[Can I get a second MA in philosophy?]

On 5/28/2019 at 12:12 AM, SmugSnugInARug said:

So, one of the big issues with the GRE is that the analytic writing section is notoriously unreliable. This may (or may not) be true, but that is a commonly held perception. At best, higher writing scores usually correlate to higher verbal scores. As a result, the actual treatment of the AW is sidelined in favor of the more 'reliable' (at least apparently) verbal score. On average, graduate applicants to any program try to score a 4 or higher on the AW. A high verbal plus a 3 wouldn't necessarily hurt you, except in the more competitive programs.

With respect to the verbal score, I will repeat advice I gave elsewhere in the forum: I have been explicitly told by members of committees that verbal scores are used in the sorting process and prospective students with particularly high scores have an advantage. Often applicants in the 98th percentile (varies by year, usually 167+) and above are given preferential treatment in the process (this varies from department to department, but is far more prevalent than reading this forum might suggest). This doesn't guarantee acceptance, but is quite helpful.

While the writing sample is the most important, if you can afford it, a higher GRE score is a good thing and really does help. And, fortunately, repeated attempts at the GRE do usually lead to better results (fewer careless errors, a better understanding of the pacing of the test, etc.)

Sorry for the late reply. I hadn't checked the forum for a while. This information is really helpful. Now I know I have to put more effort into studying Verbal.

[Can I get a second MA in philosophy?]

On 5/16/2019 at 6:14 PM, Moose#@1%$ said:

So, I was in a similar mindset as you earlier this year. However, thankfully I ended up having great results over all (3 Acceptances and 3 WL). Getting a 2nd MA is not unheard of, and especially for international students. When you apply again, you should definitely apply to MA programs (like UW-M, Oklahoma State, U of Arkansas, and few others - these are some of the funded MAs and that's why i mention them). Your recommendation letters will mean more coming from people in the U.S especially if they are known in your AOI and the chances of an American, UK, or Australian philosopher being well known are more likely.

However, I'm not sure what is your GPA (do you guys have GPA or something else), or what your writing sample is like. If you'd like I can give it a read. But, to be honest your GRE scores could definitely improve. Your verbal isn't terrible but for a good program you should definitely retake it. Your AW is pretty low, but I think that's less important, if at all. Hopefully, this helps.

 

Thank you, this helps a lot! My grad GPA is 4.23 on the scale of 4.3, so I think the problem is on my GRE or writing sample (or both). And I am kind of surprised that you think my AW is not a big deal comparing to my Verbal. Can you explain a little bit more why you think it is less important? Because it may affect the way I prepare for GRE. To be honest, I have spent a lot of time practicing AW, but I still only got 3. If AW is not so important, I will spend my time studying Verbal. 

As to the writing sample, I really appreciate your willingness to help read my sample. But I am not familiar with how this forum runs, should I PM you, or attach my sample in the post?

[Can I get a second MA in philosophy?]

@maxhgnsThanks for telling me about the second PhD thing. The reason why I was not sure whether I was "allowed" to study a second MA is that I saw a blog mentioning that universities in the USA may not allow their applicants to have an MA in the same field.

I agree that paying for an MA is not the best option since it is expensive. So if I choose to apply to MA, I will look for the funded MA. But, even I get admitted, I still have to devote at least 2 years. So, I think what I will do is applying for PhD programs and also some MA programs as a backup. 

[Can I get a second MA in philosophy?]

@neechaaThanks for sharing your experience. I think one of my present goals would be polishing my sample, and probably I will retake GRE since your score is significantly higher than mine. 

[Can I get a second MA in philosophy?]

I have been studying an MA program in philosophy outside the USA. Last year, I applied to several PhD programs (some are listed on the Gourmet's report, some are not), I made to the waitlist of Oklahoma but got rejected in the end. I feel like having an MA in American may enhance the possibility of getting into a PhD program, but I am not sure if I am allowed to do so, or if it is uncommon in the field of philosophy? 

By the way, here is my background: I have one publication (in Chinese), my GRE score is V161/Q158/AW3, and my AOI is in epistemology (primary). 

Any advice and suggestion would be greatly appreciated ^^