Sibilance7

Oh, and for anyone still waiting, I'll say this: lots of people heard about UIC before I did the year I was admitted. Just because you haven't heard doesn't necessarily mean anything. I wouldn't say they're super hung up on procedure around here.

Congrats! I'm in my second year of the PhD right now at UIC if you have any questions about the program!

Just stopping by to say that I'm currently a first-year PhD student at UIC if anyone has any questions (other than those about admission - they haven't told me anything!). Congrats to those who have heard good news already, and don't fret if you haven't received definitive news either way. It took them a long time to contact me last year to tell me I was waitlisted, mostly because it was the first year they had used a waitlist. They may still be working out the kinks of that process.

If you're looking for programs further down the rankings list that are strong in theory, as it sounds like you are from your question, I'd recommend my current program, The University of Illinois at Chicago. It's a strongly theory-oriented department, with many professors who have been trained in philosophy or theory specifically. I'm sure it doesn't match up to all of those programs who rank in the stratosphere of the US News list, but it's much stronger theoretically than other departments that are higher in the general rankings.

In previous years, OSU has notified fellowship nominees first and notified the rest of the acceptees later. Everyone there is fully funded, but some are funded by fellowship in the first year (and sometimes subsequent years, depending on the fellowship), while others are funded by assistantship. Good luck to anyone who applied. I enjoyed my time there quite a bit.

I don't know who you know that told you OSU has a mean and back-biting program, but as a person who spent two years there, I completely disagree with this. If the OP is accepted for the PhD, there is no question that the program is extremely friendly and collegial. I have never heard anyone say anything to the contrary, and at the department's external review that was recently completed, students frequently cited the atmosphere of friendliness and collegiality as the main reason they were happy with the program. If the OP is accepted for the MA and would like to continue on to the PhD, he or she will have to essentially compete with the rest of the cohort when they apply for the PhD, but this process has never seemed backbiting to me. It really depends on the particular cohort.

Was anyone here accepted and went to the open house or otherwise know anything about this program? I was just accepted off the waitlist and I don't really have any sense of how to compare them to my other acceptance at OSU, other than a few objective things I know from the offer about stipend, teaching load, etc. If anyone has info they'd be willing to share, I'd greatly appreciate it!

I know nothing about Michigan State, but I got my MA at Ohio State and will probably be returning in the fall for my PhD (I'm still waiting on a couple waitlists). I'd be happy to answer any questions you have about the program here or via PM. It's a very good program, and if I know more about your interests, I can tell you more specifically what about it might be good for you.

I was told that if I didn't make the 40x, I had to have a guarantor who made 80x the rent - is that not true?

I've been hearing that you can't rent an apartment in NYC unless your yearly salary is at least 40 times the monthly rent. Is this not true of your apartment, or does your roommate make a ton of money to make up for it? Or did you get a guarantor? I'm only waitlisted at an NYC school, but this seems to be the biggest financial hurdle I can identify - if you have any tips on how to conquer it, I'd love to hear them!

Hi Liszt85, Congrats on your decision! I don't know about the tax question or the car question, but I can tell you a bit about the others. There are tons of interesting things to do within driving distance of Columbus. Some of the things my husband and I have seen are the Hocking Hills (which you really have to visit a few times so you can see all the different stages throughout the seasons), the Serpent Mound, Newport Aquarium just across the state line in Kentucky (about a 2 hour drive), and visit some of the many parks in Columbus. Even the lesser traveled areas have some interesting stuff. We visited a place in Mansfield (about an hour northeast of Columbus) called Kingwood Gardens - they have beautiful gardens and an old home to tour, and there are peacocks that wander the grounds. Cleveland is also only a bit over an hour away, and there's lots to see on Lake Erie, including the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Other than Clintonville, Grandview is a nice, affordable place for graduate students that's decently easily accessible by bus if you don't find a car right away (you get free unlimited bus rides with your student ID). Other areas grad students tend to live in are Victorian Village and sometimes Worthington, but they tend to be a bit pricier. I'd definitely check out Grandview, though - I was looking at apartments there on Craigslist recently and it seemed like you could get a better deal there for your money than in Clintonville. It sounds like you have most of the expenses pretty well covered - the only other thing I can think of is a parking pass, since you mention getting a car. I don't know if you plan on driving to campus, but the parking there is insanely expensive if you want a spot near central campus. The cheaper parking will put you in a parking lot in the middle of nowhere where you'll have to catch a campus bus to get to the central area. Having a car is a good thing in Columbus because none of the suburbs are easily accessible by bus, but for everyday commuting to campus, I definitely recommend using the bus system. As far as the insurance, yes, this is the only insurance you'll need, and it's amazing coverage. I never had to pay for doctor's visits unless they referred me somewhere off campus, and I even had some minor medical equipment completely covered with no co-pay. It's the best health coverage I've ever had. The only thing is that you have to watch out with prescriptions - you can sometimes get them cheaper at local places like Giant Eagle or Walmart that have special pricing for generic medications. As far as that apartment complex, it's in a good area of Clintonville. It's right on High St, which is convenient if you want to take the bus to campus (High St has the most frequent and consistent bus route in Columbus, the #2, and it will take you straight to campus), and not too bad if you want to drive. It's also far enough North to be solidly in Clintonville - sometimes apartments advertise themselves as being in Clintonville when they're really south of it (in between campus and Clintonville, also known as north campus), and that area can be shady. Clintonville Commons is right near the Whetstone Park of Roses, which is beautiful when all the roses are in bloom, and it's also near the public library's Whetstone branch. Since it's a complex, you might want to do a search for apartment rating sites to see if past tenants have good or bad things to say about the management. I don't know anything about the management there, although I do have friends who live in Olentangy Village, another complex along High St, and love it. OV is a bit more expensive, but they do offer discounts for employees of OSU, which you technically are if you have a teaching assistantship. I hope all that helps, and feel free to ask me any more questions you might have here or via PM. I'm still waiting on a waitlist, but I will most likely be returning to OSU for my Ph.D. this fall, so I'm also in the apartment hunting stage.

I'm still waiting. You will be the first to know if I hear anything, minniemouse!

I got an email about the open house, but I wasn't sure if it applied to me or not since I'm waitlisted. I was going to ask if I could visit because I do have another acceptance and I don't want to end up making a blind decision at the last minute, but I'm not going to bug them about it because I'm really not in a position to make any more self-funded visits right now (I'm making one to Maryland, where I've also been waitlisted). Best of luck with the waitlists! Maybe after the open house people will start to make decisions and we'll hear some good news?

No, I haven't. Are you going to the open house this weekend? I had wanted to visit, but I really can't afford it.

Haha - me too. I have three waitlists out of fifteen applications. Take heart in thinking that if we weren't in the midst of an economic crisis, this season would have turned out much better for us! So many schools have drastically reduced their cohort sizes - in any other year, we would have been in at a lot of these places, I think. Best of luck with the waiting!