PHILOSOPHY M.A. ACCEPTANCE/REJECTION 2018

[JeshZhavvorsa]

In at GSU.. was expecting the assistantship to be larger

[Zimmy64]

In at NIU and Waitlisted at GSU. I thought I was a very strong candidate for GSU so this stings a bit (although Professor O'Keefe did mention that many of those on the waitlist do eventually end up getting admitted). I definitely prefer GSU to NIU also because I was not often offered an assistantship (Professor Clapp did not even mention that I was on the waitlist for funding). Given that I have a background in economics and political science I will see if I get a assistantship in those departments but bar that I cannot see myself attending NIU not without funding. If I don't get funding there and end up ultimate rejected from GSU I'm not sure what I'll do. I still haven't heard back from Arizona or Virginia but given my current batting average (got 1 acceptance followed by 5 rejections in a row. To add insult to injury that 1 acceptance turned out to not be funded yet and it was followed by a waitlist to a program I thought I was tailor made for) I'm not confident. Overall it's been a pretty disappointing application cycle. 

[JeshZhavvorsa]

19 hours ago, buffystrong said:

@soproperlybasic it's you and me, in it to win it, homie lol (I also got the "high on the list" email from NIU).

Still awaiting news from UWM, VT, and Western Michigan! 

I wonder how many people are “high on the waitlist” because I got it too.

[jukeboxhero]

Has anyone heard anything about the waitlist for fellowships (Brains & Behavior, Legal & Political, etc.) at Georgia State? Thanks! 

[Rose-Colored Beetle]

Anyone heard more from WMU, UWM, or Brandeis?

[downwardabsolute]

5 hours ago, Rose-Colored Dasein said:

Anyone heard more from WMU, UWM, or Brandeis?

I don't believe so, aside from one person who heard from UWM because they got a fellowship. 

[buffystrong]

Just heard from WMU--accepted with full funding

[Descartes blanche]

Same here! Accepted at WMU with full funding. However, there's a possibility I might decline. There's still no response from UWM, VT, or UMSL, and GSU has me waitlisted.  

 

[buffystrong]

@Descartes blanche Yeah, I'm (obviously) still waiting on UWM and VT as well. UWM is my top choice--although I really do like all the programs to which I applied--so I may end up declining the offer from WMU, too. Still, the news is nonetheless exciting, especially since I didn't get an upfront offer of funding from NIU!! Are you able to attend the prospective student thing next weekend? Seems kind of short notice for those traveling from out of state lol. 

[Descartes blanche]

I probably won't be attending (especially if I have to work) because WMU is my undergraduate institution, so I'm relatively familiar with the school lol. Nevertheless, I was excited to get the acceptance because it's actually quite rare to get into the M.A. program as a WMU undergraduate, I've only seen it happen one other time. Also, my fiance was admitted as well, so it was especially surprising. That being said, let me know if you have any questions about their department. 

 

[soproperlybasic]

Also accepted at Western Michigan with full funding/an assistantship! NIU is still my top choice though...so I'll probably decline. Although NIU has yet to get back to me on funding.

I think I'd probably still pick NIU over Brandeis, but I'm not sure. The location of Brandeis is tempting, though I know NIU is the best fit for me/has unbeatable placement recently.

[buffystrong]

21 minutes ago, Descartes blanche said:

I probably won't be attending (especially if I have to work) because WMU is my undergraduate institution, so I'm relatively familiar with the school lol. Nevertheless, I was excited to get the acceptance because it's actually quite rare to get into the M.A. program as a WMU undergraduate, I've only seen it happen one other time. Also, my fiance was admitted as well, so it was especially surprising. That being said, let me know if you have any questions about their department. 

 

Ha! Well, that's convenient. I will probably have to work, and, even if I don't, I live on the north side of Chicago, so the commute would be doable but also, like, kind of a huge pain in the ass lol. So yes, I will almost certainly shoot you some questions soon. Thank you!

[MtnDuck]

35 minutes ago, buffystrong said:

@Descartes blanche Yeah, I'm (obviously) still waiting on UWM and VT as well. UWM is my top choice--although I really do like all the programs to which I applied--so I may end up declining the offer from WMU, too. Still, the news is nonetheless exciting, especially since I didn't get an upfront offer of funding from NIU!! Are you able to attend the prospective student thing next weekend? Seems kind of short notice for those traveling from out of state lol. 

I'm currently at VT so if you have any questions feel free to let me know! We just hired someone who is phil sci but I don't think we've made an official announcement yet (but I can PM you more about that if you want).

[buffystrong]

@soproperlybasic yay! Btw, Brandeis would've probably been my top choice were it not for the funding. I met a student from Cape Cod when I visited UWM, and she had received the maximum funding package from Brandeis but told me that she still would have been forced to take out tens of thousands more in loans just to get by. Perhaps your financial situation is different from mine, but that was enough to put me off Brandeis altogether lol. 

[Descartes blanche]

10 minutes ago, MtnDuck said:

I'm currently at VT so if you have any questions feel free to let me know! We just hired someone who is phil sci but I don't think we've made an official announcement yet (but I can PM you more about that if you want).

Hi, MtnDuck. Thank you for offering your advice. VT is the one school I'm largely in the dark with. How do you feel about VT's department when it comes to political/social/moral philosophy? I noticed you had an assistant professor working there who specializes in virtue ethics, which is a major focus of mine right now. Do you think the department is generally strong in these areas? Also, I have to admit that Blacksburg, at least initially, strikes me as the least appealing location among the others. I do like Appalachia though. How do you feel about Blacksburg? 

[buffystrong]

@MtnDuck Hey! Yeah, please! It's pretty unlikely that I will be able to visit VT if I'm admitted since I live about 700 miles away, so please do message me and tell me all about it. Departmental climate is pretty important to me, and, of course, it's tough to gather much about that without chatting with, like, an actual person lol. 

[Descartes blanche]

15 minutes ago, buffystrong said:

@soproperlybasic yay! Btw, Brandeis would've probably been my top choice were it not for the funding. I met a student from Cape Cod when I visited UWM, and she had received the maximum funding package from Brandeis but told me that she still would have been forced to take out tens of thousands more in loans just to get by. Perhaps your financial situation is different from mine, but that was enough to put me off Brandeis altogether lol. 

Same here. Brandeis is just too expensive, and I don't think the job prospects in this field are good enough to justify any further debt. Also, maybe I didn't read into it enough, but I'm not sure if Brandeis gives you the opportunity to teach, which for me, is something I want to have experience in before moving to a Ph.D. program. 

 

[episteme7]

14 minutes ago, Descartes blanche said:

Same here. Brandeis is just too expensive, and I don't think the job prospects in this field are good enough to justify any further debt. Also, maybe I didn't read into it enough, but I'm not sure if Brandeis gives you the opportunity to teach, which for me, is something I want to have experience in before moving to a Ph.D. program. 

 

Hey, just on the point about teaching, Brandeis guarantees at least one semester of TA-ship though, almost always, you can TA far more often than that. I've found it to be an invaluable part of the program so far!

[JeshZhavvorsa]

I hope NIU can get back to me about funding (high on the waitlist) before too long. Unfortunately they said it could take until April, right up to the deadline. I’m probably going to end up declining a few PhD offers in favor of doing an MA, and I’d really like to visit NIU. However, I can’t see doing that until I hear about funding when I have funding at GSU.

[Descartes blanche]

3 hours ago, JeshZhavvorsa said:

I hope NIU can get back to me about funding (high on the waitlist) before too long. Unfortunately they said it could take until April, right up to the deadline. I’m probably going to end up declining a few PhD offers in favor of doing an MA, and I’d really like to visit NIU. However, I can’t see doing that until I hear about funding when I have funding at GSU.

What's your AOI? It seems to me that GSU would be worth attending regardless of the situation. GSU's funding does seem to be inferior to some of these other programs though. 

[Rose-Colored Beetle]

8 minutes ago, Descartes blanche said:

What's your AOI? It seems to me that GSU would be worth attending regardless of the situation. GSU's funding does seem to be inferior to some of these other programs though. 

This is a little funny, since I found all GSU's areas of strength remarkably uninteresting.

[JeshZhavvorsa]

25 minutes ago, Descartes blanche said:

What's your AOI? It seems to me that GSU would be worth attending regardless of the situation. GSU's funding does seem to be inferior to some of these other programs though. 

Moral and Political Philosophy, so GSU is a great option for me. I’d still like to entertain the possibility of NIU though.

[JeshZhavvorsa]

21 minutes ago, Rose-Colored Dasein said:

This is a little funny, since I found all GSU's areas of strength remarkably uninteresting.

What is your AOI?

[Descartes blanche]

14 minutes ago, Rose-Colored Dasein said:

This is a little funny, since I found all GSU's areas of strength remarkably uninteresting.

lol. Well, I suppose I'm a little biased given my interests. 

[Descartes blanche]

9 minutes ago, JeshZhavvorsa said:

What is your AOI?

The same interests, actually. NIU seems to be an excellent department so I get it. If NIU gave you similar or better funding, do you think you would know at that point where you're going?