Fall 2015 Applicants

[jhefflol]

Breathe! It should be fine. Trust me -- you won't be the only one who submits on the 15th, thinking that's the end of it. In fact, I'm willing to bet that the majority of applicants do the same thing. Rutgers isn't going to turn away a chunk of applicants because of this unusual "day-after" policy.

Thanks Shaun! I'm trying to breathe, but everything feels like its piling up. If anything, at least the application was free   (Huge thanks to whoever it was that posted about the CIC fee waiver. I was granted 3 of them!)

[Put a cat on it]

DONE WITH ALL OF MY APPS!!!!

 

[1Q84]

^ Congrats!

 

Is no one else applying to Columbia? Their app is due strangely, though thankfully, on the 17th. 

[TeaOverCoffee]

You guys won't believe this, but U of Illinois has already sent out a few acceptances. My friend just was accepted to their 19th-Century British Literature PhD program today. Thank you, Illinois, for the anxiety attacks already. 

Edited December 16, 2014 by TeaOverCoffee

[echo449]

Thaaaat's interesting. Can you tell us any more about this friend? I.e. whether they were coming in with the MA, if they had just known a PI there?

[queennight]

You guys won't believe this, but U of Illinois has already sent out a few acceptances. My friend just was accepted to their 19th-Century British Literature PhD program today. Thank you, Illinois, for the anxiety attacks already. 

 

A friend of mine sent me a hockey holiday card over email and I literally jolted with fear until I realized it was her. It's going to be a long couple of months. I'm feeling a bit like Kris right now, while Kim is basically my department's listserv.

 

[jhefflol]

You guys won't believe this, but U of Illinois has already sent out a few acceptances. My friend just was accepted to their 19th-Century British Literature PhD program today. Thank you, Illinois, for the anxiety attacks already. 

 

All I have to say is "wut!" That is nuts!

[HesseBunuel90]

TeaOverCoffee: University of Illinois-Chicago or University of Ilinois-Urbana-Champaign? 

[echo449]

Unrelated to this: Just realized that one of the professors that I listed in my SoP for school-that-will-not-be-named left the department at some point in the past year and the website was never updated. Should I try and send the department a revised SoP even though the deadline is past? 

[1Q84]

You guys won't believe this, but U of Illinois has already sent out a few acceptances. My friend just was accepted to their 19th-Century British Literature PhD program today. Thank you, Illinois, for the anxiety attacks already. 

 

Nuh-uh. It's not true until it's in the Results Search!

Unrelated to this: Just realized that one of the professors that I listed in my SoP for school-that-will-not-be-named left the department at some point in the past year and the website was never updated. Should I try and send the department a revised SoP even though the deadline is past?

I would definitely give it a shot... though some programs I know won't allow you to replace, only add documents alongside.

[mikers86]

Unrelated to this: Just realized that one of the professors that I listed in my SoP for school-that-will-not-be-named left the department at some point in the past year and the website was never updated. Should I try and send the department a revised SoP even though the deadline is past? 

 

You could try, but I will say that as long as you gave a good depiction of yourself and your interests, the AdComm will be able to determine your fit even without faculty member. I remember in one of my SoPs I listed a faculty member and immediately after submitting it was announced she was leaving for a different institution. If say everyone you mentioned left (department mass exodus does happen) then you'd be in trouble. But 1 person isn't of great concern.

[TeaOverCoffee]

Thaaaat's interesting. Can you tell us any more about this friend? I.e. whether they were coming in with the MA, if they had just known a PI there?

 

He actually hasn't graduated yet with his BA, which is why I was so shocked because I thought you had to have a MA before you could apply to their PhD program. I'm incredibly excited for him, but it gives me a bit of anxiety to know that UIUC is sending out anything so early, especially since the deadline was ten days ago. He attended an event at the university over this semester for graduate school recruitment, so perhaps that was a plus? I'm not sure. You never know with these processes what could give you an advantage over another applicant.

 

I didn't realize how anxious this entire process would make me. I have four shows on my Prime watchlist, so perhaps that will keep me occupied until January. 

[fancypants09]

Just checking in to say that I'm done!!! 7 for 7. Good luck to those still with pending deadlines. 

 

Now on to the two finals i need to give this semester...and then vacation starting this Saturday!! Can't. Wait.

[hreaðemus]

Two apps in, two or three more to go! My list is a lot shorter than y'all's... *nervous* But OMG! I'm so excited! Someone could actually PICK me now - I've sent in the application, I have a chance!

 

Today was a good day. I think I did really well on my Old English final, and my favorite professor/main mentor told me the paper I turned in last week will be publishable with some revision and expansion. That a pretty huge compliment, coming from her!!

 

I've got three undergrad 20-pagers now that professors have told me to publish; one is my writing sample, but the other two I should really work on this break. The whole process of submitting scares me... I don't understand how one finds reputable-but-attainable journals, navigates submission requirements and deadlines, etc. It all seems very alien. At the same time, it would be super cool to have a publication or two under my belt - and I'm pleased with the ideas in my research. I guess it's a bit like applications for grad school. You can do your best to prepare and put on a good show, but you can't ever get accepted if you don't SUBMIT.

[Skye12]

As of last night, I am halfway through!!!

 

I now have to finish grading papers to submit the grades for my classes by Friday... 

[Dr. Old Bill]

Ahhhhh. Done with finals. I still have some revisions to do to my independent study paper, but that shouldn't take more than a day...so I'm happy. And relieved. Now it's just "hurry up and wait" for acceptances and rejections to trickle in...

[queennight]

I'm not sure what's worse, the actual harangue of applications or the stress of now waiting it out. (And by waiting it out, I mean compulsively checking my email about 10 times every hour!)

 

[fancypants09]

I'm not sure what's worse, the actual harangue of applications or the stress of now waiting it out. (And by waiting it out, I mean compulsively checking my email about 10 times every hour!)

 

 

 

I am SO there with you. When I was working on the apps I didn't have much time or energy for any sort of diversion so my demons left me alone, for the most part. But they're all back, and in full force. This is not going to be a fun time at all, my friends...

[Put a cat on it]

I'm oddly thankful that I have my thesis still to focus on (for my MFA), which will distract me from obsessively checking my email from now until April.

 

Also, whoever suggested creating an entirely separate email for applications? THANK YOU. So now once notification season comes around I'm just going to set an alert for my phone to ding when I receive an email for that particular account so I'm not checking the email over and over again all day long (well, I will try to do this, at any rate).

[1Q84]

I'm not sure what's worse, the actual harangue of applications or the stress of now waiting it out. (And by waiting it out, I mean compulsively checking my email about 10 times every hour!)

 

Staring at inbox...

 

[hypervodka]

I am at a loss of how to interpret this... a POI gave me a couple of tepid paragraphs of notes on my writing sample, offering me suggestions for improvement. Even the fact that there is something to "improve" upon (I sent him a way way early draft because he asked [do NOT DO THIS DON'T], so some of the problems in terms of cohesion have since righted themselves) makes it seem to me that the POI is gently telling me that I'm not a good candidate for their program. My [redacted], who goes to the school, suggested that it actually means he took the time to read a twenty-five page paper and then offered feedback, which is a good thing... I honestly don't know.

 

[Dr. Old Bill]

I am at a loss of how to interpret this... a POI gave me a couple of tepid paragraphs of notes on my writing sample, offering me suggestions for improvement. Even the fact that there is something to "improve" upon (I sent him a way way early draft because he asked [do NOT DO THIS DON'T], so some of the problems in terms of cohesion have since righted themselves) makes it seem to me that the POI is gently telling me that I'm not a good candidate for their program. My [redacted], who goes to the school, suggested that it actually means he took the time to read a twenty-five page paper and then offered feedback, which is a good thing... I honestly don't know.

 

 

 

Well, a couple of thoughts here.

 

First of all, it's a bit late in the game to be overhauling a WS, and you probably don't need to. This is one POI, after all, and not every adcomm member of every school you're applying to. It IS a good thing that the POI took the time to read and respond. The only POI who asked me for my WS didn't reply after I had sent it (which I don't interpret in any way, mind you).

 

Secondly, there's always something to improve. Truly. Always. And sometimes those things will be utterly subjective. But if you think about it -- and I mean really think about it -- even the best works of literature we all know and love have room for improvement. It's one of the simultaneously frustrating and beautiful things about the humanities: you can only ever get close to perfection. What I'm getting at is that any critical comments are indeed better than a simple "Yep, great as is!" gloss. It doesn't mean that you have to take any of those proffered suggestions, of course, and since in this instance the POI had an early draft, you can probably take them or leave them...except for on the WS you send to his institution...if he might be on the adcomm, that is.

 

Long story short, I don't think a professor will beat around the bush about telling you you're not a good candidate for a program. I suspect that constructive comments on your POI are what they are and nothing more.

[hypervodka]

Thanks a lot. It's just a really frustrating (read: terrifying) message to get at this point, especially since I've already submitted to that POI's school. Just trying to remind myself that all of his criticisms are things that I actually fixed several drafts ago... so at least great minds think alike...  :unsure:  

[Dr. Old Bill]

Thanks a lot. It's just a really frustrating (read: terrifying) message to get at this point, especially since I've already submitted to that POI's school. Just trying to remind myself that all of his criticisms are things that I actually fixed several drafts ago... so at least great minds think alike...  :unsure:  

 

I hear you. It's always tough when logic says one thing but the emotional response says something quite the opposite...

 

Easy for me to say, but...don't fret about it! At this point, there's nothing you can do, and if you DID already make the changes he suggested, there's nothing to worry about.

[Metaellipses]

WHAT REALLY? Ugh this was one of my top choice schools AND I had a fee waiver. Shoot.

Hello All,

 

Just to reassure everyone applying to Rutgers who submitted their app on the 15th: the department has a longer application season this year. They've extended the deadline until the 22nd of December. So you should all be fine. The new deadline has been updated on the website.