PHILOSOPHY M.A. ACCEPTANCE/REJECTION 2018

[buffystrong]

@JeshZhavvorsa Than you!! They've been number one for me ever since I visited the department in December! I felt so at ease there--like I fit in right away. And fit is, after funding, my top priority. Still, I think I ought to visit WMU before I commit to anything. I may have that same experience again, y'know? Plus, if there's any chance that I could still be offered an assistantship at NIU, that would obviously be attractive to me lol. 

[buffystrong]

@Descartes blanche Thank you so very much! I'm almost certain that I will accept UW-Milwaukee's offer, but I'd like to visit Western Michigan first. They gave me full funding too, so I want to sort of see what they're about. I'm going to try to be quick about it, though! God knows that the last thing I want is to leave other folks feeling like they're on unstable ground as we approach that April 15th deadline. Is UW-Milwaukee a top contender for you, too? I have my fingers crossed for you, at any rate!

[Descartes blanche]

38 minutes ago, buffystrong said:

@Descartes blanche Thank you so very much! I'm almost certain that I will accept UW-Milwaukee's offer, but I'd like to visit Western Michigan first. They gave me full funding too, so I want to sort of see what they're about. I'm going to try to be quick about it, though! God knows that the last thing I want is to leave other folks feeling like they're on unstable ground as we approach that April 15th deadline. Is UW-Milwaukee a top contender for you, too? I have my fingers crossed for you, at any rate!

Not sure. It's a strong department, and the cost of living is low, but I'm also resting on another funded acceptance from UMSL and I'm beginning to think that they might be working on material more closely related to what I'm doing (equally impressive placement record as well). Aside from that, I have three waitlists gnawing at me from UW-Milwaukee, GSU, and Colorado State (still waiting on VT). Unfortunately, I think I'll be tossing and turning until the 15th. Nevertheless, I'm grateful to have any choice at all. 

[JeshZhavvorsa]

1 hour ago, buffystrong said:

@JeshZhavvorsa Than you!! They've been number one for me ever since I visited the department in December! I felt so at ease there--like I fit in right away. And fit is, after funding, my top priority. Still, I think I ought to visit WMU before I commit to anything. I may have that same experience again, y'know? Plus, if there's any chance that I could still be offered an assistantship at NIU, that would obviously be attractive to me lol. 

Well that’s great that you’re fully funded at your top choice! I am also still waiting for word on funding at NIU.

[buffystrong]

@Descartes blanche What's your AOI? I'm super curious now, because your schools seem sort of all over the place in terms of department strengths! Of course, I'm likely to overlook the things they have in common because I'm preoccupied with my own AOI... so forgive me if this was a really stupid question lol. 

[buffystrong]

@JeshZhavvorsa Thank you again!! I'm grateful as hell, not to mention a bit stunned. I really didn't know what to expect coming into this because I knew I was a strong applicant, but it was tough to say exactly how strong. But, for what it's worth, I'm rootin' for ya! I actually emailed Lenny Clapp just a couple hours ago like "yo, so where we at on that wait-list homie??" lol. I'll let you know if I get anything useful outta him.

[Descartes blanche]

1 hour ago, buffystrong said:

@Descartes blanche What's your AOI? I'm super curious now, because your schools seem sort of all over the place in terms of department strengths! Of course, I'm likely to overlook the things they have in common because I'm preoccupied with my own AOI... so forgive me if this was a really stupid question lol. 

No, you were right the first time lol. I was a bit nervous and a little broke going into this so I applied to a wide variety of M.A. schools exclusively listed on the gourmet report. I was nervous because although I can definitely do philosophy and I have plenty of support at my undergraduate institution, I ended up with low GRE scores (I suck at timed tests). My AOI is moral/social/political and both CSU and GSU clearly have strong faculty in this regard (however, I'm concerned about CSU's placement list - I don't know if the students smoke too much weed and end up falling in love with Colorado or if something else is going on. I really like the idea of CSU and they have a world-famous professor but their placement record is probably the lowest I've seen).  Virginia Tech also has a relatively strong program for what I'm doing and they tend to place people at programs like Arizona. I'm still learning about UMSL. But yeah, as for WMU and UW-Milwaukee, I'm not sure where they would really stand among all of this when it comes to those AOI's. 

 

Edited March 22, 2018 by Descartes blanche

[JeshZhavvorsa]

2 hours ago, buffystrong said:

@JeshZhavvorsa Thank you again!! I'm grateful as hell, not to mention a bit stunned. I really didn't know what to expect coming into this because I knew I was a strong applicant, but it was tough to say exactly how strong. But, for what it's worth, I'm rootin' for ya! I actually emailed Lenny Clapp just a couple hours ago like "yo, so where we at on that wait-list homie??" lol. I'll let you know if I get anything useful outta him.

Sounds good! I didn’t really know if it’s recommended to ask or not, but seeing that you have other great options I understand wanting to know 

[Cloudsofrain]

Hello, I was wondering if I could ask you MA grad applicants some questions? I am also an applicant and I have recently been accepted into four MA programs(2 full funding, 2 waitlisted) and one PhD program(full funding). I am about 90% I will chose to go to one of the MA programs.

1. How are you guys choosing which MA program to go to? I think funding is what is most important, but after that? To some degree I think placement is important, but at the same time I wonder whether I could go to a MA program with weaker placement and just work really hard on my sample paper and GRE scores? The reason why I would go to a weaker placement MA program is because I think there is someone I would like to work with. Also, I am considering the possibility of taking a year off after my MA to make sure my sample paper and GRE scores are as strong as possible.

2. When is the  April 15 deadline to declare? I live in the pacific time zone, so if the deadline is right up til April 16, does that mean at 11:59 pm pacific time zone  or 11:59 eastern time zone, April 15? I am waitisted for funding on NIU, this is my top MA program. I really want to go here.  Also what is funny, as I read some of your guys' earlier posts, I think we all have been told that we are "relatively high on the waitlist" for funding, probably relative to those who have not yet been accepted. 

[Rose-Colored Beetle]

14 hours ago, Kantian Heretic said:

Hello, I was wondering if I could ask you MA grad applicants some questions? I am also an applicant and I have recently been accepted into four MA programs(2 full funding, 2 waitlisted) and one PhD program(full funding). I am about 90% I will chose to go to one of the MA programs.

1. How are you guys choosing which MA program to go to? I think funding is what is most important, but after that? To some degree I think placement is important, but at the same time I wonder whether I could go to a MA program with weaker placement and just work really hard on my sample paper and GRE scores? The reason why I would go to a weaker placement MA program is because I think there is someone I would like to work with. Also, I am considering the possibility of taking a year off after my MA to make sure my sample paper and GRE scores are as strong as possible.

2. When is the  April 15 deadline to declare? I live in the pacific time zone, so if the deadline is right up til April 16, does that mean at 11:59 pm pacific time zone  or 11:59 eastern time zone, April 15? I am waitisted for funding on NIU, this is my top MA program. I really want to go here.  Also what is funny, as I read some of your guys' earlier posts, I think we all have been told that we are "relatively high on the waitlist" for funding, probably relative to those who have not yet been accepted. 

Quick question: why would you turn down a funded PhD for an MA? I ask because I can think of some good reasons and some bad reasons.

[Theodore8]

36 minutes ago, Rose-Colored Dasein said:

Quick question: why would you turn down a funded PhD for an MA? I ask because I can think of some good reasons and some bad reasons.

The short answer is that where you do your PhD has enormous implications on what kinds of jobs you're likely to get when you finish. Given the dismal job market, you want to make your chances as good as you possibly can. So if you're accepted to an average PhD program out of undergrad, you might opt to get your master's degree, fine tune your writing sample, and generally improve your resumé. That way, you have a better chances of getting into a top-tier PhD program, and consequently, land a better job after you're done. Even though some are hesitant think about it this way, a PhD is really just a means to an end, and it's best to remind oneself of this. Sometimes the short-term payoff gets overvalued in this process.

Edited March 23, 2018 by Theodore8

[Descartes blanche]

15 hours ago, Kantian Heretic said:

Hello, I was wondering if I could ask you MA grad applicants some questions? I am also an applicant and I have recently been accepted into four MA programs(2 full funding, 2 waitlisted) and one PhD program(full funding). I am about 90% I will chose to go to one of the MA programs.

1. How are you guys choosing which MA program to go to? I think funding is what is most important, but after that? To some degree I think placement is important, but at the same time I wonder whether I could go to a MA program with weaker placement and just work really hard on my sample paper and GRE scores? The reason why I would go to a weaker placement MA program is because I think there is someone I would like to work with. Also, I am considering the possibility of taking a year off after my MA to make sure my sample paper and GRE scores are as strong as possible.

2. When is the  April 15 deadline to declare? I live in the pacific time zone, so if the deadline is right up til April 16, does that mean at 11:59 pm pacific time zone  or 11:59 eastern time zone, April 15? I am waitisted for funding on NIU, this is my top MA program. I really want to go here.  Also what is funny, as I read some of your guys' earlier posts, I think we all have been told that we are "relatively high on the waitlist" for funding, probably relative to those who have not yet been accepted. 

I've been getting the impression that fit is extremely important, perhaps even more than placement to an extent. I say this because I've been keeping in close contact with a few graduate students from my undergraduate university and they've given me a lot of advice regarding this whole process. 

So, for example, they attended a program with a strong reputation for their AOI's ( epistemology/philosophy of science). In addition, the program had a competitive placement record and they were placing these students at PGR ranked institutions like Stanford, Michigan, UW-Madison, Northwestern, U- Miami, and Rice. However, this same program was not as well known for its strengths in areas like moral/political, and over many years, these students rarely managed to land PGR ranked positions from what I was told.

Fit and field reputation seems to be saying a lot about whether you will be adequately challenged to learn more and whether or not you will be equipped with letters of recommendation from one or more professors who are actually working and publishing (hopefully quite notably) within your field. Of course, this doesn't mean that you're not naturally disciplined enough to challenge yourself and cultivate a strong sample and understanding of the relevant literature on your own, but it certainly helps to be immersed in such an environment where others can help you to facilitate this.  Also, if the school that meets your fit happens to have a miserable placement record all around, that should probably hang in the balance as well. 

May I ask which school you're contemplating, the one with the strong fit but a lesser placement record (assuming NIU is not that school)? 

 

 

[Cloudsofrain]

1 hour ago, Rose-Colored Dasein said:

Quick question: why would you turn down a funded PhD for an MA? I ask because I can think of some good reasons and some bad reasons.

Hi, Rose-Colored Dasein, I will probably turn down the PhD offer because it isn't a highly ranked PhD program and not the best fit. The problem I had when applying to grad. programs was that I came from a strongly continental background with strong interests in analytical topics. This forced me to be able to only apply to pluralistic PhD programs, half cont. half analytic. My hope is to go to a strong analytic MA so that I can then apply to some of the PhD programs I did not really have the opportunity to apply to this season.

[Cloudsofrain]

40 minutes ago, Descartes blanche said:

I've been getting the impression that fit is extremely important, perhaps even more than placement to an extent. I say this because I've been keeping in close contact with a few graduate students from my undergraduate university and they've given me a lot of advice regarding this whole process. 

So, for example, they attended a program with a strong reputation for their AOI's ( epistemology/philosophy of science). In addition, the program had a competitive placement record and they were placing these students at PGR ranked institutions like Stanford, Michigan, UW-Madison, Northwestern, U- Miami, and Rice. However, this same program was not as well known for its strengths in areas like moral/political, and over many years, these students rarely managed to land PGR ranked positions from what I was told.

Fit and field reputation seems to be saying a lot about whether you will be adequately challenged to learn more and whether or not you will be equipped with letters of recommendation from one or more professors who are actually working and publishing (hopefully quite notably) within your field. Of course, this doesn't mean that you're not naturally disciplined enough to challenge yourself and cultivate a strong sample and understanding of the relevant literature on your own, but it certainly helps to be immersed in such an environment where others can help you to facilitate this.  Also, if the school that meets your fit happens to have a miserable placement record all around, that should probably hang in the balance as well. 

May I ask which school you're contemplating, the one with the strong fit but a lesser placement record (assuming NIU is not that school)? 

 

 

Hi Descartes blanche, Yeah, I definitely agree with what you are saying and was thinking along the same lines of reasoning. The school that I am strongly considering is Ohio University, mainly because they have one individual that does Kant and phil. of religion-free-will and another person that does meta ethics and Action theory. My interests are all in analytic field, except I also have interest in Kant. I don't really want to go to a place where there isn't Kant, to my knowledge most of my analytic programs don't have at least one Kantian, mainly because I did so much undergrad. work in Kant like indep. study and such. I don't really want to abandon Kant since I do enjoy him and I know so much about him, if that makes sense. Also, Ohio university has according to their grad director about a 76% placement rate, but most of the schools are lower level PGR. I don't really worry too much, because if I have good GRE scores and a solid sample, I should be alright

Edited March 23, 2018 by Kantian Heretic

[Descartes blanche]

22 minutes ago, Kantian Heretic said:

Hi Descartes blanche, Yeah, I definitely agree with what you are saying and was thinking along the same lines of reasoning. The school that I am strongly considering is Ohio University, mainly because they have one individual that does Kant and phil. of religion-free-will and another person that does meta ethics and Action theory. My interests are all in analytic field, except I also have interest in Kant. I don't really want to go to a place where there isn't Kant, to my knowledge most of my analytic programs don't have at least one Kantian, mainly because I did so much undergrad. work in Kant like indep. study and such. I don't really want to abandon Kant since I do enjoy him and I know so much about him, if that makes sense. Also, Ohio university has according to their grad director about a 76% placement rate, but most of the schools are lower level PGR. I don't really worry too much, because if I have good GRE scores and a solid sample, I should be alright

I can't speak for Ohio because I'm not really familiar with what they have going on. Sounds like you have a good mindset on all of this though. Also, not sure if you've considered, but GSU is both a reputable program with known expertise in Kant. Have you applied? 

[Cloudsofrain]

5 minutes ago, Descartes blanche said:

I can't speak for Ohio because I'm not really familiar with what they have going on. Sounds like you have a good mindset on all of this though. Also, not sure if you've considered, but GSU is both a reputable program with known expertise in Kant. Have you applied? 

Yeah, I applied and I got rejected. Haha, I was kind of surprised since I got into more analytic programs despite my background. Though I do think that I may have slipped up on my state of purpose that I submitted to GSU. Sometimes I wonder whether some MA schools have different ways of evaluating applicants. I think that some evaluate applicants based on how locked down one is in choosing a specific area/topic, while others are more open to the idea that applicants are wanting to explore more. Or maybe my application just sucked.

[Descartes blanche]

1 hour ago, Kantian Heretic said:

Yeah, I applied and I got rejected. Haha, I was kind of surprised since I got into more analytic programs despite my background. Though I do think that I may have slipped up on my state of purpose that I submitted to GSU. Sometimes I wonder whether some MA schools have different ways of evaluating applicants. I think that some evaluate applicants based on how locked down one is in choosing a specific area/topic, while others are more open to the idea that applicants are wanting to explore more. Or maybe my application just sucked.

If you're getting into other places like NIU then I'm sure your application is strong. I think there's a lot of factors at play that extend beyond merit, and it's difficult to say what plan each individual committee has. Many of them have goals they're looking to meet in terms of things like diversity, a dispersed AOI in accordance with their department, and sometimes just strange little serendipitous events can make or break the whole deal. I was reading that Jason Stanley - now preeminent in his field - was rejected to every single school he applied to coming out of undergraduate school at SUNY Binghamton. He was only accepted to MIT at the last minute because someone in the department outside of the committee happened to know about his sample and liked his ideas despite its initial rejection. Now he's a big deal, but he may have been fighting for his career had that fortunate twist of circumstances not happened - who knows? It's a finicky profession. Good luck to you!

[Rose-Colored Beetle]

1 hour ago, Kantian Heretic said:

Hi, Rose-Colored Dasein, I will probably turn down the PhD offer because it isn't a highly ranked PhD program and not the best fit. The problem I had when applying to grad. programs was that I came from a strongly continental background with strong interests in analytical topics. This forced me to be able to only apply to pluralistic PhD programs, half cont. half analytic. My hope is to go to a strong analytic MA so that I can then apply to some of the PhD programs I did not really have the opportunity to apply to this season.

Of course you need to do what's best for you. But I do want to point out that PGR rank and placement rate do NOT necessarily correlate. I'd recommend investigating and comparing on your own.

From what I've seen, 76% is really good, depending on how it's qualified: is that the rate for tenure-track placement, or just university placement? Or is it the rate of matriculants who get a job right away period? Schools may not report all three.

Two other factors: first, some schools place better in particular sorts of programs. Some schools place better at smaller universities. On the flip side, this may be because students at 'top' programs don't apply for smaller-than-usual jobs. Second, it's also true that a good portion of those who don't find a job their first year might find it their second or third. It would be good to find out how accommodating a program is of such people. One place I've looked at is good about letting you teach there for a year or two till you find a job.

[Cloudsofrain]

3 hours ago, Descartes blanche said:

If you're getting into other places like NIU then I'm sure your application is strong. I think there's a lot of factors at play that extend beyond merit, and it's difficult to say what plan each individual committee has. Many of them have goals they're looking to meet in terms of things like diversity, a dispersed AOI in accordance with their department, and sometimes just strange little serendipitous events can make or break the whole deal. I was reading that Jason Stanley - now preeminent in his field - was rejected to every single school he applied to coming out of undergraduate school at SUNY Binghamton. He was only accepted to MIT at the last minute because someone in the department outside of the committee happened to know about his sample and liked his ideas despite its initial rejection. Now he's a big deal, but he may have been fighting for his career had that fortunate twist of circumstances not happened - who knows? It's a finicky profession. Good luck to you!

Haha, yeah that is crazy!!! Good luck to you too!

[Cloudsofrain]

3 hours ago, Rose-Colored Dasein said:

Of course you need to do what's best for you. But I do want to point out that PGR rank and placement rate do NOT necessarily correlate. I'd recommend investigating and comparing on your own.

From what I've seen, 76% is really good, depending on how it's qualified: is that the rate for tenure-track placement, or just university placement? Or is it the rate of matriculants who get a job right away period? Schools may not report all three.

Two other factors: first, some schools place better in particular sorts of programs. Some schools place better at smaller universities. On the flip side, this may be because students at 'top' programs don't apply for smaller-than-usual jobs. Second, it's also true that a good portion of those who don't find a job their first year might find it their second or third. It would be good to find out how accommodating a program is of such people. One place I've looked at is good about letting you teach there for a year or two till you find a job.

I know that the PGR and the placement rate do not correlate, but I kind of use both to give me a general guidance. Oh, the 76% is just the university placement into PhD programs, some mid-level to lower level PGR schools, some I be happy to go to. Hmm, I did not know or think about your last point. I should probably see what universities do for their grad. students a year after they graduate, if they help provide temporary teaching position, thanks for the advice.

[Rose-Colored Beetle]

2 hours ago, Kantian Heretic said:

I know that the PGR and the placement rate do not correlate, but I kind of use both to give me a general guidance. Oh, the 76% is just the university placement into PhD programs, some mid-level to lower level PGR schools, some I be happy to go to. Hmm, I did not know or think about your last point. I should probably see what universities do for their grad. students a year after they graduate, if they help provide temporary teaching position, thanks for the advice.

All the best in your decision!

[Cloudsofrain]

1 hour ago, Rose-Colored Dasein said:

All the best in your decision!

Thanks, good luck to you too!

[jukeboxhero]

Quick question: have Brandeis or Virginia Tech sent out acceptances yet? 

[downwardabsolute]

11 minutes ago, jukeboxhero said:

Quick question: have Brandeis or Virginia Tech sent out acceptances yet? 

I don't believe so; I haven't heard anything from them. It sure is getting late. 

[MtnDuck]

Current VT student here-- a couple grad students talked about this yesterday. Our DGS is currently away at a conference so we think that may be part of the delay. This was also a hiring year for us and last time that happened nothing went out until after the 20th (of March...so we're still later than even that) so that's also part of the delay possibly.