Chicago's MAPH, or Tufts' MA?

[lilysoul]

Hi Everyone,

I am a philosophy major student, and recently got acceptance letter from Chicago's MAPH program and Tufts' MA in philosophy. I'm wondering if anyone could give me advice on which one to choose.

MAPH's tuition fee is really high, and there is no scholarship. Tufts' is less expensive, and offers some scholarship.

In general, I value quality of the program and school's reputation, but I also want to pay as little as possible. I am not sure whether I want to pursue a PhD after MA. I'm trying to keep a balance among the three factors. Also, I'm an International student, so I think it will be harder for me to get funding.

Which one should I choose?

Thanks!

[rubose]

On 3/8/2012 at 10:01 AM, lilysoul said:

Hi Everyone,

I am a philosophy major student, and recently got acceptance letter from Chicago's MAPH program and Tufts' MA in philosophy. I'm wondering if anyone could give me advice on which one to choose.

MAPH's tuition fee is really high, and there is no scholarship. Tufts' is less expensive, and offers some scholarship.

In general, I value quality of the program and school's reputation, but I also want to pay as little as possible. I am not sure whether I want to pursue a PhD after MA. I'm trying to keep a balance among the three factors. Also, I'm an International student, so I think it will be harder for me to get funding.

Which one should I choose?

Thanks!

Since the Tufts' master's degree is directly within the department, that gives you an advantage. I too have been accepted into Chicago's MAPH program and in researching it, have found that some students had a bad experience, where their "department of interest" did not want to work with them. It would be important therefore to check with the Philosophy department at Chicago. Send them a professionally worded letter asking them :

1) How closely they are willing to work with students in the MAPH program, 2) If they have had good experience with this program/ what they think of it (I've heard that some of the faculty are disparaging of it), and 3) If many students who were in the MAPH program get accepted into the PhD program there afterwards or into other schools.

Compare these answers with what you know or can learn about Tuft's program.

[lilysoul]

Since the Tuft's master's degree is directly within the department, that gives you an advantage. I too have been accepted into Chicago's MAPH program and in researching it, have found that some students had a bad experience, where their "department of interest" did not want to work with them. It would be important therefore to check with the Philosophy department at Chicago. Send them a professionally worded letter asking them :

1) How closely they are willing to work with students in the MAPH program, 2) If they have had good experience with this program/ what they think of it (I've heard that some of the faculty are disparaging of it), and 3) If many students who were in the MAPH program get accepted into the PhD program there afterwards or into other schools.

Compare these answers with what you know or can learn about Tuft's program.

Turns out that all the current MAPH students (around four) I asked said they had great experiences, but nearly all things said about MAPH in this gradcafe forum are negative.

[s33]

lilysoul,

As a graduate of UChicago (not MAPH), I am not surprised by the varying responses to the program. For the right kind of student, Chicago's standalone Master's programs (MAPSS, MAPH, MA in IR, etc) can serve as an excellent springboard for admission to top-notch PhD programs. I would expect that MAPH publishes it placements (I know that MAPSS does, or did), and it might be a good idea to look for/request this information.

In my view, the main question is, are you the 'right kind of student' for MAPH? By this, I am referring not only to your academic ability and your work ethic (both of which should be pretty high in the distribution if you hope to do well), but also to your willingness to be proactive in seeking out research opportunities.

To be blunt, Chicago is not the kind of place where faculty will 'hold your hand', or seek you out. I think that some Master's students find the experience rather isolating, and it is quite easy to go unnoticed. Chicago is not a place for the timid, the faint of heart, or those who are unwilling to work very hard; I say this as someone who has spent significant time at two other 'global top 20' universities, and in my view Chicago's academic culture is both the toughest and potentially the most rewarding of the three. Chicago is the closest thing to a 'pure' academic experience that I have encountered. That can be good or bad, depending upon your preferences and your perspective. Many find Chicago to be a 'cold' place (I am not referring to the weather). I did not find it so, but I can understand how some others would.

Financial considerations aside, I'd say Chicago is a great place to find out if you want to do a PhD, because their MA programs are really designed to prepare you (and assess your suitability) for the life of a PhD student.

I do not have any familiarity with Tufts, so I cannot really offer an informed comparison.

Good luck with your decision.

btw, your status as an international student will have no bearing upon financial aid at PhD programs, at least at private universities such as Chicago (and Tufts).

Edited March 13, 2012 by s33

[Stately Plump]

I am not sure whether I want to pursue a PhD after MA.

Just out of curiosity, what are you hoping to do with an MA in Philosophy, if not pursue a PhD? Because that can potentially change where you are thinking of going. If it were me, and I wasn't necessarily planning on pursuing a PhD, then I would absolutely, hands down, no questions asked follow the money. If, however, I was thinking of spring-boarding into PhD programs, then I would consider placement rates into PhD programs, along with the money situation.

I would think very seriously about what you are hoping to do afterwards, and take that into consideration when making your decision.

Edited March 13, 2012 by Stately Plump

[Another Sisyphus]

Here is a really helpful blog written by a current MAPH student following the philosophy route. He describes the MAPH experience in good detail and answers questions emailed to him. Many of these questions are very relevant to us.

maphmaticallyyours.wordpress.com/

[lilysoul]

lilysoul,

As a graduate of UChicago (not MAPH), I am not surprised by the varying responses to the program. For the right kind of student, Chicago's standalone Master's programs (MAPSS, MAPH, MA in IR, etc) can serve as an excellent springboard for admission to top-notch PhD programs. I would expect that MAPH publishes it placements (I know that MAPSS does, or did), and it might be a good idea to look for/request this information.

In my view, the main question is, are you the 'right kind of student' for MAPH? By this, I am referring not only to your academic ability and your work ethic (both of which should be pretty high in the distribution if you hope to do well), but also to your willingness to be proactive in seeking out research opportunities.

To be blunt, Chicago is not the kind of place where faculty will 'hold your hand', or seek you out. I think that some Master's students find the experience rather isolating, and it is quite easy to go unnoticed. Chicago is not a place for the timid, the faint of heart, or those who are unwilling to work very hard; I say this as someone who has spent significant time at two other 'global top 20' universities, and in my view Chicago's academic culture is both the toughest and potentially the most rewarding of the three. Chicago is the closest thing to a 'pure' academic experience that I have encountered. That can be good or bad, depending upon your preferences and your perspective. Many find Chicago to be a 'cold' place (I am not referring to the weather). I did not find it so, but I can understand how some others would.

Financial considerations aside, I'd say Chicago is a great place to find out if you want to do a PhD, because their MA programs are really designed to prepare you (and assess your suitability) for the life of a PhD student.

I do not have any familiarity with Tufts, so I cannot really offer an informed comparison.

Good luck with your decision.

btw, your status as an international student will have no bearing upon financial aid at PhD programs, at least at private universities such as Chicago (and Tufts).

s33,

Thank you very much for your reply!

I'm sure that U Chicago must have a great academic culture. Just out of curiosity, I'm wondering if you also know some MAPHers who decide not to pursue PhD? Will it be a wrong decision to study MAPH, if someone wants to work in areas outside the academia?

Another question is, since MAPH is only one year, is it possible to apply for the PhD programs before finishing MAPH? Or, is it that MAPHers usually take a gap year afterwards?

[lilysoul]

Here is a really helpful blog written by a current MAPH student following the philosophy route. He describes the MAPH experience in good detail and answers questions emailed to him. Many of these questions are very relevant to us.

maphmaticallyyours.wordpress.com/

Another Sisyphus,

Thank you very much for the information!

[lilysoul]

Just out of curiosity, what are you hoping to do with an MA in Philosophy, if not pursue a PhD? Because that can potentially change where you are thinking of going. If it were me, and I wasn't necessarily planning on pursuing a PhD, then I would absolutely, hands down, no questions asked follow the money. If, however, I was thinking of spring-boarding into PhD programs, then I would consider placement rates into PhD programs, along with the money situation.

I would think very seriously about what you are hoping to do afterwards, and take that into consideration when making your decision.

When I applied for the MA and PhD programs in philosophy last winter, I was determined to pursue a PhD in philosophy. However, my mind has changed and now I become not so sure about doing PhD. I'm now swaying between the thought of doing PhD and going to work. As PhD really needs to take a lot of years, it is very difficult for me to make the decision. But I agree with you that it is important to consider what to do with an MA in philosophy.