frege-bombs

Currently going through Cappelen's Philosophy Without Intuitions. It's a joy to read.

I have it from a professor at Virginia Tech that a student from that MA program has accepted a PhD offer from CUNY Graduate Center.

Virginia Tech. Go Hokies.

That's very cool to hear. I'm really excited about the prospect of joining VT's department, as they have strengths in two of my main areas of interest (phil of science and Wittgenstein). I'm impressed by their placement record as well. Blacksburg is not too far from where I am now (I'm from North Carolina), and seems pretty affordable. All things said, I think it's a great fit. What are your interests? Do you think it's likely that you'll end up at VT?

For what it's worth, when I got into Virginia Tech, I was told that I was "high on the waiting list for funding." I was also told that it was almost certain that some of the candidates to whom they had made initial funding offers would decline, at which point they would immediately proceed down the waiting list. A week later, I was thrilled to receive an offer of full funding in the form of a GTA-ship. So, that's how it's done at VT at least. I hope this is of some help! I can certainly understand not wanting to get your hopes up. Best of luck.

Admitted: Virginia Tech (full funding), NIU (invited to apply for tuition waiver), Ohio University (declined) Waitlisted: Colorado State Rejected: Georgia State Still waiting on Brandeis, Milwaukee, and Western Michigan.

I have also been admitted without an assitantship at NIU. I am still waiting to hear back from Virginia Tech, Western Michigan, Brandeis, and Wisconsin-Milwaukee, but given my interests and the program's placement record, it will be difficult for me to turn down NIU (assuming the tuition waiver comes through).

Scotch is tight.

Craft beer and scotch.

Another well-known philosopher now being accused of sexual harassment: http://www.nbcchicago.com/investigations/NU-Student-Claims-Sexual-Harassment-Claims-Against-Prof-Ignored--244778581.html

When I listen to music while reading philosophy, I typically choose something minimal or ambient that will fit nicely in the background. Sigur Ros and Brian Eno are popular choices. I find it difficult to focus on what I'm reading if the music has lyrics.

Seconded.

The answer to both questions: drink heavily.

Kashim, First, I'd just like to say that I very much empathize with what you've said. I just finished my 1L year (not a T5 school, but top public in the 30s) and absolutely hated it. After graduating with a BA in philosophy from a good liberal arts college, I went straight through to law school, thinking that my time spent crafting arguments and thinking analytically would translate to law school success. This was a very naive view in hindsight. I missed the more abstract subject matter of philosophy, and found law to be excruciatingly practical. I withdrew from law school and am taking the year to apply to philosophy graduate programs. After talking with some of my old phil. professors and friends with experience in philosophy grad programs, I have learned that my experience isn't all that uncommon. So, while switching to phil. may sound naive to some of your law school peers, I wouldn't worry about it so much. The way I see it, if this is truly what you want to do, and you wouldn't be satisfied without at least taking a shot, then it's better to have learned this about yourself now after only one year in law school (as opposed to three, five, ten years down the road). With regards to next steps, I would say that you have a few options. Because you don't have an undergraduate degree in philosophy, getting the requisite background in philosophy necessary for graduate work would need to be a priority. To that end, it is my understanding that MA programs can be very useful. You need not have been a philosophy major to attend these programs. It may be the case, however, that you'll need to take certain prerequisite classes at that institution, such as logic, ethics, a couple history of phil. classes, and maybe an introductory metaphysics/epistemology course, before you can be admitted as a full time graduate student. You mention that you are allowed to take philosophy courses at your undergrad school -- this sounds like it would be a great way to knock out any prereqs an MA program would require. And, from what I've read, there are several fantastic Canadian MA programs that have excellent placement records to PhD programs. It's not an exhaustive list, but I'd start by exploring the programs here: http://www.philosophicalgourmet.com/maprog.asp I'll be applying to all MA programs this fall, as they seem ideal for someone like you or me who found themselves drawn to philosophy a little later on in the game. Another thing you could do is stay in law school and spend time in the philosophy department on the side. If you're at a T5 law school, that means you're either at Yale, Harvard, Stanford, Columbia, or Chicago -- all schools with incredible philosophy departments. You could try and audit some undergrad courses there in your 2L year and maybe work yourself up to grad level courses by 3L year. Maybe find a course that sounds interesting to you and send a friendly email to the professor explaining your situation... some might be less receptive than others, but I'm sure you could find one who would be happy to let you sit in on their class. Doing well in the course and establishing a relationship with the professor could go a long way. This might be tough to do on top of balancing all of your law school commitments, however, so you'd have to weigh your options. And, if you're like me, then you might not want to spend any more time in law school if you know your heart is just not in it. Of course, this may be a more difficult decision to make at a better ranked law school than mine. I hope some of this has been helpful. It should probably be taken with a grain of salt, as I haven't studied philosophy at the graduate level yet and others might have better things to say. As someone who recently made the choice to leave law school to pursue philosophy, I can say that, having done it, it simply feels right. This may change when I don't get in anywhere this application cycle, but for now, I feel good about where I am. Best of luck!

Hi folks, I certainly don't mean to hijack this thread from philstudent1991 and others, but I've been lurking on this forum for the past month or so and I thought I'd put myself out there. I am applying to programs this fall, but am honestly unsure of my chances anywhere. I'll tell a bit about myself and the programs I am interested in, any feedback you all could offer would be very much appreciated! As of now, I plan on applying to almost all MA programs, as I believe that the MA route will be the best route for me given my situation. I graduated in 2012 from a top 30 USNWR liberal arts school with honors in philosophy. I wrote an honors thesis (on Wittgenstein on religious language) and won an award for being the best philosophy major that year. I also had a paper accepted at an undergraduate conference. I know that that is not worth much, but hopefully it's at least some evidence that I am halfway-decent when it comes to philosophical writing. My GPA is on the lower-end: only a 3.51 overall and a 3.64 in the philosophy major. I do have a mostly upward trend; by my senior year I was getting As in upper level philosophy courses. I also got an A in an upper level phil. course at a good department in Scotland, where I studied abroad for a semester during my junior year. My letters should speak highly of me, as I got to know all of my professors very well. I have yet to take the GRE. My list of programs at the moment includes Georgia State, Northern Illinois, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Brandeis, Virginia Tech, San Francisco State, Colorado State, Western Michigan, and Texas A&M, among possible others. I fully admit that this list is based on the MA programs Leiter recommends; if anyone has any information re: these schools and the admissions process that might be helpful, I would love to hear from you. I know that these MA programs can be very competitive as well -- if there are other MA programs that Leiter doesn't mention, but might be worth exploring, I am very much open to suggestions. I believe that the MA route makes sense for me for a variety of reasons. One is that I simply don't think I would stand any chance of getting into a PhD program without further showing that I am capable of doing quality graduate work in philosophy. Another is that I have very wide-ranging interests and am unsure of what I might want to specialize in. My interests include: Wittgenstein, Hume, epistemology, philosophy of science, philosophical logic, philosophy of religion, the theory of value, among others. More background in some of these areas would serve me well. A third reason is that I realized I want to do philosophy relatively recently. I just finished my 1L year at a top 30 law school and absolutely hated it. I've made the decision to leave law school, and I'm doubtful that a legal career is right for me. I believe that philosophy is where I belong given my interests and abilities; had I known that about myself earlier on, my undergraduate track record might not be so rocky. My law school grades were also not very good -- I have heard that this wouldn't be too much of a problem, but I understand that it doesn't do me any favors. This is unfortunate, seeing as my actual philosophy grades are not as high as I would like them to be. I apologize for the long post, and again, hope the OP doesn't mind me throwing my hat into the ring as well. If anyone has any comments they'd like to offer, I welcome any and all feedback. Looking forward to interacting and commiserating with everyone here in the months to come!