Comparative Literature, 2013

[DontHate]

Does this apply to international students as well?

Oh, I don't know about that. You can always try, maybe your undergraduate institute will sponsor your apps.

[asleepawake]

 If applicant A has a shitty application and applies to 20+ schools, and applicant B has a great application but only applies to 6 schools, who is more likely to get in?  I'd say applicant B.  And I don't see why someone with a strong application would bother applying to dozens of places: I highly doubt this hypothetical person really fits in and likes all of those programs.

 

I disagree.

 

Let's say you have a very strong application (applicant . Let's say you are in the top 15% or so of applicants at Top 10 programs, of course with variation for the fit of the university. But in terms of academic history and writing/research ability, you're better than at least 85% of the other applicants. These programs still take 2 to 5%. Let's say you apply to 6 programs. Your odds of getting into each of these programs may be higher than the 85% of folk with lesser skills that yours, but they are still only about 13% to 33% (judging from the made-up numbers I gave earlier) for each school. It gives you a decent chance of an acceptance or two, but it leaves a lot of room for chance to hurt you. Fit plays a big part here, but no mater what, if you apply only to some of these incredibly competitive programs, you are likely to be rejected given the sheer number of other applicants even if all parts of your application are strong.

 

Now, I'm going to play liberally with your definition of a "shitty application." Let's say that at a Top 10 school, your/Application A's application would be in the bottom 50% of applications. You can't get into any of them other than by fluke, but you have a decent background and writing sample. Now, let's say you only apply to 2 or so of these schools and 15-18 other schools across the board in terms of competitiveness. This means you may now be applying to some schools that accept closer to a quarter or a third of applicants, along with many schools that take 5 to 15 percent. Your unimpressive application to Chicago may be a very impressive application to a lower tier school. Suddenly your position in the pile of applications changes. The application pool is different, and you may now be in the top 10-20% at some schools. Now you have acceptances, maybe even fellowship offers or extra funding. This person is more likely to walk away with acceptances simply by the odds of the game. Even a truly shitty applicant may be able to weasel into one or two schools when a faculty member identifies their particular strengths that may go unnoticed elsewhere. 

 

The best strategy for being accepted is to apply to a large combination of reach schools, schools you have a decent chance at, and safer bets. The oft-quoted line that "there are no safety schools in the humanities!!" is a myth. There may be no safeties in the sense that there are not guarantees, but there are schools you are much more likely to get into, no matter what your application looks like. You may still be rejected from them, of course. But your odds are better at a school with 50 applicants than one with 500 applicants, unless the cohort size is similarly 1/10th the size. This is just math, you guys!

 

I am playing like Applicant A for a number of reasons. My background isn't spotless, and I have not attended top schools. I feel that I could be happy in a lot of programs, and I didn't apply anywhere that wasn't at least a good fit, though some were stronger fits than others.

 

Tl;dr version: There are so many factors at play that applying widely - if you can afford it and devote the time needed to each application - can only be a benefit.

 

Also: It is a lie that you need to attend a top 20 or so program to get a tenure track job. A lot of lower-ranked programs have higher job placement rates than tip top and medium tier programs. A school I just got into and may very well attend, West Virginia, isn't super highly ranked but has a tenure-track placement rate of 72%, and they say this on their FAQ:

 

 

 

Q: I hear the job market is pretty tight for Ph.D.s. What is the placement rate for your doctoral program? Will I be able to get a job? 

A: The job market for Ph.D.s is, indeed, difficult, but our overall placement rate from 1996 to 2012 is 72% of our doctoral graduates in fulltime tenure track positions as English professors in colleges or universities, which is well above the national average of roughly 34%. The remaining graduates decided to pursue alternate careers, usually in administration or business, or wanted to teach at the high school level. All of our graduates are working full time in positions that utilize the skills they gained while getting their degree. Nobody is driving a cab. 

 

 

I imagine these placements are different kinds of jobs than you might apply for coming out Harvard.  Preparing students realistically for the job market is important, but that job market does exist, even as it shrinks. When you talk about "getting a job," you might mean "getting a job at a particular sort of institution." Taking a look at the school's ACTUAL job placement statistics, rather than their imagined reputation, shows a lot of disconnect between the two. Of course top programs can serve you well, but not automatically or by virtue of reputation. 

Edited January 28, 2013 by asleepawake

[bluecheese]

The above is really good advice. I approve.

[bluecheese]

Also: 

You're going to be spending the next 5 years of your life in whatever program you're accepted to. Applying to more programs might mean the difference between 20k with a 1/1 teaching load (and possibly several years on fellowship) and 10k with a 2/2 teaching load (in which you're lucky to teach anything besides composition). I guess those are at opposite ends of the spectrum, but both possibilities exist in terms of funding. Really, when you think about that, what is an extra thousand dollars now.

[ghijklmn]

So according the results board, four of us have Skype interviews with Penn State! Anyone else freaking out a little bit?

[Magical Realist]

Yes. Very much.

 

Skype always makes me a bit uncomfortable, and also, I'm learning that the interview will include speaking in the languages of our literatures. One I'm not worried about, one I very much am. Ahhh! It'd be quite nice to have at least one acceptance prior to this, so that maybe I'd be a bit more relaxed...

[bluecheese]

Awesome! Congrats to those of you who made it on the shortlist!

 

And good luck with your interviews!

[ghijklmn]

Yes. Very much.

 

Skype always makes me a bit uncomfortable, and also, I'm learning that the interview will include speaking in the languages of our literatures. One I'm not worried about, one I very much am. Ahhh! It'd be quite nice to have at least one acceptance prior to this, so that maybe I'd be a bit more relaxed...

 

What?! We have to speak the languages we'll be studying?? I guess I was too afraid to ask that question. Sigh. As soon as they hear my atrocious accent in French it'll be over for me...

 

I too am hoping that between now and my interview, I'll have an acceptance to keep me afloat. Fingers crossed.

 

In any case, good luck to everyone!

[Magical Realist]

I'm hoping my fine command of Japanese pause words will be impressive to the faculty:). The email said language(s), so I'm hoping my primary foreign language will be the only foreign language we speak in (but considering the strength of the Asian studies department, I doubt it).

 

I did get my first acceptance (!), so feeling a little more at peace, but not to the level I'd hoped. Penn State would still be pretty much awesome.

[Marie-Luise]

I applied to a shit ton of programs and I already have two acceptances with fellowships attached to them (both at great schools). 

Which schools have you applied to and which ones have accepted you?

[ghijklmn]

Congrats, Magical Realist! And I'm sure the pause words will be very impressive. Likewise, I plan on doing a lot of "euuuh"-ing and "ben"-ing if they make me speak French.

[ghijklmn]

Hey y'all! I heard from a student that the adcomm for Michigan will be meeting on February 6. Anyone else apply there? 

[damequixote]

Do you know if this is for comp lit or English at large? I applied to UofM's English and Education program and I'm so super nervous!

[ghijklmn]

That's for Comp Lit. Sorry!

Edited January 31, 2013 by ghijklmn

[damequixote]

Aw, well thanks anyway!!

[Magical Realist]

Thanks, ghi... And if you haven't had your interview, good luck. If you have, hope it went well (and do you have any tips? )

 

And to all the Comp Lit departments out there in general:

Dear god, please start sending a few more results our way. We're dying here... I wondered what all the talk was re: decisions. Then, for fun, I searched "English." Instantly I was jealous. On a related note, I'm fantasizing about all the free time I'll have when I'm not logging in to 15 unique applications three times per day.

[t1racyjacks]

anyone applying to Berkeley comp lit? they should have informed/begun informing by now. if not they are late. which means english might be late, as they have some faculty overlap (if the same people are on ad coms that I don't know)

[DontHate]

Berkeley hasn't sent out decisions yet. Just take a deep breath.

[ghijklmn]

Magical Realist: nope, my interview is next Tuesday. When is yours? So much time to be nervous from now until then...

[nada.am]

Northwestern has posted some decisions on the website. I didn't have an email from them, but after seeing some rejections on the board I decided to log in and check.

Rejection #1 out of the way. Lovely way to start a Friday morning...

[ghijklmn]

Northwestern has posted some decisions on the website. I didn't have an email from them, but after seeing some rejections on the board I decided to log in and check.

Rejection #1 out of the way. Lovely way to start a Friday morning...

 

You had a decision on the website even though you didn't get an e-mail? I'm sorry that your first news was bad news! Now I'm just going to keep refreshing that page all day... 

[nada.am]

You had a decision on the website even though you didn't get an e-mail? I'm sorry that your first news was bad news! Now I'm just going to keep refreshing that page all day... 

 

Yeah, an email notification would've been nice to avoid the refreshing compulsion. Maybe it's a good sign for you if there's no decision yet?...best of luck!

 

Thankfully I do have one acceptance already, which helps take the sting out of rejection at least a little bit.

[Vincenzo Salvatore]

Yesterday I received the admission notification (with a summary of the financial offer) from University of Minnesota for the Program in Comparative Studies in Discourse and Society (part of Comp Lip Dep). The mail was wonderful, I am truly satisfied. The Welcome Weekend will be probably held in March.

Edited February 1, 2013 by Vincenzo Salvatore

[DontHate]

Where else did you apply Vincenzo?

[Vincenzo Salvatore]

On 2/1/2013 at 1:35 PM, DontHate said:

Where else did you apply Vincenzo?

Comp Lit: Notre Dame, WashU and Minnesota. Then Italian Studies. Michigan and Duke (both already accepted me). I am waiting only for Notre Dame response, but the deadline was today, so I suppose they will need at least a couple of weeks to get it over with all the applications.