Happybuddha

Well it seems incredibly likely that there will be more spots total next year versus this year, simply because I think a lot of those schools that closed their PhD applications will open up again, and so even if schools continue to have reduced admissions that would open up at least a few more spots. It also depends on whether GRE requirements are reinstituted since it looks like many more international students applied to US programs than normal because of this (though I got amazing GRE scores, there did not seem to be a correlation with the places I got into this year and the places that allowed me to submit my GRE scores, so my guess is most admissions committees are not taking them as seriously at all and probably will not again). Of course whether or not this makes it easier for YOU depends on all sorts of factors like your country of origin, test taking aptitude, etc. Overall it would be better in terms of accessibility to do away with GRE requirements all together, so even if it means more applicants overall I am strongly in favor of this route. There definitely will be people who got shut out this year applying, and anecdotally I get the sense that this number is higher than in most previous years, but not like 100s of people. I imagine a lot of people who got shut out of PhDs got into MAs so won’t be applying for two years, and then a lot of people who got shut out because they decided to apply on a whim probably won’t apply again. Applications also almost always go up in a recession (and even though getting a Philosophy PhD might be somewhat of a strange choice to make in a recession, it does seem like that played at least part of a role), so if the economy continues to improve and the US is doing well economically by the fall, then I imagine that would predict a decrease in applicants relative to this year. However, if other countries are still in a recession due to lagging vaccine rollout, etc., then there may still be an increase in applicants from international countries. So I guess if I was forced to take a guess, I would say it will ALMOST CERTAINLY not be AS bad as it was this year, MOST LIKELY will just be marginally better or around the same (slightly more spots, slightly fewer or around the same # of applicants overall), and COULD BE BUT PROBABLY WON’T be significantly easier (I think the only way this would happen is if all programs open up and returned to 2019 level of admissions combined with a thriving economy leading to 100s of fewer people applying). So yeah overall I’d say brace yourself for about the same level of anxiety, maybe slightly less, as we collectively went through this year ?

I would 100% choose SFU for departmental climate reasons. I was admitted to both places, and from talking with students I heard way more positive things about the friendliness and culture at SFU than I did at GSU. I also believe SFU might better prepare students for PhD applications because you do a professional paper instead of a thesis, since a thesis is typically too long to serve as a writing sample and requires significant editing versus the professional paper which you will get faculty feedback on and is designed to be your writing sample for applications.

I’m sorry to bring disappointing news, but as of this morning there was one spot left and one admitted person yet to respond. They told me they think this person is very likely to accept, and if they decline there will be a vote among faculty to decide who gets the spot off the waitlist. As such, they said there is a “vanishingly small” chance of them moving to the waitlist at all. Hopefully that person makes a decision tomorrow!

I believe almost all of the advice you will get from people here is to take the PhD, unless it has terrible placement! If you feel you would be happy in the location, the placement is good (or at least good enough where you think you could be one of the exceptions), there are people you'd enjoy working with for five years, etc., then you really don't have much of a reason to wait around and apply again! Especially since next year many programs will probably still have reduced admissions, and there will be several people reapplying who got shut out completely this year PLUS all the people who decided to wait until next year anyways. On the other hand, I believe UCI LPS has an outstanding placement record, so you may also want to consult with some faculty there about what to do if you don't get off their waitlist. They might recommend an MA, or reapplying, or they might even suggest you take WashU.

This is so important for folks to remember. An insider tip I received from a department head is that there is a LOT of movement after NYU and Princeton have their prospective weekend, because a lot of students who are holding onto offers from some schools will be waitlisted there and desperately hoping for a spot to open up. As soon as the NYU/Princeton (and probably other top 10 schools) slots start filling up/opening up, then the domino effect can occur very quickly and for a lot of people. Especially since there is a very small group of people (about 3-5 from what I can tell) that have gotten into like 6-7 top programs, and so when these people decide which school to attend that's potentially ~30 spots that will instantly open up (presuming 5 people each decline 6 offers), and then those 30 spots will presumably lead to more spots opening up, etc.

Does anyone have any intel on Syracuse? They were predicted to announce almost a month ago!

Hello! You might have seen me around as I am a current applicant this year, but in addition to being an aspiring philosopher I am also an avid practitioner of mindfulness! I am currently in the midst of a certification and training program designed by Zen priest Rev. angel Kyodo williams, who is known for being one of the main people bridging the gap between mindfulness and social justice (aka individual liberation and collective liberation). As part of my certification program, I have been tasked with offering three mindfulness sessions out in my community, and I was thinking it would be beneficial to offer these sessions to fellow aspiring philosophers and applicants, especially given the particularly brutal nature of this year's application cycle. I am currently working on a three-part series that is particularly designed for those of us with hyper-analytic philosophical minds, so you don't have to worry about any woo-woo "love and light" crystal stuff (but crystal-loving folx are of course welcome!!). I am rather hoping to offer practices grounded in the psychology and neuroscience of mindfulness combined with a focus on mindfulness as a tool for ethical decision-making (I am interested in ethics, after all!!). I would most likely want to host these sessions sometime over the next two weeks, and would be happy to send out a doodle poll for interested participants! Feel free to send me a DM on here, the Facebook group, or Discord server (I will post this in all three places) if you would be interested in attending or have any questions ?

The schools where I've done it so far were both schools where I was told there is a pretty good chance of admit, and they told me I was welcome to reach out! Some other programs have acted like it is a bit premature, but everyone has said it's appropriate, so if there is someone you really want to chat with/network with at a school then now is a great time to do so! For me, I basically just emailed them letting them know I am currently waitlisted and am very interested in their work, and would love to chat with them sometime over the next month or so. In other cases, grad students that I've spoken to have offered to connect me to professors, which is always nice since it eliminates any awkwardness or potential of "why is this waitlisted student emailing me?!" But so far I have only had positive responses from the people that I've reached out to!

I can only speak to my personal experience as someone who was told there is a "very good" chance I'll get an offer off the waitlist, but everyone has been super nice and honest with me. It's clear that the department is a bit smaller than other places, and I don't think it would be a good fit for a lot of people, but personally there happen to be cool people working on my research interests, and I have yet to have an unpleasant correspondence with anyone. But then again, I have not interacted with any administrator and have only been emailing with professors and grad students. I guess it would be worth mentioning that there is at least one professor there who has a reputation for being a jerk, according to a reliable source. BUT it does not seem that that is the departmental culture or norm at all. There are assholes in every department in every field in every institution (but I am very interested in hearing other people's experiences!!).

Thank you so much! I am feeling optimistic, especially since it seems like people generally applied to more schools and so the top applicants will end up opening up more spaces than normal (that's what I'm telling myself anyways ?). Either way, it's very encouraging to know that I am among the top 10-30ish candidates at several schools, that is very motivating to continue to pursue this path!

Just in case anyone is on here who isn't in the FB group, I (as well as a LOT of other people) am on the USC waitlist! I can't imagine everyone from the waitlist will get an offer based on its size and USC's ranking, so that might be helpful information ? I am definitely not holding my breath!

@NeedAnAcceptance Yes!! I am thrilled to have gotten into SFU! Knowing that we have that as a "back up" is really quite a luxury, since their program has such a great reputation and it seems like I would really enjoy it. Here's hoping we can get off some waitlists, though!

I received the exact same wording in the email regarding interest in my candidacy, but I didn’t specifically ask about my chances so I can’t say whether or not I would have received something similar in that regard! But it seems as though the initial email was identical to all those on the waitlist!

Lol and right after I posted that I got waitlisted at Boston University! I am queen of the waitlist apparently ?

This week I found out I am waitlisted at UVA, UNC, and UBC's PhD program ?

This week I got funded offers from Simon Fraser's MA and UBC's MA! Huzzah!

LOL whoever this is just copied a message I sent to the Discord group and pasted it here ??? listen I'm dealing with enough anxiety from admissions so pls don't steal my identity on top of that!! (just kidding but really everyone please do take care of yourself) I only mention it since my name is on the Discord post so just in case this person ever gets shady you know it wasn't me ??? Love, Only Checks GradCafe/Facebook On Friday Afternoons PS honestly you should try it. This type of selective ignorance is almost certainly excellent for your well-being ??

Waitlisted at Texas A&M! Looks like several others got notified today as well. I was emailed by the DGS that they can only make funding offers to four students at a time, and that there is no ordering of the waitlist as it depends on the research interests of the first person who turns down their offer. I was also given a specific probability of my being accepted based on my individual application and areas of interest (higher than 50% woot woot).

Someone else just commented and she got a phone call about an hour ago!

Someone in the FB group got accepted to Berkeley today! So at least some acceptances have gone out on time.

In at Arizona State's Philosophy PhD program via email today! Huzzah!! Also, I figured out how to do those fancy email signatures so I am feeling very fancy ???

Hi Amy! I noticed that Georgia State has noticed an increase in applications, thereby making admissions perhaps a bit more competitive than in recent years (though big perhaps, since many of those applicants could get into a PhD program). Do you know if TX Tech has noticed the same thing? If so, do you know about what percentage of applicants you will be admitting this year? (Rough percentage is totally cool!) Also, do you have any idea about when offers will start to go out (especially if we turned in our application in December ?)? Thank you!!

Hello! I understand your feelings of anxiety. “Back up” PhDs, however, are not really a thing. ASU, for example, admitted one (I repeat-ONE) PhD student this year (I know because I know her!). While they are planning to admit a cohort this year, it won’t be larger than 4 students (and will likely be closer to 1-2). Whereas there are most likely some much higher ranked schools that will end up admitting closer to 8-10 new students. Not to say you couldn’t be one of those students, but if by “back up” you mean “more likely to get in” then unfortunately I don’t think there are many of those programs out there (even unranked ones). By far, the best back-up option for you would be to also apply to some funded MA programs that have excellent placement records like Georgia State, Texas Tech, University of Houston, etc. Many of these programs are designed to assist applicants like you (strong student coming from a small/lesser-known department) get into top PhD programs! I would highly highly recommend applying to at least a handful of MA programs (the fees are less than PhD applications usually). I hope this helps!!

Absolutely! Unfortunately what is preferred for one department makes no difference or could even be looked down upon at another. For example, at this department they were interested in hearing about teaching experience, but some programs that are focused more on developing researchers might see that and think you’re not a good fit. So it’s a crazy tight rope walk to try and please everyone the best you can and there’s just no way to know which admissions committee members prefer what. That’s why for those of us who are not financially supported enough to attend one of the top undergrad programs (and who didn’t want to take out huge loans), there’s always an element of luck involved even for those people with straight As, an amazing sample, great letters, etc. When you are a solid applicant from a fine-but-not-amazing school and you need to stand out among the Princeton and NYU grads, you can never be exactly sure what will do that for you. And it definitely seems like what makes someone stand out to one adcom will be vastly different for each department (and perhaps even within the same department from year to year). That’s why I am not a particular fan of people saying that luck isn’t involved in this process. If the formula is “go to an amazing school, get the best grades, write a publishable sample, and get letters from famous tenured philosophers who adore you,” then people often don’t realize the luck that was involved in making those conditions come about, even when combined with hard work. One might be lucky that they are financially privileged enough to get into a top school, to have known they wanted a PhD before applying, to have the privilege to not work to pay their way through school, to wind up in a department with people who love them, etc. To say otherwise is to deny the disconcerting role that both systemic oppression and academic elitism play in PhD admissions. Yes, the people from the best schools with the best samples may always get in, but it took a lot of factors outside of those applicants’ control for those conditions to be possible. Sorry this is a bit tangential to the topic! I just wanted to vent a bit and put this out there for anyone trying to push the “there’s no luck involved” narrative, which I have seen promulgated by several people on this forum over the last year (and I can’t help but wonder if they are privileged cishet male-identified people who don’t really understand the luck involved in getting them to where they are).

I attended a philosophy workshop for prospective graduate students at a PGR top 5 school and here are some of the notes I have listed from a faculty panel of admissions committee members (including former chairs) and some of it sort of contradicts the advice offered previously: - when speaking about the “1st pass” of applications in which they get rid of about half of applicants, they said the statement of purpose plays a large role, and they advised us to “convey that you want to be in at that specific school” - another of my notes from this panel says “connect your philosophical interests to faculty/dept. at school” Here’s what I did to try and balance this with the advice that it can be risky to list faculty members who are retiring/leaving/etc.: - I always listed at least three faculty members who are tenured and have recently advised dissertations in the last couple of years (unless no info was available) - I always made to sure to mention that there are several professors I would love to work with, and am only mentioning a few to at least try and avoid offending anyone. - I made sure to actually research each professor’s work so it wasn’t just me generically copying what their interests are on the website. I looked at their books, recent articles, and what they were currently working on, and tried to give specific examples of where a professor’s particular work aligns with my research interests. - don’t think you have to do any of the hardcore research, since if it helps my application it will be marginal, but I do think at least mentioning the specific strengths of the department shows that you are interested in that school specifically. And if you have the time to spend a couple hours researching professors’ work in more depth (provided you are satisfied w your sample and other elements of your application), it can also be really nice for you to be able to get a picture of exactly how good a fit each department might be given your interests.