AquinasDuo

I am a little confused on this too. Generally, notifications for PhD come out via email from the graduate programs administrator, and should not be expected for another couple weeks. If they got a letter only it likely means an unfunded offer to the MLitt/MPhil, I think that may go out via post first and only.

Oh, I am well aware of all that and more, and am not taking things hard nor personally. I guess I should have used more neutral language, sorry, but I promise the post was at most a bit of a vent. Separately, I think Toronto has done more than just the first round. I could have sworn someone posted in this very thread about getting on the wait list.

Crud. I know someone at a department to which I applied and s/he does not like me very much at all.

Seems like lack of contact from Toronto is officially an rejection at this point. This once cuts me deeply; I've known a fair few who have gone through that program and generally am accepted as their equal. Not to mention a great personal desire to attend, and live in, Toronto. I'm finding rejections hit harder this time with an acceptance in hand than they did prior years. Interesting...

I find that I am not too bothered by the wait for results from thus-far silent departments. The killer is lag between first round acceptances and the rest. There is somewhere I dearly want to go, and theoretically should have a good chance with (I was waitlisted last year and have a much stronger application now). They have clearly admitted some (those up for the fellowship), but I've seen no word on the other acceptances nor a waitlist and it burns!

Separately, the best way for anyone to share their writing sample with anyone else would be for the author to post it (as a work in progress if they'd like) to a page like Academia, LinkedIn, or a blog. This way there is a public record of ownership with (should it be needed) records of when, where, any by whom it was uploaded. Alternatively, I suggest drop box as it also maintains records of when, where, any by whom it was uploaded. This way if the paper is claimed by another for anything of significance, the author can easily prove ownership. This should remove any concerns of plagiarism or reproduction in any worthwhile sphere.

Oh! Now I see. Since it is only my fourth time through (also now having a masters) Riverside just looked at my application and thought that I needed to put in more dues. Fair enough! ;-) Congrats to all of the acceptances! Seems the ol' Grad Cafe crew are having a good year this time around.

Alethicethic is a paragon of acceptitude it seems. Something in his/her application is the secret, and I wonder what it is... Protip: It's not teaching, I've done three semesters as faculty between my last round of applications and this one, and so far all it seems to have done is moved me from the bottom of Missouri's acceptances to the top.

Well, I'll just have to hope for a wait-list spot at whichever of Duke or UCR that you don't pick. Based on your stats, extras, and some of your interests, I find it likely that we would have been directly competing for spots.

I'm seeing UCR acceptances, and I am a bit bummed to not be among them. I was very interested in UCR, not in the same way as I am 'interested' in a top 20 school, but with an actual bit of intrigue about the school and department. They also responded to neither of my emails and were very slow in updating about records, so perhaps I shouldn't be shocked. Usually, it seems, prompt and full responses from a department is a good sign.

I looked back at my application when I couldn't get into NetID and found that my Writing Sample didn't make it through the system the first time as I had thought. I've since emailed all the departments to which I applied to ensure my application was complete with them. 7 of 13 responded within a day (i.e. so far). A couple where very nice, most pithy, and one a little rude if I'm honest.

Oh no! I think, maybe, that I just discovered my Madison application to be incomplete... Well, seems I didn't deserve it then anyway :-/ ... I think I am going to email departments and check up on my applications. ... Maybe cry a little.

Philosophe, let me know if you get into St. Andrews! Also, for everyone's information, Missouri is a school that invites a large number out and splits them into wait-list and acceptances. It seems they invite a few top choices. Then, about 10 others get invites a little later on that ask the person to come to campus but do not explicitly offer a place and from those 10 some are accepted and the rest wait-listed.

I will happily answer questions about St. Andrew's (SASP) MLitt/MPhil program. Spoiler: it was grand.

This may have been asked, and if so I am sorry, but why are Political Philosophy and Philosophy of Law split but there is no Applied Ethics separate from Ethics? In my experience the latter divide is much sharper and broader than the former...

Hello Everybody! First off, a big congratulations to the Duke acceptances. Duke was on my list this year, and I am a little jealous. But, I also have some news. On Friday I got an email from Missouri offering me acceptance and telling me I was nominated for a 'prestigious' university level fellowship. So, any missouri applicants should keep an eye to their email!

MattDest, I suppose my prevailing interest is in Applied Ethics, specifically animal (and to a lesser extent enviromental). However, through my first two rodeos I was a general Political Philosophy student; I hadn't refine my interests more than down to rights/duties and governmental legitmacy. Through my time in Philosophy many of my politics centered interests have been weeded out as generally out of place in Philosophy study (though welcome again once a professional, which bugs me a little). This processes, both in removing some foci and leaving me clutching desperately to others, left me in Applied Ethics, wherein I was able to rediscover and take as research my personal convictions. Then, my secondary has always been ancient. From my first semester through to today I have loved the stuff.

This ruined at least one day for me; I was so very bummed! Boulder was the place I wanted to go most, with the faculty I wanted to work with most, in a place I want to live most. But, c'est la via I suppose. I surely hope they refund the ETS fee, or take the applications and just make the offers for a 2015 start. It would be quite rude to just write off all the applicants like that. I look forward to any news that can be found about what is going on up there in those mountains.

It was said above, and I must echo: It is best to get letters from people who know interesting things about you and/or see you around a lot. One of my letters is from someone who gave me a very high mark and I ended up top in the course. However, I think the better parts of here letters will be any comments about seeing me at conferences in the audience and at the dais and anything I may have done well there (if anything).

Bah! Kind of you to say, but even with all those 'experiences' I still get easily beat out by youngins with pedigree and better scores. I see Boulder on your list. It was my top choice in the U.S. four years running. I wanted little more than to study there. Sadly, this happened: "Due to a complex internal reorganization now in progress, the University of Colorado Boulder Philosophy Department will not be admitting any new graduate students for the 2014-15 year. We apologize for the inconvenience and we will refund the application fees for those who have already paid. Thanks so much for your interest in us. We expect to re-open enrollments for 2015-16."

Hallo all! This is my fourth time through the mill. Time the first I had zero idea what I was doing and rightfully got in no where but my alma matter for an unfounded MA. I decided to get a second bachelors instead. Time the second I ended up going to St. Andrews, stopped after the MLitt because I couldn't afford the further year for the MPhil. Time the third I got on a few wait-lists, and into two programs. The better offer was from Missouri, but I ended up declining for exigent personal reasons. And here we are again. Better GRE scores, better statement, better sample, and (I should think) same or better letters (one from a big name). I also feel I've finally gotten the hang of finding fit and applying across the gambit the best way. At current I have applied to: Boston, CU-Boulder, Chicago, Cornell, Duke, Georgetown, Missouri, St. Andrews, Toronto, UC - Riverside, Virginia, Wisconsin, Yale. If I find more money I will be adding in some or all of: Rice, Syracuse, Utah, WUSTL, Cambridge, Sheffield, York, KCL, ANU. I know I should apply to Arizona, but I can't get myself to for some reason. My Undergrad GPA was 3.8, 3.95 in one major (philosophy) and 4.0 in the other (poli sci). My graduate GPA was distinction level (16.6 on St. Andrews system). My GRE is 161/161/5.5. I have a handful of publications (mainly graduate journals), and a half dozen presentations (mainly professional conferences including an APA). I've taught at Community Colleges, and through other programs. I had a lot of extracurricular laurels and a list of honour organisations, but I've had to leave them off my application for space reasons. Though, I wonder if they would have been better to list than my work experience (Thoughts?). Best of luck to everyone! The chatting and camaraderie of this thread/forum is one of my favourite parts of the process.

I decided tomorrow if it is Missouri or nothing. It depends 95% on how my wife's impending interview goes, and 5% on if I think I'd do better to slow down half a step and focus my applications on good MA programs next season. Any advice from the gallery?

I may well be, though it remains to be seen. Sadly, the whole process with them (granted at the college level not the department level) left me with a sour taste. But, on the flip side, can't look a gift-horse! Sorry, rambled; congratulations!

Toronto rejection today (which I find odd as a much weaker application netted me a wait-list spot last time), and implied from Michigan. This is my whole list solved with explicit or implied decisions except St. Andrews (who I know hasn't made announcements yet) and FSU. So, on the latter, has anyone heard anything at all? Their deadline was not particularly late, so it is a bit odd for nothing to have come out yet... OH! Second question: I see Michigan acceptances, but has anyone heard about a wait-list yet?

I'm a bit confused on why I can find no FSU listings in our survey, nor our forum, yet the Georgia State MA placement page says one of their students got in this year... EDIT: I lie, there is one, and only one, notation, which is a single acceptance on 6 February.