PhilMAStudent

I think it would be unhelpful to name names here. However, I can say a little about how I try to determine whether or not a program has a hostile climate. Again, if you are accepted (or even waitlisted) at a school, I highly recommend visiting. It would also be helpful to email grad students in the department ahead of time. You may find that there is never a moment when you are alone with one or two grad students. No one is going to tell you the negative aspects of a department with the department head standing in the room. Try to talk to students on their way out of the program as these students (1) have the most experience with the departmental climate and (2) have the least to lose by being honest with you. You should ask to email students who are also members of underrepresented groups. I usually ask about their experiences in the department as a member of an underrepresented group, their perception of attrition rates (but it's better if these are online and broken down by gender, etc.), and if there is a known harasser in their department. You might also look at the number of female (vs. male) tenure-track profs. (I expect that information about other underrepresented groups is either indiscernible from the department's website or the percentage is likely to be dismal at all programs). Clearly these methods of determining the friendliness of a department are fallible, but I've found that most grad students are willing to be very honest about potential climate issues.

Two years ago, I was accepted at one PhD program in the top 25 and a few Leiterific MA programs. I declined the PhD offer because of a hostile climate for underrepresented groups in philosophy, not because of the placement record. I *highly* recommend visiting any programs and talking to students at those program before making any decision. A good placement record will not help you if you drop out of a program or if you don't receive the same support from faculty as the straight/white/male students. I chose the MA program that offered full funding over one that offered partial tuition remission (and required teaching). My decision would have been harder (between the two MAs) had neither program offered full funding, but I still wouldn't have attended the PhD program. I've just applied out this season and I'm getting into a lot of my dream programs (including a top 5 program). I can't say completing an MA at a Leiterific department will guarantee better admissions offers the second time around, but it worked for me. Also, I'm not sure that having an MA will disadvantage anyone (on the whole) for PhD admissions and job placements. (I have to admit that there do seem to be some grad departments that just don't like students with MAs). However, at my undergrad (which has an unranked grad program) my professors stressed that those job applicants who pursued terminal MAs seemed to have a greater breadth of philosophical knowledge than other applicants. Completing a terminal MA is not just a way to erase a bad undergrad GPA or to get letters from recognizable scholars; it is more importantly a way to spend more time studying philosophy.

I attended the 2009 Colorado Summer Seminar in Philosophy. It's really a great opportunity to see another philosophy department, meet some very motivated and intelligent peers, and learn from some amazing professors. The costs posted above do not include travel and most meals. From what I remember, Colorado does not offer any scholarships. This is so they can keep the costs of the seminar as low as possible for everyone. However, as the previous poster suggested, you can ask your department if they have scholarships for students to attend seminars or conferences. Also, the topic need not be one's potential area of study. Carnegie Mellon also has a Summer School in Logic and Formal Epistemology. This includes tuition and housing, but the students are responsible for travel and living costs. However, this program does not offer students a grade, so it might not help as much as the Colorado seminar in the long run. That is, unless you are interested in logic or formal epistemology. A link to more information: http://www.phil.cmu.edu/summerschool/