Emory recruitment weekend

[drbenway]

Has anyone in comp lit or english been invited to the recruitment weekend of feb. 4-7th? What are the odds that one would be accepted if the department is willing to pay for airfare and hotel to visit the university before decisions are made?

[latenight]

I went last year for comp lit - about 7 invited, 2 accepted, 1 waitlisted, the rest rejected. A few people accepted who didn't come to the interview weekend.

Just roll with it. It's a strange situation - you're wooing them and they're wooing you at the same time. But it was highly enjoyable. The people (both faculty and students) were fantastic, very welcoming and friendly despite the high-stress atmosphere of the interviews. I hope you have a similarly good experience with the English department!

[drbenway]

How were the interviews conducted? What should I expect regarding the questions that the faculty that I am meeting with will ask?

[latenight]

How were the interviews conducted? What should I expect regarding the questions that the faculty that I am meeting with will ask?

from what i remember, the interviewers didn't so much ask pointed questions as try to engage you in conversation. they want to get to know you beyond what's on paper ("So, tell me about yourself..."). i'd say, be prepared to talk about your interests (both present and tentatively as you imagine them in the future) and why you're interested in the program - you've said it in your SOP, but go over it orally; it's also a chance for you to go deeper into something you had to just touch on in your application. have a few questions to ask each interviewer, either about the program or their own research. read up on the program before you go. i also found it helpful to do a little reading beforehand of their books/articles, it made me feel more confident going into the interviews. but be genuine - it's not about memorizing the entire website. you'll probably also be interviewed by professors you don't know or hadn't been interested in necessarily; try to figure out why they thought it was important for you to meet with them.

it's kind of like what i imagine speed-dating to be like - you have a very limited amount of time to get to know someone and to convince them that you're interesting and not crazy. keep a good sense of humor and your wits about you. be yourself. be nice to everybody.

and have fun! it's a good time, although somewhat stressful. it's a wonderful, very warm and friendly department.