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lamirada

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  1. Perhaps I should rephrase my question to settle the conflict here. I guess my question comes down to this: Take my GPA and school background as the premise. Assuming that I did write my SOP in the way I described above, given that I have such GPA and school background, do you think that my application has a decent chance of passing the filtering process and of getting read by the admission committee? I do agree that once one makes into the top 50 applicants or whatever, a lot of luck plays into it since different committee member has a different standard. And, at this stage, even the best of the best (in terms of numbers and stats) just have the same chance as every other 50 applicants. But it seems that there is some objective standard an applicant needs to meet in order to pass the filtering even to have his/her application read. I think that my writing sample is good enough to gather at least some attention from some professors working on the relevant topics once I pass the threshold. And I think that my SOP does up to some degree address my interests quite well (regardless of whether they are good fit for the programs I applied). I am just worried that my application will even make it to the stage where it will be read in a way it deserves. I am aware that my GPA is not particularly high, compared to other candidates. And my undergrad GPA is actually low. But it would be very depressing if my undergrad GPA determines my future against my MA grad or the knowledge I gained since then--that is, if my application doesn't even get read properly simply because I have no 4.0 GPA or I didn't graduate from Harvard or so. To me, it sounds fair only if the threshold is only moderately high. But it seems people have different guesses precisely about what constitutes this "moderately high." No matter how good my writing sample is, if they will simply pass over my application just because I don't have 4.0 GPA or something, I feel like I wasted my last 6 months + $2,000 and perhaps should stop trying at all. I just wanted to whether that depressing projection is the reality (whether we are deceiving ourselves under the motto "GPA doesn't matter, GRE doesn't matter, Writing Sample and Letters are the best!") Perhaps I am writing this thread because I am very anxious and want to hold onto the myth of writing sample (if it is a myth after all). Yet, I think many grad applicants feel the same way and just wanted to open a discussion about it.
  2. Thank you for your input. Just wanted to clarify that I am not merely trying to ask whether I will get in based on x, y, and z. I did my best in preparing my application (although, of course, there is always something to improve). Given that I did the best I could at the time, I am just wondering how it would look like to admission committees. My confidence in my sample is rather humble. I offered the best knowledge I have + I just mentioned what others commented on mine (to mitigate my self-deception). In this way, I thought I could describe my sample from a more objective point of view. In regard to how effective my SOP is, I tried my best to articulate the specific research approach I took and why--without sounding like a McDowell-maniac. It was a difficult balance to maintain. And I tried to apply to programs that have professors working on McDowell, conceptualism, or at least something related. Hopefully, what I did is sufficient although there is no way to tell. (That I get into a program is a sufficient, but not necessary, condition to conclude that I did alright.) I guess we can all only hope at this time of the year and pray for grace on top of the best we tried
  3. I see. Thank you for the explanation. Yeah, I am generally confident with my writing sample (and hopefully the admission committee will feel the same about it). Just a lot of uncertainty and luck elements in the application process, I guess...
  4. A further question is that: I mentioned two interests in my SOP (primary and secondary). Most of the schools I applied to are good fit for my primary interest. And my writing sample is precisely on this primary interest, which I spend my entire MA career to do research on. Also, most of the professors I mentioned in SOP primarily work on topics related to this interest. On the other hand, my secondary interest is something I developed very recently and it comes from the one class I took from the third letter writer. The primary interest is in epistemology, and the secondary is in ethics/philosophy of law. So, I don't think the schools I applied to (or at least the professors I mentioned in SOP) are great fit for my secondary interest. In SOP, I did mention that I think there is a connection between these two interests and that is something I would like to dig in more. What do you think the schools' perception on my SOP is going to be? That is, do you think my mentioning of my secondary interest (in the way I did--i.e., as something I see connected to my primary interest in epistemology) is going to harm my profile? Or, do you think the admission committee would just skim through it since it is my secondary interest after all (--an interesting side project I have in addition to my professional research)?
  5. All phd applications are turned in, and we are in the waiting game. I applied to 20 schools (mid to top tier). But now I wonder how my profile really looks to the admission committee and want to hear some honest opinions. I already got rejected from WUSTL. Undergraduate GPA: 3.31 (Major GPA: 3.43) -- from one of the top public universities in US MA GPA: 3.87 -- from one of the top 10 programs on PGR I didn't take GRE since most schools did not accept it or made it optional. I showed my writing sample to 5 professors, 1 postdoc, and 1 classmate. The general reception was very positive. I had to revise here and there. But the comments ranged from "good," strong," and "solid" to "really good." The topic is on McDowell. So, naturally, I applied to programs where professors work on related topics. No research or publication experience. But I worked as a lecturer and a TA for one year. There's no way I can tell whether my letters are strong. But two of my letter writers were on my thesis committee and the other writer was my professor for one semester (I got A in his class). On my SOP, I mentioned and explained two research interests (primary and secondary). And I mentioned in average 4-5 professors I want to work with in detail + if necessary, a few more whose work I am interested in. Looks like this year cycle is tough, and there are so many candidates whose profiles look much stronger than mine. I just want to know what ppl think how likely (or unlikely) I will get in--so that I can start planning my next step I guess. It's a bummer that I already heard from WUSTL and they rejected me. (But I understand that, of all 20 schools I applied, WUSTL is farthest from my research interest.) It's kinda scary that I haven't heard back from other schools that already began sending emails to their first rounders. Overall, I want to know how things look like for applicants like me, who--GPA-wise--didn't do well in undergrad, but show an upward trajectory that ended up decently well -- whose research interest is in no traditional branch of epistemology (since conceptualism is a controversial view).
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