Bill H.

I appreciate what you're saying about "not begrudging other people who have money," but making the conscious to take on the debt in order to have access to education doesn't feel insane to me. I had no money and no savings, and more than doubled my undergraduate debt to attend MAPH ($109,000), and without it would never have gotten into UChicago's English PhD program (or any other). Neither I nor many of my friends (both in MAPH and in PhD programs) have any external support, living only on loans and work study or stipends and jobs. I'm no stranger to working multiple jobs and and shouldering big debt, and I'd make each and every choice all over again in order to be where I want to be right now. It's still a crap shoot, MAPH is no magic bullet. But I think it might not be as "insane" as you suggest for one to be on precisely the path you're calling crazy. For me, no amount of re-applying was going to get me into a program because I had no clue what grad school was, and I think most of us who are applying to grad programs don't realize that about ourselves. All that being said, your passion is evident, and I truly hope you get into a funded program!

Hi, all. As a current MAPHer, I thought I might weigh in on the program. I applied to several top-tier PhD programs (interdisciplinary programs, like Berkeley Rhetoric, UChicago Social Thought, and Stanford MTL; and straight philosophy programs, like Boston and DePaul), and got close to a few but eventually rejected from all. Then came the mysterious and unexpected letter from MAPH. I accepted because I wanted to stay in school and because my girlfriend was doing an MD/PhD at UChicago. In short: it was one of the best decisions of my life. Before I accepted though, I looked at all the MAPH comments on GradCafe, which resulted in some serious nail-biting and gnashing of teeth. So many people seemed intent on hating it. In retrospect, after two quarters in the program and heading into the third and final quarter, I can say that the 90-plus percent of the people who wrote in the forums hadn't even attended MAPH. Sour grapes abound: beware of them. Most heard about it from a friend-of-a-friend or their cousin's professor, or what-not. Most derided it, saying a) it's a cash cow for the university, that MAPH students aren't taken seriously, and c) it's impossible to get faculty attention. To which I would reply on all three counts that in real life experience, those are (by and large) nonsense. Real live MAPHers, of which there are a few on the forum have said different. As those other MAPH posters have said, you get out of it what you put into it. If, in your undergrad, you were used to professors patting your back and telling you how smart you were, that's not going to happen at U of C. EVERYONE here is pretty damn smart. Profs won't go chasing you for overdue papers, won't cheerlead, and won't hold your hand. They WILL respect students who, as my thesis advisor says, "work your bloody ass off." One poster suggested that: "it seems like it would be better for someone more laid-back. someone who doesn't necessarily want a career in academia or who wants to keep their options open." The latter part I agree with -- many MAPHers who enter the program convinced they want a PhD are confronted with a huge workload and elevated expectations. I would guess that somewhere between 40 and 60 percent decide NOT to pursue academia. That's because MAPH is incredibly serious and the program is onerous. If someone is "laid-back," MAPH will crush you. Into tiny little pieces. But if the idea of working with some of the world's top faculty members in an environment profoundly dedicated to higher learning and giving aspiring academics the boot camp-style training needed to get ready for the PhD programs you weren't granted admission to, then MAPH is a dream come true. But it's also grueling, exhausting, and you will have never worked harder in your life. If you decide not to do academia, MAPH bends over backwards to give students occupational opportunities, with tons of internships, externships, and professional development workshops. The MAPH staff are some of the most encouraging folks I've ever met, regardless of your post-MAPH goals. Do I sound enthusiastic about the program? Damn right I am. It costs an arm and a leg, and I am saddled with a massive amount of debt as a result of attending. Do I regret it? Never. Not once, not for a second. PS: It's very worth checking out the blog of a friend and fellow MAPHer at MAPHmatically Yours.

Out of curiosity, blackshirt, what is your acquaintance at Stanford doing the PhD in? I applied to and was rejected from MTL this year. —Bill

They did, and I was relieved! The Committee would have been good for my projects, but not so much MAPSS, so I was grateful for the MAPH referral. How'd you find out about letters going out? Do you have any idea how they decide who is going to get paper letters and who is going to get emails?

Thanks, blackshirt -- I appreciate the info!

Yep! Referred from the Committee on Social Thought.

Posted this in the other MAPH forum, too, but I'm really eager to get some feedback, so... As a potential MAPH person for next Fall (redirected from the Committee on Social Thought), I've got some questions for those of you out there who did the program: 1. How'd you afford it? Are there many TA/RA options? Is it feasible to have an on- or off-campus part-time job? 2. My long-term goal is a PhD -- is MAPH a reasonable venue for this? 3. In general, especially for you English/Philosophy/Theory folks, what are your pro and con thoughts on the program? Thanks! Bill

As a potential MAPH person for next Fall (redirected from the Committee on Social Thought), I've got some questions for those of you out there who did the program: 1. How'd you afford it? Are there many TA/RA options? Is it feasible to have an on- or off-campus part-time job? 2. My long-term goal is a PhD -- is MAPH a reasonable venue for this? 3. In general, especially for you English/Philosophy/Theory folks, what are your pro and con thoughts on the program? Thanks! Bill

Just emailed today -- received same response. "We will be letting applicants know before the end of February. The exact date is not yet set. Monica" Running out of fingernails.