Gnothi_Seauton

Looks like it was just taken down. Odd.

Anyone else confused by that Columbia post?

I like the new blog layout, ianfaircloud!

No problem!

Probably, but because I got nominated for a Jefferson Fellowship, I'd at least like to hear a bit more about that before deciding.

Arizona is definitely strong in political philosophy. But Chapel Hill is stronger in ethics, is solid in political philosophy (especially given my interests), and has one very strong figure in philosophy of law (Gerald Postema). Chapel Hill's funding package is significantly better: more money and more time on fellowship. I also have some personal reasons as well (Chapel Hill's location is more appealing to me, my fiancee is a teacher and the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area is more populated than Tucson, Chapel Hill is a bit closer to family, etc.). Short answer: If political were my only strong interest, I would definitely wait on Arizona, but I like ethics as least as much as I like political, and I really like what Chapel Hill has to offer in ethics.

I am one of the ones waitlisted at Arizona. However, I already took my name off the waitlist. I hope that helps someone!

Your work, as always, is much appreciated.

I wouldn't be surprised if things picked up this afternoon.

Big week ahead! Good luck to everyone here!

Thanks, Monadology!

Hey, guys. I'll claim this evening's UVA acceptance. The email was very nice. No indication of whether others are going out soon, but the email was personalized enough (Professor Humphreys wanted to schedule a call) that I would expect more are coming in the next few days. Fingers crossed for the others who applied!

Congrats, MattDest!!

I think he means McGinn II, like the second McGinn-style affair. If you're not aware of it, Colin McGinn was recently effectively forced out of Miami because of sexual harassment charges.

Looks like WashU-St. Louis just sent out a bunch of rejections. Some are for PNP and some are for Philosophy (though I suppose some who applied for PNP could have simply listed the degree as "Philosophy").

Maybe decisions are harder this year for some reason. Maybe Chicago had weather issues that closed the campus for a few days (my parents live in that part of the country, and they've been having a lot of snow this winter). Maybe there are administrative issues. Maybe the review is just going slower than in years past. It's hard to say, but I second your surprise that they haven't released results yet.

I don't want to speak for Zukunftsmusik, but "TGC" probably stands for "The Grad Cafe." He/She is probably referring to the evidence that can be gleaned from hunting through the forums and results pages over the last few years.

Agreed. I also think Penn and Chicago are going to be soon.

DHumeDominates, I would hope that no admitted applicant would take that attitude. Aside from being morally repugnant, it would seem to show a stunning lack of appreciation for how much of a role luck plays in any decision.

I think that most of us have some "order of importance" list in our heads (writing sample, then letters, then GPA, then GRE and SOP) when we think about our prospects for admission. As the admissions season progresses, I'm inclined to think, as you seem to, that fit is more important than most of us have thought. Those who have listed their areas of interest in the forums and received acceptances have seemed so far to be really good fits for their potential departments. My one acceptance is a great fit for my interests, though I've yet to hear word from a couple departments that have sent out acceptances and waitlists (so I'm inferring rejections). I applied to one school (Duke) because of the presence of one particular person (Allen Buchanan), who is only at Duke half the year anyway. He fits perfectly with my interests in political philosophy, but the department has limited options in my other areas of interest. Admissions decisions, of course, are based on many factors, some of which are bound to be somewhat random and subjective, so I don't want to say anything like "if I'd been a better fit, then I would have gotten into X." I wouldn't presume to say anything like that. But it seems plausible that, given the evidence from the forums thus far this admissions season, fit is more important than we might otherwise suspect.

Someone posted another Wisconsin acceptance. Congrats to that person! Does anyone think we'll get results from a new school this afternoon?

bar_scene_gambler is right. Don't take the result from one school to be indicative of what will happen at other schools. There are too many random variables at play in an admissions decision. Any acceptance will depend, at least to some extent, on luck.

I think Chicago is a good bet. If not today, definitely early next week. I think Penn should be fairly soon as well. Their application deadline was December 10th, if memory serves.

Hi, all! I've been reading these forums for a few months, and I decided now that the admissions season has really begun, I should be more social. Wishing everyone the best of luck!