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Swann

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Posts posted by Swann

    Are MA programs' placement rates really that different?

    in Philosophy

    Posted · Edited by Swann

    i'm wondering about the importance of where each program is making placements... 

    take for example niu and uwm. in the last 5 years: niu placed 4 students at both usc and arizona and 6 at indiana-bloomington; and uwm had 4 at both pitt and san diego and 5 at riverside. (i didn't take the time to do this with the other programs, but i'd imagine they would also have schools that they have a pretty good placement connection with.)

     so if you really want to go to arizona, eg, maybe its better to take an offer from niu than uwm; and if your top choice is pitt or riverside, then uwm may be the better option. this is not to say that niu does not place students at pitt (or uwm at arizona). but only that even if the general averages of placement records are similar, it seems that the particular placement locations may also be important to consider.

    2018 Acceptance/Rejection Thread

    in Philosophy

    Posted

    30 minutes ago, SlumberingTrout said:

    I'm trying to determine when I should respond regarding the offer I've received. It's a long shot that I'd be admitted from either of the wait lists I'm on, but I don't want to discount the possibility; it would be unfortunate to accept the offer only to receive another with better funding. (I feel like the proverbial dog with two bones.) Is the first week of April a reasonable time to go ahead and assume the wait lists won't pan out, or might there be other things I'm not considering? Anyone else in this situation?

    why would not you wait until april 15 if you would rather accept a different offer? 

    Grad. Program Visits

    in Philosophy

    Posted

    also, here is a a list of potential questions to ask at visits. i remembered that someone posted it to the forum last year and thought i'd copy/paste it in case someones find it helpful...

    Topics to ask grad schools:
    (1) What is the climate for women/minorities like?
    (2) Teacher accessibility
    (3) Opportunities to teach (TA vs. teaching)
    (4) Are grad students happy?
    (5) Placement / prep for job market?
    (6) Guaranteed 6th year of funding?
    (7) How long does it take people to complete program?
    (8) Teaching workload (how many students; grading help if a lot)
    (9) Summer opportunities
    (10) Transition from coursework to dissertation
    (11) Opportunities to do Phil outside classroom
    (12) Course selection

    Questions to ask professors:
    1. Are there opportunities to teach or only TA?
    2. How does [school] prepare students for the job market?
    3. What is financial support like beyond the fifth year?
    4. How long does it take people to complete the program?
    5. What is the teaching workload like? (How many students? Is there grading help (if a lot)? / How onerous is the teaching + grading load?)
    6. What summer opportunities are available to students? What do students typically do over the summer?
    7. How does [school] handle the transition from coursework to dissertation?
    8. What opportunities are there to do philosophy outside f the classroom on campus? (E.g. reading groups, talks, philosophy society, school-sponsored philosophy conference, etc.)
    9. How is the collection of the department library? How often is it updated?
    10. Do all grad students /TAs get office space?
    11. Links of the dept with professors in linguistics and other areas of cognitive science?
    12. What do people typically do in winter and summer vacations?
    13. People retiring in the next 2-3 years? New hirings planned in the next 1-2 years?
    14. How many students is [professor] planning to take in the next few years?
    15. Proto seminar- what is it like and what will it look like this fall semester?
    16. Support for publishing in the initial years at _______ university?
    17. Department fellowships which one can apply for later which can give time off teaching?
    18. Your (professor's) current research interests and upcoming projects?
    19. How often do the professors meet with students especially during the coursework stage?
    20. Do professors come to reading groups and other department activity apart from colloquia?
    21. What is the level of support available from the Department to attend conferences, workshops and seminars? How far does the stipend go in that area?
    22. Is the funding 9 month or 12 month? What are the avenues for summer funding?

    Questions to ask grad students:
    1. How often do you meet with professors?
    2. How often do you talk about philosophy with professors when you're not in meetings/classes? (To develop as a philosopher, it is very important to develop your in-person philosophy skills--thinking on your feet, asking good questions, responding to objections, etc.)
    3. Do professors come to reading groups? (Or any departmental events that aren't colloquia?)
    4. Do grad students ask questions at colloquia?
    5. Do you feel comfortable talking in group settings? Have you felt comfortable talking in group settings since you first came? If not, when did you start feeling comfortable?
    6. Do grad students share their work with one another/give feedback with one another?
    7. How often are people around the department?
    8. What do you like most about being here?
    9. What do you like least about being here?
    10. Do older grad students spend time around the department?
    11. What kind of guidance do you get from your professors/advisor? (very important- you want faculty who really read your stuff carefully and make your papers better. if the faculty are mia or not very careful when they read your papers, you may not get this.)
    12. Does the culture feel combative or one-up-y? Do you feel like you have to be "on" when you're in a philosophical setting?
    13. Are the students here happy?
    14. What are faculty and student working on in [area]? What is doing [area, e.g. metaphysics] like here?

    Questions about climate:
    1. Is there a MAP chapter? (You can usually find this out yourself)
    1. If so, contact MAP coordinator
    2. What is the climate like at [school]?
    3. What has [school] done for women and minorities in philosophy?
    4. What percentage of grad students are women?
    5. Sexual harassment issues? [prob best to ask a grad student discretely]

    Grad. Program Visits

    in Philosophy

    Posted

    4 hours ago, syn said:

    I've been invited to attend a prospectives' weekend for a waitlisted program, and I'm wondering if this will end up a de facto interview.  That can be good and bad, of course.  It could either set me apart positively or negatively from other waitlisters who were or were not invited.  Any thoughts from those with experience?

    i think you're right that visits for those on waitlists is more like an interview. last year i was at a department visit as a waitlisted applicant, and at the end of the visit i was told that the department really liked me, enjoyed talking with me, and that over the course of the visit i had been moved to the top of the waitlist. ultimately no space was made available, but i was strongly encouraged to reapply (i did, and i was admitted this year). for me, visiting as a waitlisted student was hard because the applicants who had been admitted could be a bit more casual and enjoy themselves more during the  visit, while i felt that i had to be more alert and find non-clumsy ways to express my serious interest in joining the department. don't get me wrong, the visits are fun! but they are also somewhat exhausting if you are waitlisted at them (i went to 4 back-to-back in the course of two weeks as a waitlister last year)

    Some Thoughts on the GRE

    in Philosophy

    Posted

    27 minutes ago, Descartes blanche said:

    Is there any general rule of thumb concerning acceptable scores when applying to M.A. programs? I've always been really bad at taking tests under time constraints. I ended up with a meager V 155 Q 152 AW 4.5 

    One of my letter writers expressed a lot of confidence in my writing sample and even urged me to apply to Ph.D. programs despite my GRE scores. Unfortunately, I was mostly out of money and time when she told me. Also, I still have the sneaking suspicion that my scores will be a burden. Any former M.A. students (especially from top-ranked M.A. programs) care to share some personal experience with the average scoring in their cohort? 

     

    i went to one of the top ma programs (and was admitted to a few others with funding) with similar scores: v 160, q 150, aw 4.5. i know that my scores were not below average compared to most other students in the program. i don't remember the specifics, but in my cohort (and those in the year above and below me) mine were much better than a few, on par with most, and noticeably lower than some. i did spend a lot of time studying for, and retaking, the gre before submitting my apps for phd programs. my scores improved a to v 165, q 159, and aw 5, which were sufficient to get me admitted to phd programs. in terms of phd applications, your scores could perhaps be a burden...its hard to say; but i do not think that your scores would pose a problem for your ma application.

    2018 Acceptance/Rejection Thread

    in Philosophy

    Posted

    19 minutes ago, Metanoia said:

    Do you mind sharing who contacted you? Was it the DGA or your POI?

    email from dr. noe, who i believe is sending out all the notifications (though, i may be wrong. perhaps another person with admit or wl notification could help confirm one way or another)

    5 minutes ago, MishaPanda said:

    Congratulations! Was this the programme you were talking about having heard from in the post from yesterday? 

    thank you! yes, it is. i did not realize they would be sending out official notifications so soon. 

    Publishing - Strategies, resources, etc.

    in Philosophy

    Posted

    just out of curiosity, does any one know anything about publishing in edited collections, in contrast to journals

    is having a paper included as a chapter in an edited volume more or less challenging? 

    does either have more "prestige" than the other?

    how does the revision process work with papers used as chapters in an edited book?

    ...or, does publishing in the field primarily occur in journals and edited books are special cases in which the conditions vary?

    Rejection Thread

    in Philosophy

    Posted · Edited by Swann

    17 hours ago, Schopenhauerfanboy said:

    Pretty confident that Boston, Toronto, and Syracuse are also rejections, since they've all had a wave go out, and I haven't heard anything. Too early to assume rejection? What do ya'll think

    I dunno. I'd wait to hear something definitive before you assume a rejection—at least in the case of Boston. Last year, I didn't hear anything from them and assumed it was a rejection...but on April 13 they told me I had been on a waitlist, and gave me some details in the case that a spot became available (though, one did not become available). I suppose the chances of getting admitted off a "secret" waitlist is pretty low, but it must not be that impossible if schools actually make a practice of having such lists.

    Anyone preemptively studying for a GRE retake?

    in Philosophy

    Posted

    14 hours ago, 753982 said:

    I'm wondering if any of you who're looking at MA programs who aren't wholly pleased with your scores, or those of you who may reapply, are considering retaking, or are already in the process of prepping for a retake. 

    Do you mean that you are primarily applying to MA programs this year? If so, from my experience, your scores might be just fine. It sounds like I may have had similar scores when I was applying to MA programs—I had 164 (v), 152 (q), 4.5 (aw)—and, I got into several MA programs when I was applying to them. And at the recommendation of a professor, during  my MA I retook the GRE to improve them for my PhD applications.

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