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I'm so upset about a lot of the application fees since many of the US schools I looked into only waive application fees for US applicants (or those who have studied in the US) who participate in some variety of diversity programs, and all the Canadian schools only waive it if you're not Canadian (and I'm Canadian). Guess I'll stock up on ramen for the next few months. Thanks! Like most things in life, the 6.0 was a little bit of catering to the audience and a whole lot of luck. I got a topic that I felt I could write on at length, and since I had heard that length is one of their main factors of marking, I did exactly that. Sadly, I don't think it counts for as much as I'd like it to.

I imagine that even if schools saved GRE/transcript information, most of them would still require that you re-send it. Nothing was stated regarding information saved when I reapplied to a couple places after my BA and after my MA - though those were only Canadian schools. I like this thread, though, to voice my worries. Reapplying makes me simultaneously feel like if I don't get in, then I've totally failed at life, while also feeling like I definitely won't get in because nobody wanted me the first time.

I cry when I think about this in CAD given that I will almost certainly not get in.

Also reapplying this year. I'm still trying to finish a first draft of my new writing sample (hopefully by the end of this week). So far, it seems I'm applying to around 12 schools, but since I applied to so few last year, I'm hoping to add a few more schools to my list.

I mostly just post about knitting or TV shows (on FB, I'm practically non-existant on G+), but I like internet philosophy friends, so I'll join the ranks of pm me for FB (or G+) details.

I have only read one of the chapters (chapter 5 - I don't remember the tile) as some background for a class on possible worlds and modal semantics a little while ago, but I remember essentially agreeing with Prior's argument against a hard distinction between tensed and untensed propositions. Prior's stance itself, which isn't really focused on in the chapter since the chapter is actually about rebuttals for the opposing argument, sort of reminds me of Russell's stance on rigid designators as mentioned by good ol' Kripke in Naming and Necessity. Anyways, if you get around to it, let me know; I'd like to read the rest of it sometime and reread that chapter without the looming concern of a course.

Holy moly, that's an impressive pile to read in one semester on top of your course readings! I recently picked up Worlds, Times and Selves from the "free books" pile in our department library - what were your thoughts on it? I've also bumped Meaning and Necessity up on my reading list since becoming a Carnap expert is an odd little goal of mine.

*sigh*. The Station Agent is a movie I've been meaning to see so it's been on my mind. I did indeed mean Station Eleven. I'm only a chapter in, but I like what I've read so far! It does seem like a book I'd enjoy, so maybe I'll report back in once I've finished!

I'm thinking of rereading Killing Time, Feyerabend's autobiography alongside finally reading his Against Method. I read KT alongside Wittgenstein's Poker last time, and I can't recommend that reading pair enough. Both are basically in the same timeframe (since WP goes through a bit of Wittgenstein's life story), and tell vastly different stories about two fascinating philosophers and their approaches to philosophy. Other philosophy I'm reading slowly is Unifying Scientific Theories by Margaret Morrison, and The Reign of Relativity by Thomas Ryckman. (Can you guess what my AOI is? ) As for fiction, I recently started reading The Station Eleven Agent by Emily St. Mandel and have been listening to the audiobook of The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie.

I'll be reapplying this year too! I realized some key mistakes like not applying to enough places, so I'm aiming to apply at a lot more places this year. I do wonder what it looks like to adcom though if you reapply to some of the same places as you did this year. Supposedly, they've read your application package this year, and probably won't remember you given the number of applicants, but I do wonder if it hinders your chances the year after incase they remember you. We should make up some sort of (email? G+? Twitter?) group to read and review each others' statements of interests and writing samples and general support through this god awful process.

Thanks for the tip! Applying to more schools is definitely something I've realized this month. I already thought 6 was a lot, but given the acceptance rates, I was obviously mistaken.

Thanks for the motivation! My (current) AOI is in the phil of science (physics) and language with a budding interest in modal logic. It'll probably be helpful for me to get a better foundation in physics, and maybe I'll ask my supervisor about the language situation.

@KevDoh. Thanks so much for the comprehensive post! You're right in that I'm probably overstating the negative influence of my lack of pedigree, I assume it's because I'm super upset since I feel that I worked my ass off to compensate for some setbacks I had at the start of my undergrad, so I feel the need to blame something other than me lol. There are some language classes near me which I could enroll in starting in the summer (I mentioned just above that I actually know a few languages, but they aren't very philosophy related, so maybe I need to rectify that). I've already started applying to some university jobs as well as other jobs around town because being poor and out of school is no fun at all, and I certainly have some gaps in my philosophical knowledge, but my school perhaps isn't the best place to fill in those gaps given its weaknesses in course offerings. Obviously self study doesn't hold the same weight in applications, but it seems I have to basically treat applying to phd programs as a job in itself. Thanks for the motivation. I've got a ton of books I want to get through since I do feel like I was drifting away from my main AOI after my MA thesis, and this may be the perfect opportunity to gain a new philosophical interest without the pressure of academia. It really helps that my partner is in the same position as I (presumably since we haven't gotten some official rejections yet), so I'll have a support system going through this garbage again.

Perhaps a continental thing? I'm conversationally competent in 5 languages and can read/write in 3 including English, and I have a minor in Applied Language Studies. Granted, they're not the most useful languages for Philosophy. Time to learn Greek!

So I'm predicting a shut out now that I got my UBC rejection. I'll be revisiting my writing sample for next year since there's nothing I can do about my GPA. I think my LoRs are good, but perhaps from unknown-ish people given that I go to a STEM school with no arts pedigree (this is what I get for not switching schools when I switched into a Phil major), and my GRE is as solid as I care to get it. I'll try to work on some papers to submit to journals, but other than that, anyone have any suggestions on how to make my application look more appealing next year?

As another who is likely to get shut out and feeling the same things as you, it seems like all we can do is try again next year. EDIT: Also, I now hate you for getting that song stuck in my head. I don't even like Coldplay.

I emailed their department secretary, and she said that decisions will be sent out this week. I'm guessing that still means rejection unless someone turned down their offer (who turns down their Pitt HPS offer?!?!?!), but at least we'll be notified by the end of this week.

Off topic for the thread, but why do you presume rejection from British Columbia? From the results search, it looks like only a couple wait lists have gone out so far, and if I remember correctly from a couple years ago when I applied there to my MA, they replied with their decision in early March.

I have researched and am somewhat interested in the feminist phil of science. Does that count? I definitely didn't try to sell myself as a feminist philosopher, not just because in the phil of sci, it's not seen as particularly "serious" phil of sci work, but also because I truly don't focus in it. I did mention in UCDavis' diversity statement that I'm a fan of their commitment to hiring female philosophers, and in some statement of interests that I had done some amount of work in feminist phil of sci and feminist epistemology. One of my letter writers works within feminist phil of biology, but perhaps isn't super well known, and given the silence in my email inbox, I can't say whether that's had an effect in my admissions.

That helps! I was unsure of how to start the email. Maybe I'll wait until Tuesday to see where I stand, and perhaps start emailing people then.

What do people write in a soliciting email? Something like "wondering about the status of my application"? I keep feeling like if I email them first, then they'll change their mind on whatever limbo waitlist I might be on and reject me.

My partner called me to ask me to pick up a drink while I was getting pizza today. I felt the buzzing in my pocket and instantly thought, "OMG PITT WANTS ME AFTER ALL?!?!"

Congrats! I'll be refreshing my email frantically to see if I finally get a response from them today.

I too had a couple rough semesters where I disappeared for 8 months due to mental health problems in 2011. I had hoped that coming back and finishing my undergrad relatively strong along with finishing my MA with really good grades and a solid thesis would help with the shortcomings of my application. I have no idea how to frame my application next year if I do indeed end up with a slate of rejections over the next month. Your plan B seems pretty cool though! Books and independent research is basically the dream.