bar_scene_gambler

If you're really connected with film and art, then UT would be a better choice just based on the environment. I'm not saying pick it specifically for that reason, but Madison is a cultural backwater compared to Austin's art scene. It's a consideration to make.

I'm really glad you got in. It's been a rough application season, but most of us have pulled through in the end. Congratulations from the bottom of my heart.

Fair enough. I wasn't planning on being calculating in toto, but if it's a bad idea then it's a bad idea. I appreciate the input.

I've never really been in touch with academia, given that I'm coming an unknown philosophy department and we pretty much exclusively focused on historical texts in the courses I took. As such, I find myself completely ignorant of where the faculty at GSU stand in terms of reputation. Can anyone tell me if any of the faculty there are big names in their field, or if any of them have a reputation? I've been thinking of which courses to take and it would be nice to take courses with someone who would be a substantial recommender for PhD programs.

I really appreciate it. I hope it's as nice as everyone is saying. Dr. O'Keefe has certainly been very kind so far.

I guess I'm not a shutout anymore. A toast to my fallen brethren.

Thanks dude. It's great that you get the opportunity to go to a place like Arizona, especially considering the proximity to your family and all. Most of us did pretty well, all things considered.

Thanks for the congratulations guys. I'll have a few glasses of Ouzo in your honor tonight. You guys have been awesome.

Yep. RA for the first year and TA for the second. I'm pretty pumped. Damn straight. I'll buy the first round.

Georgia State baby!

Got of GSU's waitlist! Fuck yeah!

I finished my honors thesis yesterday and am now incredibly hungover. But, I've never had this much free time before. What should I do with my time?

Finally got my rejection from UT as well. Hoping I get into GSU and have better luck the next go around.

Hell yes. I'm going to have to wait 2 weeks to be certain, but I've been told by Dr. O'Keefe that the chances of me getting in are fairly good.

In philosophy it really boils down to the academic environment in the US. European PhD programs (excluding the UK), have historically tended to emphasize continental and historical fields. This is changing, as was emphasized to me by a German Kant scholar who recently gave a talk at my uni, but reputation takes a while to change. So, people with PhD's from places like Leuven or the Sorbonne and so on have a more difficult time getting tenure-track positions in the US, because the philosophical climate in the US is heavily analytic. Of course, there are other factors to take into consideration as well, such as the difference in education on a practical level (how European PhD's are educated on an administrative level), emphasis on research over teaching, etc. It's not a black and white issue. But there is a certain degree of truth in what Zizeksucks says. It's not necessarily the case that European PhD's aren't well respected, it's more that they have a harder time getting to tenure track because of a large variety of reasons which all work counter to the interests of the applicant.

Declined waitlist at U Houston if anyone is interested.

Looks like I was waitlisted without funding at U Houston. I will be declining soon if that helps anyone.

Yeah that makes sense. I just meant (though didn't make clear) that (s)he's not necessarily Catholic given the fact that (s)he chose to look at Leuven, given it's reputation in non-phil religion areas as well.

Eh. Just because he picked Leuven doesn't mean he's interested in religion. The philosophy department at Leuven is huge and is actually a fairly well known program in continental circles. It's a good choice as long as you don't mind being in Europe and being a part of a huge department. Oh. I should mention I'm only familiar with their PhD. I don't know anything about the MA or MPhil or whatever.

If you're going to read anything by Cavell, you should read The Claim of Reason. It's simply phenomenal. If you're interested in Wittgenstein, his This New Yet Unapproachable America is also very good. Also, his stuff on Shakespeare is great if you're familiar with Shakespeare (more than what your standard high school education gives you anyway)

I think it's important to point out that GSU's placement record on their website mentions both where the students accepted and where else they were admitted. Seeing everywhere where their students got in was important in my choice to apply.

I don't know if you realize this, but you've posted in the Philosophy forum. There's no industry to speak of in philosophy, so one can't really make industry connections.

Yeah, I was offered 21,000 through the FAFSA, so (assuming I'm accepted off the waitlist at GSU) I'll be using it to help cover living expenses over the two years I'm there, given the modest stipend.

One of my letter writers knows Tim O'Keefe, and so when I told my writer I was waitlisted, he contacted Dr. O'Keefe on my behalf to talk about my situation and chances of getting in. At the very least, it shows that your letter writer is willing to stick his/her neck out on your behalf, which says something about you as a student.

I'm almost positive you can. I just did my FAFSA the other day and there were no restrictions on the government's end in terms of your aid package. The FAFSA didn't even ask.