HomoLudens

I am at a heavy continental program. We have a number of people who went to predominantly analytic departments (Harvard, one of the UC schools, Amherst). As long as you are interested in the field, and you have a solid background, you should be fine. There are very few people that go into programs already "experts" on Husserl. Unlike, say, Kant or ancient philosophy, you probably won't need to have a strong background in Husserl to be successful.

Thanks for the advice. This is really helpful in orienting my application.

You are correct in interpreting my question as one about orientation. There is a big difference between Brandom/Sellarsians who read Kant and someone in the SPEP world. I prefer the former, hence my question. I also guess that the terms analytic/contiental are not really applied to history of philosophy outside of continental departments, so I should have made that clear. I plan to apply to places like Pitt, Georgetown, and Brown (if Guyer is still around, though is not quite so old). I want to make clear to these schools that I am interested in their approaches. Should I just present a few research goals in my SOP that will overlap with the approaches at those schools?

Hey everyone, I am currently attending a MA program that is predominently continental/history of philosophy. My research interests, however, are geared towards the history of logical positivism and the Kantian/neo-Kantian tradition, as well as contemporary pragmatism. I have an analytic background from undergrad, and my writing sample will be on the First Critique. What would be the best way to market myself to departments who might be sceptical of my MA? Is this even something I should be worried about? I want to apply to some top-notch programs who have people working on analytic approaches Kant, even though I know my chances of getting in are low. Any advice would be helpful.

Like many of you, I have been waitlisted by a few programs. I only applied to 4 programs, and have been rejected by 2 and waited by the others (Duquesne and Loyola Chicago). Is it the case that when an applicant is waitlisted for a PhD position they are automatically considered for an MA spot (assuming that the program offers a terminal MA)? I have received word from Duquesne's DGS that I will be extended a MA offer automatically after April 15th if I do not get off the waitlist. Is this common? Can I expect the same from Loyola, which does have a terminal MA? I hope some of the veteran members can help answer this question. What has been your experience with programs with terminal MA?

I was hoping another Loyola waitlister would post. I heard the same thing. Mine I am focused on German Idealism and analytic philosophy in general. You?

No. He said there are multiple waitlist along side the "main waitlist"

I had to email Dan. I am 7/12 on the "main waitlist"

Applied to 4 schools, rejected by Penn State, Shortlisted then rejected by DePaul, Waited by Loyola and Duquesne... This is not my year I guess. At least I have the opportunity to go to Duq's MA program if I am not accepted to the PhD.

Waited at Loyola

Anyone else hear from DePaul? Only one acceptance out of the 6 of us who posted interview results... Odd

So happy for you! I am glad that I had someone else to make it through the brutality of this interview process.

I have not received one yet, which is strange. I also have heard nothing about interviews. How did they contact you?

Any idea when Penn State will send out the rest of their rejections? One person posted their rejection on the forum, but all the others are interviews. I have received neither.

Asked to interview for DePaul. Does anyone have an idea what will be discussed during the interviews/ what the adcoms are looking for?

Thanks for the reply. I will also check out Memphis. I had two cousins go to Memphis, and they recommend the school as well.

Hello 2019 applicants, Like most of you, I am frantically trying to compile an application. Arguably the most important aspect is the writing sample, so I figured we could use this space to discuss topics we are submitting, strategies, and other useful information. I am abroad right now, so I am having to study for the GRE, finish a full load of summer semester classes, and prep my thesis for next year. I currently don't feel like I have a strong sample at the moment, so I am planning on using one of my term papers this semester. My topic is on the notion of spirit and the aesthetic conception of human nature in philosophical anthropology (a topic you can only find here in Germany HA!). As you can see, it is heavy on continental theory. I am mainly using Max Scheler, Hannah Arendt, and Friedrich Schiller as my primary sources. I don't think I need to rely on too many secondary works (which might be a problem for adcoms). In fact, no scholars are writing about Scheler anymore, which I think adds to the novelty of my sample. Do you all think that that kind of originality matters for admissions, or are more esoteric topics like mine detrimental?

I am currently doing a year abroad in Germany. The graduate and undergraduate distinction between courses here is very blurred. It is more about the types of courses you take in a Module as opposed to the individual course level itself. In all three of my philosophy classes, I am considered a master student in order to receive enough credits to transfer back home, but the only difference between the masters and bachelors work in my classes is the number of pages I write for the final essay. I am still gonna play it up that I took "graduate level" work in Germany on my application, even though it really is not that special.

Can anyone comment on Vanderbilt's program? Funding, environment, placement, etc. I know they are strong in pragmatist thought with Aikin and Talisse. I live in Knoxville, so it would be nice to be so close to home, but that isn't really important to me.

Hi all, I am a junior at a small LAC. I switched from history to philosophy at the end of my sophomore year. I only have one unit in philosophy on my transcript because I have been abroad this past year, and as such none of my courses at my German uni have transferred. For this reason, I feel intimidated about applying to any programs. So far I have taken numerous master level courses in German, but I still feel like I don't have a good enough foundation to actually be a competitive applicant. My GPA is around 3.8 (3.9 if you count transfer credits from my Community College) and my school is on that (in)famous list of schools with the lowest grade inflation that went around about a year ago, but I don't think that can cover my lack of foundation in the field. I will be active (i.e. lurking more than usual) as deadlines approach. Good luck y'all.