MickeyRay

Let us know what you ended up choosing, please!

So I've been thinking, and another issue is figuring out your interests. A big plus of going to an MA would be to get a broader background in philosophy so that you can be more secure in your interests when you get to phd and you can pick a program that would be perfect for your interests and in which you can work on your dissertation. If you're really secure in your interests, and the school is like top 3 for your interests then I would definitely consider the PhD despite your fears.

I mean I guess my perspective is different because I'm continental, but I think coming up with original ideas, publishing, and networking is really a huge part of it. One question that hasnt been brought up yet: Do you feel ready for a phd program? Two years is a long time. If you really feel like you could benefit from two years of really learning how to do academic work then the MA would be a good idea. You definitely want to feel ready to kick ass and stand out.

No just risky, but also really misguided. The ranking of your program can be a bolster and make getting a job easier, but as far as developing yourself as an academic it just isn't enough. Being a successful academic really depends a lot on yourself as a scholar: pushing yourself, networking, reading everything ever and luck. Don't get wrapped up in the game of try to get the most prestigious name on your C.V., and instead just focus on your own development as a philosopher. You can do that nearly anywhere. Sometimes it would even be easier at a lower ranked school with faculty that have more time to give you more attention. It would be different if you didn't *click* with any of the professors, the campus, the students, etc. and just didn't feel right about the schools you got into. But a good placement record doesn't guarentee a job, and your much better off focusing on being maleable in the market and just being a good all-around academic. This is all just my opinion though, of course. Edit: Oh and I just want to say that sometimes students that are stellar applicants as BA applicants dont do as well in the MA applicant pile. It is more rare to be a crazily dedicated and focused BA student than an MA one.

Congrats. I hope that funding pulls through. I was down there for FEAST two years back, and the grad students I met seemed happy.

Thats a good question for the department! I think it really varies not only on the school but also on with whomever you would be working and their discipline. At U of Cinci one prof said they expect the grad student to do research for about 20 hours/week, and that it would be going through a bunch of different articles on their topic and pulling ones that are relevant to the paper that they are writing. She is sociology though.

It's true that there are less jobs, especially for the humanities, but really phd students have to rely on networking and their advisor a lot in order to get a job. I would suggest asking about job search tools and how they support graduates in the job search regardless of the placement rate. Also, be sure to ask about supporting recent graduates (up to 7 years after program completion) as well.

For a top tier school with great professors and great funding then a horrible placement record should definitely raise eyebrows. If I were you then I would ask the grad students and professors why they think the placement record is so horrible. I would check to see what the professors are doing to support students in the job search.

Thank you for this insight! Yeah I wonder if all applicants received this email or if it was just a select few on the waitlist? Do you have an estimate of how many individuals were there for the Women's Studies department?

Did anyone else get a really weird ambiguous email from u of Maryland reassuring them that "your app is still being considered" and "app review is on going" and they're starting to send out decisions starting March 10th until April 14th.... they'll be in contact soon?? So just to keep us on our toes then? Haha

Congrats!

I really think it would depend upon the department. My field is philosophy, and the discipline "policing" with philosophy is really bad. I think that a WGS MA would make me a prime candidate for a philosophy MA program with a lot of feminist philosophers, but I think it would be hard to compete in a pool of philosophy MA students for a philosophy PhD spot. I think that it would be super attractive to prospective employers if you had grad degrees in both (especially with the high demand for WGS right now), but getting into a good phd program might be more difficult. However, it depends on the programs that you are applying to as well as the connections that your letter writers have at those programs. If it is a humanities/lit heavy department from which you are applying and the prospective department knows that based on the letters and reputation then I think you should be okay, but if not then it could be a weakness (though not necessarily an app killer).

Oh awesome, I'm glad you got this too. I was worried that they were refunding because the error was more than just the email and that it might have affected their consideration of my app (by being delayed or something). I guess everyone got it though. Also, hooray for refunds! Also, spoke to Stony Brook, not all acceptances have gone out! Just some early one(s?) for the extra fellowships. (congrats again kekology). I also spoke to U of Maryland and they're still reviewing and they should send out acceptances soon too. I hope everyone is doing well.

“If we hit that bullseye, the rest of the dominoes will fall like a house of cards. Checkmate.”

Dang dude. 17 is a ton of applications. I hope you're getting fee waivers.