Fall 2015 Applicants

[iwontbelyeveit]

Judging by the results board it looks like Emory has also sent out interview invitations to Comp Lit students, congratulations to whoever it is.

 

I think this is the first Comp Lit notification of the season, reality is truly starting to hit.

 

Katla, do you know if they send out all the invitations at the same time? I applied to Emory as well!

[Katla]

Katla, do you know if they send out all the invitations at the same time? I applied to Emory as well!

 

Sorry, I'm afraid I don't know. I didn't apply to Emory myself (though the programme looked to die for), so I haven't really investigated their procedures. Hopefully someone else can bring some light on this. And definitely don't lose hope yet!

[queennight]

On an unrelated note to school acceptance timelines, I was reading through (read: stalking) the Philosophy forum and noticed someone posted this link to graduate applications declining in their area (here). Not sure if this would correspond to English Lit PhD applications (or humanities PhDs in general), but it's an interesting read (the comments are fun). By fun, I mean generally negative and soul-sapping about pursuing this sort of career, but still fun.

Edited January 15, 2015 by queennight

[queennight]

The final comment reads (in case anybody can't be bothered to scroll through the whole thing): "Other areas of humanities are also experiencing declines in the number of graduate applications they receive. Some departments even resorted to playing some moves with entry barriers. One hand, there was Rutgers, who extended the deadline for English PhD apps from Dec. 15 to Dec. 22 although the two-part application system, where the applicant first enters personal information and then waits 24 hours for the ability to upload supporting materials, may have played a part in this and, on the other hand, there was Fordham’s English department that announced that MA applications were 50% off (they used to cost $70, now they cost $35 but this is an university-wide move). So, if these two anecdotes actually were indications of a wider trend in English, then philosophy is far from the only field experiencing a drop."

[Dr. Old Bill]

I've spent an inordinate amount of time on The Chronicle during the break (both the articles site and the forums), and the sentiment is much the same there as well. It'll be interesting to see more numbers come in.

 

On a slightly related / slightly unrelated note, politics aside, I'm curious whether Obama's plan to make community college free for millions of Americans (if it manages to go through) will lead to more jobs. Obviously most of those jobs would be at the community college level, but there would be a trickle down effect as well...in theory. And I imagine its effects would start to be seen right around the time we're collecting our lovely Ph.D. certificates.

 

Just a little thought-nugget to offset the gloom.

[Lycidas]

I've spent an inordinate amount of time on The Chronicle during the break (both the articles site and the forums), and the sentiment is much the same there as well. It'll be interesting to see more numbers come in.

 

On a slightly related / slightly unrelated note, politics aside, I'm curious whether Obama's plan to make community college free for millions of Americans (if it manages to go through) will lead to more jobs. Obviously most of those jobs would be at the community college level, but there would be a trickle down effect as well...in theory. And I imagine its effects would start to be seen right around the time we're collecting our lovely Ph.D. certificates.

 

Just a little thought-nugget to offset the gloom.

 

While I don’t envisage Obama’s plan going through any time soon (although a similar plan went through in heavily conservative Tennessee, so I suppose anything’s possible), I’m not sure it would create much of a jobs boon. The plan would likely lower the enrollment of 4-year colleges, as many students opted to spend their first two years completing general education credits for free before transferring to a 4-year university. This would mean that many of the current adjunct/VAP/contract positions at 4-year schools would likely move to the Community Colleges. There would likely be a net enrollment increase, leading to a slight uptick in overall jobs, but nothing revolutionary. And many of the jobs created would be low-paying, insecure non-tenure positions (although that seems to be an unavoidable reality no matter where jobs are created in academia).

 

Then there’s this to consider: at many institutions, literature courses survive by fulfilling other designations. At my undergraduate SLAC, for instance, many lit courses were made up of up to 50% non-English majors and minors pursuing designations like “Humanities,” “Critical Thought,” “Gender Studies” and so forth that were required for graduation and affixed to these English courses. If more students fulfill these requirements during a 2-year Community College period prior to arriving at a four-year school, then it’s very possible that enrollment drops in those classes at many institutions would lead to 4-year institutions cutting faculty, especially smaller regional public schools.

 

Also, I feel a bit of guilt for having to force down some happiness at the news of English graduate apps decreasing. I know full well it's bad for the field, but this little voice inside me keeps saying "maybe there's a better chance you'll get in now!" 

[fancypants09]

Hi everyone! I've been keeping up with GC though I've mostly been traveling. No news at all from any of the schools to which I've applied. Handling the wait by eating super calorie-laden desserts and wine and promising myself yoga and dieting in Feb. Hope the waiting is going well for all

[scribnera]

Hey y'all, I've been staying away from the forums this year because they made me SO anxious last year, but I wanted to speak up and claim one of the Emory comp lit interview invitations. I don't know for sure that they sent out all the invitations at once, but I can tell you that they wanted us to all book flights ASAP and seem to be in kind of a hurry, as the recruitment weekend is in 3 weeks. So I would assume they're at least sending them all out this week. Also not sure if you necessarily have to be invited to interview in order to be accepted, but I think probably?

 

Thanks for the congrats  I had a really tough round last year that ended with me getting rejected off of a wait list at the very last minute, so it's such a relief to get some good news this early. Good luck to everyone else who's waiting!

[jhefflol]

Hey y'all, I've been staying away from the forums this year because they made me SO anxious last year, but I wanted to speak up and claim one of the Emory comp lit interview invitations. I don't know for sure that they sent out all the invitations at once, but I can tell you that they wanted us to all book flights ASAP and seem to be in kind of a hurry, as the recruitment weekend is in 3 weeks. So I would assume they're at least sending them all out this week. Also not sure if you necessarily have to be invited to interview in order to be accepted, but I think probably?

Thanks for the congrats I had a really tough round last year that ended with me getting rejected off of a wait list at the very last minute, so it's such a relief to get some good news this early. Good luck to everyone else who's waiting!

Congrats! You're going to nail the interview! Let us know how it goes!

[snyegurachka]

Hey y'all, I've been staying away from the forums this year because they made me SO anxious last year, but I wanted to speak up and claim one of the Emory comp lit interview invitations. I don't know for sure that they sent out all the invitations at once, but I can tell you that they wanted us to all book flights ASAP and seem to be in kind of a hurry, as the recruitment weekend is in 3 weeks. So I would assume they're at least sending them all out this week. Also not sure if you necessarily have to be invited to interview in order to be accepted, but I think probably?

 

Thanks for the congrats  I had a really tough round last year that ended with me getting rejected off of a wait list at the very last minute, so it's such a relief to get some good news this early. Good luck to everyone else who's waiting!

 

First off, congratulations!

 

I emailed the department administrator at Emory to ask if Comp Lit carries out interviews, and he told me that invited would be going out this week or early next week (I think all at once) and that they will also interview some applicants by phone/skype. I did not get an invite and am pretty much figuring that I probably won't make the cut. I submitted my app early to receive the fee waiver and unfortunately don't think I did as well as I could have because of it. I understand if you're not comfortable answering this question, but would you mind telling me a little bit of your background/area? I know it's not a science by any means, but right now I am feeling a bit lost about what different types of programs want/look for.

[Lycidas]

Hey y'all, I've been staying away from the forums this year because they made me SO anxious last year, but I wanted to speak up and claim one of the Emory comp lit interview invitations. I don't know for sure that they sent out all the invitations at once, but I can tell you that they wanted us to all book flights ASAP and seem to be in kind of a hurry, as the recruitment weekend is in 3 weeks. So I would assume they're at least sending them all out this week. Also not sure if you necessarily have to be invited to interview in order to be accepted, but I think probably?

 

Thanks for the congrats  I had a really tough round last year that ended with me getting rejected off of a wait list at the very last minute, so it's such a relief to get some good news this early. Good luck to everyone else who's waiting!

 

Congrats! Really excited to hear how it goes. Stories like yours give me some comfort in my pessimistic moments when I'm 100% sure I'm bound for straight rejections this year. 

[scribnera]

First off, congratulations!

 

I emailed the department administrator at Emory to ask if Comp Lit carries out interviews, and he told me that invited would be going out this week or early next week (I think all at once) and that they will also interview some applicants by phone/skype. I did not get an invite and am pretty much figuring that I probably won't make the cut. I submitted my app early to receive the fee waiver and unfortunately don't think I did as well as I could have because of it. I understand if you're not comfortable answering this question, but would you mind telling me a little bit of your background/area? I know it's not a science by any means, but right now I am feeling a bit lost about what different types of programs want/look for.

Sure, happy to share any info! My interests are all over the place, but I applied this year to do contemporary postcolonial lit/international feminisms. I'm interested more broadly in critical theory, especially human geography/spatial studies as they relate to lit theory. My writing sample this year was on Nadine Gordimer's Burger's Daughter -- I talked about how Gordimer uses a series of transgressive domestic spaces in the novel to critique the patriarchal assumptions of Marxist anti-apartheid activism in South Africa. I dig pretty much anything about intersectional or poststructural feminisms. Big critical touchstones for me are Foucault, Derrida, Lefebvre, Said, Spivak, Butler, etc. and more contemporary critics who deal with these guys.

I also struggled to decide which programs to apply to. I'm comfortable in both Spanish and Russian, which sort of qualifies me for comp lit, but as you can see most of my critical interests right now are French or Anglophone, so neither language helps me a ton. Last year I applied exclusively to English programs, which I think was part of why I didn't get in anywhere. This year I applied to a combination of English/Comp Lit/Cultural Studies, and I tried to find more hybrid programs like Emory's that blend all three disciplines or interpret "comp lit" more flexibly. Other programs I found like this were at U Minnesota ("comparative studies in discourse and society"), Duke Lit, Carnegie Mellon ("literary and cultural studies"), and there were some more liberal English programs that I applied to as well.

I hope that helped. Did you have any specific questions that you wanted me to address?

[snyegurachka]

Sure, happy to share any info! My interests are all over the place, but I applied this year to do contemporary postcolonial lit/international feminisms. I'm interested more broadly in critical theory, especially human geography/spatial studies as they relate to lit theory. My writing sample this year was on Nadine Gordimer's Burger's Daughter -- I talked about how Gordimer uses a series of transgressive domestic spaces in the novel to critique the patriarchal assumptions of Marxist anti-apartheid activism in South Africa. I dig pretty much anything about intersectional or poststructural feminisms. Big critical touchstones for me are Foucault, Derrida, Lefebvre, Said, Spivak, Butler, etc. and more contemporary critics who deal with these guys.

I also struggled to decide which programs to apply to. I'm comfortable in both Spanish and Russian, which sort of qualifies me for comp lit, but as you can see most of my critical interests right now are French or Anglophone, so neither language helps me a ton. Last year I applied exclusively to English programs, which I think was part of why I didn't get in anywhere. This year I applied to a combination of English/Comp Lit/Cultural Studies, and I tried to find more hybrid programs like Emory's that blend all three disciplines or interpret "comp lit" more flexibly. Other programs I found like this were at U Minnesota ("comparative studies in discourse and society"), Duke Lit, Carnegie Mellon ("literary and cultural studies"), and there were some more liberal English programs that I applied to as well.

I hope that helped. Did you have any specific questions that you wanted me to address?

 

Nope! that's great. I also did Russian and ending up moving more towards the ways that our languages and cultures create the conditions for the relationships between humans and objects/materiality. I work with literary criticism, history-writing, and philology but not so much with capital "L" Literature anymore. So that is probably the main thing that makes me an odd candidate for comp lit/English programs. I was very excited about the prospect of working with Mikhail Epstein—we emailed back and forth a bit but he is on leave this year so that may be a (probably minor) thing.

 

It sounds like you are a very good fit for the program...let us know how your visit goes?

 

Also, do you have an MA? I (will) have one, and I wonder if this works for or against me.

[iwontbelyeveit]

Nope! that's great. I also did Russian and ending up moving more towards the ways that our languages and cultures create the conditions for the relationships between humans and objects/materiality. I work with literary criticism, history-writing, and philology but not so much with capital "L" Literature anymore. So that is probably the main thing that makes me an odd candidate for comp lit/English programs. I was very excited about the prospect of working with Mikhail Epstein—we emailed back and forth a bit but he is on leave this year so that may be a (probably minor) thing.

 

It sounds like you are a very good fit for the program...let us know how your visit goes?

 

Also, do you have an MA? I (will) have one, and I wonder if this works for or against me.

 

 

I stated that I wanted to work with Epstein too! However, my Russian is weak at this point (I'm proficient in Ukrainian, so it's not too far of a stretch). So it was a jump, but I tried! Congrats to you, Scribnera

[scribnera]

Thanks, all! I don't have an MA. Just applying with my Bachelor's. From what I've heard from current students in a few different English PhD programs, it's usually an even split between those coming in with BAs/MAs.

Also loving all the Russian-inspired usernames here. I applied with a sample on Bely last year 

[iwontbelyeveit]

Thanks, all! I don't have an MA. Just applying with my Bachelor's. From what I've heard from current students in a few different English PhD programs, it's usually an even split between those coming in with BAs/MAs.

Also loving all the Russian-inspired usernames here. I applied with a sample on Bely last year 

 

Bely is dear to my heart. My writing sample is an article I published on Petersburg. What a gem.

[hypervodka]

Earlier in the week, I had a really rewarding (and long!!) phone conversation with a POI, so I'd just like to cast another vote for reaching out to faculty members and graduate students at the universities to which you're interested in going. Particularly at this school (UCLA, but this could apply to Emory or UMD as well), I had two POI who gave me valuable insight--and not just information about the graduate program.

 

They gave me suggestions for developing my writing sample, puzzled out the obstacles in my research and offered strategies to tackle them, told me about their own experiences in graduate study, managed my expectations for graduate school and scholarly work, recommended points of contact at other universities I'm applying to, and suggested faculty members in other UCLA departments who would be of further use to my research. All of that goes a long way, not just in preparing an application to UCLA (because, obviously, the deadline has now long passed), but just serves as a way to hit the ground running in your scholarship, rather than simply playing the waiting game.

 

I'm probably looking at POI contact this way because I've been out of school for awhile, so when I email POIs, I really appreciate any advice they can and do give me on my current research project--basically, they're professors, and I'm emailing them so that they can teach me something. I know hreaðemus's advisor at UC Berkeley has... not exactly cautioned against reaching out to POIs, but definitely downplayed their value. But I think it actually really is helpful (especially if you're not just emailing them: "Hi! My name is Stan and I'm applying to Northwestern. -Stan").

 

For the record, in the case of this POI at UCLA, HE actually asked ME what schools I was applying to, told me those professors that would be useful, and strongly encouraged me to email them and drop his name. And vigorously emphasized how important it was to talk to graduate students before choosing a program. So, obviously, POI contact is important to him as well. 

[eachevery]

I submitted my applications to two more schools both of which deadline was 1/15 and I WOULD be officially done now with this application process (at least for this year!) except one of my LOR writers still haven't submitted his letter nor does he return my calls... for several days now! OMG what should I do!

Congratulations, hypervodka, by the way! :-)

Edited January 16, 2015 by eachevery

[Katla]

SHIIIIIIIIIIT!!! I just submitted the first half of an application yesterday and today I discovered there was a limit to the SoAP, and I had been trawling their website for a clue to this (but clearly forgot to look the most obvious place). I feel so stupid, mine is like twice the length. I've contacted them about it, but I have the worst feeling in my belly that this will end badly.

[Dr. Old Bill]

Not to get anyone's hopes up, but Fridays seemed to be the most common acceptance day last year, so...

 

Edited January 16, 2015 by Wyatt's Torch

[toasterazzi]

 I know everybody's anxious about the acceptances right now, and I don't know if this info will help or make it worse lol. At any rate, for anybody that applied to Ohio State, I went back through some of my records and found that I saw that I was accepted on the website on January 23rd last year (I'm not sure how long the info had been up. I just found it in one of my random visits to the site), and I got the official acceptance phone call on January 27th. So it's entirely possible that you all will hear from them in the next week or so.

 

(I'll also add that some people were notified way later, but most of the people were contacted around the same time I was as far as I know.)

[zanmato4794]

Not to get anyone's hopes up, but Fridays seemed to be the most common acceptance day last year, so...

 

 

I really really really hope Duke notifies today. Unlikely that they will, and unlikely that I'd get in, but I'm hungry for news!

[Dr. Old Bill]

I'm kind of hoping for UW-Madison, personally. It's totally irrational to be hoping for an answer on January 16th, but...I just can't help it! Madison is traditionally the earliest acceptor of the places I applied to, and it's very high on my list, so...

Edited January 16, 2015 by Wyatt's Torch

[hypervodka]

SHIIIIIIIIIIT!!! I just submitted the first half of an application yesterday and today I discovered there was a limit to the SoAP, and I had been trawling their website for a clue to this (but clearly forgot to look the most obvious place). I feel so stupid, mine is like twice the length. I've contacted them about it, but I have the worst feeling in my belly that this will end badly.

 

If it was due the 15th or the 16th, then they aren't going to be looking at any of the applications until at least Monday, but probably later. All of these graduate directors understand that mistakes happen (a lot) and that sometimes it takes a while for the dust to settle completely.

 

For my part, I emailed several schools a month after the deadline in order to update my application and most allowed me to do it. If the committee hasn't convened yet, they are very often going to be accommodating to mistakes like this, because they're human and you're human.

 

I do not think this is dire. AT ALL. Just revise your SoAP now, so that you can email it to them instantaneously when--yes, when--they agree to accept the updated document.

[HesseBunuel90]

It would be great to hear from Vanderbilt, OSU, or Madison soon (three apparently early accepters). I am still confused to why UMD accepted so early (the last couple years appeared to be around February 10-14 or so).

 

HyperVodka: Was there anything unusual about your application, or did you apply to special fellowships? 

 

If the case is simply that schools are accepting earlier this year, I will be grateful of course. The waiting is agonizing.