HomoLudens

UCSD has numbers on their page. One year they had like a 17% acceptance rate due to a lower number of applicants and a high number of spots. But I think is probably the highest rate there has ever been.

Wait list at Stony Brook. Finally some better news.

At this point (when you are being waitlisted) they probably aren't going to look at your material any closer. They already want you, and they are simplying prioritizing people based on factors like fit, faculty fit, how many people are working on your aoi, etc. So no I dont think it is worth it.

Any word from BU?

LOL thanks ObamaIsGuiltyOfWarCrimes, your words and your name cheered me up.

Yeah I think it is wait list. I sent an email to Rawlinson about this, but I haven't heard back yet. I will lyk when I hear back

Still no word from Stony Brook! Ohh baby I hope this is a good sign.

I feel like I am in a weird position. I don't actually feel imposter syndrome. Maybe it is because I am doing an MA now and so I already worked through it two years ago? I would be interested in hearing other people who did an MA. If it isn't imposter syndrome, then what am I feeling? Maybe it is frustration that I think I have produced good work and it isn't being recognized, and I have the firm conviction that I can keep learning and producing better work in the future. In that case, I must be feeling a kind of narcissisms and resentment (which makes sense considering my personality).

I think these people are being very imprecise with the term. If elitism is anything that benefits other people than me viz. circumstances outside of our individual control, then maybe they are right. I personally don't play this game of calling people I don't know "elite", "privileged", etc. It makes things too toxic. I opt for depression and self-immolation approach rather than resentment of others' success.

I think you are largely right, there are good application portfolios and there are bad ones. The problem I think is that there is no real way to determine objectively just what it means to have a good one or a bad one. Surely having a LOR from a big name is going to help you get ahead in the running. Studying at an Ivy already gives you an advantage in terms of resources, background, and support that can't be found at a small LAC. Still, there are people (I will include myself) who have worked really hard to produce a quality sample, having it be read by major people in the field, getting feedback, refining it, presenting it at conferences, have it be pending acceptance to a journal, etc. etc. etc. and to see all of that work be pointless. Admittedly, my interests are fairly niche (Sample on Kant exegesis that a non-scholar probably won't find interesting). It could very well be that the reason I didn't get accepted is because I went too narrow. Who the hell knows. Am I bad philosopher? Maybe. However, those of you have done a MA at a school with a PhD program probably know quite well that many PhDs are quite poor philosophers. This is my subjective judgement, but in so far as it is anecdotal it illustrates that putting an emphasis on the quality of the individual and their work is hardly the full story. Not everyone who gets into Harvard Yale and Princeton in one cycle are going to be the next Wittgenstein (though they are probably much closer to him than me). Sorry for the ramble.

This is my second round. I applied to 4 schools in 2019, was waitlisted at two and interviewed at one. I ultimately didn't get off the waitlists. I think I am putting too much stress on myself at the moment. I am going through a lot outside of applications, so every rejection compounds my anxiety.

0a/0w/8r/1?/13pending This is awful. This is truly an awful feeling.

Don't jump out the window until you post about it here first.

Yeah, it really sucks to see the same people being offered multiple spots. It makes me wonder whether I am any good at this shit called philosophy.

I haven't received a rejection from Stony Brook yet, so I hope that is a good sign.

Nice job man!

You're right. I should be positive. Past performance, future results, and all that.

Basically assuming that I have been rejected from JHU and Wisc. at this point. So far 0/2/23 RIP

RIP

Please claim those JHU acceptances ?

As I mentioned above, the problem lies in the very idea behind threads like these. We see them crop up constantly on here. The best advice is to stop worrying about chances viz. statistics and markers like GPA, and instead ask whether your sample/statement are up to snuff. I honestly think we should ban threads like this (no offense to OP) because they are literally useless speculation.

I think it depends on the school. UVA a couple of years ago had like 20 people on their waitlist for a small number of admits.

As the Germans say, "jein". This is anecdotal, but the admissions director at my program reads statements first. Obviously it isn't make or break if you have a mediocre sample, but if you aren't able to effectively state why you want to do a PhD at "school" beyond the typical platitudes, then you don't have a chance. Having an interesting statement might make the committee member look closer at your application. The moral I take away from applying is that the kind of questions being asked on this forum are typically the wrong ones. People shouldn't be ask whether they can get in based on stats x, y, and z and vague statements like "my sample is super good". The real question is, "how can I make my application better.

I was banned from the FB group, so I tried to join under an alt, and I encountered the same problem. That was a while ago, so IDK what the problem is.

Can anyone claim the Toronto acceptance from the spreadsheet?