Fall 2017 Applicants

[Dr. Old Bill]

51 minutes ago, Caien said:

Three word reply from Columbia to my asking if I was right in thinking it does not matter how early before the deadline we submit our application:

'You are correct.'

So that's fairly clear.

 

 

And they say that brevity is the soul of wit...

[poliscar]

8 hours ago, Quickmick said:

Just thinking that I don't know if I agree with the "they want the app fee" argument. Columbia, for example, has an endowment of 9.5 Billion, even if they get 12000 applicants at 85 per that adds about to about 1 million--just doesn't seem that significant. I wonder if more applicants = more rejections which increases their apparent selectivity.

Who knows, maybe they just don't want to deal with people begging for an extension and an automated email is simple to set up. Also, regarding the 'early consideration' idea...they want the best people they can find in their applicant pool...it would not be in their best interest to start making decisions until they had seen the whole pool, though they could probably begin to weed out the obviously poor applications.

I'm not sure if it's that clear-cut. Columbia's endowment is large, but spending at the university has been/is somewhat controversial. They've come under fire for throwing money at massive building projects, while tenure-track positions in the Humanities haven't been filled, or have been replaced by sessionals. Likewise, there's a lot of money going towards the business and law schools, while the Core Curriculum is being comparatively underfunded. I guess it suffices to say that there's really a stranger political landscape beneath the overall wealth of the school. 

I think it's also worth pointing out that Columbia is one of the few schools of its calibre to offer standalone, unfunded MA programs in a number of Humanities disciplines, like English and Art History. Ironically, the other school that comes to mind here is Chicago, whose MAPH program is probably the best comparison. In both cases—and I've heard this from students in the PhD programs—the MA students are seen as subsidizing PhD candidate funding. Moreover, rejected PhD applicants are often funnelled into the MA programs. As cynical as it seems I don't think it's out of line to believe that Columbia and Chicago are fairly intent on maximizing the number of applicants to their PhD programs, so as to likewise maximize the $$$ coming in from their masters programs. 

[WildeThing]

This is the most active I've seen this place. Good luck to everyone applying this cycle.

[Yanaka]

I'm freaking out. Now I'm thinking I have no back-up schools and should apply to fully-funded MA's, but that means bothering my profs for their reference letters again. What should I do!! 

Also, the application process has had its toll on me already, and although I've only submitted Berkeley and UCLA applications and have 5 more to go, I don't feel like continuing. Reading publications, tailoring the SoPs... I'm tired! And I have exams coming up for my actual school. That I have ignored for the past two weeks. 

How do you guys deal with the "I'm not gonna get into one of those schools/I hope this is not all going to be fruitless" feeling? 

[bhr]

Some of you will have decisions in hand within the next two weeks. That's got to be a pretty good feeling, right? That all this planning/waiting is about to pay off.

[engphiledu]

2 hours ago, Yanaka said:

I'm freaking out. Now I'm thinking I have no back-up schools and should apply to fully-funded MA's, but that means bothering my profs for their reference letters again. What should I do!! 

Also, the application process has had its toll on me already, and although I've only submitted Berkeley and UCLA applications and have 5 more to go, I don't feel like continuing. Reading publications, tailoring the SoPs... I'm tired! And I have exams coming up for my actual school. That I have ignored for the past two weeks. 

How do you guys deal with the "I'm not gonna get into one of those schools/I hope this is not all going to be fruitless" feeling? 

I thought I had MA applications in the bag (applied to 8), and then I received mostly rejection letters. I also didn't apply to top-tier schools by any means, so for me, that was also a big shot to the ego. But, it also taught me a few things.

1. There are no guarantees in graduate applications. I'm reapplying to the school where I just received my MA for PhD. In many ways, I can consider this my "safety school," but even then, you never know what may go through the heads of those who are reviewing applications. There were several schools I thought were "in the bag" during MA applications due to the connections my recommenders had and the rankings, and I was mistaken. It looks like you're applying to quite a few top-tier schools. What honestly may help is for you to reevaluate and perhaps add just one or two lower tier schools. There are a lot of solid programs out there, even if they aren't ranked in the top 30. Although being accepted to one of those top schools is great, you can make up a lot of the "prestige" just by being a solid student and prolific publisher (at least when it comes to the job market). I'm sure if you explain to your recommenders you'd like to apply to a few less competitive programs as somewhat of a safety net, they'd understand. Then again, there are those who really would rather sit out the application season after being rejected from top tiers and try again the following year rather than be in a less prestigious program. You have to evaluate what's best for you (and your academic objectives). But, it might take a bit of the stress off, honestly, if you can think to yourself that there are a few schools which might be more easily achievable. 

2. Most schools fund PhDs before MAs. So, there are still a lot of programs out there who fully fund MAs. However, when applying to MAs, it's also common to be accepted with no funding (since they prioritize funding for their PhDs). From my experience, though, the medium/lower tier schools actually have solid MA programs. Some of my colleagues and I were actually discussing that our experience at our school is that we have really solid MA students who use the program as a way to get a "step up" in PhD applications. For me, I'd say that's true. My undergrad was a tiny school which I felt was a disadvantage. Now that I've completed an MA at a more research-oriented program, I feel better about my chances, not only in terms of qualifications and training, but also just name recognition. (Reviewers saying, "Oh, this person is from such-and-such," instead of "Where the hell is this school located?") Some fully-funded MA programs don't have deadlines until January, so you'd still have some time to focus on your exams while being able to complete a few additional program applications if you were interested. Will full-funded MAs, you'll generally have to teach to earn your stipend, but that also gives you an advantage in some cases for PhD, though generally teaching experience isn't necessarily as important. Just a bonus. 

3. Always have a back-up plan. So, if you are not one of the people indicated above (who only wants to attend a top-tier and will continue to retry applications until acceptance), the lower tier schools or MAs might be a good option. Even if you are one of the people who wants a top-tier program (nothing wrong with that at all!), knowing what you'll do if the worst case scenario happens will take some of the pressure off. Also, don't obsess over the application. Take everything step-by-step. Fill in all the parts you can (like biographical info.), so that it's one less thing to worry about closer to the deadline. Work on the individual parts. Do the best you can. Be yourself, be honest, and don't sell yourself short. Most importantly, once you submit it, do not go back and look at it (with the exception of checking on GRE scores coming in, etc.). The best piece of advice I received was that you will inevitably find some mistake in your SOP, CV, etc. if you go back and look at the document preview. Don't do it. You'll freak yourself out even more, and it won't be helpful at that point. Although the application process is harsh, and especially with competitive programs, they often look for reasons to cut people (inadequate GRE scores, etc.), that missing comma isn't going to make or break you - but, under the amount of stress brought about by this process, that comma will take on the form of some monster ruining your one chance at happiness. Regardless of what happens this season, we pick ourselves up, we re-evaluate, we rejoice or grieve, but ultimately, we find our place and set our feet back on the path, wherever that path may lead.

4. Lastly, don't sacrifice any grades in your current classes for the applications. These apps. are important, but one mistake I have heard people making is spending too much time on apps., especially at this vital part of the school year, and they end up dropping a grade in a class. Find moments to work on the apps. in your quiet times, and manage your time the best you can. YOU CAN DO IT!

Ok. Super long response over, but

tldr; applications are hard, but encouragement and enthusiasm is good. 

[engphiledu]

14 minutes ago, bhr said:

Some of you will have decisions in hand within the next two weeks. That's got to be a pretty good feeling, right? That all this planning/waiting is about to pay off.

Are there really schools that will decide that quickly? I don't think any of my previous decisions arrived any earlier than mid January (including rejections).

[Yanaka]

@engphiledu that's an amazing post. Thank you. I thought I'd look into MAs that have deadlines in March, so I can give myself a break and focus on exams. And I'm going to get off of this forum, a bit. Thanks for the advice  

[bhr]

5 hours ago, engphiledu said:

Are there really schools that will decide that quickly? I don't think any of my previous decisions arrived any earlier than mid January (including rejections).

I had my first acceptance by December 15th last year, and a waitlist from another school a few days later.

[Yanaka]

Okay well I can't resist lurking here, also I'm procrastinating cramming Rhetoric for an exam.

I've already opened a thread in the more general section, but I thought I'd give it a try over here. It might be more appropriate. Would anyone agree to reviewing my SoP? It's not as much out of anxiety for what I've already submitted, as it is to make sure I've done my best for upcoming Duke and Princeton apps. And Cornell. One friend has helped me from her PhD applicant point of view (and she has an MA), and another friend with an MA helped me with another point of view on the dynamic of my statement. But since a lot of you have already been through the process, I thought an ultimate review would be awesome.

I'm only going to graduate from a BA, and it's my first cycle so the odds are rather against me. I might as well try everything I can right now, even if it means asking for the boring services.   

[kirbs005]

12 hours ago, bhr said:

Some of you will have decisions in hand within the next two weeks. That's got to be a pretty good feeling, right? That all this planning/waiting is about to pay off.

I originally felt great once I finished submitting, but now realizing that starting yesterday people are actually going to start review my applications is making me nervous. I'm also hoping you're right, that it's only a couple weeks. Not excited about the next few months of anxious waiting. 

[Warelin]

7 hours ago, bhr said:

I had my first acceptance by December 15th last year, and a waitlist from another school a few days later.

Curious: Would you feel comfortable saying which schools notified by Dec. 15 last year? I don't think I've read about any school that notifies any applicants prior to January in the humanities. I thought that the sciences were the only ones who notified earlier.

[klader]

I know that Michigan State's comp/rhet PhD deadline was yesterday and that they've traditionally alerted applicants before the winter break. The MA application is then due on the 15th of December and they let the MA applicants know mid-late January (got my MA rejection January 20th-ish last year). 

I don't know about other schools, though. I didn't hear back until early Feb - mid March for the rest of the programs I applied to (with all the acceptances happening in February and the other rejection in March). 

[RydraWong]

Has anyone successfully added their recommenders through the Duke English application yet? I keep trying and the system keeps telling me it's an invalid email address but I know the email address works...I'm going to contact the English department and see, but was wondering if anyone else had trouble with this. It's just a tad frustrating because I just want to get everything in...

[erosanddust]

3 hours ago, RydraWong said:

Has anyone successfully added their recommenders through the Duke English application yet? I keep trying and the system keeps telling me it's an invalid email address but I know the email address works...I'm going to contact the English department and see, but was wondering if anyone else had trouble with this. It's just a tad frustrating because I just want to get everything in...

That does sound frustrating! I was able to enter my recommenders without a problem, although while I was filling in the application the site kept crashing and taking me to an 'error' page. It seems like they're having some technical difficulties.

[LouPlease]

21 hours ago, RydraWong said:

Has anyone successfully added their recommenders through the Duke English application yet? I keep trying and the system keeps telling me it's an invalid email address but I know the email address works...I'm going to contact the English department and see, but was wondering if anyone else had trouble with this. It's just a tad frustrating because I just want to get everything in...

I added mine a couple weeks ago and just had my last recommender successfully submit theirs yesterday. I'd say try again at a different time of day when less people are on. 

Edited December 3, 2016 by LouisePlease

[RydraWong]

The system wasn't letting me input any .edu addresses for some reason but I used my professors' gmail account and it ended up working so I'm confused as to why they wouldn't take the .edu addresses but I'm over it at this point lol. 

Thanks for the input everyone! Hope the weekend is productive and at least a little bit relaxing. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel....

[Dr. Old Bill]

So...if your final letter-writer starts uploading her letters, leading you to finally go out and buy all of your letter-writers wine...only to see that she stopped after four uploads...do you withhold the wine?

Asking for a friend.

[AnimeChic101!]

1 hour ago, Wyatt's Terps said:

So...if your final letter-writer starts uploading her letters, leading you to finally go out and buy all of your letter-writers wine...only to see that she stopped after four uploads...do you withhold the wine?

Asking for a friend.

Better yet, what can I buy my LOR's? What are good gift ideas? Besides wine lol

[WildeThing]

Am I to understand that you ask professors to tailor their recommendations for each university? Because I was planning on applying to as many schools as money will allow and that seems excessive.

[Yanaka]

Man, I thought about gifts but then I thought it would be inappropriate over here!

[Dr. Old Bill]

48 minutes ago, BlackRosePhD said:

Better yet, what can I buy my LOR's? What are good gift ideas? Besides wine lol

I like wine as a gift because it's reasonably inexpensive (I capped it at $25 a bottle), and you can tailor the kind you buy to the professor's personality. One of my LOR-writers is Italian, and very refined and elegant, so I bought her an "elegant and refined" wine from Italy. Another is Spanish and much more flamboyant, so I got him a lively and fruity wine from Spain. But it all depends on the relationship you have with your professors. A couple of years ago, I bought one letter-writer a nice leather-bound journal, another a bottle of single malt scotch, and the third a more personalized gift (a Maori carving) from New Zealand, as I'm part New Zealander, and one of my professor's personal interests was in Maori culture. So it really depends on what you feel is appropriate.

42 minutes ago, WildeThing said:

Am I to understand that you ask professors to tailor their recommendations for each university? Because I was planning on applying to as many schools as money will allow and that seems excessive.

No, I wouldn't ask that. In some cases, if you have particularly good rapport with your LOR-writer, they may choose to personalize. I know in my last cycle one professor told me she would personalize when she knew a lot about a particular program, but I think that's the exception, rather than the norm.

17 minutes ago, Yanaka said:

Man, I thought about gifts but then I thought it would be inappropriate over here!

I don't think it's considered necessary at all. In a very real sense, it's a part of their job, after all. But I do appreciate my LOR-writers' willingness to write for me, and I figure a $25 gesture of gratitude for each one is simply a nice little courtesy...but NOT an expectation, by any means.

[WildeThing]

3 hours ago, Wyatt's Terps said:

I like wine as a gift because it's reasonably inexpensive (I capped it at $25 a bottle), and you can tailor the kind you buy to the professor's personality. One of my LOR-writers is Italian, and very refined and elegant, so I bought her an "elegant and refined" wine from Italy. Another is Spanish and much more flamboyant, so I got him a lively and fruity wine from Spain. But it all depends on the relationship you have with your professors. A couple of years ago, I bought one letter-writer a nice leather-bound journal, another a bottle of single malt scotch, and the third a more personalized gift (a Maori carving) from New Zealand, as I'm part New Zealander, and one of my professor's personal interests was in Maori culture. So it really depends on what you feel is appropriate.

No, I wouldn't ask that. In some cases, if you have particularly good rapport with your LOR-writer, they may choose to personalize. I know in my last cycle one professor told me she would personalize when she knew a lot about a particular program, but I think that's the exception, rather than the norm.

In the past I have given some professors a gift under similar circumstances and I wound up going for a book each time. One was a medievalist and mentioned she was excited to teach Dr. Faust "with all its demonic entities", so I got her Damned by Palahniuk because he is one of my favorite authors and it takes place in hell. For another I got her a copy in Hebrew of the novel we worked on for my MA thesis.

Thanks for the response. I wonder though, what if you're stressing different things for different departments? Do you discuss this with them? Do you give them all your statements for guidance?

[bhr]

5 hours ago, Wyatt's Terps said:

I like wine as a gift because it's reasonably inexpensive (I capped it at $25 a bottle), and you can tailor the kind you buy to the professor's personality. One of my LOR-writers is Italian, and very refined and elegant, so I bought her an "elegant and refined" wine from Italy. Another is Spanish and much more flamboyant, so I got him a lively and fruity wine from Spain. But it all depends on the relationship you have with your professors. A couple of years ago, I bought one letter-writer a nice leather-bound journal, another a bottle of single malt scotch, and the third a more personalized gift (a Maori carving) from New Zealand, as I'm part New Zealander, and one of my professor's personal interests was in Maori culture. So it really depends on what you feel is appropriate.

No, I wouldn't ask that. In some cases, if you have particularly good rapport with your LOR-writer, they may choose to personalize. I know in my last cycle one professor told me she would personalize when she knew a lot about a particular program, but I think that's the exception, rather than the norm.

I don't think it's considered necessary at all. In a very real sense, it's a part of their job, after all. But I do appreciate my LOR-writers' willingness to write for me, and I figure a $25 gesture of gratitude for each one is simply a nice little courtesy...but NOT an expectation, by any means.

I bought beer for all my committee members. I went home for break last year, and brought back a sampling of beers that we can't get locally.

[engphiledu]

On 12/2/2016 at 8:52 AM, Yanaka said:

Okay well I can't resist lurking here, also I'm procrastinating cramming Rhetoric for an exam.

I've already opened a thread in the more general section, but I thought I'd give it a try over here. It might be more appropriate. Would anyone agree to reviewing my SoP? It's not as much out of anxiety for what I've already submitted, as it is to make sure I've done my best for upcoming Duke and Princeton apps. And Cornell. One friend has helped me from her PhD applicant point of view (and she has an MA), and another friend with an MA helped me with another point of view on the dynamic of my statement. But since a lot of you have already been through the process, I thought an ultimate review would be awesome.

I'm only going to graduate from a BA, and it's my first cycle so the odds are rather against me. I might as well try everything I can right now, even if it means asking for the boring services.   

I don't mind taking a look. I have to give exams this week, but I should have some time between grading finals. I, by no means, am an expert, but I would be happy to give any pointers I might have.