AB1234

Look, going to grad school in any humanities field at any age is a risk. You’re investing a lot of your time and energy into something that’s not likely to give you a ready-made, stable career. This makes it worth warning someone who isn’t informed about the job market, but on its own isn’t reason to tell someone that they shouldn’t do it. After all, almost all of us in this forum are doing it. I’m not sure why being older changes this.

@unclaimedata, you’re a bit older than most people who are going into programs, but who cares? It’s also less unusual than you probably think. Plenty of people in philosophy grad programs are in their 30’s.


 
Before you decide that you’re set on grad school though, you should take some upper-level courses at a nearby institution. This will help you see if this is really a path you want to follow, and help you get some new letters so you can apply to MA programs and get re-seasoned.

Tufts is your clear best choice, by far.

Tufts by a long shot.

Declined at NIU. I was offered funding, so hopefully this will help someone who is waitlisted for funding, too. 

In at Stanford, notified by email Friday night March 22

To @hector549 @Moose#@1%$ @nxr9 @AB1234 @maxhgns and anyone else who might be able to help,
I have the option now of choosing between SFU and Georgia State University. My areas of interest, as I have mentioned above, are the philosophy of neuroscience/psychology and philosophical concerns related to oncological concepts.
Both of the above places look good on paper - in terms of faculty, placement record, research output, and funding packages. As for location, for me as a queer person, Vancouver (SFU) looks like a much better place to live in than Atlanta (GSU). I am veering towards SFU since the placement record looks better, the faculty (from my communication with current grad students and with people teaching there) seem deeply invested in each students career, and the cohort at SFU is much smaller (about 11-13 students, as compared to nearly 25 students at GSU).

Do you any have an opinion or comments that might help me decide between GSU and SFU? Reports from friends studying there, or personal experience maybe, or anything else that you think is helpful.

PS: I decided to post here because I didn't want to create an entirely new thread for a question that's only slightly different.

Thanks again for all your help,
JQP

@Cytem I agree with the opinion that is popular on this thread. I got the same offer as you did. I am from India, so I have the option of applying to the Inlaks scholarship. It is incredibly competitive but I am going to try my luck. If I get it, I will pick Tufts, if not I will stick with SFU.
I have received a funding package that is similar to yours from Tufts.
I think SFU is well equipped to get me placed into a decent PhD program, and it unlikely that I will be in debt at the end of the program.

I've known several graduates of the MA programs at both GSU and SFU, and not only were they great, but they only had good things to say about those programs. I don't know that this should sway you at all, but I can also say that Kathleen Akins (who works in areas related to your interests) is a brilliant philosopher.
I've been to Atlanta several times, although I've never lived there. I've heard it said it's a pretty good place to be queer, actually, although I wouldn't be at all surprised if Vancouver is still much better on that score. It's definitely a lot prettier (in terms of scenery, not architecture; Atlanta wins the latter). It's definitely worth bearing in mind that the cost of living in Vancouver is extremely high, so you should probably contact current MA students to ask how they're managing on their stipends. (Like: if you want to live with a partner in an apartment that's more than just a studio, in one year you'll be paying a PhD student's stipend in rent--even quite far out. It's absolutely possible to spend much less, but you have to be prepared to spend quite some time looking, and take on roommates.) In many ways Vancouver's more of a sprawling series of suburbs than a city proper, so you should be prepared to spend an hour or so on the bus/SkyTrain to get around (that said, the public transportation is very good, except when it snows).
If memory serves, GSU's faculty cover a wider range of areas of philosophy, and I think GSU has more faculty who share your interests. GSU also has many more faculty members than SFU, so I wouldn't worry much about the number of graduate students. 25:21 isn't really any worse than 13:13.

HI all,

I wanted to ask you a question regarding philosophical performance while waiting for admission results: do you feel that your capacity to work, or your concentration, diminishes or does it stays the same? I've been feeling that it is harder for me to concentrate and do assignments, etc. and I was wondering if it was normal or if I should see some mental health professional. 
Thank you all. 

HI all,

I wanted to ask you a question regarding philosophical performance while waiting for admission results: do you feel that your capacity to work, or your concentration, diminishes or does it stays the same? I've been feeling that it is harder for me to concentrate and do assignments, etc. and I was wondering if it was normal or if I should see some mental health professional. 
Thank you all. 

HI all,

I wanted to ask you a question regarding philosophical performance while waiting for admission results: do you feel that your capacity to work, or your concentration, diminishes or does it stays the same? I've been feeling that it is harder for me to concentrate and do assignments, etc. and I was wondering if it was normal or if I should see some mental health professional. 
Thank you all. 

Thank you all for your responses and for your support, you guys are great. It is a tough season and it has worn me somehow; given that almost everything related to admissions is out of my control gives me so much anxiety. But I'm glad there are other people who understand and with whom I can share my feelings. 

I wish you nothing but the best.
edit: typo

Thank you all for your responses and for your support, you guys are great. It is a tough season and it has worn me somehow; given that almost everything related to admissions is out of my control gives me so much anxiety. But I'm glad there are other people who understand and with whom I can share my feelings. 

I wish you nothing but the best.
edit: typo

HI all,

I wanted to ask you a question regarding philosophical performance while waiting for admission results: do you feel that your capacity to work, or your concentration, diminishes or does it stays the same? I've been feeling that it is harder for me to concentrate and do assignments, etc. and I was wondering if it was normal or if I should see some mental health professional. 
Thank you all. 

I'd say both. This is a super stressful thing we're doing and it's okay to ask for help. 

HI all,

I wanted to ask you a question regarding philosophical performance while waiting for admission results: do you feel that your capacity to work, or your concentration, diminishes or does it stays the same? I've been feeling that it is harder for me to concentrate and do assignments, etc. and I was wondering if it was normal or if I should see some mental health professional. 
Thank you all. 

My situation is the same (or even worse). I only got accepted by Western, and I'm waitlisted by 6 schools. It's hard for me not to keep thinking about the chance of being admitted by one of the 6 schools. It's really anxious to keep waiting...

I'm right there with you. I can't concentrate, my performance is lacking lately, and I'm starting to get physical symptoms of anxiety. Now, I should preface and say I already have anxiety and depression as-is (both under treatment; I'm functioning fine), but this is making it so much worse. I have this muscle twitch that won't go away, it's great. 
Basically, what you're experiencing is perfectly normal under the circumstances, but there is never anything wrong with seeking professional help, especially if it would help you weather the storm. Go for it!

I'm generally quite a workaholic, but I've been a little out of sorts the last few months too. I think this is for two reasons. First, and most obviously, admissions season takes a lot out of one. Second, I think it's hard to muster much motivation in one's last semester. I already have enough credits for my MA, and I'm already in at some very good places. So, it's kinda hard to give a damn about this semester. This, combined with my workaholic nature, makes me feel a bit weird. 
TL;DR: I'm with you, and I think it's perfectly normal. 

I've struggled a lot to get work done over the past month. My ability to concentrate, my sleep etc. have been absolutely terrrible. I'm sure this is true for a lot of people going through this process. It feels like there's so much at stake. Basically, I think it's normal but seeing a professional and talk about it might still be helpful. 

Withdrew my application from Purdue and Western Ontario. Removed myself from the wait list at Texas A&M. Good luck out there, folks!!

In at University of arizona!!

In at virginia tech... will decline shortly, hope this takes someone off the waitlist

Thank you, lurkingfaculty and Kantattheairport.
I just withdrew from Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Notre Dame, Pitt, and UT-Austin. I couldn't always find a DGS/DGA, but I tried to find the most relevant email(s), and I'm sure folks there will be able to forward them to the right place.

I will turn down NIU, and withdraw from U Mass, Indiana, and Cornell. I hope it helps someone!