Doorkeeper

The main question I think you're really going to need to figure out is how much faculty attention you would be getting at any of these MA programs that you're applying to. Since you're going to be applying to theory PhDs in the US, you're going to need to get 1-2 solid faculty recommendations from whichever MA program you attend. I know MAPSS has a high placement rate, but I don't know if you'd be able to form good faculty connections in a year. Perhaps someone else could chime in here with such information.

Anyone know when Harvard is going to get its rejections out? I want to squash any hope left in me and get this ghastly cycle over with.

Thanks. It does indeed suck, as all of my advisors/mentors kept telling me how strong of an applicant I was...so I was expecting something. To be positive, it points to my statement and/or writing sample needing improvement, rather than me being a fundamentally poor applicant. I'll definitely be re-applying next year, so it's just a matter of waiting it out for the next 6-8 months until apps are back up. On the plus side, I'm doing considering better in applying to law schools, so at least I have some positive letters to look at!

It's ok! I was rejected from 4 programs last Wednesday and I'm now up to 0/11. You're in good company.

I graduated an top UG with a focus in political theory (and biology). Along the way, I picked up a great deal of moral and political philosophy, as my UG department is very analytically focused for political theory. I also took a few Phil classes focusing in moral philosophy, free will, and applied ethics. Moving forward, I'm noticing that many of the faculty I want to work with in graduate school are in philosophy departments, which has led me to think about getting a Masters in Philosophy and going for the Philosophy PhD instead of the Political Science PhD, or applying to both selectively to target the specific faculty members. I applied to both Phil and Political Science PhDs this year without much luck; I still have a few Phil programs to hear from but I'm not optimistic. So basically I'm left wondering: (1) Should I go for the Philosophy MA this year to bolster my Phil background? (2) If so, where should I look at? Considering my strong background in political/moral philosophy, I realize that I would need to focus my time taking other areas of philosophy (logic, metaphysics, epistemology, etc) in order to look like a well rounded applicant. (3) Are there any good MA programs that still allow for applications for Fall 2012? I notice that NYU, Stanford, Columbia, and Brandeis all still accept applications for the MA. Are there any others I should look at? As if this isn't confounding enough, I've been accepted to a number of law schools with strong Philosophy departments (Columbia, Chicago, NYU, among them), and I'm considering doing a JD/MA and then applying for the PhD once I'm done with the MA. Would this be looked upon in the same light? (4) Instead of doing a formal MA, should I just take a few logic and E&M classes during law school, as they allow for me to take classes outside of the department, and then apply in a year or two? In terms of career planning, I'm hoping to get a JD/PhD (in Phil or Poli Sci) and go for academic positions at law schools. I'm sorry this is so scattered, but I have a lot on my plate right now and I have only a few months to figure it out! Thank you in advance for any guidance!

Got the Chicago rejection with a 1/2 scholarship for MAPSS. Will probably turn it down to start law school and re-apply next year, but it was nice to get accepted to SOMETHING this cycle.

I didn't get that as my rejection letter...so they must've indeed sent these emails to the last few applicants who they wanted to admit, but could not due to funding issues.

I believe Columbia and WUSTL has made all of its offers. I've seen some Georgetown, but I don't know if they're done. I believe Brown is still making decisions, and I have no idea about UVA or McGill. Good luck!

From looking at the results though, it does seem like they give some PhD rejections an acceptance to MAPSS as consolation. Is this correct?

Easy for you to say with your 5 acceptances already! haha.

Mass emails take a really long time to generate and send out. I'm sure we'll be getting the emails at random points throughout the day.

Got the Columbia rejection too. Assuming Chicago and Harvard are rejections, I will be 0/11 this cycle. Thank god I applied to law schools as well. Looks like that JD/PhD will have to be a JD for at least one year...

Oh wow! Thank you for this! Keeping my hope alive since I think I can safely assume not hearing from Harvard and Chicago = rejection.

That's really weird. I guess they've just lost my application or something? Or maybe they forwarded it to my second choice department and won't notify me until the end. Who knows...

I see there was a wave of Columbia rejections and acceptances around Feb. 18-22, any idea what's going on for those of us still waiting? Are they doing rejections in waves, or is there a WL of sorts?

I'm in a similar boat as you, as I'm only waiting on programs that have already made offers and have been rejected from the other schools I applied to. Considering just how selective these programs are, you have to think that your decision could've been made on the slightest of details in your statement of purpose and that you, as a whole, were not a poor applicant in the slightest. Barring a micacle on my cycle, I'm probably going to have to re-apply next fall and I think I'm just going to use this time to really edit my statement of purpose, maybe individualize it more to each program, or tweak it to seem more desireable/interesting. Unless you have a noticeable weak point in your application, such as low GREs or bad LORs, that's all one can really do...but I know it really sucks.

Ah yes, I found that post. Thanks!

1) Anyone know the status of Hopkins? 2) Has Harvard notified waitlisted people as well as accepted people, or just accepted?

Thank you very much for the summary! Looks like I took quite a beating then over the past few days.

Hi everyone. I just found this site as the rejections starting coming in (Yale, Princeton, Cornell in the past 24 hours. Ouch!) So all acceptances are out for Columbia, Harvard, and Chicago. Is this correct?