Fall 2015 Applicants

[fancypants09]

I read my SOP again today and realized that I didn't include any information about careers post-PhD. I spent most of it describing in detail the research project I'd like to pursue once there, and then had a fit paragraph that was about 1/3-1/2 of the last page. I hope that it's pretty self-evident that I'd like to be an academic once I finish...

Edited December 29, 2014 by fancypants09

[lyonessrampant]

I didn't put anything about my post-Ph.D. plans.  I think the general assumption is academia post-Ph.D.  Even though it is important to be aware of the job market statistics and preparing simultaneously for a non-academic job, most adcoms and programs in the humanities don't really want you coming in to a program intending not to do the thing it is most meant to prepare you for.  I'm sure your SOP is fine  

 

I'd recommend resisting the urge to re-read your application materials right now.  There's nothing you can do about it now, and short of a major thing like a page missing, it really is annoying to the program coordinators/secretaries to have to change things in your file and many refuse to update your SOP or WS.  

 

If you get news about being accepted to conferences, papers accepted, etc., that's different.  You can email and ask a note be added to your file to update your CV, but that isn't replacing something they have because you've found an error.  If you re-read now, you're just going to cause yourself more stress and anxiety.  (In spite of having this advice myself when applying, I was unable to resist and did, in fact, cause myself more stress.  Sigh.  Even now with fellowship apps I try not to, but sometimes I give in and it is always worse.)

[sillyrabbit]

Hey lyoness - just noticed your profile says Minnesota. I am applying to a mix of English and American Studies programs this year, and one of the programs on my list is UMN's American Studies program.

 

Do you know a lot about the Am. Studies department? Is there a lot of mingling between UMN's English and Am. Studies departments?

[lyonessrampant]

Hi!  I'm about as far as you can get from an Americanist.  I specialize in 15th/16th c. England and Italy, but I do know that a lot of people in English take courses in Am Studies and CSCL (comp lit) and vice versa.  We're a huge university and very supportive of interdisciplinary work, so there are also lots of Centers that bring together people from various disciplines.  If you come here or are accepted and on the fence, you might look into the Institute for Advanced Study.  They often host scholars working on modern American projects (as well as all other sorts of disciplines and time periods).  If you do early American, we are particularly strong in South American studies and also have some people (not in English) working on early America and Native American studies.  

[sillyrabbit]

Thanks for the info - really helpful!

[Katla]

Just sent off my sixth applic, I'm officially more than halfway through this here malarkey...I can't decide whether I should celebrate or deal with the onslaught of paralysing angst ...

[eachevery]

I have been lurking this forum for quite some time now, but I have been a little too nervous with the whole application business that I never quite found the time to communicate with other Grad Cafe members, but I learnt a lot here. Now that I am almost done submitting my documents, I am even more nervous. However, waiting is more painful, since there is very little I can do to kill time.

 

I am an international student and I don't really know people in this field (English literature) who were recently accepted in US grad schools, so I have very little knowledge about the application process. I have a question about the interviews. A friend tells me that there is hardly an interview session for English PhD applicants during the application process. Is this true?

 

Happy new year, by the way!

[ToldAgain]

Hi eachevery,

 

There are very few English PhD programs that conduct formal interviews for admissions purposes. Only two come to mind: Emory University and Yale University. There may be more, but it is definitely rare.

 

Happy New Year!

Edited January 1, 2015 by ToldAgain

[1Q84]

I have been lurking this forum for quite some time now, but I have been a little too nervous with the whole application business that I never quite found the time to communicate with other Grad Cafe members, but I learnt a lot here. Now that I am almost done submitting my documents, I am even more nervous. However, waiting is more painful, since there is very little I can do to kill time.

 

I am an international student and I don't really know people in this field (English literature) who were recently accepted in US grad schools, so I have very little knowledge about the application process. I have a question about the interviews. A friend tells me that there is hardly an interview session for English PhD applicants during the application process. Is this true?

 

Happy new year, by the way!

 

Welcome from one international to another!  I was just wondering about this very topic. Glad you asked about it. I, too, have rarely ever heard of English programs asking for interviews.

 

I've only applied to US MA programs as an international student but I just finished my Ph.D. applications. Let me know if you have any questions about the process and I'll try and answer.

[fancypants09]

Good luck to everyone finishing up for the January 2 deadline! I have one due tomorrow but finished my portion of it with the rest of the applications on December 15. Waiting on one last recommender to submit, then I'm officially done and done! 

[eachevery]

Thanks ToldAgain and 1Q84! I'm a bit relieved to hear that! :-)

Edited January 2, 2015 by eachevery

[Dr. Old Bill]

So...today is the day where we can assume* that pretty much every adcomm will start looking at our applications. I'm still more excited than nervous at this point, but give it a couple of weeks, and I might just be in a perpetual state of anxiety-induced nausea.

 

 

*Edited to reflect that I don't really know this!

Edited January 5, 2015 by Wyatt's Torch

[HesseBunuel90]

Wyatt's Torch: How do you know that the ad-comms are meeting today?

[Dr. Old Bill]

Wyatt's Torch: How do you know that the ad-comms are meeting today?

 

I don't know, per se, but it stands to reason, given that all of the application deadlines have now passed. Materials will likely be distributed to the various adcomm members for them to look over, rate, review etc. In other words, the process is now an active one -- our applications aren't just sitting, waiting to be read...they're now almost certainly being looked at. It's pretty exciting, really.

[HesseBunuel90]

It does make sense. I am just fairly ignorant to the admissions process. I had assumed that ad comms would look over them mid month, which is when most schools come back from winter break.

[hypervodka]

Of you list in particular, I know for sure that Vanderbilt, Emory, and UMD are all looking at the applications this week. They said as much when I asked to submit an updated version of my writing sample a couple of days ago (I know, I know; for the record, though, 5 of the 6 schools I asked actually agreed to take the latest version).

[hreaðemus]

Well, I know for sure Cornell has started looking at applications; the English department told me I couldn't add a note to my file because "the committee has already begun reviewing." OMG. You can imagine the terror of getting an email from Cornell beginning, "Dear [my first name here], I am sorry, but..."

The adrenaline rush nearly killed me.

Edited January 5, 2015 by hreaðemus

[Dr. Old Bill]

Terrifying...but exciting!

 

 

 

But terrifying...

 

 

 

 

But...exciting!

[fancypants09]

Terrifying...but exciting!

 

 

 

But terrifying...

 

 

 

 

But...exciting!

 

My sentiments exactly. More excited than terrified at the moment (we'll see how I hold up in the next few days/weeks). 

 

I checked the UCLA website this morning and they've already got the decision status checker up. I guess that means it's official---the review process is on! 

[Katla]

Sorry to crash the anxiety party (Personally i find denial is the way forward...) But I do have a question... does anyone know whether there's a big difference in admission depending on whether people have been in contact with a uni/a faculty member or not? All those questions in the application forms made me worried that contacting is the norm rather than not...

[jhefflol]

I still have application deadlines up until the 15th though. I wonder if they start looking through apps before the deadline has passed?

[hreaðemus]

Sorry to crash the anxiety party (Personally i find denial is the way forward...) But I do have a question... does anyone know whether there's a big difference in admission depending on whether people have been in contact with a uni/a faculty member or not? All those questions in the application forms made me worried that contacting is the norm rather than not...

 

I was freaked out about this too, but my faculty mentor actually told me that the reason for those questions is because STEM and humanities applicants apply using the same general form - and in STEM it's basically required that you be in touch with your potential PI before you apply. When I asked if I should contact English faculty at other universities, her response was: "I honestly wouldn't. I mean, you can, if you feel a burning need, and it probably won't hurt your chances, but frankly it might seem a bit weird."

[Dr. Old Bill]

Sorry to crash the anxiety party (Personally i find denial is the way forward...) But I do have a question... does anyone know whether there's a big difference in admission depending on whether people have been in contact with a uni/a faculty member or not? All those questions in the application forms made me worried that contacting is the norm rather than not...

 

I recall reading about this in past GC threads. While anything posted here is inherently informal (i.e., "grain of salt" territory), the consensus seemed to be that it does NOT seem to matter if you did or did not contact a POI prior to application. And my hunch is the same, really. There are a few POIs I contacted, but only one of them led to an in-depth conversation, whereas a couple of others were of the "yes, you sound like you might be a good fit" variety. When you think about how many applications the adcomms look at, and how many members are likely on each adcomm, you can start to get a sense of how tough it would be for one POI recognizing your name to matter a whole lot in the long run. If you did have a great rapport with a POI, that might give you a slight bump in your chances, but probably not enough to fret about not having contacted that person.

 

 

ETA: cross-posted with Bat.

Edited January 5, 2015 by Wyatt's Torch

[sillyrabbit]

Just out of curiosity, does anyone have any insight into how the admissions reading process works, behind closed doors?

 

Do individual adcom readers read a random bundle first, just filing people into general categories for discussion later? Do a few key readers read all applications, then send appropriate apps to potential POIs to read in depth? I'm sure this also differs by school.

 

I really have no idea but am curious if anyone has thoughts beyond speculation.

[omensetter]

To Brown applicants: when you check your application, what message do you get? Mine says 'Awaiting Materials', and when I scroll down the checklist, under 'TOEFL scores' it says 'Awaiting'. I'm international, but don't need to submit TOEFL/IELTS scores (I'm from an English-speaking country). Is this likely just to be an error that the adcomm will ignore? Or should I contact the Graduate School? I'm worried they'll see the 'Awaiting' bit and just not look at my app, even though a quick glance would show that the scores aren't needed!