asacollier

Accepted to Georgia State MA.

Thanks for the advice. I'll give some specifics as requested. I have great grades from a medicore school: 3.98 GPA, Summa Cum Laude, Honors, Distinction in Philosophy from the University of South Carolina. My GREs are OK, but not stellar: 159Q/164V. I plan to study my ass off and take it again this year. I really don't know how to evaluate my writing sample. I think it isn't bad but needs some work (and professional criticism). My letters of recommendation are from fairly good people, considering the low pedigree of my school. I don't know what they say, of course. I was rejected from a lot of good PhD programs this year (CUNY, Columbia, UC Riverside, UMass, etc.) If anyone has more tailored advice, I would greatly appreciate it. This is probably a good thread for others to give specifics on their situations in case they need the same type of advice.

I followed my pop's advice and applied straight to PhD programs. He said that getting an MA in philosophy is a bad idea, that schools are interested in students who are good enough to go straight to PhD without an MA, and that schools often don't even accept their own MA students. He knows what he is talking about to an extent, but that might have only been true 30 years ago. I want to find out what the general consensus is on an MA in philosophy. Do they help or hinder? Is it a waste of time? If one gets an MA from a good school, is it possible to pursue a PhD there as well?

"Due to miscommunication, two different deadlines for applications for admission to the PhD program at The CUNY Graduate Center have appeared online: December 15 (posted by the administration) and January 15 (posted by the department). This week I have received quite a few emails from justifiably nervous applicants worried they may have missed the deadline. They have not. We are accepting applications until January 15, and we are in touch with the admissions office (conveniently located just 50 feet from the Philosophy Department). Thank you Stephen Neale Graduate Admissions Director" -Leiter Reports I'm pretty pissed. I could have had another month to work out kinks in my writing sample. Did anyone else notice this?

Hey there, If anyone has any time at all, I really need some feedback on my writing sample. I am arguing that functions (in the sense discussed by Millikan, Wright, Cummins, etc.) are not dispositions. I'm freaking out a little bit right now, so any help I can get would put my mind at ease. Thanks so much, Asa Collier www.docdroid.net/lg56 ps: If anyone has any trouble with the link, let me know. I'm in China right now and the internet connection ain't so hot.