Duns Eith

Related question: given that you applied to unranked programs, what drew you there? How'd you find them? When someone says that an unranked program is a foolish career move, what is your justification to believe otherwise?

To those who are applying to unranked programs, which ones do you have in view/are you applying to? (Provisional definition: an unranked program is a program with a PhD in philosophy, yet does not appear on the top-50 US or top-50 english speaking world. They may appear on specialized lists. E.g., Texas A&M, University of Sheffield, etc.) Mine? Purdue Urbana-Champaign Buffalo Michigan State Loyola Some of them have many faculty under whom I could easily and joyfully study. Even some of them are preferred (faculty-wise) over some ranked schools. (Not giving examples!) Some pay better, too. E.g., Michigan State University has a massive stipend: $21,500. (Compare this with Wisc-Madison, which apparently has only $11,600 yet ranked 21st on top-50 US)

This may be a classic case of someone having such high standards for themselves that they forget that they are high. Most people get less than a 3.5 in math. The vast majority get less than a 3.5 in college over all. Very few get a 3.8+/4.0 in philosophy. If you have a normal or slightly above average math score, great. Your reading comprehension (vocabulary, analytic skills, etc.) are far more necessary. You need math in the following cases: formal logic, philosophy of math, formal epistemology (to some extent), some very formal philosophy of mind or cogsci, or some very formal philosophy of language or linguistics, and finally philosophy of [some science or another, like biology or physics] So, two questions: 1) The kind of phil mind that you want to do, is it more armchair or is it more cog sci? There are people who take hard-line stances on these issues, and there are others who lean one way or another. Which way to do lean? 2) If you were to read a phil mind article that relied on statistics or maths, would you be able to ascertain what the import of the study is? If yes, you're fine. If you're not intent on specializing in a part of phil mind that develops or relies on empirical data, then you don't need to worry, especially with your maths background.

Or get your letter writer(s) to do that for you.

What are the percentiles of each? The combined score for the former is 328, whereas the latter is 326. That's prima facie reason to go with the former, but the verbal on your second is rockin'! That's a tough one.

No problem! I hope the Musicology program is welcoming and you get support there! Tschüß!

Can you name a school that said they care about that score? Or some discussion on Leiter where it is said?

Hey mano, do you mean by mail or by electronic submission? The latter should be instantaneous. I got notifications after notifications in my email that one letter writer was cranking out all the letters! I take it that the process is in real-time.

Hi! Welcome to TheGradCafe. There are a lot of sub forums here, so it is easy to get things mixed up if you are new here. Turns out you have posted in the subforum for Philosophy, but you are studying Musicology. It's okay. I think you want to post here instead: http://forum.thegradcafe.com/forum/81-music/ Feel free to introduce yourself there too!

Bryterlayter, that's a good idea. I'll make myself available as well: I am currently at Western Michigan University's MA program. Feel free to ask via PM if you have questions. It's a tight-knit community with good placement records and a faculty who want you to flourish. If you have interest in analytic philosophy, you'll enjoy it here.

This is interesting advice, because I have had several schools that ask for you to list every interaction with faculty, if you have had any contact. Take this with a grain of salt, but my colleague heard that this practice implies that the person is selected not to take part in evaluating your application, so as to keep the adcomm unbiased. If true, this is radically opposite UK school system, where connecting with a professor of interest is a prerequisite to admission.

https://wmich.edu/psychology/academics/graduate/apply This program has both MA and PhD in I/O ... I'm currently there for a different department than psychology. Unfortunately, their deadline is passed.

I have heard good things about my alma mater, Central Michigan University But the deadline is Jan 1st. https://www.cmich.edu/colleges/chsbs/Psychology/Graduate/IOpsychology/Pages/IO-Admissions.aspx

I got this notice: "You are only allowed to give reputation 5 times per day. You cannot give any more reputation today." That was for an up-vote, by the way.

I might be the only one here who thinks that the student should appeal to the professor. After all, the professor is ultimately responsible for the grading, not the TA. The professor has the final say and can choose to take it upon themselves or delegate. I think it is totally appropriate that the student, who is often oblivious as fuzzy said, to go to the one person they know they can appeal to. The TA might not be able to change it or clarify the way the prof can. Think of it this way: in a court of appeals, sometimes it is best that the instructor of record is the mediator and first line of defense/advocacy if there is any discrepancy. Moreover, the professor, not the TA, has more experience with complaints, variations in grading, and university policy. It is totally fine, I will say, that the professor forward complaints to the TA. I just don't think it is at all in appropriate of the student automatically. It would be in the case that the student refuses to interact with the TA, even when directed by the professor to interact.

P.S. Could you please narrow your question? The MA and PhD admissions websites tell you what they are looking for, generally. Think: a student who is top of the class in most classes that they take. If you want to know statistics, the graduate programs you are interested in will tell you what admitted students typically have in common: high GPA, high GRE, a solid writing sample, good letters of recommendation.... Qualities that suggest a promising student.

For MA, you should look something like this. http://www.schools.com/articles/three-ways-strong-applicant-competitive-schools.html And for PhD, you have to look stronger: Edit: Dawww.... A downvote? Dang. I thought it was funny.

I am taking that Au.D is a doctorate in audiology. Here's what Minnesota says: "There is no required minimum score to be admitted into the program. The GRE score is one of several metrics used in reviewing an application. Our admissions committee reviews each applicant's academic record, letters of recommendation, the personal statement, and any other information that will establish the candidate's potential to be an excellent graduate student. That being said, the fall 2016 admitted cohort for the MA-SLP program had an average category score in the 70th percentile; the fall 2016 admitted cohort for the AuD program had and average category score in the 60th percentile." https://cla.umn.edu/slhs/graduate/how-apply/frequently-asked-questions Here's what University of South Florida says: "Program Admission Requirements Three 3 letters of recommendation A 1-2 page letter of intent GRE scores with preferred scores at or above the 33rd percentile on both Verbal and Quantitative sections. GRE writing with a preferred score of 4.0 or better GPA greater than or equal to 3.0 for last 60 credit hours of baccalaureate degree Demonstration of competency in communication skills as determined by the chairperson or delegate." http://www.grad.usf.edu/programs/programinfomation.php?pcode=AYDBC-Au.D. I don't see anything on Wisconsin's website regarding the GRE, except that it is required. Your scores: 141 verbal is 14 percentile 148 quant is 32 percentile That's quite low. In other words, whatever the GRE measures, the vast majority of people perform better. Minnesota typically admits people who have considerably higher scores. USF wants at least 33 percentile in each. Considering how in other disciplines they want scores in the 90s percentile for verbal, or on average they admit those with a combined score of 325 (e.g. 165v, 160q), USF's bar seems to me very low. But maybe it is not a low bar for your field, though. That said, here's my advice: ask your letter writers directly and ask only the ones who will be candid (rather than those who are encouraging so as not to let anyone down). With your scores, your GPA, your experience, do they think you are a competitive candidate? If so, then go for it undaunted by the shock and disappointment with your scores. But if they hesitate or otherwise communicate that your odds are very long, you may want to consider another field.

I know someone who had a typo in the title of their writing sample and they got in. Don't fret.

And almost in that order, too, I bet. Maybe letters of rec are weighted higher, just after writing sample.

This is one of the top hits for "calculate major gpa" on Google. http://gpacalculator.net/college-gpa-calculator/ Very helpful. Does all the maths for you.

Thank God! I wrote mine in Comic Sans, and I was worried.

This. Completing your PhD in your 30s, whether you're 31 or 39, is very common. Take heart. Some of your peers will have kids already. (One grad student from the prior cohort had 2 kids in elementary; one grad student this cohort is older than all of the instructors/professors here except 3 or maybe 4.)

Your writing sample looks so much more polished. The first aesthetic criticism I had for your undergrad paper was "not enough paragraph breaks, geeze!" But clearly you've landed on the other side with your grad paper "way too many paragraphs with headings/sections, geeze!" Also, is that LaTex? I need to get used to it. My goal is to convert my writing sample over to LaTex format before I submit more apps.

Quoted for the sake of bumping this important thread from last year's app season. I have found this thread really, really encouraging as I go into a season with a paltry 157v (75%), 155q (59%), and 5.0a (93%) score set. Sure, I got a 312 combined score. That's good enough if my letters, GPA, and writing sample are enough. If.