JoMarie

Why not apply to programmes in Europe? Do you speak French or German? You wouldn't have that problem at most French or German universities, and that's where most of the conversation takes place anyway, isn't it?

I wouldn't be so pessimistic. Looking at past years, it was always a little staggered, and they never called everybody - the rest heard in the mail, and that can take a while. Actually, I haven't heard back from anywhere so far. I mostly applied to straight philosophy programmes and a few HPS, because I can't decide what I want to do. Pittsburgh would become my first choice if I was going to do HPS, but not overall. I guess I'll let fate decide

So are you one of the acceptances? I still haven't heard...

Yes, it's HPS for me too. Good luck to you too!

Anybody else hoping to hear from Pittsburgh soon?

I'll go on a trip to the US with my special someone, to visit campuses and get really excited about moving there.

I recently submitted 14 applications for PhD programmes in philosophy. I feel bad for causing my recommenders so much work, and I was wondering what was appropriate in terms of saying thank you. I guess that once I have heard back from all schools I should at least send them all cards informing them how it turned out. But how about a bottle of wine or the like? Problem is also two of my four recommenders are in different countries so I'd have to send something by post. What's appropriate here? They are English, an American pretending to be English, and Dutch - in case that matters for what etiquette requires. Thanks for suggestions!

Maybe it depends on the difficulty of the questions you got wrong? But then I wouldn't know how. On the one hand, it would make sense to be rewarded more for getting the harder questions right, but on the other hand it makes sense to be penalised less for getting them wrong, and the two would sort of weigh each other up... I think my wrong answers were medium difficult.

Test Date: 09/27/2011 Verbal: 170 (750-800 estimate), 20/20 first section, 18/20 second section. 99% Quantitative: 167 (750-800 estimate), 20/20 first section, 18/20 second section. 95% AW: 5.5 96% I am a non-native speaker, and I prepared for the verbal section just by looking up all those words I usually ignore in books I read. I found it easier to remember them seeing them in context first.