A little desperate cry for advice (regarding continental philosophy)

[GD25]

Dear friends,

 

I know that this application season was (or is) difficult for all of us. For me, it was not successful: 5 rejections from Purdue, Emory, Penn State, Western Ontario, and Stony Brook (offered a place in the MA program). I would like to try next year; however, not sure what went wrong this year. No doubt that the epidemiological situation has influenced all aspects of the application and acceptance process perniciously. Nevertheless, I have a few concerns regarding my application. Maybe it is possible to rectify the mistakes for the next season or be disillusioned with my philosophy programs' suitability. Sorry for the tediousness; I just want to be consequent in my thoughts.

1. I do not have a BA or MA in philosophy. My BA is in political science, and my MA in history. Despite these bad choices, most of the courses I took were from the philosophy department. Could the lack of a degree be a hindrance to being considered seriously?
2. I have recommendations from professors of religious studies, philosophy, and literature (two of them were my research advisors for an MA thesis).
3. My interests lie primarily in the history of continental philosophy (Deleuze, Merleau-Ponty) and structuralist linguistics (Saussure, Jakobson). My writing sample was also about Merleau-Ponty's contemplation on Saussure's concept of meaning. The specialization in the history of philosophy does not seem to be in great demand these days. Is it more conducive to making it broader – not being limited by the authors' problematics?
4. I also delivered five presentations on Bergson, Deleuze, and Foucault at quite decent international philosophical conferences.

So, I am kindly asking you to share your thoughts regarding my situation. It was extremely disappointing to spend so much time for preparation and receive all rejections. Btw, I tried to elicit some information from universities, but they were unanimous in their "it was a very competitive year, hope you apply next time" – not very helpful. Again, I fully understand that I am not alone in such a miserable situation; however, I am asking for advice as an international applicant who might not be savvy enough to pinpoint the problem.

 

Thank you very much for your time and help!

[HomoLudens]

I am at a continental program now (They aren't accepting PhD apps this year). Without looking at your full application, it seems like you just got unlucky. Take this time to get more feedback on your sample and your SOP. Maybe take Stony Brooks' MA offer if you can afford it. There is nothing about your application that strikes me as an issue.

[GD25]

1 hour ago, HomoLudens said:

I am at a continental program now (They aren't accepting PhD apps this year). Without looking at your full application, it seems like you just got unlucky. Take this time to get more feedback on your sample and your SOP. Maybe take Stony Brooks' MA offer if you can afford it. There is nothing about your application that strikes me as an issue.

Thank you, it certainly sounds encouraging. At what program are you now?

[idkwat2do]

for what it's worth, I found myself in a similar predicament 2 years ago. I was accepted on April 15 to two non-ranked PhD programs, so I opted to do a masters at a well-regarded program. This year has been brutal, and I only have one waitlist (and I'm presuming more rejections to come). Just know that getting a masters does not guarantee you getting into a PhD in two years. Maybe I just had shit luck. I also felt like I had less help (in general) from profs at my MA program than I did undergrad (this also may be due to covid, and everyone being remote)

[PhilBlast]

As someone that looks like is on the way to getting only a single acceptance, an MA (on waitlist for funding but I'm high up), I can only recommend to applying to more places. I think I did about 17 applications...this season was brutal. Already hearing rumors about a bottleneck being a possibility in next year's. I think if you show that even though you were shut out this year, that you kept being involved and studying you should impress somebody. Wish you the best.

[musicdegree4me]

What is your undergrad and graduate GPA? 

[GD25]

19 hours ago, musicdegree4me said:

What is your undergrad and graduate GPA? 

the undegrad is 3.6; graduate is 3.5

[musicdegree4me]

8 hours ago, GD25 said:

the undegrad is 3.6; graduate is 3.5

Unless you are in an underrepresented group - those GPA marks are a bit low. Are they being converted (your location is listed as Moscow) or are those US marks? If US marks, the best choice (for your application - but maybe not your wallet) is to do a masters in philosophy and get a 4.0. 

[maxhgns]

You didn't apply very widely, and that's the trouble with doing that. I think it's wise to target a few programs for which you're an excellent fit, but when you do that, you have to remember you're rolling fewer dice. Ask the philosophers who've written you letters if they'd be willing to give some feedback on your cover letter and writing sample. Your cover letter needs to make a solid case for your attending that particular program. And, in your case, it should also do some work to show that philosophy is the right fit for you (rather than, say, history of ideas or something similar).

As far as your list of programs goes, however, Western sticks out as a weird choice. They're not a very continental department at all--Fielding is pretty much on her own in that department!--and their history coverage is a little dicey, too. 

[Absurd'sTheWord]

First, I am sorry you were shut out. Been there and know it can be devastating; quite easy to take the outcome personally. 

My two cents:
I would talk to your advisors--especially if any of them work in Continental philosophy--and see if they have recommendations/insight on a program that would be suitable to your interests and professional goals. If anything, they should be able to give you a sense for how you could improve upon your applicant packet between cycles. 

As far as Philosophy programs, have you looked into DePaul, Marquette, or University of South Florida? These programs are strong in Continental philosophy and the history of philosophy. If your interests extend broader than philosophy proper, maybe look into an interdisciplinary program (PPE) or American Studies. I have a dear friend with similar interests to yours who wanted to do either history or philosophy in a doctoral program. He's doing a Ph.D. in American Studies at Yale now and has taken some of his coursework in the philosophy dept. (he might even have one philosophy prof on his dissertation committee). That's just an idea (don't throw stones at me, people). Maybe a PPE program or something interdisciplinary could equip you to teach across disciplines...

Don't give up. I wish you well!

[PHILOKEV]

On 3/9/2021 at 12:14 PM, GD25 said:

 

Dear friends,

 

I know that this application season was (or is) difficult for all of us. For me, it was not successful: 5 rejections from Purdue, Emory, Penn State, Western Ontario, and Stony Brook (offered a place in the MA program). I would like to try next year; however, not sure what went wrong this year. No doubt that the epidemiological situation has influenced all aspects of the application and acceptance process perniciously. Nevertheless, I have a few concerns regarding my application. Maybe it is possible to rectify the mistakes for the next season or be disillusioned with my philosophy programs' suitability. Sorry for the tediousness; I just want to be consequent in my thoughts.

1. I do not have a BA or MA in philosophy. My BA is in political science, and my MA in history. Despite these bad choices, most of the courses I took were from the philosophy department. Could the lack of a degree be a hindrance to being considered seriously?
2. I have recommendations from professors of religious studies, philosophy, and literature (two of them were my research advisors for an MA thesis).
3. My interests lie primarily in the history of continental philosophy (Deleuze, Merleau-Ponty) and structuralist linguistics (Saussure, Jakobson). My writing sample was also about Merleau-Ponty's contemplation on Saussure's concept of meaning. The specialization in the history of philosophy does not seem to be in great demand these days. Is it more conducive to making it broader – not being limited by the authors' problematics?
4. I also delivered five presentations on Bergson, Deleuze, and Foucault at quite decent international philosophical conferences.

So, I am kindly asking you to share your thoughts regarding my situation. It was extremely disappointing to spend so much time for preparation and receive all rejections. Btw, I tried to elicit some information from universities, but they were unanimous in their "it was a very competitive year, hope you apply next time" – not very helpful. Again, I fully understand that I am not alone in such a miserable situation; however, I am asking for advice as an international applicant who might not be savvy enough to pinpoint the problem.

 

Thank you very much for your time and help!

I would second much of what @Absurd'sTheWord stated.  I think an interdisciplinary or humanities track may be conducive to your interests.  I would just add that you may want to take an account of all Jesuit universities that offer a PhD in philosophy; not all do.  Continental philosophy is still very much relevant in the Jesuit universities, although many of the faculty will require that you write in analytic form according to the background and desires of the professor.  I am discovering this in the current semester [my Kierkegaardian style is not doing it for one of my professors...but I digress].

A few of my fellow PhD students entered the program with undergrad or grad degrees in other fields, the most common being theology.  So, according to your interests and background, the Jesuit institutions [there are several in the US] may be interested in having you.  Nonetheless, you will want to think long and hard about what you are trying to do after earning your degree.  The Continental credentials may not serve you well in the academic job market here in the US.  In addition, few Jesuit universities are ranked very high.  These are just a few considerations.  Best of luck! 

[Mitch Rapp]

Applied to 29 programs in total (25 PhD and 4 masters). Got one acceptance but am waitlisted for funding. I have a 4.0 undergrad GPA, solid letters, and was an NCAA D1 athlete. It seem to me that this whole process is a massive black box of luck.