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Pointless but exciting (to me) post: 

 

I just won two tickets to the red carpet premiere of Divergent. Feeling pretty awesome right now. 

Awesome! Do you get to dress up?

 

Speaking of winning things, thanks to the data breach, I just won five full years of free credit monitoring! Yay?

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Awesome! Do you get to dress up?

 

Speaking of winning things, thanks to the data breach, I just won five full years of free credit monitoring! Yay?

 

Haha yay!? Exactly. 

 

And I have no idea. Somebody is supposed to be calling me during the week, I don't even know if I can go or afford to be away from grad school that many days, but it would be pretty cool. 

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Thanks, all! I'm excited--it's a nice distraction from worrying about emails from schools in my inbox. 

 

Also, did anyone else apply to New Mexico? I posted a thread on the main boards but nobody bit. 

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Anyone still waiting to hear from Fordham? Any ideas about a wait list since there were already acceptances?

Also, still waiting on a Rutgers rejection, but too afraid to log into my application because that makes it real.

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When I say out of my area, I mean that my writing sample was a postcolonial analysis of a 20th century work of literature and my area of interest is Modern Film and Cultural Studies. Haha. 

 

Ahh, I see your point. It could also be a matter of disciplinary "fit" too. Perhaps applying to American Studies and Media Studies or other types of interdisciplinary programs would yield different results. I think that while some English departments are open to the idea of Film and Cultural Studies, it seems to me to be at best a secondary focus for many English departments. I could be completely wrong about this, but that is the sense I get.

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Anyone still waiting to hear from Fordham? Any ideas about a wait list since there were already acceptances?

Also, still waiting on a Rutgers rejection, but too afraid to log into my application because that makes it real.

 

I log in to check the status of my Rutgers application about 40 times a day - it still says "no decision" and I haven't heard a peep from them otherwise - is it stupid to still have a shred of hope?

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Are there U Buffalo admits here? I need to ask a question! I just checked the app website, and realized that my application status had been changed to Accept/Admit today. However, Acceptance Confirmation still reads: NA. What does this mean? I hope it means something good! But I have not heard from the school yet. I DO not want to get my hopes high, though.

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I applied to both WashU and Rutgers.  I'm treating WashU like an implied Rejection.  As for Rutgers, I don't know why they haven't notified yet.  I'm waiting, indeed, but I can't say that I'm super nervous or anticipative.  I 90% think I'll be rejected.  I feel like...they might like my application, but the chances of my being in the top 24 out of 250 to 350....it just doesn't seem likely.  In any case, I bet it's that they are finished with decisions but are just behind drafting the personalized letters to those admitted.  I'm going to log in to my application right now and see what's up.

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I log in to check the status of my Rutgers application about 40 times a day - it still says "no decision" and I haven't heard a peep from them otherwise - is it stupid to still have a shred of hope?

I keep going back and forth between wanting to know definitively that I'm rejected and wanting to remain in the dark to keep the glimmer of hope alive.

I was never too optimistic about Rutgers, but the fact that it was originally one of my top two makes it hard to come to terms with-- especially since I'm still waiting to hear back from five other schools and hanging out on one wait list.

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That sounds glorious and better than my method of standing over my tea kettle while brewing peppermint tea. 

 

I didn't know other people did that...  Soooo gooooood.

 

I pour it into bowls when I'm sick and put my head over it under a towel.  And boy do I look stupid... but it feels amazing.

 

Now I want tea. Must go make.

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No- Interfolio has a mechanism whereby you waive your rights just like any normal applicant. I've never seen what they've written about me. And yeah, most will either take Interfolio or else you can work it out so that Interfolio's delivery goes to an administrative assistant who can then upload things.

 

Logistically, I'm not worried.  I'm worried about the fact that people seem to be expressing the willingness of their recommenders to redraft multiple versions of letters suitable to the departments being applied to, whereas I seem not to have allowed myself that opportunity...unless I go back to them to reopen the discussion. Or, is generic a bad thing in a LoR?

Stepping out of lurkdom here just to offer a slightly different opinion. :) in my experience, tailored recommendations are neither required nor expected. My professors wrote one generic letter and I applied to 12 schools. I now have acceptances from 5 programs in the top 30 (US News). And i was rejected from the one school where one of my letter writers sent a personal recommendation email (to her former dissertation advisor, who is the department chair at that school).

I think it's more important to have strong LORs, whether they're generic to all of your schools or not. And anyway, I don't think it's always reasonable to ask your professors to help you make the case for "fit" -- unless they have some personal knowledge or experience with any of the schools on your list.

Just my .02! I wouldn't worry and go with the interfolio thing if that will make it easier. :)

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Anyone still waiting to hear from Fordham? Any ideas about a wait list since there were already acceptances?

Also, still waiting on a Rutgers rejection, but too afraid to log into my application because that makes it real.

 

 

I haven't heard from Fordham either, but am also considering it an implied rejection, or a wait list at best (though at this point I'd almost rather dodge wait lists... I just want this mess done with).

 

Also, is anyone still waiting for Rochester?  I didn't get accepted, or get asked to reapply for the MA.  So I'm thinking wait list from them too, or just flat-out "you weren't even good enough for our MA, kthxbye."

Edited by Katia_chan
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Stepping out of lurkdom here just to offer a slightly different opinion. :) in my experience, tailored recommendations are neither required nor expected. My professors wrote one generic letter and I applied to 12 schools. I now have acceptances from 5 programs in the top 30 (US News). And i was rejected from the one school where one of my letter writers sent a personal recommendation email (to her former dissertation advisor, who is the department chair at that school).

I think it's more important to have strong LORs, whether they're generic to all of your schools or not. And anyway, I don't think it's always reasonable to ask your professors to help you make the case for "fit" -- unless they have some personal knowledge or experience with any of the schools on your list.

Just my .02! I wouldn't worry and go with the interfolio thing if that will make it easier. :)

 

I totally agree with this.  I didn't ask my LOR writers to say a damn thing about whatever school(s) in question.  In fact, when I was emailing with the LOR writers, I insisted that they write the letter generically.  I said, "even if they ask you in their instructions very specific questions about the school, please just send your already-crafted generic letter."  Specific about me, but generic to any school.  I figured...schools have to be complete jerks to not realize that many applicants apply to 10 to 13 places, and that their letter writers spend a lot of time with just different uploads and different forms, logins, etc.  Expecting them to be school-specific in letters is too much.  It's one thing to expect to see it from applicants (in SOPs), who, because they are the ones very eager to get in, probably should.  The applicants need to do the toiling.   But the letter writers, surely the receiving school knows, are just trying to help the student and aren't investing so much of their time into this process.  

 

It's nice when an LOR writer feels like personalizing toward a school, but I think the schools should expect a letter detailed only about the student.

Edited by purpleperson
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Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think we can call it an Implied Rejection (from Rutgers) until more acceptances go up on the results board and some time passes from the time/date of those acceptances.  Like 24-36 hours from when you start seeing 3-5 acceptances up.  

 

They could be just slowly working through a list?

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I just saw a waitlist notification on Illinois State University's online system, if anyone's still waiting to hear back from them. I haven't seen a paper letter or email, yet. The system doesn't show any information about the length of the list or the lukewarmness of their feelings for me, so hopefully that will come soon. Wait-lists are so awful for my psyche, even with one acceptance... 

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Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think we can call it an Implied Rejection (from Rutgers) until more acceptances go up on the results board and some time passes from the time/date of those acceptances.  Like 24-36 hours from when you start seeing 3-5 acceptances up.  

 

They could be just slowly working through a list?

 

 

I'm with you on Rutgers - although realistically I know I probably didn't get in - I'm keeping the hope alive . . . at least for a little bit longer.

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Ahh, I see your point. It could also be a matter of disciplinary "fit" too. Perhaps applying to American Studies and Media Studies or other types of interdisciplinary programs would yield different results. I think that while some English departments are open to the idea of Film and Cultural Studies, it seems to me to be at best a secondary focus for many English departments. I could be completely wrong about this, but that is the sense I get.

 

Yeah, that’s very true. Apart from one program, I actually only applied to school with Film and Media emphases within their English department. If I do decide to forgo my acceptances this year, I will likely expand out of English departments next year. I’ve just been stubborn about it because I want to teach in an English department. 

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Question: Why is Rutgers so popular? Is it popular for all disciplines within English or just Victorian Studies? I never really looked at rankings or anything before applying.

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