Fall 2016 Comparative Literature Applicants

[Litfreak]

44 minutes ago, HamidReza said:

oh, sorry, I meant applying to Notre Dame by mentioning "I did" !

I didn't get an interview! I just received the email !

But apparently some have been interviewed ! I'm from a Muslim country, and I thought there is a very high probability that they reject me because of the university's religious affiliation. But I really felt down by receiving Miami's reject letter.

 

Oh bummer  you still have 7 to go, so I'm sure you will be accepted in some of them. In my case I just applied to ND and to another one in Ireland, so I'm like super scared Im gonna be rejected. Notre Dame literature interdisciplinary program looks great, it's a pity they don't even give us a chance to have an interview!

[Tyler on The Road]

1 hour ago, Litfreak said:

Oh bummer  you still have 7 to go, so I'm sure you will be accepted in some of them. In my case I just applied to ND and to another one in Ireland, so I'm like super scared Im gonna be rejected. Notre Dame literature interdisciplinary program looks great, it's a pity they don't even give us a chance to have an interview!

Believe me, I'm disappointed! I've already started my studies for fall 2017 application! This waiting thing is killing me.

btw, I know, I think we all deserve at least an interview! they don't know what we've been through to get here, and rejecting like this absolutely not fair! I will email them and ask for reasons, at least it would help me with next year's process.

I wish you get the admission from that U in Ireland.

[Mojdeh]

Hi everyone, 

Is anyone here waiting to hear from Toronto?

To the person who posted the University of Toronto comparative literature admission, first, congratulations! 

If you happen to read this, would you mind sharing your area of specialisations?

Thank you. 

Best of luck to everyone:-)

[NNnantes]

18 hours ago, Litfreak said:

Hey guys I'm kind of freaking out reading about interviews and stuff. I didn't get an interview myself. 

Do you know anything about the PhD literature at Notre Dame?

Hey!

 

I've applied there too - haven't heard yet. If it helps, I applied there last year also and didn't hear anything back until the end of March.... 

 

I'm also waiting on Emory, but I saw a few people already got back acceptances. Anyone else still waiting on them or do you think I've been rejected?

[NNnantes]

12 hours ago, Litfreak said:

Oh bummer  you still have 7 to go, so I'm sure you will be accepted in some of them. In my case I just applied to ND and to another one in Ireland, so I'm like super scared Im gonna be rejected. Notre Dame literature interdisciplinary program looks great, it's a pity they don't even give us a chance to have an interview!

I'm not sure ND actually does interviews - they didn't last year. So maybe no news at this point is good news. That's what I keep telling myself

[Juneoh]

12 hours ago, Litfreak said:

Oh bummer  you still have 7 to go, so I'm sure you will be accepted in some of them. In my case I just applied to ND and to another one in Ireland, so I'm like super scared Im gonna be rejected. Notre Dame literature interdisciplinary program looks great, it's a pity they don't even give us a chance to have an interview!

I found out I was rejected after checking the website. I didn't receive an email or anything. Random checks just devastaed me... You guys should all check your status. Hope you all got in!

[Tyler on The Road]

10 minutes ago, NNnantes said:

I'm not sure ND actually does interviews - they didn't last year. So maybe no news at this point is good news. That's what I keep telling myself

Maybe you are right. I got my rejection last week, so you may have been gone through some filters and I didn't!!! I have the sams issue with UPenn. I hope this is the case for me too.

sometimes it comes to mind that maybe I'm such a weak applicant that they don't even check the case or consider it as 100% rejection.

[NNnantes]

Yep, that's my fear as well. I got an interview with UPenn, but haven't heard anything back so far. Haven't heard ANYTHING from Emory, or from Washington. It's the worst when they just don't leave you in the dark. I wish they would inform us if they are not even considering us. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for ND though! Are you wainting on any other universities??

[Tyler on The Road]

2 minutes ago, NNnantes said:

Yep, that's my fear as well. I got an interview with UPenn, but haven't heard anything back so far. Haven't heard ANYTHING from Emory, or from Washington. It's the worst when they just don't leave you in the dark. I wish they would inform us if they are not even considering us. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for ND though! Are you wainting on any other universities??

It seems we both have the exact same problem ! You with Notre Dame and me with  UPenn. It would be funny if you get you admission to ND and me to UPenn :-D 

I hope just one of these universities accept me, for an Iranian like me it's a long devastating time to go throgh the whole process once again! I have these universities to go:

Syracuse, Washington, Florida, Arkansas, North Eastern, UPenn, Vanderbilt

[WendyWonderland]

4 hours ago, HamidReza said:

I hope just one of these universities accept me, for an Iranian like me it's a long devastating time to go throgh the whole process once again! 

Hi. May I ask you a question, do you have a MA in English? 

2 years ago I was an applicant for fall 2014, and I got flat out rejected from 8 schools. They were almost all Ivies, however, part of my failure was because of my ignorance of how academia works in the States. I knew nothing about how to write a sop, or a writing sample. MLA style? Never heard of it. Conferences? Nope. I had some publications and a MA  in Chinese literature and comparative literature from the most prestigious university in China, speak a couple languages and had some work experience. I thought that's enough. It was not. So I sucked it and reapplied for another MA in English in MARCH. I did not have any hope in it, at that point my confidence was in the basement. However, all 3 places I applied accepted me, including CUNY. I chose somewhere else and reapplied for phd for 2016. I wish I could have done more research at that time, because as I heard, there are some funded MA here and I didn't know that. I want to say I understand how hard it is for you to go through this process in another country. And if chances are bad for this year, you can start looking for a funded MA in English. I learned so much since I came here and my English has improved a lot. It is still far away from being native, but way better than it was in 2014. Of course I wish that you are lucky and get in this year! I just wanted to share some insights if luck is not on your side. Get prepared for the worst and maybe it will lead to the best of your life. Good luck to all of us!

[Litfreak]

5 hours ago, NNnantes said:

I'm not sure ND actually does interviews - they didn't last year. So maybe no news at this point is good news. That's what I keep telling myself

 

5 hours ago, Juneoh said:

I found out I was rejected after checking the website. I didn't receive an email or anything. Random checks just devastaed me... You guys should all check your status. Hope you all got in!

I keep checking the website (maybe too much hehe) and I just keep finding:  Application Decision - To date there is no decision on your application.  As soon as a decision is available we will update this page

NNnantes, I hope we are lucky enough to get in, it's like my dream college and the program is just a perfect fit

the admission process should be more transparent

[NNnantes]

1 minute ago, Litfreak said:

 

I keep checking the website (maybe too much hehe) and I just keep finding:  Application Decision - To date there is no decision on your application.  As soon as a decision is available we will update this page

NNnantes, I hope we are lucky enough to get in, it's like my dream college and the program is just a perfect fit

the admission process should be more transparent

Let's keep in touch about it - I'll let you know if I hear anything! It's also one of my top choices. I spent a year there as an exchange student, it was amazing. I'll really hoping something comes of my application this time. Where else are you applying?

[Litfreak]

1 minute ago, NNnantes said:

Let's keep in touch about it - I'll let you know if I hear anything! It's also one of my top choices. I spent a year there as an exchange student, it was amazing. I'll really hoping something comes of my application this time. Where else are you applying?

alright perfect, if I hear something I'll post it here. Im applying to another one in Ireland, Im kind of in but I don't anything about the funding, so if I don't get any funding I'll probably turn it down and wait for fall 2017. I know I should have sent more applications but with my ma, the thesis and research I didn't have time till January

The waiting game is so frustrating

[Tyler on The Road]

2 hours ago, WendyWonderland said:

Hi. May I ask you a question, do you have a MA in English? 

2 years ago I was an applicant for fall 2014, and I got flat out rejected from 8 schools. They were almost all Ivies, however, part of my failure was because of my ignorance of how academia works in the States. I knew nothing about how to write a sop, or a writing sample. MLA style? Never heard of it. Conferences? Nope. I had some publications and a MA  in Chinese literature and comparative literature from the most prestigious university in China, speak a couple languages and had some work experience. I thought that's enough. It was not. So I sucked it and reapplied for another MA in English in MARCH. I did not have any hope in it, at that point my confidence was in the basement. However, all 3 places I applied accepted me, including CUNY. I chose somewhere else and reapplied for phd for 2016. I wish I could have done more research at that time, because as I heard, there are some funded MA here and I didn't know that. I want to say I understand how hard it is for you to go through this process in another country. And if chances are bad for this year, you can start looking for a funded MA in English. I learned so much since I came here and my English has improved a lot. It is still far away from being native, but way better than it was in 2014. Of course I wish that you are lucky and get in this year! I just wanted to share some insights if luck is not on your side. Get prepared for the worst and maybe it will lead to the best of your life. Good luck to all of us!

Hi, thanks for your respond.

Yes, I have MA in English Literature. I wrote my writing sample in MLA style. I know 4 languages, and my SOP was good, according to people I talked to. I never attended conferences, and I'm aware of the fact that that's the weakest part of my CV. Giving up is the worst part of anyone's life, and I'm not a quitter, so I'll try again next year. But I wish I could have the chance to follow my studies this year, since my country is not stable in politics, and I may lose the chance of studying abroad if someone like Donald Trump wins the presidential election. Even by putting aside this bitter fact, waiting another 18 months is the worst part I could think about. I liked your last sentence and I'm exactly doing the same, I prepared myself for the worst part: no admissions, if I get one I'll be extremely happy, but if I don't, at least I won't break.

Thanks again for your post, I wish we could be in contact more, and who knows, maybe I get the admission and I get the chance to meet all you guys.

[KhiCompLit]

On 2/20/2016 at 0:52 AM, HamidReza said:

Good for you man!

I'm just wishing for an offer!

If I had to decide, the program and the city would have been the factors to think about.

Thanks man, and wish you goodluck! Hopefully something will come about soon.

[WendyWonderland]

Woke up this morning with a rejection in my inbox from my Top 1 dream school. Since I was accepted at my top 2, I feel much more at ease now. As long as I can afford it ( it's killing me they won't tell me about funding)I don't really care about the other official nos/ waitlist/ acceptances anymore. It's time to live again after a whole month of depression. 

[Birdsong on the Radio]

Well, I have yet to hear back from two schools, but I think this year it's rejection from all seven schools I applied to.

Currently I am not sure whether I will re-apply next year as I have a fall-back grad school plan in France set up.

It is kind of hard to let go of the dream though ! So I might re-apply. I think my main mistake was not sufficiently tailoring my SoPs to each school. I was kind of too "shy" to blatantly bring forth the names and research of professors. It was kind of hard to figure out (as an international student) what exactly is expected of the American SoP... And I don't think the subject of my writing sample necessarily showed me as the best fit.

Anyway I have learnt so much that I feel like I could definitely make a much better application. If anyone is in a similar situation (or has advice !) feel free to reach out

[Bryan_n]

 

On 2/19/2016 at 8:20 PM, maria1993427 said:

I just finished my interview today and they say that the result is coming out in two weeks.

thanks for the heads up. I interviewed last week as well. Did you interview with Timothy Corrigan and Rita Barnard? If that's the case, it might just have been their turn to do interviews this year.

[ottoman]

rejected from WUSTL (my dream school)

well destined to be a Germanist

[WendyWonderland]

On 2/22/2016 at 11:14 AM, ottoman said:

rejected from WUSTL (my dream school)

well destined to be a Germanist

Hug. I received mine as well. 

[WendyWonderland]

At this point I am kind of done waiting. I just emailed a school: 

Dear XXX

Good morning. I would love to ask about the status of my application. I understand that the process takes time and effort for the admission committee, and I really appreciate their work. However, I have seen people posting  their acceptances online a while ago. I wonder if the committee has finalized their decision at this point. Thank you very much for your coordination. 

Best

XXX

 

I think since it's the last week of February it's not rude for me to ask. 

[Mojdeh]

I know what you mean. The waiting has really made me unproductive. 

I hope you hear back good news from them:-)

[WendyWonderland]

5 minutes ago, Mojdeh said:

I know what you mean. The waiting has really made me unproductive. 

I hope you hear back good news from them:-)

Thank you!

I have been depressed and unproductive for a whole month. It has to stop now and today is the day! Hug and good luck to you too!

[Tyler on The Road]

1 hour ago, WendyWonderland said:

Woke up this morning with a rejection in my inbox from my Top 1 dream school. Since I was accepted at my top 2, I feel much more at ease now. As long as I can afford it ( it's killing me they won't tell me about funding)I don't really care about the other official nos/ waitlist/ acceptances anymore. It's time to live again after a whole month of depression. 

Good for you dear Wendy, congratulations. I wish you the best. 

And I also hope all of us be successful in our applications, at least our presence here shows we are all enthusiastic about this, we can satisfy their expectations as a graduate student.

[Tyler on The Road]

1 hour ago, Birdsong on the Radio said:

Well, I have yet to hear back from two schools, but I think this year it's rejection from all seven schools I applied to.

Currently I am not sure whether I will re-apply next year as I have a fall-back grad school plan in France set up.

It is kind of hard to let go of the dream though ! So I might re-apply. I think my main mistake was not sufficiently tailoring my SoPs to each school. I was kind of too "shy" to blatantly bring forth the names and research of professors. It was kind of hard to figure out (as an international student) what exactly is expected of the American SoP... And I don't think the subject of my writing sample necessarily showed me as the best fit.

Anyway I have learnt so much that I feel like I could definitely make a much better application. If anyone is in a similar situation (or has advice !) feel free to reach out

I have the same situation. We may talk more, and if don't get the chance this year, we can create it next year, never give up on your dreams!