an amazing program. Then I applied to what I thought was a great list of programs that were perfect fits for me and I got into exactly none of them. I was seriously depressed for months. I felt worthless and stupid and I thought I was a bad student (I had never had any of these feelings before). After a whole summer of feeling awful about myself and my future, I got back on the proverbial horse and reapplied myself to polishing my statement of purpose and my writing sample. When I applied again last fall, I was more confident and ended up getting into some really great programs. The biggest help for me when I was reapplying was remembering that not getting in the first time did not mean that I was worthless or dumb; it just meant that (as you pointed out) the acceptance rates at these places are insane and that I hadn't shown the best possible reflection of myself as I should have.

Don't worry about your chances, just worry about putting together an application that you can be proud of and you think is a good reflection of your abilities.

[TripWillis]

Just a little vent. I'm sure I'm not the only person who feels this way. Some days I just feel really hopeless about all of it. Like, there's no way I'm getting into any program. So many people in my cohort applied to a bunch of schools and got into none. I was/am so enthused about the whole thing, but then I think...jeez, I'm working so hard to package myself to the best of my ability, and the likelihood of my getting 11 rejections is amazingly high. Ugh.

Let me tell you all a story about a little boy who started this thread last year:

[insert long story here] ... that little boy was me.

Those feelings of helplessness are pretty common, but don't despair! Everyone on here (if they're anything like the crew I had this year) will make you feel more emotionally stable. And they'll cheer you on when you get in and help pick you up when you don't.

[ProfLorax]

Are we getting emotionally real right now? I'm in.

My biggest hurdle with this application process is TIME. How do I get extra time? I'm teaching full-time this summer and fall; I have a break in August, but that month is devoted to my wedding and honeymoon (which is a good thing, don't get me wrong!). Every time I think to myself, "It's okay. You can start focusing on applications next month," I remember that I will have [insert important commitment] on my plate then.

I already have a working draft of my SoP, and it's currently going through the rounds of my professors and friends, so at least I'm ahead on that front. But what about everything else? The CV, the (stupid) GRE's, and the logistics of it all? What about the tailored final paragraph for each university that explains why I am a good fit for ____ University specifically?! The closest GRE test center is an hour and a half away from here, so I'm tempted to keep my scores from four years ago. Those scores are AWFUL. What if I don't get it? Will I hate myself for not re-taking the GRE? Or should I just suck it up and create a five hour window on some Saturday dedicated to retaking the (stupid) GRE? Thank god I don't have to take the GRE subject test; I really think I would just give up.

What scares me the most is that this is the year for me. If I don't get in anywhere, I am not going to re-apply the next year. I can't have my future husband-- who has a career of his own-- wait around each year to see if I am going to uproot our lives to chase a dream. It's this year, or it's no year.

No pressure.

[ktwho]

Proflorax,

I was happy to read your post because I, too, have a full-time job and a summer job. And private students. My husband is willing to move for the right program for me, granted it's in a location where he could also continue his career. Have you taken location and his career into consideration when choosing programs to apply to?

I'm thinking that I'll apply locally this year--which are all crazy competitive schools--and then apply out of state next year if I'm not accepted.

Best of luck--and best wishes!

[ProfLorax]

ktwho, we are definitely in the same boat! I have given the future husband full veto rights on location; he's actually been pretty flexible. He's vetoed a few schools, but I was pretty ambivalent about those schools and he knew it. He's a software engineer, so we hope he'd be able to find work wherever we go. I think it's great you are able to apply locally! I'm going for rhet/comp programs, and they are mostly in the midwest and east coast, so we are going to have to relocate (we live in California currently).

Good luck with everything!

[S.Y.]

Proflorax,

I was happy to read your post because I, too, have a full-time job and a summer job. And private students. My husband is willing to move for the right program for me, granted it's in a location where he could also continue his career. Have you taken location and his career into consideration when choosing programs to apply to?

I'm thinking that I'll apply locally this year--which are all crazy competitive schools--and then apply out of state next year if I'm not accepted.

Best of luck--and best wishes!

Honestly, that's me too. I have a full time job and honestly, a lot of times, I just feel like I don't have the ability to get into anywhere. Sigh. And, so much work with so little time.

[ktwho]

I also have so many different perspectives/opinions being tossed my way by my colleagues that I'm second-guessing my prospective field. I've been torn between EDD, TESOL, Linguistics, Second Language Acquisition, Spanish Ling, and Spanish Lit.

That and we really would like to stay in the SF Bay Area, so I'm limiting myself (for now) to the programs that are available here...and they're all super competitive.

In the mean time, I hear that a few lecturer positions will be opening up and it would behoove me to do a grad certificate in Composition. That same person told me that that program prefers lecturers WITHOUT PhD's in Lit because PhD's are usually more inflexible about what they teach. So, I'll probably be doing the certificate in Comp. It's just 4 classes, but, man, the job market is still so tough, I feel like I have to just to stay competitive. It's just so much:

-I have an MA in TESOL and a BA in Int'l Studies and a BA in Spanish AND 18 credits towards MA in Spanish

-combined 10 years teaching experience

and then, hypothetically:

-a Certificate in Composition

-a PhD in one of the above

THEN will I be able to get a job...in one of these fields...that's full-time....and pays something worthwhile....somewhere where my husband can get a job, too??? That's a lotta stars that need to align.

I agree, it's very hard to maintain motivation to even apply. But I keep telling myself that it would be better to be working towards something than to keep my current full-time staff position that isn't really going anywhere. Seriously. One answer I got was that I could become an executive assistant, a position, which, in our district, doesn't require a BA. Gah.

[claire56]

Is there anyone who plans to apply to seven or fewer PhD programs? Just wondering because for a while, I was thinking I'd apply to 11, but now I'm mentally shrinking that down to 7. But is that crazy? Honestly, I just want to be reasonable. It's expensive, and I could easily get into no programs. I'd feel better about having spent on 7 and not getting into any than spending the money for 11 and not getting into any. I know there's no way of knowing in advance, and I shouldn't spend all this time doubting doubting doubting.

I just wonder...any of you planning to apply to 7 or fewer? I'm thinking of applying to as few as 6. I don't think I'd go lower than 6, though...

[nokingofengland]

Is there anyone who plans to apply to seven or fewer PhD programs? Just wondering because for a while, I was thinking I'd apply to 11, but now I'm mentally shrinking that down to 7. But is that crazy? Honestly, I just want to be reasonable. It's expensive, and I could easily get into no programs. I'd feel better about having spent on 7 and not getting into any than spending the money for 11 and not getting into any. I know there's no way of knowing in advance, and I shouldn't spend all this time doubting doubting doubting.

I just wonder...any of you planning to apply to 7 or fewer? I'm thinking of applying to as few as 6. I don't think I'd go lower than 6, though...

I'm applying to more than 7, and saving a little money for it every month. My advisor through this whole process said I should apply to more than eight schools, but no more than twenty. Twenty is out of the question, but I'm looking in the teens for sure--as long as finances work out as planned, etc.

These fees are crazy, though, I agree. I think if it's really an issue, you can request a fee waiver. Does anyone have more info on that?

[antecedent]

Is there anyone who plans to apply to seven or fewer PhD programs? Just wondering because for a while, I was thinking I'd apply to 11, but now I'm mentally shrinking that down to 7. But is that crazy? Honestly, I just want to be reasonable. It's expensive, and I could easily get into no programs. I'd feel better about having spent on 7 and not getting into any than spending the money for 11 and not getting into any. I know there's no way of knowing in advance, and I shouldn't spend all this time doubting doubting doubting.

I just wonder...any of you planning to apply to 7 or fewer? I'm thinking of applying to as few as 6. I don't think I'd go lower than 6, though...

I applied to 5, got 3 MA offers, got no funding at all and no PhD admissions offers. Next time around I'm applying to 10, at least, simply because I want to span the range of reach for the stars dreams schools to schools that would likely accept me (though I do recognize that there is no such thing as a "safety" school). So I had the choice of scrapping the season and starting over or taking the hit for an MA and hoping it adds strength to my app next time around. I would say it's worth it to apply broadly the first time around, as someone who didn't.

It really is partially a numbers game, both in the amount you pay and the amount of applications you submit.

[claire56]

I applied to 5, got 3 MA offers, got no funding at all and no PhD admissions offers. Next time around I'm applying to 10, at least, simply because I want to span the range of reach for the stars dreams schools to schools that would likely accept me (though I do recognize that there is no such thing as a "safety" school). So I had the choice of scrapping the season and starting over or taking the hit for an MA and hoping it adds strength to my app next time around. I would say it's worth it to apply broadly the first time around, as someone who didn't.

It really is partially a numbers game, both in the amount you pay and the amount of applications you submit.

Thanks for your response. I already have an M.A., so I won't be getting any M.A. offers, funded or otherwise.

I was originally planning to apply to 11 PhD programs, but in the past few days I've been thinking of applying to 6 PhD programs and four M.A. programs (in a different but related discipline that I am very interested in). Ugh - don't know what to do.

Let me ask you, were those five programs you applied to all top schools? Or did you include lower-ranked schools? What was the make up of your five schools?

My friend got into no programs, but then again she applied to all Ivy League...