Fall 2013 English Lit Applicants

[ProfLorax]

Has everyone finalized their Personal Statements and Writing Samples yet?

Me!

I submitted my very first application this week! But I should explain. I started writing my SoP last April. By June, my advisors had all read my drafts and given me tons of feedback. I had a crazy busy summer-- teaching full-time, getting married, going on a honeymoon, prepping for fall-- so I knew I wouldn't have time to work on it then. Also, with finals grading in December, the holidays, and a trip to Europe in January, I am trying to have all my apps in by November. Hence, I got started ridiculously early. I am still tweaking my SoP for individual schools (stupid University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and its 500 word maximum!), but the framework is in place. Also, I'm lucky enough to work at a writing lab in addition to teaching classes, so I have trained proofreaders at my disposal 18 hours a week.

I'm grateful that I'm done with the important stuff; now, I can spend my free time prepping for the GRE: Take Two.

I'd also like to point out that we 2013 applicants are a very talkative bunch. We're still two months from deadlines, let alone 5+ months from hearing back from schools, and this thread already has hundreds of posts and tens of thousands of views...

So true! I actually have a confession; I check this page multiple times a day. If I ever have a break, I am here.

Making your way in the academy today takes everything you got. Taking a break at GradCafe sure would help a lot. Wouldn't you like to get away? Sometimes I want to go... where everybody knows my user name!

ETA: I am just now realizing how big of a dork I really am.

Edited October 5, 2012 by proflorax

[Two Espressos]

Me!

I submitted my very first application this week! But I should explain. I started writing my SoP last April. By June, my advisors had all read my drafts and given me tons of feedback. I had a crazy busy summer-- teaching full-time, getting married, going on a honeymoon, prepping for fall-- so I knew I wouldn't have time to work on it then. Also, with finals grading in December, the holidays, and a trip to Europe in January, I am trying to have all my apps in by November. Hence, I got started ridiculously early. I am still tweaking my SoP for individual schools (stupid University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and its 500 word maximum!), but the framework is in place. Also, I'm lucky enough to work at a writing lab in addition to teaching classes, so I have trained proofreaders at my disposal 18 hours a week.

I'm grateful that I'm done with the important stuff; now, I can spend my free time prepping for the GRE: Take Two.

So true! I actually have a confession; I check this page multiple times a day. If I ever have a break, I am here.

Making your way in the academy today takes everything you got. Taking a break at GradCafe sure would help a lot. Wouldn't you like to get away? Sometimes I want to go... where everybody knows my user name!

ETA: I am just now realizing how big of a dork I really am.

Haha, I usually check this site daily in the off-season, so to speak, and several times a day during December-April, when things get quite interesting.

[bfat]

Has everyone finalized their Personal Statements and Writing Samples yet?

[practical cat]

Cosigned. I mean, I'm not feeling BAD about where I'm at but, um, I'm kind of feeling bad about where I'm at. It's in part because I'm between drafts on both documents and that just makes me feel like a mess. (My writing sample is undergoing some pretty radical transformations but my SOP is getting closer and closer to just chopping out the silly 300 word digressions on beauty and Hobbes.) It's the fact that I don't have a finalized school list that is making me want to just sit this one out. I wanted to have a real, tangible SOP draft before I started giving the school list serious consideration and I found that to be REALLY helpful. But now that I've gotten into the writing, it's all I want to do. Digging into a paper that I loved writing (and still love months later) is so much more interesting than officially crossing UNC off my list. This is all a really long, stressed-out way of saying that my writing is nowhere near finalized but I actually feel better about it than I do other things.

Thank you all for making me feel less alone in all of this. Get it, gradcafe.

[sebastiansteddy]

Yes, this is pretty accurate...

I've been hard at work on my sop and studying for the GRE (general) that I haven't put much work into my writing sample yet. I am planning on getting a lot of work done on the sample this weekend. I DO have my finalized list and have given my recommenders all the materials they need. I still need to update and edit my current CV, but that will probably be very last minute.

[Imogene]

It's the fact that I don't have a finalized school list that is making me want to just sit this one out. I wanted to have a real, tangible SOP draft before I started giving the school list serious consideration and I found that to be REALLY helpful. But now that I've gotten into the writing, it's all I want to do. Digging into a paper that I loved writing (and still love months later) is so much more interesting than officially crossing UNC off my list. This is all a really long, stressed-out way of saying that my writing is nowhere near finalized but I actually feel better about it than I do other things.

This is exactly where I am, too! The basic meat of my SOP is done (and I'm happy with it), and it and my writing sample are in the hands of a past professor/colleague of mine, and waiting to hear some feedback. Meanwhile, my program list seems to still be growing, and I keep stumbling on new programs that have a faculty person or a style that becomes super compelling, and then I focus on gathering more information about those programs for a while. Also, the fact that I keep finding these new programs that I haven't considered before but suddenly seem to be "perfect" makes me nervous that there could be yet more programs out there that I should be considering -- and I don't want to overlook that "right" program.

So I have a list of about 18 programs now, and I want to narrow down so that I can focus on SOPs for the final list. Also, I still want to fine tune my paper, but I feel kind of in a weird accordion-style limbo stage of the whole application process in which I feel like 85% of the heavy-lifting is done, but I don't think I'm ready to turn to that last 15% push of actually finalizing SOPs for each school and submitting applications. It's like I still want to gather information and sit on things for a bit so that I feel really good about the final programs I apply to.

But the first deadline I see on my list is 12/15, which is super close, considering mail and professors (i.e. transcripts and LORs) really slow down/bottleneck starting Thanksgiving. So there's also this false sense of the calm before the storm right now!

[waparys]

I'm sort of working on everything at once (which means I'm getting little-to-nothing really "done", y'know?). I also started out with a pretty sizeable school list (about 12) and it's somehow been way narrowed down. I'm looking for programs in select East-coast cities (Philly, Chicago, potentially Boston), but am having difficulty finding one I really love (except for Northwestern. Wow). Any tips? I'm a 19th/20th century, modernism, Brit lit kinda gal.

[Imogene]

Any tips? I'm a 19th/20th century, modernism, Brit lit kinda gal.

We're twinsies . I'm looking at Brown, Rutgers, and UVa as top programs for this interest area and in the east -- are they on your list? What do you love about Northwestern?

And, I totally understand the "working on everything, therefore not getting anything done" situation.

[wreckofthehope]

I'm sort of working on everything at once (which means I'm getting little-to-nothing really "done", y'know?). I also started out with a pretty sizeable school list (about 12) and it's somehow been way narrowed down. I'm looking for programs in select East-coast cities (Philly, Chicago, potentially Boston), but am having difficulty finding one I really love (except for Northwestern. Wow). Any tips? I'm a 19th/20th century, modernism, Brit lit kinda gal.

Brandeis?

[NowMoreSerious]

We're twinsies . I'm looking at Brown, Rutgers, and UVa as top programs for this interest area and in the east -- are they on your list? What do you love about Northwestern?

And, I totally understand the "working on everything, therefore not getting anything done" situation.

cosigned on the "working on everything...."

I'm used to taking things one at a time, but lately I've been just trying to keep my head above water meeting personal and professor deadlines, keeping up with the reading for my Melville seminar, "studying" for the GRE sub and doing further research on schools. At least I did pretty good on the GRE verbal and AW and I am not re-taking it again to try to improve my horrid math score.

I have a serious question. How many of you feel like giving up sometimes? If none of you do, god bless you.

[sebastiansteddy]

I have a serious question. How many of you feel like giving up sometimes? If none of you do, god bless you.

I spent the entire day working on my writing sample and got pretty much nothing done. I am really worried that my sample is just too amateurish to send to schools. I certainly FEEL like giving up, but I won't. I really want to be accepted somewhere... anywhere. Hang in there, we'll all get through this (or so I'm told).

[waparys]

I still can't even figure out what they're LOOKING for. I mean, I'm thinking I'm going to submit the strongest paper from my MA (grade-wise). It's the most recent thing I've written aside from my dissertation (which really needs to be read as a whole and shouldn't be split into chapters). I'm just worried that it's not EXACTLY what I'm talking about in my SoP. I mean it's not like I'm submitting a Chaucer paper when I'm a modernist but I talk a lot about early modernism in my SoP and this is late...it should still be okay, right?

[waparys]

We're twinsies . I'm looking at Brown, Rutgers, and UVa as top programs for this interest area and in the east -- are they on your list? What do you love about Northwestern?

And, I totally understand the "working on everything, therefore not getting anything done" situation.

I love Northwestern because of their interdisciplinary approach and the location. The faculty looks great, too. The three you mentioned aren't really in places I'd like to live...I'm a city girl and would not really be okay spending 5-6 years in a smaller city/suburb. That's just a personal thing, obviously!

[Stately Plump]

I love Northwestern because of their interdisciplinary approach and the location. The faculty looks great, too. The three you mentioned aren't really in places I'd like to live...I'm a city girl and would not really be okay spending 5-6 years in a smaller city/suburb. That's just a personal thing, obviously!

Northwestern isn't really in a "big city"... Chicago, yes, but it's actually in Evanston, which a "suburb" of sorts, and it's about half an hour from Chicago (and closer to an hour in traffic). Brown is basically in the middle of Providence, and while Providence is a "smaller city," there are actually some really great restaurants etc., and it isn't that far from Boston (less than an hour). I can understand not wanting to live in New Jersey, but Rutgers is so enormous that it has a "city"-type feel to it. I definitely didn't feel like I was in the suburbs at Rutgers.

Sorry, just trying to make things complicated for you

[Phil Sparrow]

Most people I know at Northwestern live in Chicago; many people I know at Rutgers live NYC. Providence, especially around Brown, is very urban. And Charlottesville, home to UVA, may be a small city, but it is charming as all get out (plus, there really couldn't be a more perfect program for waparays' interests). So there you go! To continue to add to Stately Plump's complications.

Northwestern isn't really in a "big city"... Chicago, yes, but it's actually in Evanston, which a "suburb" of sorts, and it's about half an hour from Chicago (and closer to an hour in traffic). Brown is basically in the middle of Providence, and while Providence is a "smaller city," there are actually some really great restaurants etc., and it isn't that far from Boston (less than an hour). I can understand not wanting to live in New Jersey, but Rutgers is so enormous that it has a "city"-type feel to it. I definitely didn't feel like I was in the suburbs at Rutgers.

Sorry, just trying to make things complicated for you

[waparys]

Big thanks to both of you, Phil Sparrow and Stately Plump. I guess I'll (reluctantly) look into UVa. But if I fall in love with it, I'm blaming you!

Maybe I should "loosen the reigns" on my city requirement. An international airport is an important factor, too, though, which is why I'm looking at cities.

[ProfLorax]

I have a serious question. How many of you feel like giving up sometimes? If none of you do, god bless you.

Oh dear god, all of the time. The GRE's are a real obstacle for me; I am just not a test-taker, and I have some ethical issues with high-stakes standardized testing. I also sometimes get super insecure about my application. What if I am not awesome enough for a PhD program? What if my professors are too nice to admit that I was only a mediocre student? I was rejected before from PhD programs before. Honestly, it was the best thing to happen to me; I went into an MA program, and my interests completely changed, my writing evolved, and my passion for teaching grew (also, I started dating my husband while an MA student, so I'm pretty happy about that!). At the same time, I remember the heartache of rejection. It sucked, and I am not ready to revisit that mental state again.

Also, I have a pretty fantastic life right now. I like where I work (although I am tired of being a part-timer just waiting for a full-time position to open). My husband has a secure job that pays well. My parents live about 2.5 hours away, and my partner and I want to start having kids within the next few years. I can't imagine raising kids without my parents living nearby. Sometimes I can't believe I am possibly throwing away this comfortable life for a risky dream.

At the same time, I am not ready to settle or settle down. Life should not end at 28! And I am certainly not ready to give up on my dreams because of I sometimes feel insecure or because I have a comfortable life right now. So I'm plugging forth, full throttle.

Edited October 8, 2012 by proflorax

[practical cat]

I have a serious question. How many of you feel like giving up sometimes? If none of you do, god bless you.

Only always. It would 100% be the easier, less stressful option. Honestly, what helps me is reminding myself that I CAN, that no one is holding a gun to my head and making me do this. When I look very seriously and very honestly at the (very legitimate) option of quitting, it usually turns my mood around because, well, I DON'T want to quit. Except for when I do. The other thing that helps is forcing myself to work on my writing sample. When I turn to what I love about this whole thing (and turn away from that obnoxious, seemingly-pointless SOP), I know that it is right.

OH, ETA: How much is everyone talking about past research in their SOP? I feel like I'm really overdoing it because I want to tell them ALL OF THE THINGS about my honor's thesis but I feel like a lot of it really points to what I want to work on in grad school.

Edited October 9, 2012 by girl who wears glasses

[sebastiansteddy]

OH, ETA: How much is everyone talking about past research in their SOP? I feel like I'm really overdoing it because I want to tell them ALL OF THE THINGS about my honor's thesis but I feel like a lot of it really points to what I want to work on in grad school.

What I am doing, at the suggestion of 4 professors I have worked with, is spending about a paragraph discussing the work I am doing on my MA thesis, and then detailing how I may expand that work into a larger study, and how that larger scholarship will contribute to the field.

[nhswrestle]

Only always. It would 100% be the easier, less stressful option. Honestly, what helps me is reminding myself that I CAN, that no one is holding a gun to my head and making me do this. When I look very seriously and very honestly at the (very legitimate) option of quitting, it usually turns my mood around because, well, I DON'T want to quit. Except for when I do. The other thing that helps is forcing myself to work on my writing sample. When I turn to what I love about this whole thing (and turn away from that obnoxious, seemingly-pointless SOP), I know that it is right.

OH, ETA: How much is everyone talking about past research in their SOP? I feel like I'm really overdoing it because I want to tell them ALL OF THE THINGS about my honor's thesis but I feel like a lot of it really points to what I want to work on in grad school.

My statement is two pages. It is about a 50/50 split between past and future research. My DGS at my undergrad school read my statement and thought this was an appropriate way to handle my line of research.

[sebastiansteddy]

Is anyone here applying to a school that specifically asks for a short writing sample, like NYU asks for 10-12 pages? If so, are you editing down the writing sample you are using for other programs, or using a different sample? I have not written a 10-12 pager since undergrad, except for conferences. I do not want to use a conference paper though, because they are a different sort of writing than I want to send. Just wondering what other people are doing in this situation. As always, thanks for everyone's help and support!

[Stately Plump]

Is anyone here applying to a school that specifically asks for a short writing sample, like NYU asks for 10-12 pages? If so, are you editing down the writing sample you are using for other programs, or using a different sample? I have not written a 10-12 pager since undergrad, except for conferences. I do not want to use a conference paper though, because they are a different sort of writing than I want to send. Just wondering what other people are doing in this situation. As always, thanks for everyone's help and support!

I applied there last year. I edited down the writing sample I sent elsewhere. I had a 20ish page paper that I cut down to 12, mostly by cutting entire sections that weren't absolutely crucial to my argument.

I wasn't accepted there, so maybe don't take my advice, ha.

[practical cat]

Thanks for the thoughts on the SOP. I think sometimes I get insecure because I always feel like I'm talking about myself too much. It's kind of the nature of the thing but I'm more inclined to want to tell the reader about something that I think is cool (like the 1.5 page intro I had about Lucille Ball for no discernible reason).

As for the writing sample, I'm (probably) using a different one. I have to cut my 25 pager down to 20 for a couple of schools already and I really can't see getting it down to 8-12. But it is a different sort of sample and it's not quite as right as the other one.

[nhswrestle]

I just took the GRE a second time and got a 65% on the verbal, after months of studying. At first, this score made me want to quit this application season out of fear that I no longer have a chance of getting into any of my prospective programs.

After some reflection, I have decided to hang in the race. My school list is almost finalized, as is my writing sample and personal statement. So, I am just going to apply and hope that graduate programs can overlook what - in my opinion - is the least relevant indicator of future success in grad school.

Oh dear god, all of the time. The GRE's are a real obstacle for me; I am just not a test-taker, and I have some ethical issues with high-stakes standardized testing. I also sometimes get super insecure about my application. What if I am not awesome enough for a PhD program? What if my professors are too nice to admit that I was only a mediocre student? I was rejected before from PhD programs before. Honestly, it was the best thing to happen to me; I went into an MA program, and my interests completely changed, my writing evolved, and my passion for teaching grew (also, I started dating my husband while an MA student, so I'm pretty happy about that!). At the same time, I remember the heartache of rejection. It sucked, and I am not ready to revisit that mental state again.

Also, I have a pretty fantastic life right now. I like where I work (although I am tired of being a part-timer just waiting for a full-time position to open). My husband has a secure job that pays well. My parents live about 2.5 hours away, and my partner and I want to start having kids within the next few years. I can't imagine raising kids without my parents living nearby. Sometimes I can't believe I am possibly throwing away this comfortable life for a risky dream.

At the same time, I am not ready to settle or settle down. Life should not end at 28! And I am certainly not ready to give up on my dreams because of I sometimes feel insecure or because I have a comfortable life right now. So I'm plugging forth, full throttle.

[ProfLorax]

I just took the GRE a second time and got a 65% on the verbal, after months of studying. At first, this score made me want to quit this application season out of fear that I no longer have a chance of getting into any of my prospective programs.

After some reflection, I have decided to hang in the race. My school list is almost finalized, as is my writing sample and personal statement. So, I am just going to apply and hope that graduate programs can overlook what - in my opinion - is the least relevant indicator of future success in grad school.

I'm taking the GRE a second time in a few weeks, and I'm trying to not let it get to me. I'm stoked you're hanging in the race; at this point, no matter what my score is, I plan on doing the same. I have put too much time and effort into the elements of my application that really matter: writing sample, statement of purpose, and the letters of recommendation. We shall not let the standardized testing industrial complex* bring us down!

*I'm not comparing the GRE to prison or the military. Just noting how privatization has taken over student assessment and evaluation.

Edited October 11, 2012 by proflorax