HomoLudens

The first waitlist results have been announced. Post them here.

"Keywords" might be a bit too reductive. Certainly they don't read all 15-30 pages of everyone's writing sample. It is more likely that they will read the first and last paragraphs of each sample to ascertain 1) your area of interest, 2) your superficial writing ability, 3) your capacity to frame a philosophical problem in a small space, and other similar things. In any case, once they narrow down the number of applicants to, say, the top 50, someone on the committee definitely will read your whole sample. There is plenty of anecdotal evidence on this site where people say that so and so person at program x told them that they loved their sample. (I am sure that the person couldn't care less about an good undergraduate philosophy essay, let alone love one, but I digress). I also have talked to the current DGS at my MA program, and it is guaranteed that your sample will be read by someone more or less in its entirety. So no, they don't simply have keywords in mind to weed out applicants. You need to have a really good sample from start to finish.

Unlike SOPs, which are short and very formulaic, I am skeptical about the value of looking at a writing sample example. Theoretically, you should model your sample after a paper published in a peer-reviewed journal. If I were to send you a paper on Kant that got me into UCSD, but your AOI is philosophy of mind, there would be no value in you looking at my sample. You should try to model your writing after scholars that your like and who are in your field. With SOPs, you don't see that kind of writing outside of grad apps, so it is good to read a few examples. You should give your sample to anyone and everyone who is willing to read it. I used a term paper, and got feedback from my professor. I presented the paper at a conference, I gave it to multiple friends, I organized a graduate application workshop with my MA cohort and had some of them read it, etc. I probably had 6 different sets of eyes on it from inception to submission.

Don't worry about it. You will be fine with that GPA. Are you at UToronto? Canadian schools tend to have less grade inflation, so having your gpa isn't that big of a deal.

Also, if anyone gets into CMU, I know a few people that you can reach out to to learn more about the school. Just DM me.

CMU is a really great place for machine learning. My roommate is a post-doc in their Material Sciences dept. and he works a lot on machine learning. There seems to be a lot of opportunities to learn from experts in the field.

GRE are optional for CMU. As far as I know, all of the schools are admitting this year (some just have reduced admissions). Which schools do you think are not admitting? If you are unsure which schools are admitting this year, you can refer to this spreadsheet. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1yb_yciijFGEp5roVKYJ40U4eiREo3ZQTeSQkEjGMSsg/edit#gid=1490070808

I wonder if this will mean that it will take longer to hear back from schools. Since there is no GRE at 99% of places, it will be more difficult to cull the initial pool of applicants. I wouldn't be surprised if some decisions were pushed back two or more weeks.

No joke, yesterday I was like, maybe people will realize that it is a bad idea to pursue a PhD in philosophy during a pandemic ?

What do you think your strengths and weakness are that are causing you to oscillate?

We pretty much overlap 100% in interests haha. Luckily we are only applying to a handful of the same schools, so we likely won't be competing for the same wierd German idealism/pragmatism/analytic philosophy spot.

So what ought we think about this news? 1) I think that we should all be encouraged that we spent so much time working on our materials and developing ourselves as academics preparing to enter an advanced degree. Applying is no easy feat, and I am sure that we have all grown because of the process. 2) We should also be resigned to the fact that once we submit our applications, they are in the hands of the Ad-Com Gods. Regardless of the total number of applicants, we still have no control over the process. Just be glad that you did your best and that we all are going through this together. 3) Finally, our worth as thinkers and people does not depend on whether we get into a PhD program this year. You are all incredibly talented people who will do well in any field. So use this opportunity to think about what careers outside of philosophy will give you a sense of fulfillment and drive. These are the best suggestions that I have to not follow the path of despair.

Hey everyone, An already competitive process is about to become unbelievably more cut-throat due to the increase in applicants for few spots overall. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. This morning Carnegie Mellon philosophy professor Kevin Zollman stated on Twitter that their department has seen a rise in applications that is completely unprecedented in their history. He estimates that the total number of applicants has increased by 40%-60%. A few other philosophers have said that their departments are also seeing sharp increases in applicants, though this is not universal (Rutgers is one example). I think it is safe to assume that his will be the case for most programs. I think that the increase is primarily due to the lack of GRE requirements at nearly every department. In my own case, I felt emboldened to apply to more places because I wouldn't have to pay $27 per school to send out my mediocre scores. What do you think is the cause of this increase? I have linked to the Twitter thread below.

Where are you applying to? What is your area of interest?

How confident do y'all feel about your writing samples? I spent months and months on it (basically since last May). I am using a grad seminar paper on Kant, realism, and belief. I presented it at a conference, I had profs read and give feedback, I gave it to current PhDs for detailed feedback, and I had members of my MA cohort review it. It is also under review at a journal (it got rejected at one place, but the editor said that it reads like a high quality graduate seminar paper, which I take as a positive). If I hadn't gone through all of this, I would probably be more of a wreck over applications. I know it is still a long shot, but I feel confident that if the ad-coms look at my sample that they will be impressed. Where do all of you stand in regards to your samples?

I am using a totally new one. Is there a reason you wouldn't have a new sample after your MA? I am using a grad seminar paper that I workshoped at a conference and with profs, colleagues, and my letter writers. This last group of people is the most important. Have all of your letter writers read your sample? Ideally, they would comment on it in their letters. Looking back on my writing sample from undergrad, I have really improved as a writer and philosopher. The topic I chose for my 1st round of applications does not in any way reflect my current philosophical interests, and I understand why I didn't get into places with it. My current sample ties in nicely with my statement of purpose (kant and contemporary epistemology). Who knows if that will help my apps, but I feel really confident in my application because I spent months and months working on it. Sorry I can't answer your direct question, but I hope this helps.

Just submitted my last app yesterday. I am so freaking nervous ?

How are y'all approaching the option to not send GRE scores? Since mine were not that great, I see this as a godsend. I am only sending scores to the two programs that require it (Texas and Bloomington). If they say that it is optional, then it ought not be a detriment to my application to not send a score, right?

This is my second round of applications, so I understand how you feel. It is good that you are applying to MAs. I applied only to PhD programs (four in total) two years ago, and I was waitlisted from all of them. Luckily I got into the MA program at one of them (Duquesne). Going to an MA program really helps you prioritize what aspects of philosophy really drive you to pursue a degree in the field. Going in, I had no idea what I wanted to study. Now, I have a very firm grasp of my interests and my own capacities. If I was trapped in a PhD program right out of undergrad, where no one was working on things that I am interested in, then I doubt I would want to finish my degree. Luckily now I know what I want out of a school.

I am going to take a different approach to answering this than is typical on this forum. I think a program worth attending should not be a function of job prospects. Rather, you should seek to attend a school where you will be happy to study for 5-6 years and where you will get a comfortable stipend. People take the decision to attend grad school in philosophy way too seriously. In reality, we are getting paid to read books for 5 years. Just find a place where you would be happy doing this. I am only half joking, but there is a bit of truth to it.

If your transcripts reflect any major issue that you had during your studies, you should bring it up. Even better, have your letter writers say something about your history and how you remain a strong candidate despite your setbacks. You bring up an interesting point that I have been considering for a while: How much should your SOP reflect the prevailing culture of identity politics? My answer is Not at all! I have an unusual background as well (high school drop-out, 1st gen college student/grad student, working class background, etc. etc.). I don't mention any of this in my SOP, nor do any of the other MA students in my program who I have done workshops with. I think it will do more harm than good if you try to use identity as a crutch. All ad-coms care about (or at least all they should care about) is your ability as a philosopher. IMHO background/identity doesn't make you better at logic or critical reasoning (I am not interested in debating this point here). I think many philosophers on committees won't care about your background as long as your writing sample, LORs, and transcripts are high quality. Say what you need to say about your background only insofar as it materially impinges upon the rest of your application.

It is officially application season for 2021! The first application due dates have arrived, and with it the months of waiting and dread. I think we should get a thread going where we can discuss where we are applying, ask questions regarding specific apps, and voice concerns.

This is true. I am a MA at Duquesne. We accept 4 PhDs out of maybe 120-150 apps per year. This is typical of pretty much every program, even ones on PGR.

Does anyone have experience writing a research proposal for admission to Dphil or PhD program in the UK? I will be applying to Warwick and possibly Oxford. I have a supervisor lined up for Warwick, but I do not have a clear indication of what a sucessful proposal looks like. I would really apreciate a sample proposal if you have one!

Yeah, your background is sort of proof that having a passion for the material (as opposed to any specific trainging) is key. Though, not everyone is as heavy duty continental as you, Sparks ?