Neither Here Nor There

Except if S is a married man who has a partner not keen on moving to NYC when his/her partner already has an offer from another prestigious university. Jobs and moving expenses could speak, despite NYU having some of the best philosophers in the world.

Did anyone get a wait list from the University of Kentucky? I know they sent out acceptances, but I have not heard if there was wait lists or rejections out. I' ve not heard anything from them.

Most of the advice given here is how to land in a top 20 analytic program. You sound like you might prefer working in the history of philosophy. If so, that might change your plans. Universities like DePaul and Villanova are stellar continental programs to land for a PhD.

Unfortunately, our system has not rid itself of classicism, seeing as it takes money to do an undergrad at top universities. I wish the name of the university could be erased from the applicant names, but that can't happen because of the letters

What program? The one-year Chicago MA or Brown? I can't speak for the specifics of the programs, if they are scams taking all your money or if they are reputable, but to answer the first person's questions, yes you can get good letters in a one year MA if you come in already a strong student and have really good term papers. In fact, most professors form an opinion of your wiritng after your first class, so having multiple classes with a professor probably doesn't have a huge advantage. Here in Canada one year MAs are really common, and students still manage to get letters.

Yea wait until April 15th. Nothing is obligating you otherwise, unless you have family reasons or something else. certainly it is your right to hold off to see if you get another offer, even if its a remote possibility (i.e. you are at the bottom of the waitlist).

If it comes out to $12,000 after fees (and what about health insurance? that would make it closer to $12,000 if you are expected to pay some of that), then I think living off only $12,000 a year in any city in the US would be very difficult. That's $1000 a month. Figure at least $500 minimum for a room and utilities with roommates, more in most places, maybe if you are out in New Mexico slightly less. That only leaves another $500 for groceries, car, cell phone, and books. I did that for my MA, but I'm not doing that again. I don't need much more than that, but I need more than that. If it's $13,000, all that really means is that you have another $1000 a year for emergencies. If it's $14,000-$15,000 AND the roommate thing was only $500 a month (probably not for most places), maybe I could do it.

It seems that the department often sends the information along to the school of graduate studies or graduate admissions or whatever other office in charge of applications, who gets a letter from the dean and they post the letter on the portals and then an email is generated to everyone. When it goes to the graduate office, it takes time for them to send out the letters, because the office is dealing with a lot of departments. I really think that is reasonable not to expect the department to send out all the rejections and to allow it to go through the graduate office. I do appreciate it when the department notifies applicants of waitlists, however.

How are they going to have time to interview on April 14th? they have to set them up first. Give me a break. If a spot open, just pick someone from 6-10 who has an AOI that would be an asset and let it go.

The current results from SLU on grad cafe do suggest that if you have not heard, you are probably rejected. The hidden waitlsit is a much lesser, if not slim, probability. But I hope Rose-Colored Dasein is on a hidden waitlist. And also:: I agree that the department should notify applicants of being on some slim hidden waitlists and should go ahead and send out rejections. We need to make plans.

I'm starting to get very annoyed at departments that seem to be in no hurry to release waitlists, even though offers are out. It makes it hard for me to make choices when I don't know what mine are.

You may be considered for the MA at SLU. But the PhD acceptances and waitlists came out last Thursday or Friday . . . just a few days ago. And I agree with your last statement. I'm beat up at this point and it hurts mentally to analyze it too much.

If y If you haven't heard from SLU, it is doubtful there will be an acceptance. Acceptances and waitlists are already out. You could email them but not much hope there. BC is a pain in the ass. I also applied there. They should really send out rejections and waitlists so we can get on with our plans. They are holding admissions back.

So if the others decline, they have to interview you first? good grief. what if that didn't open up to April 15th? These people and their ridiculous interviews. Really. I'd personally love to go to DePaul, so I'd be tempted to wait, but I don't know under those conditions. haha.

Yea if someone from the UK got an offer today, then its probably not a delay on putting together an international funding package.

Funding packages are probably different for international applicants, so yes I would not be surprised if it came out on a different day. Canada does things a bit different than the US with funding packages, but unfortunately often has less funding available for international applicants so it can be more competitive.

Remember also to decline an waitlists if you are accepting on somewhere else. It will speed up the process for those of us on waitlists.

Yea I don't mean you specifically. We have to play their game. I've been playing it too. And I think there is some value in learning to edit for excellence, as long as its not our entire worth as philosophers. But it raises the question on the degree to which programs often look entirely at perfection in publishing material. The whole tenure system is broken away from good conversations that would transform the body of students at large, in our teaching work, and towards publish or perish. It bothers me that sound bites at an interview are deemed to make one unworthy of a spot, for example. There is more here than meets the ear. The trend is disturbing.

Much congrats. But I must say that this is the part of academy that really discourages me - the never good enough. Don't get me wrong. I love it not being good enough in the sense that every day it gives me a reason to get up and work on new innovative projects, writing new papers in constantly new and better ways. But it is also healthy to go sledding and hiking and walk away from your work. To me, its not particularly useful to spend 20 hours a week for three months editing on one single paper. If that's necessary, the system is really broken; it is in essence only wanting people who want to edit all day and not wanting people to grow into better and more holistic people. I know the professors will argue that one can have both, and to a degree, the two do go together. But we best beware of when we turn philosophy into an idol, not we the student per se, but the system. To me, philosophy is always about the kind of person we become. Aristotle understood this. Augustine understood this. Dante understood this.

Who is they?

I completely understand. I don't see Philly as better than Chicago at all - Philly is a pretty intense place. But if it works better for you all, that is a good reason. You probably can't go wrong either way, unless one really supported your interests more.

DePaul may be worth holding out for. It's a top continental placement.

Ask. If they do not know, you can also go ahead and turn down all the others. For example, narrow it down to the top choice you are already admitted (and let go of the others in which you have been admitted) and let go of any waitlist that you would not choose over the one(s) you are already admitted. Effectively, you can narrow it down to 2-3. And go ahead and let go of the others. And believe me, there are many people living in high anxiety right now who will thank you for doing so.

do we count saint louis as a january 30. they didn't start releasing them until yesterday. that one student was an isolated student. probably a fellowship. I owuld hate for studtents in 2019 to be checking their email and looking for something from them that early. their application wasn't even closed until February 15.

Interviews at BC? When? Some people had their offers on February 1 and there was no mention of interviews on the results page, nor was there likely enough time before that release for interviews to have had to occur (considering the notifications came by postal service and were obviously mailed prior to the 1st). Maybe they are interviewing one-by-one, because it seems if there was a large interview pool, we would have seen it on the results page.