The_Last_Thylacine

Hey, a couple things:

(i) Congratulations!
(ii) I strongly recommend CSULA over UNM.
(iii) Try to post in the right forum! This is a forum for Ph.D. decisions! 
 
Good luck with the decision!

In the interest of professionalism, I'd probably not recommend asking for application advice from the programs who rejected you. 

Feel free to PM me or other successful applicants on here. 

In the interest of professionalism, I'd probably not recommend asking for application advice from the programs who rejected you. 

Hey, a couple things:

(i) Congratulations!
(ii) I strongly recommend CSULA over UNM.
(iii) Try to post in the right forum! This is a forum for Ph.D. decisions! 
 
Good luck with the decision!

This is not the place for this and this comment is irrelevant and annoying, and please don't neg me. But there is a paper out there called "Possible Girls," about (I think; I've never read it) how if modal realism is true, then there are actual worlds where lonely people have partners. 

https://philpapers.org/rec/SINPG

This is not the place for this and this comment is irrelevant and annoying, and please don't neg me. But there is a paper out there called "Possible Girls," about (I think; I've never read it) how if modal realism is true, then there are actual worlds where lonely people have partners. 

https://philpapers.org/rec/SINPG

This is not the place for this and this comment is irrelevant and annoying, and please don't neg me. But there is a paper out there called "Possible Girls," about (I think; I've never read it) how if modal realism is true, then there are actual worlds where lonely people have partners. 

https://philpapers.org/rec/SINPG

Thank you, I appreciate it. I'm really alright. Well and healthy, so I can't complain too much.
I haven't accepted their offer to defer until next year, though I'm strongly considering it. I actually just recently received word that I got in off the waitlist at another program, but it's not as good of a fit, and I'd be much more excited to go to Arizona. So I'm facing a somewhat tough decision.
I'm still on another waitlist (that has contacted us several times to assure us that they are proceeding as usual with their admissions) that I would choose over Arizona, so I'm crossing my fingers that an offer comes through from them. 

I'm one of the folks who had a funding offer retracted from Arizona, so I'm happy this thread is here. It sucks, and it was a bit devastating given that it was my only outright offer, but I'll survive.
What's starting to get almost as frustrating as having my funding offer retracted is the comments from professional philosophers on the blogosphere. (I know, I just shouldn't bother reading them.) Perhaps my closeness to the situation is making me read things that aren't really there, but so  many comments have the tone of 'those naive kids just didn't read their offer letters closely, silly little idiots.' There are comments that literally say "that's just the way the world works." Is it even possible to utter that sentence without condescension? 
I haven't seen many grad students saying things like "this is illegal, we should file a suit, they need to reverse the decision." I don't know of any of the actual admits affected by this saying that. From what I can tell, we've all been saying that it's unfortunate and upsetting. It seems like it's a violation of the April 15 resolution, to which Arizona has committed - albeit one that's more understandable given that we're in the middle of a pandemic with huge economic implications. We've perhaps suggested that alternative cost-cutting measures should have been enacted, given the April 15 resolution (though I fully admit to not know the details of Arizona's budget, maybe this really was the only or the all-things-considered best option). 
Yet all the comments from professional philosophers, with doctorates and tenure-track or tenured positions, are basically "bUt It'S nOt IlLeGaL.' Yes, we are aware. 
Have you ever TA'd an ethics class and had an undergraduate respond to the claim 'X is wrong' or 'A shouldn't have done X' with 'but X isn't illegal'? I feel like I spend so much time explaining to undergraduates that, while they may be correct, they're missing the point at issue. I feel like I need to be doing the same thing with professional philosophers in blog comments right now.
I'm also tired of seeing comments suggesting that I should have seen this coming. The university did commit to the April 15 resolution. That absolutely gives me reason to expect that I'll have my offer until April 15, and it is completely irrelevant whether it's legal or not for them to rescind it. It doesn't follow from it not being illegal that I should have seen it coming. I want to comment and remind these philosophers that it takes them months, perhaps years, and several drafts to get their arguments in publishable shape - perhaps they should consider that before they post the first thoughts that come to their mind. 
My frustration is probably causing me to be uncharitable. But I figure a venting thread is the place to be uncharitable to people in a position of relative power. 
TL;DR:
Graduate students: University of Arizona violated the Council of Graduate Schools' April 15 Resolution, to which the university had committed. That's not good.
Professional philosophers, with doctorates and tenure-track or tenured jobs, in every single blog comment:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0OP2Hmup-Y
 

Sure - my AOS is in ancient.
I should note, though, that I was also rejected from 15 other programs, most of which were analytic in the way Michigan is. So I wouldn't characterize it by saying that I applied to a standard continental slate plus this one analytic program.
My specific project is one that could potentially be done in either sort of department. But I'm coming from a continental undergrad, so I knew I'd fare better applying to continental leaning or friendly departments, which is why I applied so widely. Basically I applied based on what the ancient faculty are working on, rather than based on whether the program as a whole is analytic or continental. Michigan was the best fit by far, certainly out of where I was accepted and possibly out of the programs I applied to more generally.

@platonetsocrate, can I ask what your AOS is? It looks like you applied to a standard Continental slate, but then there's Michigan! (Congrats on that, of course!)

I accepted the offer at Tufts and declined others a few weeks ago. Hope you hear some good news soon.
(Praying that the pandemic is over soon and we all get to take in-person classes in the fall!!!)

Accepted UC Irvine (LPS)!

So, I would say two things. Getting an online MA in philosophy and then another MA in philosophy could raise eyebrows. Also, some (many?) university's will not consider applicants who already possess that degree in the field for which they're applying. So you might inadvertently shoot yourself in the foot by trying to get a leg up. (Mixing clichéd metaphors is always recommended right????) So, no, I don't really think an online MA will help you get into an in-person funded MA in the same field. And while I think online instruction actually has some merits, I think you'll encounter a lot of snobbish attitudes about an online MA from faculty on admissions committees.

I thought I'd post here in case anyone has information that could help. I am currently waitlisted at several programs. After speaking with the departments, it's very likely I'll receive an offer from at least one of them, so I'm trying to make contingency plans in case I'm accepted to more than one department. Among the places I've been waitlisted is UMass Amherst. They are a great fit academically, since there are many people who are working in my area of interest. However, I don't know very much about the department. Does anyone here (maybe if you've been accepted or if you are currently attending) know much about what life is like there? How is the funding? Are graduate students supported by faculty? Do many students take courses outside of Philosophy?
I would honestly appreciate any information. Thanks!

It's completely reasonable to inquire about your chances at places where you've been waitlisted. In fact, as long as you do so respectfully, it may even help your chances of admission since it conveys interest. Moreover, given the uncertainty that's being caused by COVID-19, I think it is even more understandable for you to solicit information about these things. 

Got an offer from Central European University.
Thus: 2 acceptances/5 rejections/0 pending.
So happy that this application period is over.

It's completely reasonable to inquire about your chances at places where you've been waitlisted. In fact, as long as you do so respectfully, it may even help your chances of admission since it conveys interest. Moreover, given the uncertainty that's being caused by COVID-19, I think it is even more understandable for you to solicit information about these things. 

It's completely reasonable to inquire about your chances at places where you've been waitlisted. In fact, as long as you do so respectfully, it may even help your chances of admission since it conveys interest. Moreover, given the uncertainty that's being caused by COVID-19, I think it is even more understandable for you to solicit information about these things. 

It's completely reasonable to inquire about your chances at places where you've been waitlisted. In fact, as long as you do so respectfully, it may even help your chances of admission since it conveys interest. Moreover, given the uncertainty that's being caused by COVID-19, I think it is even more understandable for you to solicit information about these things. 

I am presuming that there will be some significant waitlist movement and news announced this week. Given my place of the waitlist of one of my favorite programs, my stomach has been in a pretty thick knot recently. The last few rejections in late March mostly washed over me as I became acclimatized to bad news, but I fear I will be really quite saddened if I don’t make it off the list. Although I am fairly happy with my one acceptance, I had hoped that I would have much broader options by the end of the cycle. It’s hard not to take things entirely personally. 

Just got accepted to Miami off the waitlist.
Finally, some good news.

Yes. Definitely a chance.
Work on your writing sample.

I echo what others have said. A few additional notes:
- Some of the universities you mention are not analytic departments, or perhaps would be better termed as strong continental departments. So you might want to double-check your list and make sure you're applying for universities that you believe you have a solid chance of getting into and fit your interests.
- Coming from a very low-tier institution and in a very non-traditional setting (online), you're going to need to differentiate yourself even further from your competition. I know your schedule isn't very conducive to attending many conferences, but you might try to write some works for undergraduate journals. Here's a list: https://unl.libguides.com/c.php?g=51642&p=333917. There are also undergraduate conferences, but I'm betting you wouldn't have travel support, and so that might be expensive.
- Your writing sample is going to have to be extremely polished. Definitely take advantage of the folks we have here and in the Facebook group to have your writing sample peer reviewed.
- I think a terminal MA program is your best choice by far. You're going to need to prove your philosophical ability. That's not a bad thing. Programs like Tufts, as was mentioned, are amazing at placement. If you do want to get into a prestigious program, a terminal MA at such a program would go a long way toward that.
Good luck!