Props to Washington University in St. Louis

[Dr. Old Bill]

During last year's application cycle, I made a point of mentioning how wonderful the admin personnel at Washington University in St. Louis were to deal with. Sarah Hennessey in particular, who is/was the academic coordinator, was very friendly, efficient and quick to respond.

 

The reason for this post, however, is that I just received an email from their DGS, kindly talking about the strengths of my application, and a couple of things I could do to improve it for the next cycle, if I didn't wind up getting in to any programs this time around. I'm very impressed. Perhaps it's just a quirk of my temperament, but motions like that -- personalized emails that didn't have to be sent -- are major selling points for me. It's one of the reasons why I'm very happy at UMD (they stress a congenial collegiate atmosphere), and is one of the reasons why, when I reapply to Ph.D. programs next year, I will include WashU in my plans once again.

 

 

[HumanCylinder]

This is really great to hear since WUSTL is one of the schools I have on my current list! I went to a conference there last fall and had a really great time.  The students I met from the English program (freshly admitted) were very nice as well. I am applying to schools not in southern California for the first time this cycle, and my very limited but positive experience there made me look more closely at the school.  

[bsharpe269]

I'll be attending WashU's biophysics PhD program this fall. I chose to accept WUSTL's offer for exactly what you describe. The environment was really above and beyond every other school I visited. I'm glad the program you are interested in is awesome as well. Good luck with your applications!

[1Q84]

Someone I consider a friend and whom I quite admire (as a fellow non-trad student) on TGC is attending WashU next year for cultural anthro. I think he comes to the English forums every once in a while. Let's see if I can summon him!

[BooksCoffeeBeards]

THAT IS GOOD NEWS!! I am also applying to WashU (PhD - Lit), and I was planning on contacting them (once ETS gets their act together and posts my Writing scores...)

[Dr. Old Bill]

I'm glad some of you find this helpful!

Incidentally, the DGS mentioned that one of the two areas I could / should improve is my GRE subject score. This surprised me a little, because conventional wisdom around these parts is that the scores don't matter much (you can read plenty of old posts from yours truly suggesting that they are more "checklist" items), but if it was brought up by a DGS, it's clearly important.

[Ramus]

On 6/28/2015 at 2:52 PM, Wyatt said:

Incidentally, the DGS mentioned that one of the two areas I could / should improve is my GRE subject score. This surprised me a little, because conventional wisdom around these parts is that the scores don't matter much (you can read plenty of old posts from yours truly suggesting that they are more "checklist" items), but if it was brought up by a DGS, it's clearly important.

 

I recall UT-Austin saying they wanted scores above the 60th percentile, and one of the Ivies (I think it was Harvard?) said their bar was the 70th percentile. Not sure what WashU is looking for, but these should give you a pretty good sense of what other top 25s want. Nice to know that no one is expecting perfection on the test. 

[HumanCylinder]

On 6/28/2015 at 2:52 PM, Wyatt said:

I'm glad some of you find this helpful!

 

Yes, very helpul -- thanks! The admissions process is so opaque (and idiosyncratic, it seems to me) so info like this is helpul, and it definitely encourages me to reach out to DGSs and profs/grad students this time around.

[BooksCoffeeBeards]

On 6/28/2015 at 6:19 PM, HumanCylinder said:

  Either way, I'm glad I was able to improve my percentile on my most recent re-take since Wyatt's Torch indicated it was important at this school. 

This is really my biggest concern - I only took the Lit GRE once, and that was back in 2010 (I ended up in the 55th percentile). I'm concerned about my score for this test since WashU is one of my top schools.

 

Bleh. Either way, it IS good to know what they care about!

[kurayamino]

On 6/28/2015 at 7:40 PM, BooksCoffeeBeards said:

This is really my biggest concern - I only took the Lit GRE once, and that was back in 2010 (I ended up in the 55th percentile). I'm concerned about my score for this test since WashU is one of my top schools.

 

Bleh. Either way, it IS good to know what they care about!

 

Just to add my two cents.. I ended up being accepted to four top 20 schools this last season and I was in the 32nd percentile for the literature GRE. I think it's important, but I think other things can make up for a very low score. Bear in mind though, I came straight from a BA. I suspect someone holding an MA would need a higher score, and likewise if you came from a school that was recognized as more rigorous. 

[Dr. Old Bill]

On 6/28/2015 at 9:05 PM, kurayamino said:

Just to add my two cents.. I ended up being accepted to four top 20 schools this last season and I was in the 32nd percentile for the literature GRE. I think it's important, but I think other things can make up for a very low score. Bear in mind though, I came straight from a BA. I suspect someone holding an MA would need a higher score, and likewise if you came from a school that was recognized as more rigorous. 

 

Yeah...this is why it's so infuriating for applicants. For every person who gets a mediocre subject score and suspects (or is told) that that's part of the reason why they were rejected, there's someone who had a mediocre score and got into four schools! It's all very arbitrary and school dependent. It's probably even committee dependent, meaning that there's not necessarily consistency from year to year. I imagine adcoms sitting around a table, 12 Angry Men style, with a regular back and forth repartee, until one member mentions an item that convinces or deters the other members...and the argument begins anew.

 

In my own case, it's slowly coming out that my writing sample was my weak spot, which is astonishing to me in many ways. I've been told by one adcom member that it was "beautifully written" but might have lacked the critical angle that they are looking for. This comment was just reaffirmed (not quite verbatim, but close) by the DGS at WUStL. I'm relieved that both think I'm an excellent writer (I've been told as much too many times over the past few years that it would have utterly crushed me if that sentiment wasn't shared by adcoms) because critical decisiveness is something I can definitely improve on, whereas writing quality at this stage is probably too firmly entrenched to be changed very much.

 

That the DGS at WUSTL reached out -- completely out of the blue -- to point these things out and encourage me to reapply is indeed encouraging, and I take his suggestions very seriously. I'm quite grateful that I'll have a bit of time to work on these items before my next round of applications in a little over a year.

[empress-marmot]

Just to add my two cents.. I ended up being accepted to four top 20 schools this last season and I was in the 32nd percentile for the literature GRE. I think it's important, but I think other things can make up for a very low score. Bear in mind though, I came straight from a BA. I suspect someone holding an MA would need a higher score, and likewise if you came from a school that was recognized as more rigorous. 

 

Thank you for pointing this out, kurayamino. My thoughts are in line with the prevailing wisdom here on GradCafe: don't stress too much about retaking the GRE. Spend your time studying what interests you. With test scores, you should aim for the target, not the bull's eye.

 

As I was reading this post, I wondered if I could write my thesis on ETS, actually. It would be scathing interesting.

[Dr. Old Bill]

 

As I was reading this post, I wondered if I could write my thesis on ETS, actually. It would be scathing interesting.

 

 

For all of you poets out there, ETS rhymes with...

 

Abscess

Mess

Depress

Stress

Pointless

Useless

...

[BooksCoffeeBeards]

Just to add my two cents.. I ended up being accepted to four top 20 schools this last season and I was in the 32nd percentile for the literature GRE. I think it's important, but I think other things can make up for a very low score. Bear in mind though, I came straight from a BA. I suspect someone holding an MA would need a higher score, and likewise if you came from a school that was recognized as more rigorous. 

 

I think I'll echo Wyatt's Torch here on this - it seems so admission committee specific sometimes, it does make one wonder IF the scores matter that much. For me, I'm still focusing on a writing sample (I've had a short article published recently, but feel there is something else more indicative of what I'd LIKE to do overall) and my Statement of Purpose. Ultimately, I do feel strong test scores help, but I want my Writing Sample and SOP to show the actual work I can and want to do.

 

I don't think a certain score on the GRE or Lit GRE will reflect that as much, and I think the point you're sharing here affirms that. It is greatly appreciated.

[Catria]

I think my rejection off the waitlist at WUSTL physics is partially a function of them having shrunk the size of their entering class...

[Dr. Old Bill]

I think my rejection off the waitlist at WUSTL physics is partially a function of them having shrunk the size of their entering class...

 

Wait, you're saying that they shrunk the size of their entering class...for particle physics?

[unræd]

Wait, you're saying that they shrunk the size of their entering class...for particle physics?

 

Honey, I Shrunk the Cohort.

[czenzi]

For all of you poets out there, ETS rhymes with...

 

Abscess

Mess

Depress

Stress

Pointless

Useless

...

Oppress

Obsess

Guess

Regress

S.O.S.

 

[BooksCoffeeBeards]

Thought I might revive this thread to say the new director respond to my inquiry about the program with thorough details, as well as additional faculty to contact, and even which certificate programs might fit in with my idea.

 

The director did not really *say* anything about the Lit GRE scores, other than a good writing sample and SOP being strong persuasive elements, in spite of less than stellar scores/in conjunction with strong scores.

 

EDIT: Talk about two long sentences. Wow.

Edited July 21, 2015 by BooksCoffeeBeards

[TuffSchist]

I was able to visit Washington University in St. Louis and it resources impressed me.  The professors were really engaging and the campus was stunning.

 

[Warelin]

My interactions with Washington University in St. Louis have all been positive. I also wanted to provide an update to this thread (for future readers) that the subject test is now optional at WUSTL. The SOP and Writing Sample remain the two most important components of the application.

[Regimentations]

As a recent graduate of WashU, I'm happy to report that the University at-large has recently started to subsidize 90 percent of monthly healthcare premiums (used to be 85 percent) and dental premiums. For the past few years, they've also added an additional week of stipend coverage and are expected to start offering 12 month stipends in the next year or two for all new and currently enrolled students receiving a stipend.

The English Department has also made two new fantastic hires in which I'm sure would be wonderful advisers for those interested in Gender and Sexuality, ethnic studies, performance and theatre/theater, lgbt, queer of color critique, Asian American Studies, 20th or 21st Century American Literature, African American Literature, Toni Morrison, Zora Neale Hurston, memoir, and 19th Century.

It also appears that they moved towards being GRE-optional this year!

[hintslara82]

 

On 11/1/2020 at 4:14 PM, Regimentations said:

The English Department has also made two new fantastic hires in which I'm sure would be wonderful advisers for those interested in Gender and Sexuality, ethnic studies, performance and theatre/theater, lgbt, queer of color critique, Asian American Studies, 20th or 21st Century American Literature, African American Literature, Toni Morrison, Zora Neale Hurston, memoir, and 19th Century.

 

Rumor is that they'll also be hiring two more additional professors next year in:
1. African-American Literature
2. Black Diaspora and/or African.Anglophone Literatures

Seems like they have plenty of resources to spend! Looks like a good sign.

[alexaamelia]

I've had the pleasure of taking several classes in WashU's English department from a wide variety of professors including: Joe Loewenstein, Julia Walker, Gerald Early, Vincent Sherry, Chris Eng, Mary Jo Bang, Elisabeth Windle, William Maxwell, Melanie Micir, Rafia Zafar, and Jessica Rosenfeld.

Like the undergrads, all graduate students are also provided a free metropass which can be used to travel on the buses and trains in St. Louis. While I'm not a student anymore, it is my understanding that the department is continuing to better support its students, increase their stipends annually, and have taken steps to further improve their placement rates.  https://english.wustl.edu/phd-careers

Some of my cohort were involved with the Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies department, the performing arts department, film and media studies, American culture, digital humanities, and early modern studies.