How safe is safe?

[speedracer05]

So, since I've completed all of my applications and have had a little time to wait, I've started to wonder if I spread out my safeties and reaches appropriately to have a decent chance of getting in somewhere. Your opinions on these schools, i.e. did I choose safeties correctly or apply to enough programs? I still have some time to throw in a few

Comments

[phoenixbird27]

I applied to some of the schools you list here last year so know some of the stats. Cornell English had 860 applications for the PhD alone and offer to 30 and take 12-15. This is by far the longest shot on your list (for anyone!)

CMU and Pitt are also ridiculously competitive, I applied to these two and was rejected (but admitted at a top 5 school.)

On the other hand, you have some very realistic safeties as others have pointed out. I think it's great that you have visited Syracuse and decided it's not for you--much better than getting there and deciding you hate it. I too also dropped some schools last time round when I couldn't write a fit paragraph, so I think that's a very intelligent thing to do. If it's that obvious to you that you don't fit ( and you know yourself better than the adcoms ) then it will be even more obvious to them.

Good luck!

[imbrium8]

Apologies to the OP, but I remember you from the English who_got_in thread, and just had to butt in to say that that is great news, Congrats! What program are you at now?

[phoenixbird27]

I'm at Yale in the English PhD track. Good to hear from you, thank you!

I just remember being really bumed about Cornell because I really wanted it, and my advisors were really hopeful for me, but things always work out in the end.

[imbrium8]

Neat! I have a friend there - a Miltonist in his third or fourth year. If you run into him, you'll have to say hello for me. (I don't think he knows any medievalists from his undergrad institution except for me).

I didn't even know their English department had a Derridean. I thought they were in comp lit. Shows what I know. ;)

Edit - it is fourth year. I had to go check the grad student directory to tell. Math is hard, let's go shopping, etc.

[heewit]

Well, you know the old English grad school chestnut: "There is no such thing as a safety school."

Setting aside that kind of cynicism, however, I'd say you probably have a pretty good balance of schools you have a good balance of reaches and safeties. Be ready to be surprised come acceptance season, though--you probably will be rejected from at least one you were sure you were a lock for, and accepted to one you thought you had no reasonable chance of getting into.

[heewit]

And please excuse the weird redundancies. My ability to write completely evaporated about two weeks ago.

[phoenixbird27]

(Sorry to the original poster about our digression!)

[dezelina]

I go to PItt.....their english program is very competitive...and so is Carnegie Mellons. If you are counting on Pitt as a safety, I wouldn't expect a lot of funding from them.

[speedracer05]

Is CMU really that competitive? At first I thought they would be a safety for me because their program is not very highly ranked. I figured that they were a brand-name science school. Anyway, so what's the deal with Pitt? Do they admit a lot of people without stipends? Do any of those people actually try to attend without them? I work here (at Pitt) but I don't know the low-down on the English department. Any insight would be helpful. Thanks!

[dezelina]

Honestly, regarding funding...I think it depends on the quality of candidates each year. I know other students in other grad programs at Pitt who have tried to work, who haven't received funding, and they said its very difficult and almost impossible. One thing about Pitt, lots of other sources of funding. If you speak any foreign language the University Center of International Service/Studies (UCIS) gives away lots of funding....I would look into that, they pay you to continue your foreign language studies.