Rants, Venting, and Speculation

[GuanilosIsland]

13 hours ago, Rose-Colored Dasein said:

And now for a good-humored rant.

Does anyone else regret sending out your GRE scores to the masses? I just checked my spam folder, and I have recent emails from no less than seven institutions. This isn't counting all the ones that made it past my spam filter. Why do people think I want a master's degree in library science, social work, education, counseling, international policy, or digital design? What is the Pratt Institute? What in thunder is USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck?

I am dubbing these institutions "vulture schools," since they are apparently waiting for those who are sick unto death after being shut out.

USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck sounds like a parody of the typical obscure, vulture-school names.

[thehegeldialectic]

[deleted]

Edited March 1, 2018 by iunoionnis

[thehegeldialectic]

1 hour ago, lyellgeo said:

Jacques Derrida, Spectres of Graduate School

I see your Derrida, and I'll raise you.

The grad cafe results ruin everything, all the while leaving everything intact. It does not touch anyone in particular; "I" am not threatened by it, but spared, left aside. It is in this way that I am threatened, it is in this way that the grad cafe results threaten in me that which is exterior to me -- an other than I who passively become other. There is no reaching the grad cafe results. Out of reach is he whom it threatens, whether from afar or close up, it is impossible to say: the infiniteness of the threat has in some way broken every limit. We are on the edge of the grad school cafe results without being able to situate it in the future: it is rather always already past, and yet we are on the edge or under threat, all formulations which would imply the future--that which is yet to come -- if the grad cafe results were not that which do not come, that which has put a stop to every arrival. To think the grad cafe results (if this is possible, and it is not possible insomuch as we suspect that the grad cafe results are thought) is to have no longer any future in which to think.

-Maurice Blanchot, The Writing of the Grad Cafe Results.

Edited March 1, 2018 by iunoionnis

[sidebysondheim]

Usually, there is a UNC grad student who roams the boards during this time, but I noticed there wasn't any. Sorry to everyone waiting on UNC! I am not sure what's taking so long other than us having lots of faculty on leave at various points this year. That plus having some new faculty that may not be put on committees yet would be my guess for the holdup. Based on my best available evidence, decisions had not been made as of Tuesday. Since the prospective weekend will be taking place in a little over a month, I'm guessing that decisions will be made soon and emails will be sent quickly after. 
 

I'd apologize for the delay, but this is not my responsibility at all.

[ThePeon]

Welp, with Boston University and UConn responses being posted and me not hearing anything, it looks like I'm likely to be shutout. I knew my application had certain weaknesses from the beginning, and so to a large extent I have already made my peace with being shut out. Still, it is disappointing. 

I didn't put as much time into my writing sample as I should have and my sample (on philosophy of science) mismatched my main AOIs (political and moral philosophy). Furthermore, my transcript had some major flaws, with a low cumulative GPA (3.4), a couple of Ws in my second-to-last semester (though not in philosophy), and a C in one philosophy class (though I still received an A in the final paper in that class, other stuff was going on).

[Scoots]

It’s quite difficult to know what I should do differently next time. I have a perfect GRE; great grades from a top undergrad; a writing sample that was called ‘interesting’, ‘original’ and ‘eye-catching’ by the professors who looked at it (from top institutions in the US and elsewhere), some of whom gave comments over multiple drafts, all of whom recommended submitting it; and I applied to a lot of schools. All of which rejected me. 
I guess I should just write a new writing sample, but it’s beginning to feel rather like a very expensive lottery...
Ah well. It’s springtime. Good luck everyone! 

Edited March 3, 2018 by Scoots

[prtrbd]

8 hours ago, Scoots said:

It’s quite difficult to know what I should do differently next time. I have a perfect GRE; great grades from a top undergrad; a writing sample that was called ‘interesting’, ‘original’ and ‘eye-catching’ by the professors who looked at it (from top institutions in the US and elsewhere), some of whom gave comments over multiple drafts, all of whom recommended submitting it; and I applied to a lot of schools. All of which rejected me. 
I guess I should just write a new writing sample, but it’s beginning to feel rather like a very expensive lottery...
Ah well. It’s springtime. Good luck everyone! 

Sorry to hear, Scoots. Sounds like you would have been a good candidate by my metrics!

[Cogitodoncrien]

On 2/28/2018 at 10:55 PM, Cogitodoncrien said:

Has anyone on the UC Davis waitlist received an email about how that waitlist is ranked?

Anybody?

[Halcyon23]

1 hour ago, Cogitodoncrien said:

Anybody?

I talked to Cody Gilmore the other day and he said they don't rank the list and they don't usually dip too far into it. Check your spam folder, you might see the mass message he sent out (all Davis emails seem to go there for me for whatever reason).

[MtnDuck]

1 hour ago, Cogitodoncrien said:

Anybody?

Yes, sorry didn't see this earlier. From the email I received it seems like they do admissions based on AOI and the list is unranked as @Halcyon23 said. But Dr.Gilmore also said something about letting folks know their rank on the waitlist when they do start pulling from it (but this could also mean that they will break things into several AOI lists and then have ranks within those lists). *shrugs*

[Cogitodoncrien]

17 minutes ago, Halcyon23 said:

I talked to Cody Gilmore the other day and he said they don't rank the list and they don't usually dip too far into it. Check your spam folder, you might see the mass message he sent out (all Davis emails seem to go there for me for whatever reason).

 

5 minutes ago, MtnDuck said:

Yes, sorry didn't see this earlier. From the email I received it seems like they do admissions based on AOI and the list is unranked as @Halcyon23 said. But Dr.Gilmore also said something about letting folks know their rank on the waitlist when they do start pulling from it (but this could also mean that they will break things into several AOI lists and then have ranks within those lists). *shrugs*

Thank you both for your helpful responses.

[Rose-Colored Beetle]

An abductive inference about the truth-value of R ("I am rejected by school X") does not immediately seem possible. Since an accepted inference is an inference the truth of which the inferring person is prepared to live, abductively inferring R would compel the inferring person to live as though he or she had been rejected, which would in some cases mean immediately accepting an offer from another school (out of kindness to those waitlisted). I say we withhold judgment. I would also like to say, in general, that "best explanation" in the definition of "abductive reasoning" implies "best" in a sense which includes such specific life-factors of inferring persons, and not just "best" in the sense of "statistical plurality of likelihood," or something.

[Prose]

12 minutes ago, Rose-Colored Dasein said:

An abductive inference about the truth-value of R ("I am rejected by school X") does not immediately seem possible. Since an accepted inference is an inference the truth of which the inferring person is prepared to live, abductively inferring R would compel the inferring person to live as though he or she had been rejected, which would in some cases mean immediately accepting an offer from another school (out of kindness to those waitlisted). I say we withhold judgment. I would also like to say, in general, that "best explanation" in the definition of "abductive reasoning" implies "best" in a sense which includes such specific life-factors of inferring persons, and not just "best" in the sense of "statistical plurality of likelihood," or something.

 

why

[Rose-Colored Beetle]

1 hour ago, Prose said:

 

why

It's like stress eating.

[Rose-Colored Beetle]

1 hour ago, Prose said:

 

why

It beats mashing the "refresh" button on my gmail account.

[incredulous_stare]

Is there anybody else coming from a small liberal arts, undergrad institution and having a rough app cycle? 

Seems like it's very hard to get into top 20 PGR ranked PhD programs with this background unless your writing sample is just phenomenal. It's a little frustrating going through this, even though I knew beforehand most people from my institution weren't able to get into those programs right after undergrad. I'm sure this doesn't have much to do with their ability or preparedness (they were able to get into places like Rutgers, Notre Dame, CUNY and UVA after doing a masters). 

I am grateful for my offers from MA programs like NIU and Georgia State , but I can't help but think that where I go for undergrad plays a significant role in my applications to PhD programs, perhaps more than it ought. 

Edited March 4, 2018 by incredulous_stare

[lyellgeo]

12 minutes ago, incredulous_stare said:

Is there anybody else coming from a small liberal arts, undergrad institution and having a rough app cycle? 

Seems like it's very hard to get into top 20 PGR ranked PhD programs with this background unless your writing sample is just phenomenal. It's a little frustrating going through this, even though I knew beforehand most people from my institution weren't able to get into those programs right after undergrad. I'm sure this doesn't have much to do with their ability or preparedness (they were able to get into places like Rutgers, Notre Dame, CUNY and UVA after doing a masters). 

I am grateful for my offers from MA programs like NIU and Georgia State , but I can't help but think that where I go for undergrad plays a significant role in my applications to PhD programs, perhaps more than it ought. 

Yeah, I think it plays a role, and I suspect that my application cycle struggled somewhat because of that (though of course there are other reasons as well). But it's also probably just becoming more difficult to get in from undergrad to begin with—there are other anecdotes of people from Brown and other strong programs who are struggling as well. 

[Cogitodoncrien]

On 3/3/2018 at 3:20 PM, Halcyon23 said:

I talked to Cody Gilmore the other day and he said they don't rank the list and they don't usually dip too far into it. Check your spam folder, you might see the mass message he sent out (all Davis emails seem to go there for me for whatever reason).

 

On 3/3/2018 at 3:32 PM, MtnDuck said:

Yes, sorry didn't see this earlier. From the email I received it seems like they do admissions based on AOI and the list is unranked as @Halcyon23 said. But Dr.Gilmore also said something about letting folks know their rank on the waitlist when they do start pulling from it (but this could also mean that they will break things into several AOI lists and then have ranks within those lists). *shrugs*

So, are either of you particularly jazzed about UC Davis, and, if so, who are you interested in working with?  My AOI is mind, by the way.

[be.]

51 minutes ago, incredulous_stare said:

Is there anybody else coming from a small liberal arts, undergrad institution and having a rough app cycle? 

Seems like it's very hard to get into top 20 PGR ranked PhD programs with this background unless your writing sample is just phenomenal. It's a little frustrating going through this, even though I knew beforehand most people from my institution weren't able to get into those programs right after undergrad. I'm sure this doesn't have much to do with their ability or preparedness (they were able to get into places like Rutgers, Notre Dame, CUNY and UVA after doing a masters). 

I am grateful for my offers from MA programs like NIU and Georgia State , but I can't help but think that where I go for undergrad plays a significant role in my applications to PhD programs, perhaps more than it ought. 

For what it’s worth, I come from a mid-tier SLAC, and I’ve done quite well this cycle. I don’t think one’s not having gone to a prestigious school for undergrad hurts all that much in itself. The issue with having such a background is that one’s letter writers may not have much of a reputation in the field, which, I think, does hurt one’s chances. I was lucky enough to study in a department that, while small, nonetheless has several faculty members who are pretty well-known. 

Edited March 4, 2018 by be.

[lyellgeo]

 

29 minutes ago, be. said:

For what it’s worth, I come from a mid-tier SLAC, and I’ve done quite well this cycle. I don’t think one’s not having gone to a prestigious school for undergrad hurts all that much in itself. The issue with having such a background is that one’s letter writers may not have much of a reputation in the field, which, I think, does hurt one’s chances. I was lucky enough to study in a department that, while small, nonetheless has several faculty members who are pretty well-known. 

Yeah, it probably can help a lot if your faculty are known within your AOS. This means that they have a better sense of the field, and can give more helpful advice on applying and your writing sample. And it also means that letters from them will stand out, especially if they are friends/colleagues with people at departments you are applying. But of course that's only if the other parts of the application are strong enough. 

Edited March 4, 2018 by lyellgeo

[JeshZhavvorsa]

59 minutes ago, incredulous_stare said:

I am grateful for my offers from MA programs like NIU and Georgia State , but I can't help but think that where I go for undergrad plays a significant role in my applications to PhD programs, perhaps more than it ought. 

An MA has all sorts of benefits. Don’t lose hope and you’ll be fine two cycles from now. Are you leaning toward one MA or waiting for any more decisions?

[incredulous_stare]

8 hours ago, JeshZhavvorsa said:

An MA has all sorts of benefits. Don’t lose hope and you’ll be fine two cycles from now. Are you leaning toward one MA or waiting for any more decisions?

Thanks for the encouragement! Think I lean towards NIU, though i waiting to hear from the masters programs in philosophical theology at oxford, as well as some more PhD programs

[Halcyon23]

15 hours ago, Cogitodoncrien said:

 

So, are either of you particularly jazzed about UC Davis, and, if so, who are you interested in working with?  My AOI is mind, by the way.

I'm pretty excited about it even though I'm only waitlisted, but that's because a waitlist is the best news I've gotten so far! My AOI is language (with frequent excursions into metaphysics and philosophical logic) so Gilmore and Sennet are the main people I'd like to work with.

How about you? Since you're AOI is mind, I'm guessing Molyneux is a big one for you?

@incredulous_stare I'm a current NIU grad student, PM me if you want some insider info!

[thehegeldialectic]

1 hour ago, Halcyon23 said:

I'm guessing Molyneux is a big one for you?

I thought this dude was an alt-right YouTube guy? 

[Halcyon23]

7 minutes ago, iunoionnis said:

I thought this dude was an alt-right YouTube guy? 

Nah, they just have the same last name. 

http://philosophy.ucdavis.edu/people/molyneux