Duns Eith

Sweet! Congrats, dude! I hope you love it there.

I was pretty sure that many programs wanted all coursework done at that institution. Do you think that an MA en route to PhD would be treated differently than, say, a ranked terminal MA (e.g. Ohio university, Western Michigan, Virginia Tech)? Quite true. I was not thinking about these PhD programs in particular. Thanks for clarifying! If your anecdote is representative in any way, then I would think this could knock out a year or two out of a PhD. I am surprised I don't see word one way or another more clearly on sites I've checked into thus far. The only school that I have seen say that the PhD is shorter with an MA was Toronto, as you said above. -- The reason I am asking all this is that I am likely going into a ranked terminal MA, and I am not intending to transfer prior to completing the degree. While I know that having an MA might improve my chances at getting into a funded PhD, I am trying to figure out whether I would be re-taking many of the same courses if I got accepted, or whether it would suggest that the PhD could more easily fund me because they aren't paying for 5 years, given that a year (or two) of coursework has been completed.

It is my understanding that some schools (especially outside the US?), it can. But in general, no. Does it depend on where you get the MA? (E.g., if you got the MA at a terminal ma school with no PhD, VS say an MA at a school where you could go onto a PhD) Does the prestige of the school determine it either? (PGR top-30 vs unranked) Does anyone have examples of schools that require less coursework if you come in with an MA?

Depends on the quality of the unranked school. Like, whether they are a niche interest and such, or whether their placement is good even on its own terms. I found this site helpful: http://www.philosophynews.com/post/2013/10/02/Will-I-get-a-Job-Graduate-School-Philosophy-Placement-Records.aspx

Huh. Source?

All other things being equal, choose the one with the best school colors.

Maybe it is a mistake? Of course, not on the level of Carnegie Mellon's accidental acceptance for everyone in Comp Sci ....

Help me pick MA schools? Texas Tech vs Western Michigan vs Ohio University Each funded in a way that offsets cost of living and tuition, but WMU is the best financial offer (by over 2k). AOIs: Early modern, metaphysics, epistemology -- specifically Berkeley and his context OU - everyone does thesis WMU - almost no one does thesis TTU - mix of thesis and non-thesis Placements are nearly identical. I am feeling like the schools are identical enough that I can just choose preference, which would be WMU because (1) it is closer to home (both for my family and my wife's) and (2) it offers the best financial package.

I don't think AdComs would fail to understand; I don't know how it would be burning bridges. They know the climate, the prospects, what it is like to not hear from your dream school... In every acceptance letter I have been mailed, they include information on the acceptance is binding and they outline the release process. Remembering that they are not obligated to release you, and that it is a formal contract with a process for getting it rescinded, there should be no shame in trying to invoke the process in light of better prospects -- it's your future, and they understand. As soon as you can make that determination, I think any offer you intend to turn down in light of the best offer on the table, yes, you should decline or remove yourself from the waitlist.

That's awesome! Congrats!!!! Is UConn your top pick?

Thanks for explaining it. This is relevant for me, since I am waitlisted at Purdue (low likelihood), but I need to reply to my MA I've been accepted at by April 15 (especially in the event that I am not accepted to Purdue). If I get the call on April 15th that I am accepted off the waitlist, I don't quite know how to tell Purdue except "let me get a release first" ... but what you're describing still would impact the MA I said yes to.

Y can't give it to someone else? This is something I didn't know. Why is this the case?

Is there any problem with provisionally accepting Program Y, and then, if accepted by X, asking Y to release you because of X? How might that work if someone from X calls you? I trust they would understand you need release from Y first.

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I'm not sure it happens quite like that. Can anyone remember where someone like schwitzsplintersunderblog or elsewhere something like this was said?

Yes, it may actually be a good idea to work backwards. Get your ideas of the authors/faculty/programs you want to get into (get an idea of your dream schools), then look at the MA programs that placed someone in those ranked PhD programs. E.g. in my spreadsheet I actually list the top 10 programs (a top 5, a top 10, two top 20, etc.) and compare the schools according to how many of them the program mentions. Not an exact measure, sure, but it is one more angle to help.

Ian: great illustration. OP: I made this spreadsheet for the programs I am accepted at, and maybe it can be a helpful template for you The second tab has the placement records https://itmb.co/7nnmi

Also, if you do the math yourself you can check to see if they mention how many graduated, and of those graduates how many applied, and of those applicants how many placed. You would then check the ratios for comparison. Some of the schools I have been accepted into actually give all that information even with where people got accepted with funding.

I found this resource to be extremely helpful: http://www.philosophynews.com/post/2013/10/20/Graduate-School-in-Philosophy-Terminal-MA-Programs-In-Philosophy.aspx It will take a bit to read, but when you understand what the author is doing with the data and his methodology, the tables make sense (instead of just taking his word for the ranks he gives)

I think any thing the applicant does -apart from thanks- could reflect negatively. Though, I have spent 10-15 minutes trying to find where I read that a reference (IF they had a personal connection) could call up the DGS and say something along the lines of, "this student I recommended would say Yes if you offered it" -- the idea would be that the reference is a trusted intermediary, getting rid of the AdCom's questionmarks for filling a position among qualified applicants. Concluding a tedious process. I can't remember if this advice originally had any qualifications or additional context that I am missing

I stripped down a personal collection of spreadsheets and reduced it to this. It should have all the personal information removed. That said, below is a comparison (Excel/.xlsx) of the MA programs I am looking at https://itmb.co/7nnmi It includes: financial package comparisons -- I will post the funding survey as well, if it is helpful placement records -- how many graduates apply, how many applicants are accepted, where are they accepted (what is the rank of the acceptance schools) program requirements -- how the program is structured, what courses are offered, whether they have graduate latin courses available, etc. The above link is good for a whole year, but I am really interested in it becoming a template for a much larger database if we had hosting for it. P.S. Sources: Their respective websites Philosophical Gourmet reports http://www.philosophynews.com/post/2013/10/20/Graduate-School-in-Philosophy-Terminal-MA-Programs-In-Philosophy.aspx Trulia, hotpads, craigslist, and local apt listings

Yes, I second what flybottle and herenowagain said. However it might be worth noting that many programs don't have an exact word on funding to tell quite yet: e.g. "last year it was...", which is likely available on their website.

Congrats! I hope your time at Oxford is awesome. What an awesome field to get into!

[edited] I recently got accepted to another MA. So there's a third dimension here. I don't think this additional one has an option for a non-thesis track, they have a decent course diversity, yet they have offered the least amount of stipend.

Thanks! I might!