Fall 2014 applicants??

[mikers86]

I applied to Purdue and did not get this email. However, they requested official transcripts from me about 2 weeks ago. Whatever that means.

I thought Purdue required official transcripts with the application, but I could be wrong.

[formofmyform]

I thought Purdue required official transcripts with the application, but I could be wrong.

You're probably right. I can't keep them all straight.

[ArthChauc]

You're probably right. I can't keep them all straight.

 

They did--I think they were one of the places that required two each? Maybe not. But yes, I sent official transcripts and my application is "complete". 

[despejado]

Anyone else feeling like they might shoot nothing but blanks this round?

Edited February 4, 2014 by despejado

[merintil]

Anyone else feeling like they might shoot nothing but blanks this round?

 

You're not the only one; I feel like I'm under-qualified compared to everyone else here.  I am already thinking about my backup plans.

[despejado]

You're not the only one; I feel like I'm under-qualified compared to everyone else here. I am already thinking about my backup plans.

Yep, this would be me to a T.

[jrockford27]

Anyone else feeling like they might shoot nothing but blanks this round?

 

Totally natural.  About this time last year I was certain I'd be shut out, but my results turned out pretty well.  You've cast a very wide net, which I'm sure bodes well.  Though having been through it, I know that nothing I say will make you feel any less nervous.

Edited February 4, 2014 by jrockford27

[despejado]

Totally natural. About this time last year I was certain I'd be shut out, but my results turned out pretty well. You've cast a very wide net, which I'm sure bodes well. Though having been through it, I know that nothing I say will make you feel any less nervous.

You sound remarkably like my thesis advisor. Thank you for the reassurance. It certainly does help calm my nerves a little bit, which is a big deal these days haha

[andrewcycs]

I feel highly under qualified as well, as a result of this forum (and 3 rejections). I'm most likely going to get in nowhere!

But, I have a backup plan all set up and ready to go. And it would begin in June. So despite my depression from being rejected everywhere, at least I have something to live for. Lol.

I'm sure most of y'all will get in somewhere. And yes, I said y'all, but I'm being rejected everywhere, remember this.

[despejado]

I feel highly under qualified as well, as a result of this forum (and 3 rejections). I'm most likely going to get in nowhere!

But, I have a backup plan all set up and ready to go. And it would begin in June. So despite my depression from being rejected everywhere, at least I have something to live for. Lol.

I'm sure most of y'all will get in somewhere. And yes, I said y'all, but I'm being rejected everywhere, remember this.

 

I say y'all every day, at least three times. I hope that is not an indicator of whether I will get accepted somewhere or not haha

 

I'm also sitting with 3 (implied) rejections. Hopefully one of the 13 schools I have left will find some value in me somewhere.

[andromache]

I have no backup plan and it's honestly terrifying.

[Kamisha]

I, too, am sinking into the miserable pit of depression. I’m sure we all feel the exact same way: how the hell have I worked this hard and feel so damn inadequate? 

 

I’m trying to think of all of the money that I’ve put in to try to make myself marketable for PhD programs. It’s depressing me even more:

Application Fees: ~$3,500

Master’s Program: ~$20,000

14 Conferences Presentations: $10,000

**Therapy: $100,000,000

 

**I haven’t technically started yet, but this is the projected cost of my emotional damage. 

 

Oy vey. I can’t believe I’ve killed myself for the last six years and can feel so completely worthless in this moment. 

 

Sob story = over

Edited February 5, 2014 by Kamisha

[bgguitarist]

Let's just say starting out with a rejection did not boost my confidence levels. The possibility of completely striking out seems much more real to me, now. 

 

...and, I'm obsessively checking all email / apps / results posts so that I can know the instant U Chicago starts sending out notifications. Unfortunately, my reach schools seem to be the ones reporting first. *whimpers*

[Kamisha]

Let's just say starting out with a rejection did not boost my confidence levels. The possibility of completely striking out seems much more real to me, now. 

 

...and, I'm obsessively checking all email / apps / results posts so that I can know the instant U Chicago starts sending out notifications. Unfortunately, my reach schools seem to be the ones reporting first. *whimpers*

 

You and I seem to be applying to 4 of the same programs. Here’s to hoping both of us get in somewhere! 

[bgguitarist]

You and I seem to be applying to 4 of the same programs. Here’s to hoping both of us get in somewhere! 

 

Cheers to that! 

[despejado]

 

 

Oy vey. I can’t believe I’ve killed myself for the last six years and can feel so completely worthless in this moment. 

 

 

 

I totally had a moment earlier today where I thought the world was crashing down. I have been feeling crazily inadequate lately; I just hope some program comes and sweeps us off our feet, validating our previous notions of ourselves as complete literary badasses.

[andromache]

Changed my signature to reflect the schools I am applying to--looking back, too many prestigious programs, not enough ones that I have an actual shot at. Some of them are MA programs, others PhD. (I earned my BA last May.)

[CommPhD20]

Rather than getting hung up on rankings, look at something more useful when it comes to deciding whether a program is worth going to. What you want to know is where their graduates are. How long did it take them to degree? What exactly is their position at School X (tenure track, part-time, full-time adjunct, VAP)? What is the attrition rate? The last question matters since you can have great looking statistics by not including all the people who quit because they realized your program is a sham.

 

Don't rely on anecdotes. As you are evaluating your options, press the DGS for hard data. They should have it and be quite proud of it. Part of the reason for this supposed great crisis in the lit. job market is that there are schools pooping out PhDs with no hope of getting them decent academic jobs. This is a substantial portion of those frightening statistics about "x% of grads are getting TT positions!" There are some schools, at the top, that are getting the vast majority of their students into great jobs. There are some where it is more mixed, some do well and others do not. Then you have schools where it is practically rare for one of their graduates to teach literature in a tenure track position. 

 

Now, you shouldn't just pick the school with the best "tenure rate," so to speak. If you fit much better at a school you know is fully capable of getting you the job you desire, plus gives you other things that are important (location, stipend, departmental culture, etc.), then that makes sense for you. Also, you don't have to get a tenure track position after you get your literature PhD. Maybe you have a marital situation that doesn't require that you make a ton of money. Perhaps you realize at the end (or now) that the rat race isn't for you. So long as you aren't committing financial suicide in your unique circumstances by spending the next seven years either saving nothing or incurring bits of debt, then it is your prerogative to pursue knowledge how you see fit. TT jobs aren't for everyone and there are both intrinsic and real world merits of doing the PhD beyond getting the very elusive TT job. 

 

With that said, many of us hope to come out the other side with a chance at earning a comfortable living doing the thing we love. Make sure you feel comfortable that the program you choose will give you that opportunity. Don't rely on inference or anecdote when trying to figure this out. I would bet there is a school ranked around 50 that is a complete waste of time, a school around 75 that is doing a great job, and a top 15 school that is surprisingly mediocre. You just have to do some homework to figure it all out. 

[andrewcycs]

Well, it seems to be a common denominator that we all feel terrible about ourselves and that we're all depressed! Lol. Academia is destroying us!

[Katia_chan]

I'm going to say something that I feel I have the right to say after getting kicked to the curb on my ass 3 and a half times.

 

Do. Not. Base. Your. Self-worth. on. grad admissions.

 

Or you will want to throw yourself in front of a bus.

 

You want to, and it's easy to do, and I did it, and I didn't listen to other people when they told me not to do it, but I'm going to try to tell you now.

 

If you get in, you're awesome. If you don't, you're still awesome.  And you're also not out forever if you don't get in this round. This is my third season, with an all-but-my-undergrad-institution fail for my MA.  And I did it again, and I adjuncted for a while, and I reapplied, And this time, I did get a very nice acceptance.  So if it's what you want, and it doesn't happen right away, keep going.  And if you do keep applying, or choose not to, remember that this process does not assign your value as a person, or even as an academic.

 

Just my two cents--you are all so freaking amazing, and I'd like to try to stem the tide of sadness and anxiety I've seen today. <3 to all of you.

[Ozymandias Melancholia]

Wait-listed at BC!

Edited February 5, 2014 by Ozymandias Melancholia

[Kamisha]

Wait-listed at BC!

 

Congrats! But I’m ignorant; which school is BC?

[merintil]

Congrats!

 

And I think he means Boston College

[igetstuffdunn]

I hate the whole "fit" idea-- so many people change their minds after they are admitted anyway. One of my favorite professors at UW-Madison was the chair of grad admissions for a few years ( and I've heard various versions of this), he said: once you get to the top 50 applicants you might as well draw numbers, because they are all qualified and interesting. So, it comes down to luck-- at least a lot of it does. Unfortunately, I feel pretty unlucky.

I have a bad feeling about Irvine. After hearing that there was initial interest, I emailed the department a few times ( because of lost materials and incorrect test information) and have not heard back at all. I'm afraid they are not responding anymore because they decided on rejection. This whole thing is driving me crazy. The application status still lists an LOR as missing, even though I know it was sent. I'm too scared to call the department cause I don't want to hear bad news. Any thoughts?

 

Jocko, I went to UCI for my undergrad. The department is really friendly for the most part, even when they're busy, but they're notoriously unorganized. The registrar lost my transcript between the administration building and the English department at one point (you know...three buildings over). Don't be nervous to call them, they might be a little terse if they're busy but it won't reflect poorly on you. I think they know that stuff slips through the cracks sometimes. This is not to say that yours has, it just might take a little time for them to update their system. They won't bite if you call

[Kamisha]

I think I’m going to assume rejection on Nebraska. Boo. Sad panda face.