armouredapple Posted November 18, 2010 Share Posted November 18, 2010 Hi - I saw a thread on this from 2008/9, but my question is slightly different, so I thought I'd start a new post. I'm moving to postgraduate study in philosophy after a few years away from the subject, so I was thinking of doing a one-year Master's before putting in PhD applications. As I'm in the UK, I was going to just apply here (St Andrew's, the MA at University College London...I'm crossing out Oxford as it's a 2-year program), but now I'm wondering whether I should add some US applications to places like Brandeis, Tufts, Georgia State...I'm going by the Philosophical Gourmet. However I noticed one comment in the old thread saying that the UK programs have stronger records in placing people at top places in the US. What are opinions on this - i.e is there a significant difference? Since the US applications seem to have different requirements (e.g. longer writing samples), I'm wondering if this would be the best use of my time. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
armouredapple Posted November 18, 2010 Author Share Posted November 18, 2010 On the writing sample, in case any one else is considering the same question, there seems to be variation even on either side of the Atlantic. At St Andrew's it's <2000 words, UCL none at all (?!), Georgia State <5000 and Brandeis <35 pages. So I feel like I could end up trying to write on similar material in (at least) 3 different formats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bukharan Posted November 18, 2010 Share Posted November 18, 2010 It strikes me that the universities you mentioned are not in the same league. I'd focus on the St Andrews application. I am biased though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balderdash Posted November 18, 2010 Share Posted November 18, 2010 Hi - I saw a thread on this from 2008/9, but my question is slightly different, so I thought I'd start a new post. I'm moving to postgraduate study in philosophy after a few years away from the subject, so I was thinking of doing a one-year Master's before putting in PhD applications. As I'm in the UK, I was going to just apply here (St Andrew's, the MA at University College London...I'm crossing out Oxford as it's a 2-year program), but now I'm wondering whether I should add some US applications to places like Brandeis, Tufts, Georgia State...I'm going by the Philosophical Gourmet. However I noticed one comment in the old thread saying that the UK programs have stronger records in placing people at top places in the US. What are opinions on this - i.e is there a significant difference? Since the US applications seem to have different requirements (e.g. longer writing samples), I'm wondering if this would be the best use of my time. Thanks! No Cambridge? Most MPhils here are 1 year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bukharan Posted November 18, 2010 Share Posted November 18, 2010 Haha. I am not the only one biased here. But, yes, Cambridge Master's degree would also be one-year. I guess you've seen the Guardian rating for Philosophy already: http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/table/2010/jun/04/university-guide-philosophy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
armouredapple Posted November 18, 2010 Author Share Posted November 18, 2010 Thanks for the replies! Yes you're right, I should look into Cambridge - again, I overlooked it because Leiter doesn't mention it in his page on MAs. And thanks for pointing out the Guardian info Bukharan - I've been a bit US-focused in my thinking, as, thinking ahead to the PhD, most of the higher-ranked faculties in my areas (ethics and political philosophy) seem to be there. But that table suggests looking at a few other UK departments too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philosophy chic Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 US and UK schools also have different teaching styles. You should consider that as well and also look into professors you may be able to work with at each institution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now