Fall 2015 Applicants

[fancypants09]

Speaking of interviews: I have a Skype interview coming up in the next week for one of my programs (not an English department). Those who have already done interviews in this or prior seasons, what sort of questions are generally asked? How'd you prepare? Any tips/advice?

 

I just reviewed my SOP for the school, since I hadn't looked at any of my materials since submission, and: oh my God. Don't do that, people, unless you have to. 

 

shudders

 

Congrats on your interview! Mine is next week as well, and while I haven't looked at my SOP and WS for the school yet, I'm already shuddering in anticipation. 

 

Ramus and sillyrabbit---thanks for your insights, very helpful as I begin to wrap my head around the interview and begin to prepare. 

[__________________________]

Did all other University of Chicago applicants get the email re invites for interviews going out this coming Monday? I don't think they've interviewed before; I wonder what made them decide to do so this year.

I got this email too, and I'm a bit of a nervous wreck about it. I have no idea whether it will be "good" or "bad" to get one, whether I will get one, and it was supremely weird to get an email saying that I may or may not get another email to set up a Skype interview. Freaking out. Chicago's one of the schools I'm most excited about.

Edit to add that I hate skype interviews ever since I had one go horribly for a job interview last spring. Any advice people have specifically on the art form of it would be cool. Though I'll still be in suspense about whether I get one. And if there'll be a time that works with my schedule of having both daytime and nighttime jobs.

Edited January 24, 2015 by mollifiedmolloy

[fancypants09]

At (a non-english humanities department at) Yale, what they have done in the past is select candidates they are sure they will accept and then interview competitively between candidates who are more on the cusp. Perhaps Chicago, who has never interviewed before (been there, done that, have the rejection letter to prove it), is doing something like that. Of course, I don't know. It's one possibility among many. But there is precedent!

 

This!! My comment most likely qualifies as the blind leading the blind, but this is definitely the vibe I got from the national literature departments to which I applied. I believe this describes my situation with Michigan. Unlike a few of the other schools to which I applied, I didn't reach out to the POI prior to submitting my application. Coupled with the fact that one of the current students in the program mentioned that s/he didn't go through the interview prior to acceptance, I think the interview is for the POI and the department to see whether I have the chops (since I'm switching fields) and whether I would be a good fit. 

 

I also heard through a very unofficial grapevine that some applicants were rejected from another program to which I applied. Luckily, I haven't received any rejections from them yet, but I haven't received the informal/spot interview invites I know that they extend to some applicants. All of this to say, I think we should remind ourselves not to get too worked up about whether interview invites somehow indicate a step forward/backward towards acceptance. I think if the interviews were a mandatory step towards acceptance, the departments/divisions/schools would have mentioned something to that effect in their application instructions. 

[fancypants09]

I got this email too, and I'm a bit of a nervous wreck about it. I have no idea whether it will be "good" or "bad" to get one, whether I will get one, and it was supremely weird to get an email saying that I may or may not get another email to set up a Skype interview. Freaking out. Chicago's one of the schools I'm most excited about.

Edit to add that I hate skype interviews ever since I had one go horribly for a job interview last spring. Any advice people have specifically on the art form of it would be cool. Though I'll still be in suspense about whether I get one. And if there'll be a time that works with my schedule of having both daytime and nighttime jobs.

 

Congrats, MM! May I ask whether the email was for the English or Comp Lit? 

[__________________________]

Congrats, MM! May I ask whether the email was for the English or Comp Lit?

Thanks! Though I don't know whether congrats are in order. I applied to their English program though.

[unræd]

I got this email too, and I'm a bit of a nervous wreck about it. I have no idea whether it will be "good" or "bad" to get one, whether I will get one, and it was supremely weird to get an email saying that I may or may not get another email to set up a Skype interview. Freaking out. Chicago's one of the schools I'm most excited about.

Edit to add that I hate skype interviews ever since I had one go horribly for a job interview last spring. Any advice people have specifically on the art form of it would be cool. Though I'll still be in suspense about whether I get one. And if there'll be a time that works with my schedule of having both daytime and nighttime jobs.

 

Woot! You will nail it.

 

A friend of mine regularly does Skype interviews for admissions to a UK school, and in terms of Skype-specific advice he said make sure you have a phone available in case audio fails, be in front of a neutral background with good lighting, and WEAR PANTS.

[Dr. Old Bill]

Edit to add that I hate skype interviews ever since I had one go horribly for a job interview last spring. Any advice people have specifically on the art form of it would be cool.

 

I suspect that wearing clothes is a good rule of thumb.

 

 

 

 

That's mostly a "joke" comment...but seriously, dressing well even for a Skype interview is probably wise. Unlike non-interviewed candidates, presentation becomes a factor. Probably a very minor factor, but if you have a nosering, a mohawk, a swastika tattooed on your forehead, and are wearing a Bad Brains muscle shirt, you might not be quite as competitive a candidate.

[Put a cat on it]

Madison rejection here too. Sigh.

[__________________________]

I suspect that wearing clothes is a good rule of thumb.

 

 

 

 

That's mostly a "joke" comment...but seriously, dressing well even for a Skype interview is probably wise. Unlike non-interviewed candidates, presentation becomes a factor. Probably a very minor factor, but if you have a nosering, a mohawk, a swastika tattooed on your forehead, and are wearing a Bad Brains muscle shirt, you might not be quite as competitive a candidate.

I object. NOONE would wear a swastika tattoo and t-shirt for a black punk band. I speak from the instinctually-embedded laws of one who spent much of my poorly remembered teenage years amongst crusties, metal heads, and other such degenerates.

[Dr. Old Bill]

I object. NOONE would wear a swastika tattoo and t-shirt for a black punk band. I speak from the instinctually-embedded laws of one who spent much of my poorly remembered teenage years amongst crusties, metal heads, and other such degenerates.

 

Yeah, I was just mashing up punk stereotypes.

 

I'm more of a Converge fan myself.

[__________________________]

But yeah, thanks for the advice guys. I'll just leave my teacher clothes on.

Edit Converge! Yeah! WEST COAST POWERVIOOOLLLLENCE

(so sorry)

Edited January 24, 2015 by mollifiedmolloy

[Dr. Old Bill]

But yeah, thanks for the advice guys. I'll just leave my teacher clothes on.

Edit Converge! Yeah! WEST COAST POWERVIOOOLLLLENCE

(so sorry)

 

One of those things I never dare to admit in academic circles is that I listen to a lot of metal. Some punk...but a lot of metal. I suppose I should be listening to Brahms and Mahler instead, but...

 

Okay, this has gone WAY off-topic.

 

I'm currently reading Pericles and am surprisingly quite enjoying it! I read a critical essay on it yesterday, talking about how its reception has been mixed at best, with many, if not most scholars believing that the first two acts were not written by Shakespeare. Having just finished Act I, I find I completely disagree...to the point that I might feel compelled to write a paper on it. I see a lot of earmarks of Shakespeare's style, and a lot of the more subtle Shakespearianisms, like using certain words (such as "seem" etc.) multiple times in a short space. If I see the word "peep" pop up in Act II, I'll be convinced.

[__________________________]

you've piqued my interest. Recently picked up the Oxford Shakespeare at an antique mall (yes, I live in the midwest) for two bucks and will be investigating once I reread Othello, which I'll be teaching this semester. I went in to the school yesterday to get introduced to the surroundings and, with a super apologetic look in his eyes, one of the other English teachers handed me a No Fear Shakespeare edition and said we don't require the seniors to read the whole thing. First thing I thought: damn right these kids are reading the whole thing. They're also gonna learn about scansion to make up for the fact that they have a translation. I don't get paid enough or work at a fancy enough school to NOT do everything "wrong.". mwahaha

[omensetter]

Thanks for all the replies re Chicago! Just to clarify, I did not yet receive an invite to interview; the email made clear that these would be going out this Monday, and that not everyone who received the email would be receiving an invite.

My thought was that perhaps the adcomm are planning to finalise a list over the weekend, but wanted to make sure everyone is prepared to respond quickly to their invite if/when it comes. I guess it'll become a little clearer Monday afternoon.. It's so hard to stop obsessing over, though!

[Dr. Old Bill]

you've piqued my interest. Recently picked up the Oxford Shakespeare at an antique mall (yes, I live in the midwest) for two bucks and will be investigating once I reread Othello, which I'll be teaching this semester. I went in to the school yesterday to get introduced to the surroundings and, with a super apologetic look in his eyes, one of the other English teachers handed me a No Fear Shakespeare edition and said we don't require the seniors to read the whole thing. First thing I thought: damn right these kids are reading the whole thing. They're also gonna learn about scansion to make up for the fact that they have a translation. I don't get paid enough or work at a fancy enough school to NOT do everything "wrong.". mwahaha

 

The existence of the No Fear Shakespeare series makes me die a little inside. And man, I really feel for you in that situation. Doing that to Othello is particularly egregious.

 

But yes...Pericles is enjoyable so far. The "prologue" of each Act does seem a bit ham-fisted and unShakespearian, but the content / language / tropes all feel firmly Shakespeare to me. Oh, and I just discovered that the play is the origin of our fellow graduate English applicant In Hac Spe Vivo's user name. Bonus!

[angel_kaye13]

On the coattails of all the well-earned congratulations, I also want to extend sincere "lo siento"s to those who recently received rejections, especially the UWis-Mad crowd, as there seem to be a lot of you. It sounds like many of you are taking it in stride, but the bite always sucks. I think it's safe to speak for this community, though, that you've got a group of supporters here, and here's hoping for some success stories, to take off the edge of the little sadnesses.~ {fingers crossed and good vibes sent your respective ways, for more acceptances!}

[Dr. Old Bill]

On the coattails of all the well-earned congratulations, I also want to extend sincere "lo siento"s to those who recently received rejections, especially the UWis-Mad crowd, as there seem to be a lot of you. It sounds like many of you are taking it in stride, but the bite always sucks. I think it's safe to speak for this community, though, that you've got a group of supporters here, and here's hoping for some success stories, to take off the edge of the little sadnesses.~ {fingers crossed and good vibes sent your respective ways, for more acceptances!}

 

Thanks, Angel_kaye! I'm actually in good spirits, personally, thanks in large part to this forum in general, and to a trio of members in particular who have truly been my "rocks" behind the scenes throughout this whole process.

 

And I certainly never hold any ill-will whatsoever toward the program(s) that reject me, nor the folks who get accepted in my stead. It's just a big process, largely subjective, and there are invariably far more strong candidates than a program can ever reasonably take. In the end, it's really "just business," so the only moping I will ever do is over the simple fact of rejection, and not the circumstances surrounding it.

[HesseBunuel90]

As Wyatt's Torch stated, it is just business. As easy it is to over-analyze a rejection, it does not mean an applicant is not worthy (nor does a low GRE Score). I could get into my three dream schools or any other of the sixteen schools I have yet to hear from. I could get in nowhere at all. As much of all us are stressing out over this, life doesn't begin and end with getting into a PhD program.

Edited January 24, 2015 by HesseBunuel90

[hypervodka]

I'm sorry about all of these rejections. Things are about to get heavy in the next couple of weeks...

 

Just a few updates (in case any one is as desperately curious as I am): Vanderbilt had 300 applications this year, which may be low for a school as popularly applied to as Vanderbilt, but still a bit hefty for our small applicant pool theory. They narrowed down the candidates a lot last week, so the acceptances could be coming fairly soon.

 

Rutgers hasn't started looking at applications at all, to my knowledge.

[HesseBunuel90]

How did you know about Vanderbilt?

[hypervodka]

I'm just a humongous busybody. I've still been emailing DGSs about program fit and calling POIs about expanding my research project. Over the course of all that, the Vanderbilt DGS mentioned that to me.

[HesseBunuel90]

Did the Vanderbilt DGS mention how large the cohort will be?

[hypervodka]

No, sorry. I assume around 10?

[mikers86]

I'm sorry about all of these rejections. Things are about to get heavy in the next couple of weeks...

 

Just a few updates (in case any one is as desperately curious as I am): Vanderbilt had 300 applications this year, which may be low for a school as popularly applied to as Vanderbilt, but still a bit hefty for our small applicant pool theory. They narrowed down the candidates a lot last week, so the acceptances could be coming fairly soon.

 

Rutgers hasn't started looking at applications at all, to my knowledge.

 

 

I remember being on my campus visit at the end of Feb/beginning of March when the Rutgers rejection finally came out - though it was implied for roughly a week or so before then.

 

 

As Wyatt's Torch stated, it is just business. As easy it is to over-analyze a rejection, it does not mean an applicant is not worthy (nor does a low GRE Score). I could get into my three dream schools or any other of the sixteen schools I have yet to hear from. I could get in nowhere at all. As much of all us are stressing out over this, life doesn't begin and end with getting into a PhD program.

 

Really, once an adcomm has narrowed it down to ~50 applicants (give or take), it's more a matter of nitpicking, figuring out faculty preferences, who is on leave, who hasn't had a new student for a few years, and which WS and SOP really captivated them. It could potentially be any of the ~50. Sure, there are likely a few standouts, but at that stage it's less about being qualified. If you made it to that point, you're a strong applicant. There's just a variety of reasons that will likely never be disclosed to you why you may or may not make the final cut.

Edited January 24, 2015 by mikers86

[Dr. Old Bill]

Really, once an adcomm has narrowed it down to ~50 applicants (give or take), it's more a matter of nitpicking, figuring out faculty preferences, who is on leave, who hasn't had a new student for a few years, and which WS and SOP really captivated them. It could potentially be any of the ~50. Sure, there are likely a few standouts, but at that stage it's less about being qualified. If you made it to that point, you're a strong applicant. There's just a variety of reasons that will likely never be disclosed to you why you may or may not make the final cut.

 

I'm out of upvotes for the day (what else is new), but I just want to say thanks to you and a few others who were accepted in previous years and have stuck around. It's hugely helpful to those of us going through it all for the first time. Even though we can assume much of what you say, it's something else entirely to hear it from someone who has been through it and has lived to tell about it. So thanks!