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In terms of commute from Fullerton to Riverside, in my experience it averages around 45 minutes, though there seems to be a lot of construction taking place on the 91 freeway which, if paired with an accident, could mean you could be caught in bad traffic or forced to take an obnoxiously long detour on the 60. However, I find the drive itself to and from quite nice, you get to see a lot of hills and nature that is free from housing development along the way, and there’s always a great view of the San Bernardino and San Gabriel mountains to the north, which are simply grand when all covered in snow Fullerton is also a very, very nice place to live, so long as you steer clear of the more rowdy party areas (Fullerton is home to both a university and community college), and there are plenty of parks if you enjoy being outside.

In the case of the quant GRE, you would definitely be able to improve your score, as you mention (through practice tests, drilling problems, possibly a tutor). As for the undergraduate grades in math/sci/analytic, what’s done is done, but you might still consider auditing a graduate- (or even undergraduate-, honestly) level course in logic or analytic phil if you decide to do an MA program, for the experience and repeated exposure, if nothing else. I really do think this would improve your application. I can say from experience that reaching proficiency in even ONE language (and a Slavic language at that) through self-study is no easy feat, so really, props to you on all of those, it's quite admirable. If you considered reframing your translation work from “I know it’s not ground-breaking” to “it is crucial to engage with philosophical perspectives of eastern Europe, especially given our current political atmosphere,” I’m sure it would prove to be a very unique strength in your application, rather than a potential “this student is interested in obscure phil with too few resources” weakness. Of course, these suggestions are made under the assumption that you would consider reapplying to PhD programs in philosophy in the future. However, I believe it will be well worth it to re-examine, as you’ve already begun to do, whether or not a PhD program in phil is the best route, or even necessary, in achieving your professional goals. There is often more than one way to “scratch an itch” as it were, and as I’m sure you know. I considered bringing up social/political phil with regard to Penn State in my previous response, but thought it might be too department-specific. But since you ask, I’m quite interested in feminist philosophy (and consequently philosophical issues of race, class, and gender) and particularly in investigating sociopolitical characteristics of language use, among other issues related to sociolinguistics. I’m sure this made me a very good fit for the department at Penn State. Not to be overly candid, but I find it odd that you claim that your AOIs don’t concern social or political topics, especially after listing literature, languages/translation, hermeneutics, religion, your job in education … ! But perhaps my own research interests are just coloring my perspective Thank you for the congratulations. And, feel free to PM me if you want to talk in more detail about applications. I would be happy to chat given our mutual interests.

Of the programs you listed I also applied to Penn State and DePaul and have been accepted and waitlisted, respectively. I interviewed with both departments. We have a handful of similarities in our applications -- no MA, interest in languages and translation (I'm a double major in phil and linguistics, with proficiency in a couple of languages) and of course continental AOIs including phenomenology and German phil. So, concern for the aspects in which we overlap, like applying with only a BA and having widespread supplementary interests, I frankly wouldn't be too worried about. What's more, I only applied to 6 PhD programs ... so, there's that as well. Therefore, I do feel I have to push back on you a bit and say that your quant GRE and low grades in science/math/analytic phil might definitely be considered weaknesses in your application. In my own SOP I made it a point to (briefly) stress my competence in those areas and my performance in analytic courses such as symbolic logic and philosophy of language. I would have to assume that all the applications these programs receive are from students who excel and have interests in continental phil, of course, so a well-rounded applicant who is competent in contemporary analytic methods in addition is simply going to make for a more ideal applicant than one who is not. In that regard, I really would think that poor performance in these areas does have the potential to hurt your application, contrary to what your prof told you. And, with all due respect, I'm not sure whether I would take advice from an analytic professor on what would or would not affect my chances of admission to a continental program very seriously but that's just me. Whether or not you still disagree, working to improve your quant score and competence in analytic phil certainly wouldn't hurt at this point.

well, who knows, it still might be the case that they have other applicants on the waitlist that they didn't contact to interview -- they can only conduct so many interviews, since they're costly and time-consuming. so, I wouldn't lose hope yet

sorry this is late -- yes, I did.