MickeyRay
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Posts posted by MickeyRay
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4 hours ago, skaikru said:
Honestly, no. But I'm not sure if this is just imposter syndrome kicking in early. Yes, I agree with you that going through an MA program first might better enable me to perform well in, and not merely survive, the PhD program.
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.
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1 hour ago, dagnabbit said:
I agree with @MickeyRay that scholarly development and hard work are essential to success on the job market, but it is simply not true that program prestige does not make an enormous difference. Academia is an intensely elitist institution, and there is empirical evidence to show that the majority of academic jobs go to graduates from the top programs. If you are not happy with a program's placement record, you should not attend with the belief that your outcome will be significantly better.
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.
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1 hour ago, skaikru said:
Anyone here who have turned down, or will be turning down, all their PhD offers?
I've been lucky enough to receive a fully-funded offer from a program whose Leiter ranking is between #20 and #25 (and a couple of fully-funded MA offers from strong MA programs). However, I can't help but to think that if I were to be a little bit more patient and apply again to PhD programs in two years' time, I would have another shot at programs whose placement records are much stronger. One thing to note, though, is that the program in question is one of the top 3 programs in the area of my intended specialization. This last fact is what makes my turning down their offer especially difficult. Any advice?
Edit: FWIW, the MA program that I'm considering almost always places its applying students into the T25 programs (and their equivalent).
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.
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2 minutes ago, ThatDeleuzeGuy said:
Just got admitted to the PhD at University of South Florida. 6th alternate for funding atm. I got the email around 10 minutes ago.
Congrats. I hope that funding pulls through. I was down there for FEAST two years back, and the grad students I met seemed happy.
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10 hours ago, kekology4 said:
Does any1 have any insight into what a research assistantship would be like in a women's and gender studies department? I don't know much about RA positions in general.
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.
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19 minutes ago, ricksanchez said:
MickeyRay, thanks for your feedback. I figure that as the job market continues to shrink, the standard goes up - thus concentrating the jobs in the hands of the few elite. However, this might have been a quick assumption on my part since I didn't even consider that the department could be at fault. You make a good point.
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.
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8 minutes ago, ricksanchez said:
Let's say everything else about the program is a good fit. Top tier program, lots of great professors, close to home, good funding, good city -- but the program has terrible job placement.
Would a poor record of job placement be a deal breaker for you? What if your alternative is a program that's less ideal in terms of funding (although, still perfectly livable), location and fit (slightly less ideal), but much better with placement?
Should we first and foremost consider job placement when choosing between programs that are a "good" fit?
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.
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1 hour ago, PetiteFilleNoire said:
@MickeyRay UMD Women's Studies had their admitted students/visiting weekend earlier this week (I was there at the same time for American Studies). I suspect that they are likely referring to a wait list.
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?
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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
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2 hours ago, kguptaa said:
I don't think any official decisions come out for a couple more weeks. I got a call from a professor on Tuesday telling me I was accepted, from the results page it looks like some other people got emails.
Congrats!
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2 hours ago, Yanaka said:
Hey there!!
I was wondering about WGS M.A.'s--do you think Ph.D. programs would feel comfortable hiring me with a non-literary MA? Do you think I'd feel competent enough in a literary program with a WGS grad degree? Does it vary upon departments and their respective curriculum, or is that degree generally not very literature-oriented? Thanks!
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).
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7 hours ago, kekology4 said:
@kguptaa congrats!!! good luck.
So last week Stony Brook, who already accepted me, sent me an email saying they never got my application. I thought it was weird, and probably an error. Just got an email today confirming it, and letting me know they requested to return my application fee. okay!
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.
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6 hours ago, Kingoftherats said:
It seems to me that this is the most important bit to realize. The whole thing really is a crapshoot. All anyone can do is play their best cards and hope for a little luck. If you lose that hand, ante up, double down, and yank that lever for one more spin (or two or three). Any other gambling metaphors I can mix in here? Ahhhhh you all get it.
“If we hit that bullseye, the rest of the dominoes will fall like a house of cards. Checkmate.”
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9 hours ago, Turretin said:
Submitted my first 5 (of 17), and I'm already regretting not making a sharper personal statement/statement of intent. That said, my next round is coming up Dec 31st, so I'm gonna wait until this Friday/Saturday (when my papers are turned in) to start cranking out some more apps.
Dang dude. 17 is a ton of applications. I hope you're getting fee waivers.
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Yeah I'm still trying to figure out if the original position is worthy to take into consideration. It does seem like at least two people have gotten acceptances from almost every single continental school... Which means continental programs will probably have to go a lot farther down their lists as people keep getting more and more prestigious last minute offers. And these waitlists are usually like 1 or 2 people... So maybe I still have a chance at my lowest tier school?
...maybe I'm just procrastinating on the friggen job search...
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On 2/27/2016 at 11:58 AM, Schwarzwald said:
Anyone claiming the Miami rejection? Do you have news to bear for the rest of us?
On 2/28/2016 at 9:38 AM, KevDoh said:I second the question. Anybody want to claim that Miami Ohio rejection?
If anyone would like more info about Miami Ohio then PM me.
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7 hours ago, Schwarzwald said:
If everyone would just apply to my school of blackjack and hookers we wouldn't have to deal with these disappointments.
In fact forget the school and the blackjack!
Eh screw the whole thing.
- Dialectica and dgswaim
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Don't do it.
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54 minutes ago, TheJabberwock said:
I know! Applying and attending is a risky business and everyone should be well aware of that. If I had a choice between schools, I would definitely look at placement, but since I am still sitting on the outside looking in, getting in seems to be the first step. Now whether or not the end goal should be tenure track positions coming out of a phd program is up for debate, but this is not a priority for me. Therefore, attending a program is my focus and priority.
Did you apply last year?
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15 minutes ago, philstudent1991 said:
You are in at Harvard.
4 minutes ago, philstudent1992 said:Perhaps he isn't aware: Harvard is one of the 10 best universities in the world to pursue a PhD in philosophy. And he's in there.
usernames are cute.
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1 minute ago, gughok said:
Pretty shit, I would guess, given how I'm nearly striking out everywhere. I wrote it in three days and the two professors I asked for help on it couldn't be bothered to give me more than one round of very loose feedback each.
Yeah, so your numbers are great and that will help you... but it wont compensate for the three most important factors: AOI, recommendations, writing sample. It has gotta read as publishable, not just that youre a good writer. It has to be a worthy, strong, original argument, engage with a relevant and current conversation that people are interested in, and its gotta be clear and polished enough to stand out against 400 others.
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Posted this in the waitlist thread, but I thought that the rejects may appreciate it too.
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On 2/26/2016 at 5:28 PM, gughok said:
Joining the MIT rejection train. I did tell everyone that GREs and GPA won't get me in at places.
What's your writing sample look like?
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15 hours ago, TheJabberwock said:
I just got waitlisted at Kentucky, very high among alternates! Fingers crossed, this is one of my top choices!
- gughok and philstudent1991
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Turning down all your PhD offers?
in Philosophy
Posted
Let us know what you ended up choosing, please!