Olórin

1. Transcripts typically play a stronger role at the beginning of evaluating an application, not in the later stage of evaluation. 2. Your application would look better without the rough semesters. There is no denying that. However, you are in a stronger position than you realize, because you have attended a master's program and have demonstrated your capacity to succeed in philosophy. That fact will reduce an admission committee's concerns. 3. If you are sure that you want to say something about it, ask one of your letter writers to address it in their recommendation. "DisplayName_1 informed me about two rough semesters from a time before deciding to pursue philosophy. I assure you these semesters are not representative of current academic ability and performance. blah blah."

Maybe look at Berkeley's rhetoric program, I think you could make a strong fit for them, especially depending upon the sub-field of your communications research. Philosophy programs to look at (alphabetical): DePaul, Emory, Northwestern, University of Oregon, Penn State, Stony Brook, Vanderbilt, Villanova There's other programs to apply to as well, but I think these are broadly a good match for you. Also, since you're coming to philosophy a bit later than some, apply to funded terminal MA programs as well, eg. Georgia State and Miami (Ohio). I think Duquesne, University of Mexico, University of Oregon, and Stony Brook also have good MA programs, but they are not typically funded and you'll be in the mix with PhD students too. You're right: philosophers like to see lots of philosophy classes from applicants. Take as many philosophy (especially history of philosophy) courses as you can muster before you graduate. Continental philosophy programs often have history of philosophy requirements. Language requirements are less important than they used to be, but it will also help your application if you demonstrate some facility with a philosophical language relevant to your interests (ie. French, in your case). In your statement of purpose, clarify some of your non-philosophy coursework and demonstrate that these courses were philosophically oriented. Note: make sure only philosophers write your recommendation letters for your applications to philosophy programs. (Philosophers have a tendency to think they're special and that philosophy is special, so they sometimes tend to discount evaluations from people in other fields. Sigh.) Another note: have a look at current student graduate profiles at different programs. Practice writing your interests in terms similar to the ones they use. You will probably fair better if you can describe your interests in terms of philosophy's sub-fields. I don't like that this is the case, but I do think it's the case.

I might suggest having a look at the grad student profiles of programs that interest you. That could help you figure out where else to apply. (Also, I second all the suggestions above.) The MA at stony brook is probably worth looking at, although I’m fairly certain they don’t have funding.

You should totally apply to the other school Re: letters of recommendation, go with those who know you and your work best. If you make a supportive connection with a faculty member in your current department, ask for their take on what to do. Some of my faculty members have spoken openly about how they switched programs in grad school. I think, as people, they’ll want you to be in the situation that works best for you. Also, if you stick around your current program, you’ll probably be okay. At a certain point in the program you’ll be allowed (encouraged…required…) to become the driver of your projects. I suspect you’ll find someone there to support you in those pursuits, even if they don’t specialize in the area.

It could depend on whether your program has a reputation for giving harsh grades, but in all honestly no it probably will not matter. I remember being nervous about this, and made sure to generate my official transcripts before grades were entered during the semester when I was applying. So that's an option to cut down on how many grades an adcomm will see.

I had only taken 6 philosophy classes when I applied and got into three funded MAs. Don’t sweat it, having fewer philosophy courses could even make you a better candidate for MA programs.

I’d say go for it. They might be able to tell you if x number of admits have accepted their initial offers, or they might give you an anticipated time that you might receive an update. More likely they’ll just tell you that they can’t tell you anything, but it’s worth a try.

The unresponsive grad director is one of my least favorite archetypes. I think all this tells you is that this particular person is unresponsive over email. I wish people realized how hard and confusing this is for applicants.

If it were me, I would go to the place with the lowest assistantship demands, highest pay, and best late-stage program benefits (like extra fellowship years). So, I think that’s most likely Emory.

FWIW, there's different versions of this scenario in every department. In my department, one intended advisor left, and a second intended advisor retired. We have new hires, but they're too green to direct a dissertation and having non-tenured faculty on a dissertation committee is risky. Departments usually look different at dissertation stage than they did at admissions stage, and you'll probably be different by then too.

Echoing this, my situation and results were very similar to PhilgoreTrout. Where I did my MA, it is very rare for a student not to get accepted into a PhD.

Grad school admissions is organized sadism (in the words of an old friend). Everything about it is horrible, I hate what it does to people.

I’m also here for this advice, which has helped me keep a better mindset in the grad school marathon.

I’m here for this. I actually think you should only do a PhD in philosophy if you plan to work outside academia afterward, because otherwise you’re just getting a degree in financial instability on the adjunct circuit. If an academic job happens to pan out and you want it, great. If not, you didn’t plan on it anyway, so nothing lost.

Eh, historically they send out rejections quite late, and I probably wouldn't count on them since they sent out interviews on 1/29 (according to the results page). I would say "never say never," but since you already have an acceptance and a waitlist, maybe never is the right attitude for them haha.