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I got into Pitt and Yale with a 3.65. Don't worry, and just focus on your writing sample. I'm inclined to say that 70% of your chances depend on your sample, 25% on your statement of purpose and letters of rec, then the final 5% spread out between GPA, GRE scores, and pure fucking luck.

Just a note, in case anyone is still considering UNC and wants to work with Laurie Paul: she might be moving to Pitt! http://leiterreports.typepad.com/blog/2016/04/pitt-makes-senior-offer-to-north-carolinas-laurie-la-paul.html

L. A. Paul might be moving from UNC to Pitt. http://leiterreports.typepad.com/blog/2016/04/pitt-makes-senior-offer-to-north-carolinas-laurie-la-paul.html This is probably a huge deal from some folks -- she was one of the main reasons I applied to UNC. Keep this in mind as you decide. Since the news is out now, it might even be appropriate to email her and ask how seriously she is considering the offer, if you haven't accepted UNC's offer yet and want to work with her.

So about two weeks ago I ended up rejecting the couple offers I got and withdrawing my other applications I hadn't heard back about in order to go into the non-academic work force. I hadn't heard back from UNC by March 18, when I canceled my application. But I got a nice note back from Laurie Paul after withdrawing, which said that I was on their sort of waitlist for the waitlist, and I wouldn't have heard back until around April 10 re: my status. So maybe you're in that boat?

Yale was in fact one of the programs I declined. I hope that helps you.

I can't do it. I was seriously considering only two more programs, having whittled down the list of five. But there is no way in hell I'd be able mentally and emotionally to handle being 8+ hours from my family and significant other in order to go to the best program I got into, and it wouldn't make sense to go to the lower ranked one. I just know it wouldn't work. I sent emails to all of my programs rejecting their offers today, and I'm going on the non-academic job market tomorrow. I just thought I should post this. Sorry, everyone. Being able to do philosophy just is not as important to me as being near my family and partner. I sincerely apologize to anyone I have inconvenienced, and I wish you all the best. I hope you all get to stay near your loved ones.

Hard for me to say. I got 169v, 161q, and 5.5aw. So I got really high scores. And I got into Pitt. But I was rejected by programs ranked similarly to Pitt and a slew of programs ranked far lower than Pitt. So I'm thinking I didn't get into Pitt based on my GRE scores. Definitely not that alone, at least.

(1) I submitted the same writing sample with all of my applications. I figured it would be better to spend X amount of time on one paper, rather than 1/2(x) on one paper and 1/2(x) on another. I also spent close to six months total on my writing sample, so keep that in mind. (2) I got good GRE scores (169V, 161Q, 5.5AW) from just doing 3-4 practice tests. I was already pretty good at verbal, but I suck at math, so I just kicked my ass doing math practice and I raised my score from 148 on the first practice test to 161 on the test. (3) I don't see why that would be bad. (4) I wouldn't worry about 'no-name- undergrads holding you back. No one outside of the state of North Carolina (and only a few people in it!) would be able to recognize my undergrad by name. But I got into Pitt, Yale, WashU, Georgetown, and UVA from it, without an MA. So just work hard, and don't worry about that. (5) In my SOPs, I basically said "I am interested primarily in X, Y, and Z, but I expect my interests to evolve during my time as a graduate student." X, Y, and Z were also very broad. I can't remember exactly, but I think X, Y, and Z were "ancient philosophy, metaphysics, and philosophy of mind." So totally non-specific. I think being too specific can be a bad thing. The department knows who will be willing to work with you, how long they'll be around, etc -- a host of factors you can't possibly know about as an applicant. If they think you're a one-trick pony, and your one POI is about to leave/retire/die/doesn't want new students, then they'll pass over you in silence. No need to risk that. (6) I didn't contact anyone before I submitted my applications. I don't see how anything good could come of it, but you're taking a risk at making yourself look like either a brown-nosing sycophant or a cocky, smarmy kid too big for his/her breeches. So I wouldn't recommend contacting anyone beforehand. Also, I'd recommend not inquiring about your status until at least March 15. I know it will be hard on, eg February 10, when Program #1 sends out acceptances and you see the posts go up on TGC yet you haven't heard a thing. But just be patient. I learned the hard way this year that there are often waitlists for the waitlists, and it doesn't do any good to pester admissions committees to find out where you are. You will hear back in due time.

Hey everybody! Should I fill out all of the stuff for FAFSA and submit it again this year? I have full funding from the programs I'm considering, so I'm wondering what earthly good it would do to fill out FAFSA stuff again, but I don't know. For those of you who have gotten funded offers, are you doing FAFSA?

Sweet, thanks! Is waitlisting for the waitlist standard procedure?

Any ideas what to think about CUNY, Texas, and Columbia at this point? I'm sitting in purgatory at all three.

That's an interesting take on the history. I think the distinction itself goes back beyond Leiter, but it seems that he did play some role in 'institutionalizing' the distinction, which sucks. One thing that's weird is, in my experience, 'continental' types have cared far more about the distinction than 'analytic types.' There are two continental types at my undergrad, and they both rail against analytic philosophy for 'Seinsvergessenheit,' 'forgetting the big questions,' 'playing language games,' mere ' logic chopping,' 'scientism,' 'positivism,' you name it. On the other hand, many of the analytic types could talk lucidly about Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Husserl, and others, and all of them seemed totally open to learning about Heidegger. The only real resistance I saw was my thesis adviser (who is a VERY analytic guy) dismissing Hegel out of hand as "nonsense." But that kind of attitude was much more common among the two continental types. Maybe it had to do with age (they're both north of 70)?

FWIW, I've heard this is super common. MAs and lower-ranked PhDs definitely do pass on students they think could go on to PhDs or higher-ranked PhDs. I don't know how I feel about that strategy, but it makes sense on one level.

Ah, my family (a father, a stay-at-home mom, and four kids) lived on less, so I'd take $30,000 any day of the week over the backbreaking manual labor my dad has done for $20,000~$25,000 per year for 30 straight years. Edit: I fail to understand how anyone could think that 30K is a small sum for reading books, writing papers, and -- probably unsubstantial, at least in the first year -- teaching duties. Sorry for being 'pathetic.'

Didn't say they weren't.

Officially in purgatory Hell at UT-Austin and UNC... No news, only tumbleweeds and crickets.

Not a vent so much as an expression of fear (I don't have much to vent about): I'm just a small-town kid from the south... I've only traveled out of the south twice in my life -- once to go to Hershey Park, and once to go to the 'Creation Museum' (loooong story). The south's all I've ever known. I'm freaked out about leaving it, my family, and my friends behind. Anyone else got the soon-to-be-moving blues?

Thanks! I had missed that ?

I propose a new application status category: Purgatory, for after acceptances, waitlists, and rejections have gone out, and you've yet to be notified...... ????

Yeah, ive totally felt that too!!! Like "Jesus Christ, you let THIS dumbass in *points to self*?!?! I thought you folks were supposed to be smart!" But on a related note, I'm so anxious about campus visits. I just know I'm going to get to Pittsburgh, where they'll revoke my offer after I prove, conclusively, that I am an asshatted fuckwit.

True 'dat. I hate that feeling. I hope it goes away someday...

Has anyone else become increasingly afraid of talking about philosophy with professors during this whole process? Now that my professors and letter writers know that I've been accepted to Yale and Pitt, I have this weird feeling that I'm supposed to speak in either cryptic aphorisms or pithy, profound nuggets of wisdom. So I've just stopped talking about philosophy out of a fear of letting the cat (AKA my true stupidity) out of the bag.

That is totally true, and I agree with you. But the point of that site isn't to compare your funding at X with your funding at Y. Presumably, both X and Y told you directly about your funding package, so you have all you need to compare X's offer to you with Y's offer to you. The only point of that site is to compare your offers with offers received by others. And no program will up their offer to you because someone else got a better one. So the site doesn't help negotiate offers.

I'm very skeptical of stuff like this. What good can come out of it? The only thing I can see happening is that X at University of Y will look up his/her school and compare/contrast with A, B, and C, who were also admitted. This will accomplish one of two things -- X will realize he/she is being paid poorly in comparison, and hence will be bummed the fuck out; or X will see that he/she is being paid more than his/her peers, and will pat himself/herself on the back and move along. Neither of those is particularly beneficial to anyone. In fact, I can foresee one other use: A student might use the site, find out he/she is being paid poorly, and then attempt to bargain/negotiate a better offer, which the program will resent. That would benefit no one and very well might harm the student.

Will likely decline Yale, WashU, Georgetown, and UVA by mid-Mar ch. Sorry for the lack of specificity!