chocomuffins

Obviously it's not that surprising that MA programs are twice if not more the size of the PhD class and easier to get into – after all they're meant for people who aren't / don't feel they're quite ready for PhD work (and those who don't aim to continue on to PhD at all). I was just concerned that people are admitted indiscriminately, as in some non-US programs that I know of where it gets so crowded you'll have to wonder if the school is really trying to educate and train people with some potential (for PhD and otherwise) instead of just cashing off of the completely clueless. If it's the former, I can try to see if I can find external funding and then apply for their TIP program. If it's the latter, I'm staying home. Tbh at this point, I have reasonable doubt about my potential as an academic and the worth of my research interests so if I can eventually afford to go for the MA, it won't be about the possibility of a future PhD or a career in academia.

Found the class size on the People page (don't know how I could've overlooked it ?) – 26 this year, 33 the last, which is comparable to the MA at Boston College. Not sure if this changes anything, though.

Any new / other input about this program? This year they offered to connect you with the professors for questions. But so far I’ve not been able to find any info about the typical class size, acceptance rate etc so I still wonder if all / most PhD rejections lead to MA acceptances. I’m an international applicant applying straight from undergrad (0a/7r/1w mphil program) so I honestly do feel underprepared (and kinda dumb lol). That said I’m not sure I wanna go into debt for it if it’s not even a somewhat competitive program that can convince me I might have a chance to do well in academia, and that my intended research is something more (useful) than "something I'm passionate about". (Edit: I should also add that I didn't feel it was that great of a match, which added to my suspicion...) Any insight would be much appreciated!