1000Plateaus

Thanks guys, this is all really helpful. I apperciate it!

Hey all, I am half way through my PhD in Philosophy. I had a discussion with my PhD advisor several days ago, and his opinion is that PhD students should wait years until they decide to send any material off to journals for publication. His view is that it's better to wait until you have had years of study to distill your work into top-quality material before you submit anything. He said "bad publications are worse than no publications," and that "once you publish something it is out there forever." This seems a bit out of touch and dated advice, in my view. I understand his point about wanting to have better quality material, however with the level of competition these days, and post-doc or tenure-track position requires multiple publications at minimum. Newly graduated friends of my mine who have turned their PhD dissertations into books have told me that even having a book published in your field is no longer than impressive. Of course quality is better than quantity, I completely agree - but I feel as though the idea that students ought to wait years before submitting anything to journals seems antiquated. A lot of the PhD candidates I know are sending off articles to journals as well as working hard on their PhD research project. Why not do both? I should add that so far, I have 2 official articles published in two different journals. I personally would like to increase that number before I complete my PhD, but my advisor seems to think that it's better to wait. If I wait, I will be behind all the other newly minted PhDs who have more article publications. Thoughts?

Thank you, that's actually a good idea. I will give it a try.

Hi, I am a 1st year PhD in philosophy. I recently met with my advisor to discuss my research topic after I had submitted a proposal document to him. One of the things he mentioned was that (based of this said document), I needed to ensure that my writing was at the PhD level. Now, content aside, I was wondering if there are any helpful writing manuals for students working on a dissertation? How do I go about learning what constitutes 'PhD level writing'? After my meeting I picked up a copy of 'A Manual for Writers,' the famous Kate L. Turabian guide, and it is useful but I am wondering if any other PhD students out there have some tips for improving academic writing?

Any new graduate students excited about attending Kingston U in London, England?

Hello! I'm starting this thread for those of you who will be attending Kingston U in the fall of 2014. Personally, I will be starting my PhD degree at the Centre for Research in Modern European Philosophy there. As an international student who will be relocating to England, I am looking for possible roommates. I am going to try to live in Kingston, to cut down the cost of having to commute to campus. Anyone else looking for roommates?

So I have a phone interview for a PhD program coming up. While I have secured letters of reference, my MA advisor has refused to write on my behalf. This fact is vaguely mentioned in one of the letters, but I am wondering if I ought to mention it in the upcoming interview? I figure that if I put things into context, then the admin committee won't be surprised when they see that my ex advisor is absent. Thoughts?

So here is the rough draft of my SOP. I have already completed a M.A. degree in philosophy and am applying to M.A. programs in Political Science. I am interested in applying for 1-year M.A. programs, preferably course-work based, or with an MRP (I already wrote an M.A. thesis once). The main three points I have tried to hit are: i) How the M.A. degree in philosophy is an asset to me as a applicant (i.e., how it's useful). ii) How the M.A. program I am applying to will improve my academic training and further develop my education. iii) How the M.A. program I am applying to will provide the necessary foundations for me to continue onto a Ph.D in political philosophy. So, without further ado, here is my draft. I welcome all constructive criticism and input. My training is predominantly in the Continental philosophical tradition, with a specialized interest in social and political thought. The host of thinkers that I have studied include but are not limited to: Plato, Aristotle, Spinoza, Kant, Hegel, Marx, Nietzsche, Freud, Lacan, Benjamin, Lenin, Bergson, Adorno, Marcuse, Arendt, Derrida, Deleuze, Žižek, and Badiou. As a Masters student in philosophy, I completed seminars on Theodor Adorno, Hannah Arendt, Gilles Deleuze, Immanuel Kant, Henri Bergson. My research is oriented towards the intersection of political praxis and philosophy. In 2013 I successfully defended my Master’s Thesis in philosophy at ____ University, titled _______. It was during my thesis research that I became increasingly fascinated by the contribution of critical theory to advancing our understanding of dynamic material social forces, as well as how late capitalist culture informs and reifies our multi-faceted political subjectivity. My experience as a Masters student in _____’s philosophy program has given me an invaluable background in the history of philosophy, and contemporary continental philosophy. Given my research in political philosophy, I am confident that a Masters degree in political science will be greatly advantageous in solidifying and reinforcing my academic interest in political theory. Eventually, I intend to pursue a Ph.D. degree, focused on political philosophy, however I intend to improve and gain the necessary expertise and training in political science. So, it is to this end that I think the Masters graduate program in Political Theory at ____ University’s Department of Political Science will not only offer me an exceptional and necessary academic training in political thought and history. I believe that the program is the perfect choice for the continuation of my graduate education because of its strong emphasis on the history on modern political thought as well as its excellent commitment to contemporary political theory. I view _____’s M.A. in Political Theory as the appropriate program for pursuing my future academic goals. The Masters in Political Theory is the ideal next step for my ongoing graduate studies because it will provide the necessary intellectual background in political thought before I continue on to a Doctorate program.

I am preparing my applications for my 2nd M.A., this time in Political Science. I just completed an M.A. in philosophy. I am mainly looking into 1-year M.A. programs, preferably course-based. My LOR are okay, and my grades are decent, but I was just wondering what the admissions in like for someone like myself who already has a Master's degree? I realize that the majority of applicants will be B.A.s, but will my M.A. be seen as an asset or a hinderance to my application (I realize this is a very general question and that it depends on a number of contingent factors such as the admissions committee, my application, funding, etc)? I'm just curious to know if anything has gone through the process of applying for a 2nd M.A., and whether or not the fact that I have an M.A. in philosophy will be seen as an advantage?

So I recently sent in an abstract for a proposed article to an online, peer-reviewed journal, in philosophy. I answered a call for papers posting. My abstract was accepted and the article itself is due on Dec 1. I just have a question regarding the procedure of journals: Can the editorial board still reject my article after they have reviewed it, or will they most likely work to get my article published now that they have accepted the abstract?

Whoa, rising_star what's with this the intense hostility? I know for a fact that the majority of MA/PhD students under the supervision of my ex-advisor have taken longer than others in my Department to finish. There were two other MA students who, like me, finished in their 3rd year, rather than their 2nd, all under the same supervisor. The argument that I will take longer than most to finish a PhD because I took longer in my MA assumes that I will make the same mistakes and simply repeat the past (i.e., choosing a difficult topic, not research advisors prior to selecting on, etc). I believe that I have learned enough from my MA experience to recognize and acknowledge what factors contributed to my taking an extra year to finish. And why are you being so hostile towards me? I have thanked everyone who has bothered to read my (rather long-winded) summary and have taken everything said into consideration. I do appreciate and am thankful for all the advice people have left for me on this forum, and have been reflective and self-critical. I have been actively replying to the majority of posts here, so I don't understand why you think I am being stubborn. And why do I keep posting? Well, isn't this forum designed for graduate students to discuss and help each other out? I don't think I have been doing anything out of the ordinary here. emmm, I am a he, not a she.

Yes I do acknowledge that I made many mistakes that resulted in taking an extra year to finish my degree. But this isn't an anomaly, lots of grad students take longer than they are funded for to finish, especially at the PhD level. The average # of years is somewhere between 6-8 years, when most PhD program are supposed to be 3-4 years. So this whole "you took too long" isn't convincing to me.

So here's an interesting development. I have just learned from a former PhD student of my Dept. (now a Dr.), that my former advisor has had a bit of a track record of 'failing' MA students by being unsupportive and refusing to recommend them to PhD programs. Apparently the last guy this happened to managed to get LOR from other professionals who did value his work and he got accepted into a PhD program in philosophy. While this doesn't change the fact that I don't have a LOR from my advisor, it does boost my confidence a bit to know that I wasn't the first student that my advisor has done this to. I am kicking myself for not doing better background research on him prior to selecting to work with him.

I will be taking time off, that's a sure thing. I do understand the severity of not having LOR from my advisor or 2nd reader, and so if I do eventually decide to pursue a PhD degree, I need to lay down the groundwork, and plan it very carefully. It's something that will require a year or so of hard work and networking. It's very discouraging. It would be all too easy for me to quit my dreams of getting a PhD and just work dead-end office jobs. Right now, the thought of doing anything else besides a PhD in philosophy doesn't seem appealing or satisfying in the least. Philosophy is something I love, but my recent experiences has left me feeling rather apathetic. From my perspective, if I do choose to continue, it'll be an uphill battle. I had my heart set on a PhD in philosophy. I have devoted the past 3-4 years of my life, getting contacts through conferences and peers, I have been building myself into the role of 'grad student', and now there is this giant roadblock in my way. The prospects of submitting a successful PhD application without any LOR from my MA committee is very slim, and unless I balance that out with an outstanding CV, my chances are next to nil. All of this has made me realize that Grad school is full of petty politics, and that you have to learn how to 'play the game' to be successful at it. I just want to be a philosopher (I realize how pretentious that sounds..), write articles and books, teach classes, enlighten students, etc.

Thank you all for the feedback. Your input has both informed my thinking and helped me through this very stressful crisis. It's never easy trying to re-evaluate your life goals. At the end of the day, philosophy is my passion. I will figure something out.