jacbarcan

Howdy fellow philosophers,
Some of you may remember me from last year - I ran the Philosophy Admissions blog in order to create predictions and keep track of information regarding the release of admissions information. I also acted as a resource to some of you who wished to seek my general advice about the application process and especially the dreaded waiting period.
Many people seemed to find the blog a helpful resource while trying to navigate the admissions process. But since I'm now in a PhD program, I will be prioritizing things other than blog maintenance and forum upkeep. It would be unfortunate, though, for that to mean that this year's applicants don't have access to the kinds of resources that such a blog provides.
What I am looking for is someone involved in the admissions process this year who would be willing to take over operating the blog - at least at the day-to-day level. The job primarily involves doing the amount of checking of results and releases that I was going to be doing anyway, but with the added benefit of helping out some fellow philosophers. So it wasn't much extra cost (though there was some work involved at points, such as with creating predictions for the various schools), and gave me a welcome outlet for my obsessiveness with respect to philosophy admissions. Last year, I began the process of including more schools not on the Leiter report. I was starting to extend into predictions for programs that focus on continental philosophy. I hope the new editor will continue with this trend. I also took a more active role in participating in the forums and responding to emails and messages. The new editor may decide to do this and may decide against it. 
We also last year introduced Nat, a applicant that would call the various departments anonymously to receive direct information from them at points. We may continue with this or we may not. It will be up to you this year to decide. 
If anyone is interested in having this kind of editorial role on the blog, please let me know by replying or messaging me with a short note.
<Note that above is nearly exactly the same as Sid post last year. I've added a few more points for the expansion of the job and of the predictions.>
Best of luck to everyone applying this year!

Howdy fellow philosophers,
Some of you may remember me from last year - I ran the Philosophy Admissions blog in order to create predictions and keep track of information regarding the release of admissions information. I also acted as a resource to some of you who wished to seek my general advice about the application process and especially the dreaded waiting period.
Many people seemed to find the blog a helpful resource while trying to navigate the admissions process. But since I'm now in a PhD program, I will be prioritizing things other than blog maintenance and forum upkeep. It would be unfortunate, though, for that to mean that this year's applicants don't have access to the kinds of resources that such a blog provides.
What I am looking for is someone involved in the admissions process this year who would be willing to take over operating the blog - at least at the day-to-day level. The job primarily involves doing the amount of checking of results and releases that I was going to be doing anyway, but with the added benefit of helping out some fellow philosophers. So it wasn't much extra cost (though there was some work involved at points, such as with creating predictions for the various schools), and gave me a welcome outlet for my obsessiveness with respect to philosophy admissions. Last year, I began the process of including more schools not on the Leiter report. I was starting to extend into predictions for programs that focus on continental philosophy. I hope the new editor will continue with this trend. I also took a more active role in participating in the forums and responding to emails and messages. The new editor may decide to do this and may decide against it. 
We also last year introduced Nat, a applicant that would call the various departments anonymously to receive direct information from them at points. We may continue with this or we may not. It will be up to you this year to decide. 
If anyone is interested in having this kind of editorial role on the blog, please let me know by replying or messaging me with a short note.
<Note that above is nearly exactly the same as Sid post last year. I've added a few more points for the expansion of the job and of the predictions.>
Best of luck to everyone applying this year!

Oh and btw---writing score doesn't mean anything at all. No one looks at it. 

I'm going to sound like a broken record to a lot of you: I am 100% positive that the GRE (mostly) means shit. Make sure you pass a certain threshold that is surprisingly low (like 60th percentile--probably combined score is more important) and you're fine. I know 2 people who not only got into 1 top ten program but like 8 top ten programs each and each scored in the 70th percentiles (one was 70's quant and 90's verbal other was 70's verbal and 90s quant). I know one person who got into 2 top ten programs with something like 49th percentile in quant (though had 90's in verbal). 
My advice is always: Take the GRE seriously for the first time you take it. If you do just fine, FOCUS FOCUS FOCUS on your writing sample. That's what's important. Do not take the GRE again if you don't have to because it's a huge waste of time and money. Most important factors to getting in: luck, writing sample, fit and interests, where you went to school and whether or not it is know to have a good *undergraduate* philosophy program, recs, and grades (depending on the school you went to---some schools are known to hand out easy grades, some are known to hand out very few As. Know your school).
I would work at personal statements and personalize to each school but some people disagree with this. 
Please don't waste your time on the GRE unless you desperately need to.  

Howdy fellow philosophers,
Some of you may remember me from last year - I ran the Philosophy Admissions blog in order to create predictions and keep track of information regarding the release of admissions information. I also acted as a resource to some of you who wished to seek my general advice about the application process and especially the dreaded waiting period.
Many people seemed to find the blog a helpful resource while trying to navigate the admissions process. But since I'm now in a PhD program, I will be prioritizing things other than blog maintenance and forum upkeep. It would be unfortunate, though, for that to mean that this year's applicants don't have access to the kinds of resources that such a blog provides.
What I am looking for is someone involved in the admissions process this year who would be willing to take over operating the blog - at least at the day-to-day level. The job primarily involves doing the amount of checking of results and releases that I was going to be doing anyway, but with the added benefit of helping out some fellow philosophers. So it wasn't much extra cost (though there was some work involved at points, such as with creating predictions for the various schools), and gave me a welcome outlet for my obsessiveness with respect to philosophy admissions. Last year, I began the process of including more schools not on the Leiter report. I was starting to extend into predictions for programs that focus on continental philosophy. I hope the new editor will continue with this trend. I also took a more active role in participating in the forums and responding to emails and messages. The new editor may decide to do this and may decide against it. 
We also last year introduced Nat, a applicant that would call the various departments anonymously to receive direct information from them at points. We may continue with this or we may not. It will be up to you this year to decide. 
If anyone is interested in having this kind of editorial role on the blog, please let me know by replying or messaging me with a short note.
<Note that above is nearly exactly the same as Sid post last year. I've added a few more points for the expansion of the job and of the predictions.>
Best of luck to everyone applying this year!

Howdy fellow philosophers,
Some of you may remember me from last year - I ran the Philosophy Admissions blog in order to create predictions and keep track of information regarding the release of admissions information. I also acted as a resource to some of you who wished to seek my general advice about the application process and especially the dreaded waiting period.
Many people seemed to find the blog a helpful resource while trying to navigate the admissions process. But since I'm now in a PhD program, I will be prioritizing things other than blog maintenance and forum upkeep. It would be unfortunate, though, for that to mean that this year's applicants don't have access to the kinds of resources that such a blog provides.
What I am looking for is someone involved in the admissions process this year who would be willing to take over operating the blog - at least at the day-to-day level. The job primarily involves doing the amount of checking of results and releases that I was going to be doing anyway, but with the added benefit of helping out some fellow philosophers. So it wasn't much extra cost (though there was some work involved at points, such as with creating predictions for the various schools), and gave me a welcome outlet for my obsessiveness with respect to philosophy admissions. Last year, I began the process of including more schools not on the Leiter report. I was starting to extend into predictions for programs that focus on continental philosophy. I hope the new editor will continue with this trend. I also took a more active role in participating in the forums and responding to emails and messages. The new editor may decide to do this and may decide against it. 
We also last year introduced Nat, a applicant that would call the various departments anonymously to receive direct information from them at points. We may continue with this or we may not. It will be up to you this year to decide. 
If anyone is interested in having this kind of editorial role on the blog, please let me know by replying or messaging me with a short note.
<Note that above is nearly exactly the same as Sid post last year. I've added a few more points for the expansion of the job and of the predictions.>
Best of luck to everyone applying this year!

Hi all,
It was wonderful meeting some of you on the visits. You're such an incredibly impressive and kind group. And for others of you out there, I hope we will meet at some point in the future.
I thought I would send an early note asking any of you if you would like to continue the admissions blog. If you would, it would be great if you could send me a message telling me a bit about yourself and I'll let you know a little more about it. Of course, there wouldn't be much you would need to do now unless you came up with some sort of a project for it (e.g. writing advice posts or continuing my project of extending the predictions to more schools (esp. more continentally oriented ones)).
If I can't find anyone now, I post again in the fall and maybe even again in January. 
I'm wishing you all the best with whatever comes at you next,
Jac 
 
 

Just to add to all this:
One person has a 165V/157Q/4.5W and 3.73 GPA and got into Yale, UCLA, Cornell, Michigan, and USC and is wait listed at Harvard and Pitt. There may be more...I'm forgetting.
One person has a 157V/165Q/5.0W and a 3.69GPA and got into NYU, Princeton, Rutgers, Michigan, Pitt, Cornell, UCLA, USC, Stanford, UCSB, and UNC.
One person had something like a 167V/152Q/4.5W with a GPA around 3.49 and got into Pitt, Cornell, and Arizona and was wait listed at UNC.
I should mention though that all three of these people went to a particular undergraduate program that is different with their grading system and I wouldn't read too much into the GPA. All are extremely high GPAs given that institution. 
I think this is soooooo clearly evidence that the GRE does not matter much at all. A 152Q is 48th percentile. A 157V is 74th percentile. You might think these are absurdly low. The applicant clearly did wonderfully. 
HOWEVER: as has been mentioned here and in Leiter's blog, GRE scores tends to go hand in hand with GPA and quality of writing sample. I would say that most people getting into these top programs just so happen to also have great GRE scores because they're excellent candidates overall. I would by no means think or ever tell anyone that that they got into a program because of their GRE score. Less strongly (though still very much inclined to say so), I believe that no decision is made purely off of the GRE (mainly thinking of low GRE score cases). Focus on the writing sample, come from an excellent undergraduate institution for philosophy, have great letters, vary your coursework in philosophy, and get a good major GPA. GRE comes last. 
 

Just to add to all this:
One person has a 165V/157Q/4.5W and 3.73 GPA and got into Yale, UCLA, Cornell, Michigan, and USC and is wait listed at Harvard and Pitt. There may be more...I'm forgetting.
One person has a 157V/165Q/5.0W and a 3.69GPA and got into NYU, Princeton, Rutgers, Michigan, Pitt, Cornell, UCLA, USC, Stanford, UCSB, and UNC.
One person had something like a 167V/152Q/4.5W with a GPA around 3.49 and got into Pitt, Cornell, and Arizona and was wait listed at UNC.
I should mention though that all three of these people went to a particular undergraduate program that is different with their grading system and I wouldn't read too much into the GPA. All are extremely high GPAs given that institution. 
I think this is soooooo clearly evidence that the GRE does not matter much at all. A 152Q is 48th percentile. A 157V is 74th percentile. You might think these are absurdly low. The applicant clearly did wonderfully. 
HOWEVER: as has been mentioned here and in Leiter's blog, GRE scores tends to go hand in hand with GPA and quality of writing sample. I would say that most people getting into these top programs just so happen to also have great GRE scores because they're excellent candidates overall. I would by no means think or ever tell anyone that that they got into a program because of their GRE score. Less strongly (though still very much inclined to say so), I believe that no decision is made purely off of the GRE (mainly thinking of low GRE score cases). Focus on the writing sample, come from an excellent undergraduate institution for philosophy, have great letters, vary your coursework in philosophy, and get a good major GPA. GRE comes last. 
 

UNC offer officially declined.
Another person will be declining UT Austin and Stanford soon.

UNC offer officially declined.
Another person will be declining UT Austin and Stanford soon.

Pretty well  I'll definitely be revealing my identity to some of you soon. 

Just completed a few for you

I would very much appreciate if some of you would fill out the funding survey. 
https://philosophyadmissions.wordpress.com/funding/

Well, Michigan is also all over the place. Sometimes early-Feb, sometimes late-Feb, sometimes the first week of March, and sometimes the second. 

UCLA does rolling admissions.

Hey guys,
I have some information from me and a few other people either wanting to remain anonymous or not on TGC.
Two declined UCLA
One declined Cornell
One (probably) soon to be declined Cornell
One declined Brown wl
One declined UCSB
One soon to be declined UNC
One soon to be declined Pitt WL
One (probably) soon to be declined Pitt
I'm sure this'll all help somebody out. Let me know if you guys want me to confirm when one of the "soon"'s is officially declined. 
 

Hey guys,
I have some information from me and a few other people either wanting to remain anonymous or not on TGC.
Two declined UCLA
One declined Cornell
One (probably) soon to be declined Cornell
One declined Brown wl
One declined UCSB
One soon to be declined UNC
One soon to be declined Pitt WL
One (probably) soon to be declined Pitt
I'm sure this'll all help somebody out. Let me know if you guys want me to confirm when one of the "soon"'s is officially declined. 
 

Hey guys,
I have some information from me and a few other people either wanting to remain anonymous or not on TGC.
Two declined UCLA
One declined Cornell
One (probably) soon to be declined Cornell
One declined Brown wl
One declined UCSB
One soon to be declined UNC
One soon to be declined Pitt WL
One (probably) soon to be declined Pitt
I'm sure this'll all help somebody out. Let me know if you guys want me to confirm when one of the "soon"'s is officially declined. 
 

I've been advised to only visit serious contenders. If that happens to be all the programs that I've been accepted at, then fine, but I was told to not waste people's (especially to waste the money that could go toward another more serious applicant's travel). 
I definitely understand what your advisor probably means. Make connections. Visit departments that you may not realize are perfect for you. I think that's all in good spirit, but also don't visit the school if it's definitely not comparing to another program. These schools can get really screwed over if a lot of people visit and then decline offers and other applicants miss out on good opportunities. (I've seen it happen the last two years with students applying from my undergraduate institution. They had to wait till the last minute to know what was happening and schools were really freaking out at them.)
If you're already well aware of all this and already turned down offers to the schools that aren't contending. I would guess the visitation dates for Columbia and Princeton would be early April. I'm not actually really basing this off of anything though except knowledge of when the visitation dates are of schools that have recently released. They're all in early April or late March. The other thing to consider is that you don't need to show up to their visitation weekends and can just show up any old time that is convenient for you.
I think it wouldn't be unreasonable to just tell all these programs that you'll have everything confirmed by this weekend or early next week. I would also inform them on contingency plans. (e.g. If I get into Princeton, I will decline your offer. or No matter what happens next week, I will be visiting, but I may have to move some stuff around if....). The other thing you can do is plan everything except the last trip. (You wont have the return trip planned but you'll have the flight to the last place planned from the place before it. Then, just inform that school that you'll get back to them within the next week and a half.) Then, plan the last trip around Columbia and Princeton if they give you an offer.
I hope this all wasn't completely obvious or was already considered. It's sometimes the obvious things we overlook (like how amazing it is that some of us have gotten into top programs!!!).
 

I've been advised to only visit serious contenders. If that happens to be all the programs that I've been accepted at, then fine, but I was told to not waste people's (especially to waste the money that could go toward another more serious applicant's travel). 
I definitely understand what your advisor probably means. Make connections. Visit departments that you may not realize are perfect for you. I think that's all in good spirit, but also don't visit the school if it's definitely not comparing to another program. These schools can get really screwed over if a lot of people visit and then decline offers and other applicants miss out on good opportunities. (I've seen it happen the last two years with students applying from my undergraduate institution. They had to wait till the last minute to know what was happening and schools were really freaking out at them.)
If you're already well aware of all this and already turned down offers to the schools that aren't contending. I would guess the visitation dates for Columbia and Princeton would be early April. I'm not actually really basing this off of anything though except knowledge of when the visitation dates are of schools that have recently released. They're all in early April or late March. The other thing to consider is that you don't need to show up to their visitation weekends and can just show up any old time that is convenient for you.
I think it wouldn't be unreasonable to just tell all these programs that you'll have everything confirmed by this weekend or early next week. I would also inform them on contingency plans. (e.g. If I get into Princeton, I will decline your offer. or No matter what happens next week, I will be visiting, but I may have to move some stuff around if....). The other thing you can do is plan everything except the last trip. (You wont have the return trip planned but you'll have the flight to the last place planned from the place before it. Then, just inform that school that you'll get back to them within the next week and a half.) Then, plan the last trip around Columbia and Princeton if they give you an offer.
I hope this all wasn't completely obvious or was already considered. It's sometimes the obvious things we overlook (like how amazing it is that some of us have gotten into top programs!!!).
 

We can have Nat contact them. 

I've been advised to only visit serious contenders. If that happens to be all the programs that I've been accepted at, then fine, but I was told to not waste people's (especially to waste the money that could go toward another more serious applicant's travel). 
I definitely understand what your advisor probably means. Make connections. Visit departments that you may not realize are perfect for you. I think that's all in good spirit, but also don't visit the school if it's definitely not comparing to another program. These schools can get really screwed over if a lot of people visit and then decline offers and other applicants miss out on good opportunities. (I've seen it happen the last two years with students applying from my undergraduate institution. They had to wait till the last minute to know what was happening and schools were really freaking out at them.)
If you're already well aware of all this and already turned down offers to the schools that aren't contending. I would guess the visitation dates for Columbia and Princeton would be early April. I'm not actually really basing this off of anything though except knowledge of when the visitation dates are of schools that have recently released. They're all in early April or late March. The other thing to consider is that you don't need to show up to their visitation weekends and can just show up any old time that is convenient for you.
I think it wouldn't be unreasonable to just tell all these programs that you'll have everything confirmed by this weekend or early next week. I would also inform them on contingency plans. (e.g. If I get into Princeton, I will decline your offer. or No matter what happens next week, I will be visiting, but I may have to move some stuff around if....). The other thing you can do is plan everything except the last trip. (You wont have the return trip planned but you'll have the flight to the last place planned from the place before it. Then, just inform that school that you'll get back to them within the next week and a half.) Then, plan the last trip around Columbia and Princeton if they give you an offer.
I hope this all wasn't completely obvious or was already considered. It's sometimes the obvious things we overlook (like how amazing it is that some of us have gotten into top programs!!!).
 

I'm hoping everything comes out this week.

UT-Austin. Probably will come out Monday or Tuesday. (Maybe even this weekend, but in the last four years there haven't been any releases from them on the weekend.)
UMass-Amherst. Unpredictable. Has come out on M10 in the past.