What are my odds?

[BabyFarmer]

Okay, I feel like I need a reality check/evaluate my odds thing because I am capital P Panicking off and on.

GRE: 162/151/5.5

GPA: (grad) 3.9

Three strong letters from accomplished profs (one was previously at Oxford as a research fellow, one heads a global health ethics group that works with BMGF)

I'm a strong writer so my personal statement will hopefully be strong (and tailored to each school slightly), and I'm polishing a writing sample on a hot topic in applied ethics.

 

The list (philosophy dept unless otherwise listed):

University of Toronto (HPS)

University of Toronto (School of Public Health)

McGill

Duke

NYU (look, no one gets in but I gotta shoot my shot)

Michigan State

SUNY Albany (possibly? haven't heard a ton about their PhD program)

CMU

Georgetown

Cornell

 

Idk man... advice? Help? Suggestions for other programs to look into?

[Olórin]

We can't give you what you want.

Anyone's odds could always be better.

People with better odds sometimes don't get in. People with worse odds sometimes do get in.

You're rolling the dice, and nothing about how you describe yourself suggests it will be a bad roll. It is, however, still a roll.

[maxhgns]

Your chances look fine.

Personally, I'd advise you to apply to a few more programs, to give yourself more options. The only question is which ones... And to answer that, we need to know what areas you plan to specialize in.

Your sample is in applied ethics. Is that your main area of interest? What led you to choose this current list of programs?

Eyeballing it, it's not really clear to me. Looks more like a hodge-podge of programs. So what, if anything, unites them in your mind? The better your fit with your targets, the better your chances of getting in.

[BabyFarmer]

55 minutes ago, maxhgns said:

Your chances look fine.

Personally, I'd advise you to apply to a few more programs, to give yourself more options. The only question is which ones... And to answer that, we need to know what areas you plan to specialize in.

Your sample is in applied ethics. Is that your main area of interest? What led you to choose this current list of programs?

Eyeballing it, it's not really clear to me. Looks more like a hodge-podge of programs. So what, if anything, unites them in your mind? The better your fit with your targets, the better your chances of getting in.

Ah thank you. My AOI is definitely in applied ethics/bioethics, and all the conferences etc I've presented at have also been in this area. I'm interested in areas in research ethics, transgender health care and bioethics, data ethics etc. I've picked my schools based on people in those departments who work in these/related areas, and I've also looked at what courses are offered and what grad students' AOIs are.

Edited September 24, 2019 by TheCarbWhisperer

[BabyFarmer]

3 hours ago, Olórin said:

We can't give you what you want.

Anyone's odds could always be better.

People with better odds sometimes don't get in. People with worse odds sometimes do get in.

You're rolling the dice, and nothing about how you describe yourself suggests it will be a bad roll. It is, however, still a roll.

Of course! There are no guarantees. I just lose any sense of optimism/realism I guess whenever I think about this for a long time haha.

[TorreAttack]

I would suggest looking at Pitt HPS. They have a fantastic relationship with CMU, which you show interest in, and you can take advantage of Pitt's outstanding Phil faculty while in their HPS department. In particular you might like Sandra Mitchell, working on values in science.

[BabyFarmer]

@TorreAttack thank you! That's really helpful. I'm assuming you're happy there, based on your signature here?

[TorreAttack]

@TheCarbWhisperer Yes, I am extremely happy here, although I'm just in my first year so it might just be new grad student vibes.