Duns Eith

Yeah, the phrase sounds odd. Maybe he means that the paper was accepted on a competitive, blind-review process? Or that peers gave comments/chaired the conference? If so, I think Western Michigan University's annual Grad Conference would be a paradigm case of a conference with these qualities! Remember to submit your papers next August!

Yeah, that sounds familiar. I looked into W Ontario myself (I'm still considering it, but their funding expectations are either unknown or unclearly stated! blah), and I believe that was one of the reasons I considered them, honestly! I am not proud of my GRE scores. Does it make sense to retake the GRE in this stressful time of the app season? How much better will you fare? Surely you've got some prep software or practice exams?

Your GRE will probably hurt you somewhere, because your combined V/Q score is < 310. The fact that you're applying broadly tells me you shouldn't worry though. Plus, you've got 160< verbal. Some places care about that. You're more likely than not to get an offer somewhere. No guarantees, of course. Do Canadian schools really care about the GRE? I know Toronto requires it, but... how much do they care?

P.S. Of course, your individual likelihood of acceptance might be far higher than the base rate. It depends on how you stand relative to the other applicants. Also, if you could at least intuitively guess probabilities of getting in, you might also want to consider the probability of getting in to [some university X] given that you were accepted at [some university Y]. Because if you get 1 offer, that might suggest you have a solid application by any school's standard; so, if you get 1 offer you are likely to get 2-4 other offers.

It certainly is a lot Part of the motivation is that I know a guy who applied to over 20 places, yet he didn't get accepted anywhere. I'm told that you shouldn't apply to fewer than 12. I'm kind of trying to come as close as I can to guaranteeing an offer. (When you total the probabilities based on acceptance rates, like 0.3%, 0.5%, 1%, 2%, 6%, 14%, etc., you want the total to be well above a coin flip!) With 17 schools averaging an acceptance rate of 4% I thought the best way to improve my odds is simply applying more broadly. And yes, I got 4 app fees waived. It is a huge burden off to save $250+ ... I wish someone told me about it sooner. I might have been eligible for more.

Submitted my first 5 (of 17), and I'm already regretting not making a sharper personal statement/statement of intent. That said, my next round is coming up Dec 31st, so I'm gonna wait until this Friday/Saturday (when my papers are turned in) to start cranking out some more apps.

2016.

Purdue keeps GRE scores for a while. Ohio State does not.

::Swoops in:: If your exposition is 8-10 pages, you probably haven't shown implications for your interpretation. Implications can conflict with other interpreters. Sounds like you can expand the paper quickly by critiquing other interpretations or showing how someone who exposits the same way doesn't admit the consequences you draw out consistently. This practice will connect your work with a larger body of philosophical literature. This, I think, is what an adcom would want to see with an exegetical paper.

Old thread is old. I don't know about MA ethics programs, but MA's need not specialize. You're going for a solid curricular foundation (more breadth than depth) and an opportunity to write your best possible writing sample for PhD.

Great question. I'd love to know as well. My presumption would be that the documents are not saved, as which parts need or need not be collected from two different application packets? GRE might be different, though, as the scores often don't get sent to the Phil Dept but rather the graduate admissions office. If someone finds the answer, I'm eager to know as well

Sorry for the delay! I am a huge fan of spreadsheets. So my number is as accurate as the websites (one site didn't say what their app fee was, so I guessed). This app season I will be sending transcripts from three institutions (undergrad, MA in religion, MA in philosophy). What's my AOI? History of Early Modern, especially metaphysics. Side interests that are getting out of control: applied ethics, fundamental/(neo)aristotelian metaphysics, thomistic studies (more philosophical theology than philosophy of religion). That's a good, diverse list. Lots of we-don't-think-continental-is-terrible schools! I take it you're applying straight from undergrad and are not confident you'll get into a PhD, so you're applying to MAs? Not a bad route. about 3/4 of applicants who are accepted into PhD programs hold an MA.

I plan to apply to 15 programs this Fall. Sheesh! ... I am estimating $1400, after GRE an' transcripts an' errrrythin'.

Sorry I didn't read your initial statement as thoroughly. You want to get into a MA program? I am surprised you mentioned "Berkeley, Harvard, Columbia, UCSB, UVA, Boston College, and so on." If you apply to those, you'd want to apply to the PhD. If you want to get a MA first, go for a school that specializes in their terminal MA, like Brandeis, GSU, NIU, UW-Milwaukee, and so on. http://www.philosophicalgourmet.com/maprog.asp I myself am at one of the MA's listed here (WMU)

Do you think you have/can-get three solid letter writers from tenured faculty who can vouch for your positive academic trajectory? Do you think your writing sample can be a high enough caliber to compete against the top philosophy majors? If you can say "Yes" to both, there are some programs that will overlook a GPA under 3.0, otherwise you may be SOL. I wouldn't rely on the GRE. [edit: sorry to be such a downer!]

At least when I applied, they gave only 80% tuition waiver: at $15,224 /year with $12,179 tuition remitted, there was about $3,000 leftover of tuition. The stipend, of course, covered that shortfall commensurate with work ($13,000 for 9 months). There are other funding opportunities on top of that. (checking the website, it appears it has stayed the same) RE: Underline: Yes! Definitely go with the best spring board for PhD over all other considerations.

TTU has good placement, lots of faculty, and a healthy ratio of those-who-graduate:those-who-apply-to-PhD. This sets a professional tone. I turned down TTU in favor of a better funding situation and better locale, but had I not gotten the offer where I am now I would probably be at TTU (over a third place I was accepted into). Given it's an MA, you don't need to specialize by any stretch before the PhD, so the fact that TTU doesn't have the eastern courses should not be seen as a strike at the vitals. It's perfectly OK. (unless they have absolutely no placement in the schools you're considering after?) While there are cons for Lubbock, a big pro of going to TTU is low cost of living of Lubbock. Seriously. Cheap rent, cheap food, cheap gas, etc.

As I understand it, there is still some funding available here. At this stage in the game, I highly recommend contacting Dr. Allhoff directly. He could give you more info. (this goes for anyone interested)

I'm a current MA student at WMU; PM with questions if you want to know about the experience of a student. That said, the email went out via the Google Group "PhilUpdates" This went out at 2:09pm EST today

Best ways to start? I have some coding BG, but not much. Do you recommend running with some templates first, or just type away and learn the codes for each format component I want to incorporate on the fly? I have TeXstudio for Win, and MacTex for ...Mac. (Personal preferences?) edit: Long term goal is to use this for papers, teaching handouts, etc. I want to become comfortable with it.

Thanks! This is a great opportunity

I can see the huge benefit to what you're talking about. Is this something we can actually "demand" though? Should we expect schools to have sorted out that data and made it available for public use? Definitely an ideal situation for a school to be in, but I suppose that many schools aren't there yet -- even reputable ones. So... is this a fair "demand"?

I think you have two radically different options, both not pleasant. Either give it all you've got now, or give up now. Either you need to change your narrative drastically (flawless writing sample, take some post-bac classes and only get A's, and/or get an MA in phil), or else... it is a complete lost cause. Your narrative is basically "I didn't do well in college, and my personal references are scarce." AdComs need to have confidence that your story arc goes in a different direction. I didn't have near the encouragement or opportunities, but I am having to take a similar tack. I went to school for psychology and philosophy. I was encouraged in my efforts, but no prof said "you should apply for a PhD". I went on to seminary and got a MA in religion. After that my references were still willing to write supporting recommendations. I got into an MA in philosophy. After this MA, I will try for 2 years for a PhD. If I don't get in, then, I will give up. If I do get in, I will try for 2 years to get sustainable income working in philosophy, and if nothing then give up.

[edit: I offered, I think, top notch information regarding the US's programs... ]

You rock!