philosophia

Does anyone have insurance through the NAGPS? Is it any good? I'm looking into it and it is much cheaper than any other options I've seen, and seems fairly comprehensive considering the price but I'm a bit unsure. I don't have any current health problems so I'm mainly concerned with being covered if, you know, if I get hit by a car or find out I have cancer or something.

Also, there is a big difference between learning to read with a dictionary for basic understanding or to clarify the use of specific terms and being able to use it (whether writing or speaking). Which is not to say that it is easy to learn to read languages, but it is a type of skill that is much easier to pick up on your own than, say, carrying on a conversation or writing. The expectation is very different than in an undergraduate or high school course where these aspects are more important. And I second the Wheelock's suggestion. I've done some latin but never got it to the point I wanted it at so I'm working through it over the summer since I've got some time. It's easy enough to do, and you can suppliment it the other books and websites designed to be used with it. Then when (if) you take a course it will be pretty simple.

Yes, that software does look fantastic. But I don't have a mac. Oh well. Anyway, this is my plan: I'm only dealing with my philosophy books, which makes this much easier. I made a few broad catagories (5-10) and labeled my bookshelves accordingly (2 or more shelves for some topics, 1/2 for others depending on how much I expect to focus on them.) Eventually I will use those catagories as the basis for my database, and I will create subdivisions within each and enter individual books. I'm also setting aside 2 shelves near my desk for whatever I'm working on at a given time, like a "reserve" shelf. I am going to obtain a large filing cabinet for articles -- which are currently all over in various folders and lacking any order at all, as well as consolidating all my pdf's into a single location. In the database there will be a section for location (bookshelves, file cabinet, pdf, library books), catagory, notes, topics, comments, etc. I like this because I can always just use the general catagories to quickly add books, and it will be easy enough to find things without specific numbers for each book, but I can also add more information and subdivisions or specific numbers when I feel like I need them (or when I get a chance to do so). I'm also thinking of including books I've used from the library/ ILL, so I can remember what that book I used two years ago was called. Oh, and one more catagory for the database: whether and what I have read from a given text (unlike my father, I would like to avoid being one of those people who just buys lots of books he never reads.) Anyway, this sounds horribly compulsive, and it probably is, but I think that in the long run it will pay off -- I've seen some of my professors looking around their offices saying: "I think I have a copy of that around here somewhere!" Beyond that, though, I like the idea that I will be able to do searches and come up with a list of relevant texts, even if I had forgotten that some of them existed. A notes section can be helpful for this, where you can note that this might be a good diss topic or something like that.

Has anyone here had experience with putting together a system to keep track of books and articles that they own? This would include something like "call numbers" (or at least "shelf numbers") in order to be sure I can find the book I am looking for. I'm anticipating an increasing library over the next several years, and want to get organized before it's too late. I am planning to use endnote, and am wondering if anyone here has done so and has any suggestions on how to make it both easy and helpful. Specifically, how did you organize the actual books on bookshelves -- an actual library cataloging system, your own version that is more appropriate to your discipline, or something more informal (just general catagories)? I have a lot of time this summer to devote to perfecting this, but I want to make sure that this is easy maintain without much time as I add books. Any advice would be great!

Don't forget that you can always enroll and if you leave with a masters after a year or two. If your main motivation to not attend graduate school is the job market, this might be a nice option -- you can see how strongly you feel about it at that point, and go from there without spending 5+ years to end up without a (decent) job. You might even be able to find some jobs out of the academy that build on your area for which your masters would be useful (for example, in publishing or something) and would have the option of teaching at a community college on the side if you enjoy teaching. Personally, if I was in your position I would worry about the regret that comes with not at least giving it a shot.

I'm finally funded for next year (!!) for a PhD and it is in the same city I'm already in. Although I'm planning to leave my current part time job, I'm wondering about how strict graduate programs are regarding having their students work outside the university. If I just stay on payroll at my current job and pick up a few hours here and there when they need help, is that acceptable? Will I have to get permission? I know this is probably a question to ask the program directly, but does anyone know how this works in general?

Not only would driving into manhattan be expensive, it would also be really stressful. If you really want to keep your car, you should still take the train on a daily basis. But honestly, there are lots of places in Brooklyn/Queens etc that are cheaper than living further away and having a car. The rent savings would basically cancel out the cost of a car.

Oh, if you need a lot of stuff for your apartment you can always go to Ikea in Elizabeth, NJ. There is a free bus that goes there on the weekend from the bus station in manhattan. Granted, it's hard to fit a lot of stuff on the ride back, but if you need sheets and kitchen stuff it's not so bad. Much cheaper than bed bath and beyond.

Is anyone here admitted at Fordham with funding? What are your plans? I know there are a few people waiting on funding besides me, so any information would be helpful.

Now via postal service. Wait-listed for funding -- letter suggests I have a good chance. (If anyone here knows anything about this funding issue please let me know.) There's no postmark date but I am in NY. So, those of you expecting rejections still have a chance.

Does anyone know about the Toronto situation? I guess a bunch of people got calls. I wonder if there will be a second round ... I'll assume not for now.

In response to Sea's comment above: I get the feeling that this year really is over-saturated with applicants in philosophy. The sheer number of posts on the philosophy thread at who_got_in suggests this, as do the reports of an unusually high number of applicants at a variety of schools (as many as 4-5 times the normal number in some cases) -- many of which are not generally considered 'top picks'. Perhaps this is just because so many people have applied to 12+ programs, significantly increasing the number of applications floating around, but I think it's also the result of an especially high number of applicants. My thought is that it's really just an unusually competitive year, but perhaps I'm too optimistic? Maybe next year will be worse, with a lot of people reapplying as well as new applicants? Sigh ...

I've been in NY for the past 6 years doing undergrad, working, etc. Never with any real amount of money. It's worked out fine for me and a lot of other people I know. 1. Apartments: Cheaper apartment shares that aren't in Manhattan. Astoria in Queens, and several areas in Brooklyn are nice and very quick on the subway (10-20 minutes) often have shares (your own room in a 3-4 bedroom apartment) for $500-600. If you want to spend more, there are other options ... but you can get by on that much. 2. Transit: You don't need a car so the main transportation expense is only $76 for an unlimited monthly metrocard. 3. Food: Sure, there are lots of expensive restaurants, but there are also a lot of places to eat cheaply. There are often really good / cheap lunch specials, and there are always some inexpensive options in any area. Cooking helps a lot too. Watch out for super overpriced Manhattan supermarkets, but freshdirect.com is a good alternative with cheaper (but good quality) groceries and delivery. 4. Entertainment: Again, plenty of expensive options, but also a lot of free / cheap ones. You can take advantage of student rush tickets at the opera/ballet/symphony and other places. Wandering around and hanging out at Central park are both free. There are tons of other things to do like that, too ... It's not easy, but very doable. I guess at the end of the day New York can be really expensive if you want it to, but it doesn't have to be.

By the way, not that it makes a difference but they only accepted 10/300 (3%) this year. Which is just incredibly low.

Thanks for everyone's comments. I'm still waiting on 5 more schools (wasting time on here because I can't leave the apartment till the damn mail shows up ... I kinda feel bad about staulking the mailman, but what can you do?) -- but I must say that I think given my specific situation that I will plan to very very seriously consider this offer unless I get a really great offer from one of these other places (but I'm not betting on that...). At the end of the day, lots of research and conversations with various people has convinced me that it's a strong program that will do far more than make you look polished and add a big name onto your CV, it's just too bad that it's so expensive and not worth the debt for most people. Also, I'm not exactly excited about the prospect of going through this all again in a year or two, but I suppose that in the long run it's probably worth it. Is anyone else planning to attend the event in April?