ConcreteBalloon

Congrats! Did you just receive the email tonight or was it last Friday?

Hope so! Princeton was the first letter I wrote this year so it was not the best one, I think I have a decent shot at NYU or UofT (both for Phil.). Good luck with your time there and your career, I looked through the dissertation database from the Pol. Phil. program and they are all favourites of mine, so I'm sure I'll be reading something by you some day!

Congrats man, maybe I'll join you next year!

Any of the admits to Princeton apply to the Political Philosophy PhD? I need to have all my hope extinguished

They already deal with that sort of thing from students disgruntled with their grades anyway, I don't see the risk at all. In Canada I think there's a common practice of students asking to see their letters- I haven't done it but I think it would be seen as weird or suspicious for a prof to refuse. If profs are straight up lying about their students then I think students would be justifiably angry, and should therefore have a right to see them in any case. Clearly the more at-risk party here is the students due to the power differential (and the lack of, y'know, six-figure income and tenure).

They have good reason to coerce you to waive a legal right? I can't imagine what that would be. Maybe more profs in the States offer up quid pro quos in their letters or something.

What an inane system. Especially since I don't even see the letters unless I get in. Oh well, always next year!

Hi guys, First post! So this is my first time applying to Philosophy programs in the States (I'm from Canada) and I made what I'm told is a mistake by not waiving my right to look at my letters of recommendation. The schools I applied to in particular are Princeton (for Political Philosophy PhD) and NYU (for Philosophy PhD). Just wondering if this is absolutely 100% murder for my applications or not?