Questions

[OctaviaButlerfan]

Hi everyone,

 

I am a second time grad school applicant. I improved my GRE scores and my research skills significantly since applying the first time. Currently I am in an M.A. program, and while it is a great program for my needs as a secondary ed teacher completing CE's, it lacks some of the features I desire (such as the ability to be a graduate student instructor).

 

I applied to two PhD programs, one in English & Women's Studies (joint) and one in Gender Studies, and one M.A. in English that leads to a PhD in English.

 

I got an e-mail from the grad secretary at the last one saying that all of my materials had arrived safely, and thank you for following the instructions so closely. I don't know if this e-mail is a good or bad thing.. some of my materials might have come in late, because for that school, I got a fee waiver.

 

Also, I had no POI at any of the three schools. Is this a very bad thing? Should I contact someone now? I have done reading on some of these professors' works to make sure the school was a good fit.

 

I have one more question. If I received a rejection in early February before, is it likely that early February is about the time they send out acceptances as well?

 

Thanks in advance for any replies! Mainly I am just looking for a community.. I will be back.. I know ONE other person who is serious about applying to graduate school, and she is not in the same field.

[DarwinAG]

-Confirmation from the graduate secretary is a good thing. All your materials are in so there's nothing else you can do with that application. Let it go and move on.

-I would say that not having a POI at any of the other schools is generally not a good thing. I don't know how it works for the humanities but psychology Ph.D. programs requires you to identify a POI. This may just be a field difference, so I would inquire with people from your field.

-Acceptances are usually sent out sooner than rejections. I would monitor the forums or results search in thegradcafe carefully to see if your programs have started to send out acceptances or rejections.

Edited December 25, 2012 by DarwinAG

[RiseofthePhoenix]

I second everything that Darwin said except that contacting POIs is not necessarily an advantage nor a disadvantage. It's just something that some people choose to do. However it is more important to mention who you want to work with in your SOP. I can't tell from your post whether you've mentioned this in your SOP or not.

I personally was in contact with POIs in 4/8 programs to which I applied. This doesn't mean that I will get into those programs, or that I might be rejected from the rest. If you haven't contacted anyone, and you've already submitted your applications, I wouldn't worry about it too much.

Best of luck.

Edited December 25, 2012 by RiseofthePhoenix

[DarwinAG]

Just to echo RiseofthePhoenix post, I contacted a POI in every single program I applied to. In fact, I did not apply to any program in which the POI did not get back to me (except for one, and I am still on the fence if I will be applying there).

[practical cat]

http://english-graduate-programs.wikia.com/wiki/2012_First_Notifications

courtesy of asleepawake over in the Literature board.

I wouldn't worry about contacting POI, that's not such standard practice in English.

[OctaviaButlerfan]

Thanks, everyone! I just have one more question. There are fellowships for which external students must be nominated.. without having contacted a POI, I don't really know what my chances are. The deadline for the nominations is BEFORE I will probably hear whether or not I was accepted. I am considering contacting the grad secretary and thanking her for confirming receipt of my materials, and also asking her about the nominations- if there is anything I can do to improve my chances. Any thoughts?