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Moose#@1%$

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Everything posted by Moose#@1%$

  1. So, this is is my third application cycle. I have only a simple advice, take this time to really and I MEAN TRULY search your inner self and ask yourself, is philosophy PhD really worth this much effort. Like Katherine said, there just is not sure way of getting in. My application this time around, I thought, was pretty good. Decent GRE scores, good LOR (I think lol) and good sample paper. I mean I worked on this sample paper for a VERY VERY long time but I've had little success this time around. With just 1 acceptances (no funding yet) and 5 rejections, and the rest aren't looking much better. So, I'm questioning now whether I even want to kill myself working on these applications, GRE etc. for this again? Is it actually worth it? Because if you don't get into a good top program, you'll be doing the same and feeling the same (if not worse) when applying for jobs. Where you go matter ALOT what kind of job you can get or any job.. And getting into these top programs is nearly impossible without a near perfect application (Top GPA, Top GRE, Amazing LOR from decently well knon names, and of course an amazing sample paper, even then you sill have a 2-5 % chance). Im sure some on here will disagree but I honestly believe their optimism is unwarranted. Sure there are cases that show what I said wrong but overall it its obviously true. So, again I suggest really really ask yourself if there is anything else you could do with your life and be happy with it, then do that. Because if there is, then this is NOT worth it. It's expensive, near impossible, and selection pretty selective. Ask your self this, would you spend 1000 dollars and a year or two of your life on trying to get in somewhere or get something if you only had a 2-5 percent chance? On the flip side, if this is truly what you want to do, then do what Katherine suggested. That's not a bad idea. and apply to at least twice as many schools as you did this time. 14 - 15. re take the GRE and make sure to get over 160 on both. Verbal and Quant. And work on your sample paper alot make it so that it can be published (theoratically) and your SOP needs to be very good. I mean very good. All this is going to be draining, expensive and difficult to do but if this is the path you wan to go then I think you have to do all those things.
  2. I’ve been seeing your congratulatory messages to many ppl on here. That’s nice of you. Hope you get into your top choice!
  3. Yea or just check it much less... I only check it like once every other day or so.. but having a group of people in the same place mentally helps hah
  4. I've only seen two also, but they released their acceptances the exact same day as last year. And last year they didn't have any accpetances that were given out (other than waitlisted ones) after their initial date. So, I'm just deducing haha not any objective evidence.
  5. Me too.. Seems oddly early for them. From what I've seen from a previous years.
  6. As am I ... but from what I've seen all their acceptances have gone out. So, if we haven't heard anything, then... whomp whomp whomp.. lol.
  7. I haven't been rejected by any schools yet but the few to which I applied to have released their acceptances ... haha soo... not sure how to take this. False hope? yeup.. going with that.
  8. Agreed, this entire process is just a giant mess. There are just too many moving parts and perpetually changing variables. I tried my best to only apply to schools where I believe I was the best fit, instead of trying to "break the admission code," it's just too much and I wanted to stay sane and keep my head full of hair haha. Truth be told I did just stay away from Top schools.. Like Yale, Harvard, MIT etc., but primarily because my GRE scores weren't that great and I was warned by a few people that schools like that are likely to have cut off points. Mainly because of the number of applicants they receive. but good luck to you, hoepefully you get in where you want.
  9. So, I think you have really good points and I've always wondered about the truth to such speculations. However, I have heard directly from selection comittee at my MA that they do such calculations. Now, how reliable or what methodology they use, I have no idea. But, when asked by me and couple of other Grad students the exact words were (more or less), "it's hard to really know. We had some excellent applicants some from top schools (I think that year we had applicants from Oxford, Washington, UCLA etc.), sample paper, and great recommendations but you know.. its hard to decide whether we should offer them admission. Because the fact that they're application is this good made us wonder whether they would end up choosing somewhere else and we'd end up using up a spot when we could have offered to someone else. But then again you don't want to pass them up because you think they might choose somewhere else. On the other hand we also want to offer admissions to people who we think might be more likely to choose us." and more of the same back and forth for about 10 mins.. So, I agree with you but I also think there is definitely truth to this theory or speculation. Overall, I really don't think there are any "safe schools." It is all about your fit. You might get rejected from a "safe" school because of bad fit and get accepted at a top school because of a good fit. Now, ofcourse some of these top schools are charged for having cut off measures (Idk how true that is) but I think your fit is the most important.
  10. Congratulations man! That's awesome.
  11. If you don't find anything on here, I'd suggest emailing grad students doing similar work at the school and ask them. They'd probably be helpful. however, from what I've heard most people end up doing something very different from their initial AOIs. So, I wouldn't worry about it too much at this point.
  12. I would like to know too.. lol.
  13. I would think so. But, maybe they mean that 12 months stipend is usually more than the 9 months. I
  14. Also, ask how much the fees are. I and most in my MA program were surprised to learn how high the fees were. 1500 a semester with a stipend of 14,000 k. So, make sure you know what exactly will you be paying for and how much will you be making.
  15. Okay, well maybe not completely a popularity contest but PGR has been criticized for being just that by many other people, popular faculty included. I also think people will care what we think, if future and current grad students start to visit PGR website less or use it less. It is us grad students who use it primarily and then Bryan starts attacking other grad students for criticizing him. Besides we can't as philosophers just live with a complacent attitude and we should address problems when a senior member of the field is petty enough to go after grad students and bad mouth them. He knows that it could hurt their job prospects (given the popularity of his blog). I don't know I'm just a bit cynical of arbitrary ranking systems and then when the person behind them turns out to be thin-skinned bully. But it seems I'm in the minority here haha. So, maybe I'm wrong about PGR and Bryan Lieter.
  16. I'm not even sure how useful it is.. honestly. It seems nothing more than a popularity contest by people who are already "popular." But, I also don't think Leiter related problems or gossip is useless. He's a well known person in the field and if he's bullying people and other professors who disagree with him, then that's a problem. He has a popular blog where he can easily go and bad mouth people and if that's true then that needs some sort of repercussions. Also, if true, then we as a community shouldn't pay this much attention to him.
  17. I don't even know about his ranking system. I think it's biased and many schools are not ranked because they aren't even part of the choice. It is helpful but I'm not sure how accurate or helpful for the field it is.
  18. It might have something to do with that acceptances have to be approved for funding by the grad school (I think). Whereas, rejections and wait listed people don't have to be. Maybe. Just what I think.
  19. So, Bryan Lieter is in the philosophy talks again for being a bully. He's apparently blogging about some grad students now. So, I was wondering what do people think about his blog and his ranking? Apparently Bryan has been accused of bullying grad students and junior faculty online. One professor, Sandra Lapointe, even said that she criticized Leiter online about something and that led Bryan calling her chair (why?) to point it out to them. Luckily for her her chair was cool didn't pay much attention to Leiter. But her point was that Leiter has been known for calling Grad students department and complaining about their "behavior." If that's true then that's pretty petty and messed up. Anyway, I thought this could be something interesting to talk about see what others thing about Leiter and his websites etc. Also, something for us to do while we wait. lol Disclaimer: I do not have any personal experience with Leiter, so, if some one knows something I've said is inaccurate or details about the incidences then do share.
  20. Is it me or Brown is only handing out rejections at the moment? I haven't seen anyone post about acceptances yet.
  21. hmm idk.. maybe they just didn't want to email me and my friends haha, jk. But, like i said it was my personal experience and others who that I know.
  22. University of Colorado seem to never email rejections. Just from what I've heard from a few pple and my own personal experience a few cycles ago.
  23. Like others have said, if you're in the same town go to the department and see if you can track him/her down. If you do, politely remind them about the letter. It's possible they had something come up and are busy and have forgotten about the letters. Maybe talk to the department secretary and see if they can help you track your professor down.
  24. No I dont think so. U of Cincinnati has a "video essay" question but after talking to the department and reading on their website, they don't even look at it. It's just a Grad school thing.
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