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POLL- How many applications did you submit?


How many applications did you submit?  

77 members have voted

  1. 1. How many applications did you submit?

    • 1-3
      9
    • 4-6
      16
    • 6-8
      17
    • 9-11
      16
    • 12 or more
      19


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Has the economic crisis caused you to apply to more programs than you otherwise would have, because you feel you ABSOLUTELY have to get in somewhere this year?

Put another way, would you have applied to as many schools as you did, if it were a relative sure thing that you'd be able to work for a year and re-apply next year?

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5 but I wish I would have applied to more. I turned down a funded offer to Notre Dame's Ph.D. program in 07 partly because my (now) husband didn't get into law school there and partly because I hoped that after an MA I'd be able to get into a school like UChicago or Princeton. Now, given the economic situation . . . I not only kick myself for my decision about Notre Dame but wish I'd applied to more schools and a wider range. Sigh. Hindsight is 20/20.

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I only applied to 6. Because of the economy that was all I could afford. I would have loved to apply to more, but my family couldn't help me. So, I could only apply to as many as the economy would allow. It's hard to drop $50-$70 an application on the fee and then another $20 for GRE score reports per school, then $5-$17 per transcript (depending on if it was sent regular or priority), and then any postage charges if the school did not take electronic submissions. The cost of applying to Ph.D. programs is more ridiculous than this waiting game.

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I started out thinking I would apply to TONS of places, like at least 15, but it turned out I just wasn't a good fit for that many schools - or, should I say, they weren't a good fit for me! In the end I settled on 8 places that had professors whose work I admired and with whom I really, truly wanted to work. So far I'm not regretting it, and I think I probably would have been rejected by other places on my original list for that exact reason, the ever-elusive FIT.

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I applied to 13. I didn't do as much research as I should have, but I was a little overwhelmed. I don't feel like I would want to apply again in a year, even in a different economy. I just sort of thought I'd put everything in this year and hope for the best. I only have 2 acceptances at the moment; if that stays true, I'll be glad I applied to so many!

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In an ideal world I would have applied to ten or 15, but I'm geographically limited as my husband has a tenure-track job and I've also got a baby. I applied to seven; they range from totally unranked by US News to two Ivies.

The economy had zero impact on why I did what I did; I'm just not the type of person who thinks about those things, which is one of the reasons I guess I believe I belong in the hallowed halls.

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14 applications. Right now, 4 official rejections. I don't even want to think about how many implicit rejections (still hoping). No acceptances or waitlists.

I applied to very competitive schools, but honestly, I still don't think that I was unrealistic when I selected them. Excellent scholars are rejected across the board all the time, and I guess this just doesn't seem to be my year (please, one of my schools, prove me wrong!).

I'm always pleased to hear about all of your successes, however, and I hope that you'll send some good vibes my way!

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12! And the last one (original count was 11) was only cause I met a girl on a bus from that school, and we ended up talking for hours about English shop and she was convinced I'd be a great match. What school, you ask? Northeastern. Possibly the only school I'll be admitted to. Oh the irony.

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Wow, with so many people applying to 12 or more schools, it's easy to see how the "top" (well known, highly ranked) programs are winding up with 600 applicants.

Waitlisted people take heart! Many people seem to be getting multiple acceptances (not me, but many people).

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Thanks Yellow, I'm hanging onto whatever I've got. I'm hoping for many acceptances for everyone, so that they'll choose somewhere other than where I'm waitlisted!

Me: 10 schools applied to. 3 rejections so far (Northwestern, WUSTL, UPenn), 1 waitlist. Not the most heartening stats, but at this point I'm just hoping to hear good news from at least one school.

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Orin,

We're all guilty of this to an extent. We apply to 9, 10, 11 or more schools, precisely because we want alot of chances and we know that each department looks for different thing. Then, as soon as one or two anomolous, early rejections come out, we feel like we're going to get ALL rejections. I felt the same way when Brandeis rejected me on FEBRUARY 4th!

Sometimes you have to stop second guessing yourself (take a yoga class or something) and remember why you bothered to put in all those apps in the first place...because you CAN'T tell how different departments will evaluate you.

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Such clarity and wisdom from this one. Srsly, I might take you up on this and literally join one of the free yoga classes offered at my gym. Thanks for the encouragement, it's good to hear. And you're absolutely right -- this process sort of breeds self-doubt more effectively than anything else. It's important to remember this is only a matter of finding where we best fit.

Ahem.

[i'm really sorry. I couldn't help myself]:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRjb8sMjYu8

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I tot want to go there. .... I would drop dead with excitement if I got in there. Just absolutely thrilled. Here's to hoping against the baleful eye of the forbidding academic gods!

"*NO*! You SHALL NOT go here, WORM!"

Amazing lines!

I applied to six. And well, even one admit means the effort was worth it...

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it was actually my financial situation that limited how many schools i could afford to apply to. now, after two rejections, i'm praying that my first choice (and last ap) will save me from me from what i've found to be a very unfriendly job market.

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So...I thought I was doing something different (and maybe "wrong") by only applying to 3 programs...but it looks like I'm not alone. To those of you who only applied a few places: why? What were your reasons? Are you regretting it now?

I have a SO to consider- he already left a good job to follow me for an MA, and it seemed grossly unfair to ask it of him again. Now I'm wondering if it will really matter when I have little to no job opportunities because a) I don't get into any of the PhD programs and have to go on the job hunt in this economic climate with a lousy MA in English or B) a few years down the road, I'm on the job market with a PhD from a small(er) program. Of course, it's too late now, but as potentially difficult as it would have been for us, I wish I'd applied to more places.

As my mom would say, "woulda, coulda, shoulda."

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