Hindsight (is) 20(/)17

[la_mod]

Hey, everyone!

Now that decisions are nearing to an end, and before we all go off into the world of grad school (or return to the drawing board), I wanted to ask: what have you learned this year while doing applications? I mean this broadly: both personally and academically, triumphantly and regrettably (as in, things you'd have done differently), maybe even embarrassingly! Would you have done anything differently? Is there anything that you realized half-way through that paid off in a way you wouldn't have expected? 

Hopefully it's a somewhat-fun chance to reflect, but also something constructive that those of us applying again next year can look to.

I'll start: 

First, I learned that the application forms themselves take TIME. I waited too long to start, and spent the first week of December working 8+ hours per day on this after being in class and work all day. Next, I wish I would have been slightly less specific in my SOP. That's probably not helpful to anyone else, but I went with a really niche angle, and no one is working on exactly what I'm working on — which is cool, but I think it made me a less attractive applicant. 

[ProfessionalNerd]

Don't use your safe writing sample. Use a paper that really creates an interesting argument and pushes what is normative. 

 

For example, I was really worried about submitting a rather experimental paper to programs. I had two choices: one was a decent paper on PoCo theory and aesthetic form. It was just a normal, well-written paper; the second paper threw all caution to the wind. It was on so many things, but I organized it pretty well. It was on theory, art, form, aesthetics, the diaspora etc etc. My heart and soul rejoices every time I read it, but it was less traditional in form. 

Due to my irrational fear of sharing the second paper, I submitted paper A to half of the schools I applied to and paper B to the other half. Fun fact: every school that received paper B accepted me, and 2 others waitlisted me. 

 

Moral of the story, submit one paper that you are confident in to all of your programs. Be confident in your work and in you application materials. You've worked hard to get where you are, and you owe it to yourself to believe in your work.

 

 

Also,

don't go into debt applying to programs. It's not worth it.

Edited March 2, 2017 by ProfessionalNerd

[Dr. Old Bill]

"Fit" is almost everything. 

No matter how often I've read this on GC over the years, I never fully internalized it until around halfway through this cycle. There's still a part of me that thinks that GRE scores are prized more highly than we'd like to admit, but by that same token, there's little question in my mind that having your interests mesh well with a program (specifically POIs) is the biggest factor in application success.

 

[eadwacer]

Conversely, I wish I had been slightly more specific in most of my SOPs. The program that admitted me was the only one where I outlined an actual possible thesis topic--the others were all just descriptive of my interests.

Also, I wish I had better researched and known to apply for outside funding earlier in the season. It looks like I had options I didn't even know about, but I missed the deadline.

[Bumblebea]

19 minutes ago, Wyatt's Terps said:

"Fit" is almost everything. 

No matter how often I've read this on GC over the years, I never fully internalized it until around halfway through this cycle. There's still a part of me that thinks that GRE scores are prized more highly than we'd like to admit, but by that same token, there's little question in my mind that having your interests mesh well with a program (specifically POIs) is the biggest factor in application success.

 

I've gone back and forth on the importance of GRE scores over the years. At one point I was afforded a position where I got to see a lot of applicants' GRE scores. My takeaway is that I really don't know how much they matter. My general feeling is that they don't matter as much at programs that we might call "mid-tier" (keeping in mind that this distinction is really meaningless, as I'm thinking in terms of schools ranked #20-#50 or so which are great programs by any definition). At the same time, everyone I know who attends or was accepted to an Ivy or other extremely high-ranked program had very high GRE scores across the board.

Then again, *I* had high GRE scores and didn't get into any of my lofty top choices. 

In terms of "fit," yes, this is correct--but I think what many people don't realize is that fit doesn't just pertain to your research but also to things outside of your control. These things might include where you went to undergrad, who's writing your letters of recommendations, and other non-academic "markers." This is the ugly side of academia, and the side that no one likes to admit because everyone wants to believe that this is a meritocratic endeavor. But it's not, sadly, and the same business continues to matter on the job market in ways that are often more prevalent and more insidious. I've got stories about it, but I don't want to depress anyone. I'm just sharing this information to let you know that it might not be you or anything about your work or your academic abilities. It's probably nothing that you DID, in other words, if your materials were well done. Of course there are things you can do to make yourself more competitive, but at the end of the day it's very much outside of your control. 

[Dr. Old Bill]

2 minutes ago, Bumblebea said:

s is correct--but I think what many people don't realize is that fit doesn't just pertain to your research but also to things outside of your control. These things might include where you went to undergrad, who's writing your letters of recommendations, and other non-academic "markers." This is the ugly side of academia, and the side that no one likes to admit because everyone wants to believe that this is a meritocratic endeavor. But it's not, sadly, and the same business continues to matter on the job market in ways that are often more prevalent and more insidious.

Yes!

I actually had another paragraph about "luck" that I decided to delete before I posted (since, as you say, it's out of the applicant's control...).

Going back to the original question of this thread, one thing I wish I had done was contact POIs. I'm not convinced that it helps a great deal, and it always has the potential to annoy, but if I'd had more time, I certainly would have touched base with more professors. One of my friends in the Ph.D. program here swears by it, and it worked out well for her -- she'd established a rapport with her eventual mentor long before she was actually admitted. If the questions you ask are well-formed and on point, you can potentially stick out in a POI's mind, and that might help you when an adcom is convening. There's a lot of "might" here, of course, but it's one of my minor regrets regardless.

[claritus]

Don't be afraid to email POIs. I get fairly anxious about this sort of thing, so I only ended up emailing people at two schools. Those ended up being 2/3 of my acceptances. That said, the two faculty members in question are my dream supervisors, so it all worked out, but I was definitely gambling. There is definitely a lot to be gained from getting in contact with POIs, even if it's only a brief, friendly exchange.

Wyatt's beat me to it

Edited March 2, 2017 by claritus

[orphic_mel528]

I have to echo the "fit is everything" statement.

You can have the highest GREs and GPAs in the world and the most brilliant plan for research; if there is no faculty/other resources available to support you, they will not take you. So when you're writing that SOP, I feel like the most important thing to make a case for is how you fit into that program and why you'll be successful there. Attrition rate concerns are real; do your best to prove that their investment won't go unfulfilled.

Moreover, don't just ask what your country can do for you; say what you can do for your country. How will your goals and philosophies fit into and support the initiatives/goals/philosophies of the university?

Finally, as to fit: if you apply to a PoCo program and you've taken literally one class in PoCo, I think it's safe to say that's going to hurt you. You have to demonstrate adequate preparation.

As to personal retrospection: I think there are some things I could have paid more attention to, but really, I think I did the best I could for an unusual situation. I was applying with a low undergraduate GPA in an entirely different field and a high MA GPA. If I can take a guess as to what may have influenced my rejections, I don't think it would be unfair for an ad com to say, "She's not sufficiently prepared." I can see how that assumption could be made based on my transcripts when considering my subfield. If I hadn't been accepted to any program, I likely would've taken more classes as a non-degree seeking student in an MA program. 

 

[la_mod]

58 minutes ago, claritus said:

Don't be afraid to email POIs. I get fairly anxious about this sort of thing, so I only ended up emailing people at two schools. Those ended up being 2/3 of my acceptances. That said, the two faculty members in question are my dream supervisors, so it all worked out, but I was definitely gambling. There is definitely a lot to be gained from getting in contact with POIs, even if it's only a brief, friendly exchange.

Wyatt's beat me to it

 

1 hour ago, Wyatt's Terps said:

Going back to the original question of this thread, one thing I wish I had done was contact POIs. I'm not convinced that it helps a great deal, and it always has the potential to annoy, but if I'd had more time, I certainly would have touched base with more professors. One of my friends in the Ph.D. program here swears by it, and it worked out well for her -- she'd established a rapport with her eventual mentor long before she was actually admitted. If the questions you ask are well-formed and on point, you can potentially stick out in a POI's mind, and that might help you when an adcom is convening. There's a lot of "might" here, of course, but it's one of my minor regrets regardless.

Could you maybe elaborate on this? I'm going to be re-applying and totally wish I would have reached out, but I'm not sure what I could say! How do you ask a question that doesn't come across as "look how smart I am"?

[Abyss21]

GREs do matter. That's what I learned. I was applying to mostly top 10 US schools with a verbal GRE score in the 150s when they expect 165+. Having gotten into Canadian schools but no US ones, I feel like that indicates that GREs do indeed matter.

[brontebitch]

39 minutes ago, ThePomoHipster said:

GREs do matter. That's what I learned. I was applying to mostly top 10 US schools with a verbal GRE score in the 150s when they expect 165+. Having gotten into Canadian schools but no US ones, I feel like that indicates that GREs do indeed matter.

THIS!!! Seriously. I thought I would be okay with a verbal score in the high 150s but I was so wrong. Obviously it wasn't the only factor in why I was rejected from top programs, but I think that if you have a good or even a great application with a sub par or "bad" GRE score, it will raise enough red flags for committees to safely reject you. I am going to work on raising my verbal score and also being more specific in my statement of purpose next time around. I did a very poor job of explaining my scholarly goals and research interests in my statements, and furthermore, did not apply to programs best suited for my needs. This was confirmed when I spoke to the DGS at CU Boulder yesterday who told me my statement was not specific enough for admission into a PhD program. 

[claritus]

53 minutes ago, la_mod said:

 

Could you maybe elaborate on this? I'm going to be re-applying and totally wish I would have reached out, but I'm not sure what I could say! How do you ask a question that doesn't come across as "look how smart I am"?

I tried to be fairly practical & straightforward. So essentially I gave a brief description of my research interests, aligned them with the work of the POI in question, and then asked if they were available to work with students/whether they felt the program would be a good fit for me. There's no need to go overboard—really you just want to portray yourself as engaged & amiable. 

[KikiDelivery]

Do not let imposter syndrome hold you down. I still find myself crying at the fact that I've received offers, because I had a hard time believing in the value of my work.

I do wish now I was a bit more daring, I applied to many amazing programs (which I am eternally grateful to have gotten accepted into), but shut myself from applying to others because I didn't think my application would be taken seriously.

[clinamen]

5 hours ago, la_mod said:

Next, I wish I would have been slightly less specific in my SOP. That's probably not helpful to anyone else, but I went with a really niche angle, and no one is working on exactly what I'm working on — which is cool, but I think it made me a less attractive applicant.

Yes, I really feel like this may have been a problem with my SOP as well. I situated my work within a very specific critical conversation and a specific type of critical theory. While I'm typically in the broad sense 20th C. American, and I mentioned this, I certainly did not emphasize this as a subfield and I don't think this made my application easy to categorize.

[Yanaka]

I don't know if the topic applies to people who've been turned down from everywhere, too, but here is what I learned:

- Applications take a huge amount of time, and a couple months were clearly not enough to: take the GRE, figure out fit and requirements, get around letters of recommendations, translate an entire 13-page essay, and tailor an SOP for each program. And I'm not even mentioning having my transcripts translated (oops, I just did). I have no idea how I did all of that in such a small amount of time. While having school. No wonder I feel close to a nervous breakdown!

- Take the time to figure out what funding really means.

- I could make a very long list of everything that I could have done better, but the thing is: I truly did my best, especially considering that I had to keep up with school.

I think it's really important to realize that all of this is hard and nerve-racking, that we all did our best and that we shouldn't be too upset about not getting in, if we didn't. Not because we don't care enough, but just because we shouldn't be too hard on ourselves!  

 

[anon4now]

As someone who got 158V/149Q/4.5W on the GRE and accepted into a couple of Ivy Leagues AND a top 10 program AND waitlisted by another top 10, I think it's safe to say that the GRE does not matter.

Fit, SOP, and writing sample are key. Channel all of your energy into those components of your application, especially if you're poor like me and can't  afford to retake the GRE. Why stress over the GRE when you can be utilizing that time to perfect parts of the application that a) you have the most control over and b-represent you best? One last thing: Don't be afraid to be creative in the work you present to these universities; be poetic and speculative and a bit unsure. Ask unanswerable questions. 

Good luck to all current and future applicants! 

Edit: I also got an incredibly embarrassing score of 430 on the subject test. I only share all of this to give hope to people who, like me, suck at tests. Don't waste your time, your money, or your sanity on them. Just do *your* best. 

 

Edited March 2, 2017 by PoeticsofPossibility

[slightlymoreanonymous]

In hindsight, I definitely would've proofed my materials more. I had the soul-crushing realization last month that not only did I have one typo in EVERY personal statement (only a letter missing, but shameful for an English student!), but I even mentioned School A in School B's personal statement. Frankly, I'm shocked I was still accepted at half of my schools. 

I have to echo @Wyatt's Terps and @orphic_mel528 too...fit  and luck clearly seem to be critical! I thought my application materials were much better for the schools with later deadlines, but there was really no rhyme or reason to which programs worked and which didn't. I also definitely would've emailed POIs early. I only did that for one school that required it, but I think it certainly couldn't have hurt to reach out to others.   

Edited March 2, 2017 by slightlymoreanonymous

[urbanfarmer]

Echoing the fit piece that everyone's saying... also, I'll admit that I did my applications on autopilot while being overwhelmed at my job. I really wish I would have carved out more mental time for them; I think it would have made a huge difference in terms of the collected quality of my materials, as well as having a SOP that paid much more attention to each specific program. My SOP ended up being very form-like. 

[erosanddust]

In editing your app materials (especially the SOP), don't be afraid to "kill your darlings," as it were. I kept in a few lines/sections that I wrote in early drafts that I thought were really engaging/well-phrased, but in retrospect, they were distracting from the main project that more evolved SOP drafts were articulating. During the waiting period, I spent a lot of time kicking myself for not taking those sections out.

Ask several professors to look at your application materials and give you feedback. I asked ~5 professors both in my field and outside of it to read my SOP and/or WS. I got a lot of very helpful feedback that helped me see my materials from a wider range of perspectives.

In my experience, making contact with POIs does make a difference. Last cycle, I made superficial contact with a few POIs at my top choice programs. The most substantial of those exchanges was with a POI at the program where I ended up doing my MA. This round, my contact with POIs focused more expressly on our shared interests. The two PhD programs that did not reject me (one an acceptance, one a waitlist) are the two schools where I have met POIs, and was able to mention in my SOPs that they had expressed interest in my research.

[Silabus]

What I wish I'd done better:

Spent more time on the SOP. What was I really trying to say in there? I'm not sure, reading over it. I explained what my current MA thesis was over, my general research interests, then talked about my possible dissertation topic. I didn't tailor it to any specific program but made a one-size-fits-all SOP. Maybe that wasn't a smart idea? On the other hand, I don't know that I had time to write 11 different SOP's. *shrug*

Writing Sample: It could have been more fleshed out, more polished, but I liked the argument I made in it and I found the essay interesting to me. That says to me that I picked the right WS to reflect my interests and writing style--but it could use more polish. I'm also going to a conference with it at the end of April so maybe I'll get some even better ideas after that.

Those two things, I think, would have made me a stronger applicant. As to the GRE stuff, eh, my scores were so-so. 163v/140q/5W with a Subject Score that I worked my tail off to get of 680. But with those scores I didn't get into any Ivy Leagues. However, I too, am of the opinion that all you can do is give it your best shot. As long as you know you put your all into those applications, that's the best you can hope for. I know that I put as much as I could into my applications!

 

But yeah, for anyone applying to schools next year: Work your ass off on the SOP and WP. I think those are the two major components. Don't worry so much about the GRE stuff, just make sure you get it done!

I don't know what to say about contacting the POI's. I see it as being kind of hammy. So I assume departments see it as being hammy. But it seems to work for some folks!

[RydraWong]

It's so strange to me that this time last year I was reading threads like these, trying to glean some nuggets of wisdom, and now I'm commenting on one having endured an entire application cycle....

Echoing the importance of fit and also the importance of asking your advisors for input on your school list! I'm coming from a kinda niche field (science fiction) so I really trusted what my advisors told me about what schools were particularly good fits for that field of study and also asked them for suggestions of specific professors that I might name in my SOP. If your advisors are plugged into their field, they'll probably have met and interacted with a lot of important scholars in your area of interest, so they have lots of good advice on  what programs are worth applying to, what POIs are worth naming. I didn't reach out to any POIs at any programs but in my acceptance emails, the DGS would say something like "You mentioned you were interested in working with Professor ______; they read your app and are really interested in working with you too!" which showed me that fit really is important and being able to identify a few faculty members that could be really good interlocutors  is important (regardless of whether you name it in your SOP or not - I got into programs where I named people in my SOP and I got into programs where I didn't name people in my SOP). Also re: how to identify fit in the SOP, I basically used the same SOP for each school but made the last paragraph the "fit" paragraph and that's the only part I changed for every school. Saved me a lot of time/energy but still allowed me to individualize SOPs to an extent to address fit. 

Apply widely if possible! I feel like graduate admissions are such a numbers game sometimes and I'm a first-time applicant coming in with just a BA so out of nervousness/fear of getting totally shut out, I applied to a handful of funded MA programs and ended up getting really nice offers from all of them. I'll probably not end up going to an MA program but I think for people applying with just a BA, it's good to cover your bases and apply to a mix of MA/Phd programs if it's financially feasible. I was lucky enough to have received a PhD offer early on so I wasn't stressed for the entire month of February but had that not happened, having some MA acceptances and knowing that I'd be studying somewhere next year would have been a comfort. 

This one's more geared at people coming in straight from undergrad but if possible, do your honors thesis a year early. I went through the whole thesis process my junior year because I knew I wanted to apply to graduate schools and wanted to use my thesis as a writing sample but if I had waited until senior year to do a thesis, it would be nowhere near ready to be submitted for apps. Doing my thesis junior year and then having the summer to transform it into a writing sample allowed me a lot more time to polish it, work through tricky parts, get feedback from professors, etc, and saved me a LOT of stress during fall of my senior year. 

Be specific but not too specific. In my first drafts of my SOP, I said I wanted to use my thesis as a basis for a future dissertation and all my professors were like "that's cool buuuuut you should really rephrase and say 'I'd like to use my thesis as a starting point for further research' or 'expanding outwards from my thesis, I'd like to explore _____." I think it's important to articulate that you've had a lot of experience studying something + are really interested in pursuing it further BUT also that you're open to new avenues of thought and that you don't know yet exactly what the answers to your research questions are. Achieving the right level of specificity was something I really struggled with in my SOP. 

I'm sure I'll think of something else later but since this is already getting so long...the last thing I'd suggest is having something really really fun to look forward to in March. I made plans to visit my friend on an opposite coast because in January, when everything looked bleak and I was super stressed all the time, I could at least look to March and see something positive. It doesn't have to be a big thing: maybe you'll treat yourself to a meal at a restaurant you've always wanted to go, maybe you'll take a day trip somewhere, or have a movie night with friends or something, but I think having something to remind yourself that there is more to life than grad school admissions is really helpful for managing stress and getting some perspective.

[la_mod]

7 hours ago, erosanddust said:

In editing your app materials (especially the SOP), don't be afraid to "kill your darlings," as it were. I kept in a few lines/sections that I wrote in early drafts that I thought were really engaging/well-phrased, but in retrospect, they were distracting from the main project that more evolved SOP drafts were articulating. During the waiting period, I spent a lot of time kicking myself for not taking those sections out.

Ask several professors to look at your application materials and give you feedback. I asked ~5 professors both in my field and outside of it to read my SOP and/or WS. I got a lot of very helpful feedback that helped me see my materials from a wider range of perspectives.

In my experience, making contact with POIs does make a difference. Last cycle, I made superficial contact with a few POIs at my top choice programs. The most substantial of those exchanges was with a POI at the program where I ended up doing my MA. This round, my contact with POIs focused more expressly on our shared interests. The two PhD programs that did not reject me (one an acceptance, one a waitlist) are the two schools where I have met POIs, and was able to mention in my SOPs that they had expressed interest in my research.

Gosh, I'm so baffled that people reach out to POIs. If you don't mind me asking, how'd you get this conversation started? 

[brontebitch]

5 hours ago, la_mod said:

The two PhD programs that did not reject me (one an acceptance, one a waitlist) are the two schools where I have met POIs, and was able to mention in my SOPs that they had expressed interest in my research.

I am curious - when did you reach out to POIs? Over the summer, or in the fall? If I go this route, I don't want to bother them by emailing at busy times, so I would assume summer might be better than early fall, but I could also see that being too early. 

[erosanddust]

8 hours ago, la_mod said:

Gosh, I'm so baffled that people reach out to POIs. If you don't mind me asking, how'd you get this conversation started? 

The unsuccessful e-mails I sent last cycle went something along the lines of "Hey, I'm erosanddust, are you taking on new students next year, and also here's my unsolicited thoughts about why your work is great, and also here's too much information about my own interests." Needless to say, not many responses there. I cringe in retrospect — although I did get a few generous responses saying they hope I apply to the program / pointing me towards other Department resources that might interest me. Even so, do not recommend.

The successful e-mail I sent came after working closely with the POI's book. I was able to ask them a good question about it, and then briefly explain the reason for my particular interest (ie. the current paper/project I was hoping to connect their work to). Then we had a brief back-and-forth during which I explained I was applying to programs, and the POI expressed interest in working with me.

This cycle, I met two POIs in person, largely due to luck. Needless to say, if you happen to have the chance to attend a lecture or conference presentation by a particular POI, do so — and introduce yourself.

[Bumblebea]

Again, to butt in here and offer the unsolicited "old person post-PhD" perspective--my feeling on contacting professors is that it certainly can't hurt (unless you write something horrendously insulting or stupid) and *may* help, but I wouldn't knock yourself out doing it or kick yourself afterward for not doing it. 

My advisor gets all kinds of emails like this, and I can tell she doesn't rally put too much stock in them. She doesn't think they were rude, presumptuous, or stupid, or anything like that. She just kind of expects them and doesn't seem fazed or interested one way or the other. And TBH, she's really bad at responding to my emails (and I was her advisee), so I can't see her writing back to young grad hopefuls. And that definitely wouldn't be personal, so don't take it personally if someone never writes back. These people are super effing busy and statistically speaking, you're someone they'll probably never talk to. 

That said, @erosanddust provides an excellent example of how this can be done well. Asking a very specific question about a POI's research interests--one that demands some kind of response or opens up a dialogue--is the absolute ideal situation. However, these very intense questions are oftentimes difficult for undergrads of MA students to craft. (Like, had I written to Philip Gould when I was trying to get into Brown, I probably would have just been like, "I like your writings on Sedgwick, and how it shows the intersection of gender politics and colonization." And I'm sure he would have been like, "That's nice, dear.")

The best thing you can do, in an ideal world, is to try to attend a talk that's given by a POI, either at a conference or your institution or somewhere else, if that's possible. If you're able, try to ask a question in the audience. Then email them afterwards complimenting them on their talk and asking another question, or perhaps even asking to see a copy of their conference paper, if they're willing to share it. In the email, give them a brief (very brief!) summary of your interests. And even if you don't get to ask a question in the audience, you can still email them afterwards. 

tl; dr--That would be my advice. At the end of the day, reaching out to someone isn't a magic bullet, but it certainly can't hurt (unless you're jackass), so I encourage people to do it because what the hell, why not. 

Edited March 3, 2017 by Bumblebea