Neither Here Nor There

Yup. And I noticed a CUA rejection but no word on acceptances/waitlists.

what is up with all the rejections coming out before acceptances?

Who else applied to CUA? I find it odd that the person already received a rejection when the department website says they accept applications until Febuary 1. I also applied but the application website simply says my application is under review. I'm not sure if I'm just missing something, or maybe the department did a "pre" committee process, where they, for example, eliminated anyone without a master's degree or did GPA or GRE cuts. Weird behaviour.

Which programs tend to send out offers in January?

I have not applied there, but you have a good chance. York is good about accepting non-Canadian applicant. International students do pay a higher tuition rate; I don't know what kind of scholarships they offer to off balance that. But you should be competitive for admissions. I don't think the publications will put you ahead of other students, if its not in North American journals, but it would clear up any doubts that they could have about having a BA honours from a North American university. Good luck.

I am applying for phds. I have degrees from Canada and feel very nervous about applying to the States. Its a whole new world for me. I'm also working full time right now, while doing last minute thesis edits for my MA, so I am frustrated that I cannot just get the applications in (I am using a chapter of my thesis for my writing sample, but it requires editing so that it can be short, concise, and clear). I have high grades and a strong background in philosophy and I feel like an outstanding writing sample (but don't we all?) I'm most nervous about the GRE and having Canadian degrees (and not from U of T). I am also still studying for the GRE, hoping to bring the Q score up. The math section is ridiculously basic stuff in the scope of things; back in high school, I would have scored high. And right now I just get frustrated all the time studying for it, because my heart is in my writing projects, not math. As far as where I am applying, I am applying to a number of universities that I consider medieval philosophy friendly, both in Canada and the States.

Yes, I agree with what you said. At my university, a phd is 5 courses, but I do not know that many phds are 6 courses, some even 9 (U of A may be 9). But ever bit helps; I'd take 6 courses over the 10 or 12 in the States. And yes, non-Canadian readers should know that a Canadian phd is slightly shorter ( but only slightly), because many if not most successful applications have an honours BA and a master's (and master's with a thesis at that). I don't mean send supervisors a research proposal, but I would consider a 2-sentence email. I recently sent an email about a funding question to a graduate coordinator or department chair, and the chair put me in contact with a potential supervisor. In another case, I had emailed one prof, and as he had retired recently, he inadvertently put me in contact with another professor, at which point a conversation was sparked and a prof said he'd love to supervisor the project. This might not be the best approach, however. Maybe a random application is better. But it is acceptable to send a short email. It could save you a $100 application if the prof is saying he isn't taking any new students.

I feel your pain so much. I have two master's degrees, one interdisciplinary, one in philosophy, both with almost all the coursework in philosophy. As I am in Canada, I figured out recently that I have completed more philosophy courses than their phd students (since MA + phd in Canada = less courses than two MAs). I know my AOI well, have published a paper, and while I am an immature scholar for all intents and purposes, I still navigate myself fairly independently and find the coursework draining, to say the least. If you really really want to take less coursework, apply to Canadian schools. Its not uncommon for unis here to only require 5 courses for a phd. (U of T may be different because they compete with the US so heavily) Its quite possible to do the phd in 4 and a half years. And in Canada you contact potential supervisors directly, making the admissions process somewhat less arbitrary. But then you may join the unemployed philosopher ranks that way, as the placement record in Canada is even worse, I'm afraid., probably especially for Americans. This too is my predicament right now. I much prefer Canada, but the better job placements leads me to the States.

Yea at the end of the day, I do philosophy because it brings me joy. I can always go back to to doing what I was doing before grad school if academia doesn't provide me with a job. But certainly, we can't be under the illusion that we *will* get an academic job. Its pretty discouraging.

Yea that's the thing. My math score may be embarrassingly low. I am doing the practice, but I can only "remember" math so fast, and the deadline is coming shortly. I did two master's degrees in Canada, so we did not have to do the GRE. So basically, I've not had any math in over ten years. I intend to try to ace the verbal. I wish we did not need the math section. I kind of understand it for analytic students, but I do hermeneutics.

You know that if you had a death in the family that is a really really good excuse, right? That kind of thing naturally leads to emotional and mental challenges. Its traumatic. Its what lead me to take extra time finishing my MA thesis, really! Your letter writers can explain that. And if you end up getting an MA, the Ws will get further and further to the past anyway.

About the bleak job prospects here in North America, the above poster may or may not be looking for a job in North America, and in his country of origin the job market may or may not be as bleak.

I am finally putting in my phd applications this season, and I'm pulling hairs and half-way screaming over the math section of the GRE. I have not had math since high school 10 years ago (did it for dual credit), and it was algebra. My AOI is in theology and medieval philosophy and some contemporary Continental issues as it relates to med. philosophy. I am applying to continental schools and theology programs. The other part of my application should not be weak. I have a 4.0 grad GPA, 4.0. institutional undergrad GPA (had a couple Bs in piano from the CC; go figure, I had a high A in algebra and chemistry and now can't remember either), strong letters, strong thesis, good sample, a lot of conferences, a publication. But the damn math section of the GRE. Any tips on how to improve this besides hitting my head against the desk? I want to cry because I would not make a bad application if they could just ever see my application. I know there are many others who make just as good of an applicant, but I still want mine to be seen with the others.

I'll take that advice. It will be so expensive.

Great. send me a message if you find out anything. It could have been the randomness of it all. Good luck next year.

Thanks everybody. That helped clarify things for me. In my case, there is nothing I can do about my undergrad. The rest of my application should be strong (I'm not saying I'm more brilliant than any of the other 99,000 people, but I do have some strengths in my application, in form of letter writers and papers). This quote though made me laugh. I appreciate the tips on the SOP.

Hi, all, I am a 2017 phd applicant. I am wondering if previous phd applicants, successful or unsuccessful, have advice for those of us applying next year. I am especially wondering things, such as: (1) Did you submit the same writing sample with all your applications, or do you think it's generally bad advice to submit different writing samples? (2) Do you have any strategies for helping earn strong GRE scores? (3) Is it bad that at least 3 students from my department are applying to the same school? (4) Anyone have experience placing in a phd with a no-name undergrad but a known MA program? (5) How much detail did you go into regarding your research interests on your SOP? Is it good to be specific or vague? That is to say, for those of us who know our main area of interest, is it detrimental you think to be specific? (6) Did anyone contact professors in their AOI before the application season? Did you feel this is bad or good? Feel free to answer any or none of these questions. Any advice or general encouragement is good. I'm already freaking out over all the rejections (securing a funded MA was stressful enough!)

Good to know. I am going to go ahead and apply there, but for the MA program only. I don't think coming from a small university, I would be directly admitted to their PhD, but if I got a good funding MA offer, I could apply another year for PhDs at more continental schools like McGill.

Thanks. Some of these I've had recommended, but some I had simply overlooked. I now see that there are a couple faculty working within the continental tradition (and feminist philosophy) at Alberta. Good to know.

I am trying to compile a list of Canadian graduate schools friendly to continental philosophy, whether that be MA programs or Phd program. What universities do you recommend?

Very, very true. Sadly. =(

I think the difference is for me I would be happy only studying theory. I would much rather read Foucault than a novel. I am also going to apply to some continental philosophy programs. They are harder to get into than English PhDs, however.

My degrees are from religious schools, so I'm not likely to get into a top school. I'm certainly working to boost my application in anyway I can (writing sample, conference papers, GRE score), though

oooh, this one looks great! Thanks. http://cscl.umn.edu/grad/csds.html

I am wondering if you all have suggestions on Phd programs either in theory and criticism, or programs that specialize in critical theory/lit theory. I love it all, but especially poststructuralism.