2013 Applicants (Philosophy)

[Phil2013]

Still haven't heard from CUNY...I'm fully expecting a rejection but this is kind of getting annoying.

[superhamdi]

Well, superhamdi, the UCSB thing is getting even more confusing. Now they've rejected a few people and accepted two over the course of nearly a month. 

 

Bleh. I still haven't gotten anything from them... jeez! Get over with it already! Got my CUNY rejection the other day. It didn't mention the name of the institution anywhere. Only after re-reading it did I see it said "The Graduate Center" somewhere in the middle of the paragraph.

 

That's basically it for me.

 

Saw someone posted a super late UCLA admittance, congrats!

[xaelyn]

Brandeis offers have gone out. The financial highlights:

Tuition is $44,100. Offered merit-based fellowship consists of roughly a 25% tuition discount. Need-based scholarship also available that would cover up to an additional 25% of tuition. The full amount of need-based scholarship, which most students qualify for, reduces tuition to $19,000. In addition, paid Teaching Assistantships are available. Guaranteed to TA at least once, though most students serve as TAs 2-3 times. The pay is $3,200 per semester-long course.

An interesting bit: The program is only officially one year long, but most students stay on for an additional semester or year. If they stay on after their first year, the fee is $5,512 per semester, with no additional tuition. $1,300 of this is waived if one is a TA. TAship for the second year is not guaranteed, but there is a "considerable chance" one might be secured. The impression I get is that, if one is a TA after their first year, their tuition is ~$4,200 per semester. If the TA pay is the same (unclear on this; the discount on the already-reduced fees might be in lieu of pay, rendering the rest of this moot), one is left with ~$1,000 per semester to take care of.

I now have a problem, but it is a good problem to have. GSU or Brandeis? We shall see, we shall see.

Edited March 14, 2013 by xaelyn

[Philosopath]

Yeah, I fully expect it to be a rejection - which is why it's annoying! Just send me the thing already.

 

Yeah, I got the same email today.  It's bound to be a rejection.

 

Has anyone else gotten accepted to ASU's MA program?  There's no word about funding, though it says on the philosophy department's page that assistantships are available for about 13k per year, and you get to pay in-state tuition rather than OOS.  But I wonder how many are really available. 

 

Any other general word on the department?  My advisor urged me that it was a strong, reputable program, though it does seem like it's still getting back on its feet (having gotten rid of the PhD program fairly recently).

[xaelyn]

Yeah, I got the same email today.  It's bound to be a rejection.

 

Has anyone else gotten accepted to ASU's MA program?  There's no word about funding, though it says on the philosophy department's page that assistantships are available for about 13k per year, and you get to pay in-state tuition rather than OOS.  But I wonder how many are really available. 

 

Any other general word on the department?  My advisor urged me that it was a strong, reputable program, though it does seem like it's still getting back on its feet (having gotten rid of the PhD program fairly recently).

I got into ASU, but also received no word on funding. I emailed the grad school a couple of nights ago and haven't heard back yet.

[saul goodman esq]

I now have a problem, but it is a good problem to have. GSU or Brandeis? We shall see, we shall see.

 

by my math, it would take 35-40k or more in loans to afford brandeis and the boston cost of living, even with the two scholarships and two or three TAs.  just can't justify that compared to the full tuition and stipends offered elsewhere.  as good as brandeis's placement is over the last year or two, it's not head and shoulders above other leading MA programs.

[Phil2013]

Just took myself off of BU's waitlist. Hope this helps someone. They are too comparable to some of the other schools I got into that are not my current top choice to justify sticking around on the waitlist for them.

[hasbeen]

My fiancée just matched to Virginia Commonwealth University for residency, so I took myself off the waitlist for University of Kentucky.  This round of applications is now over for me, so I'm going to excuse myself from the message board.  I wish good luck to all of you; you guys have been great.

[incontradiction]

Just took myself off of BU's waitlist. Hope this helps someone. They are too comparable to some of the other schools I got into that are not my current top choice to justify sticking around on the waitlist for them.

Do you know where you were on the list? I'm assuming that since you got into other places, probably in the upper group?

[Phil2013]

No idea. I got into a top 25 school, but I got into lower ranked schools that I could see going to over BU, so that's what compelled my decision.

[lovephil]

Okay, so I said that I was removing myself from these forums. But I'm getting really antsy about my position on Texas Austin's wait list. I am "rather high" on the wait list, and received two emails from Sally Jackman letting me know that things are moving quickly and asking me to confirm that I haven't accepted another offer, and that I am still interested in attending their program.

 

This is my first choice, so I'm wondering if any of you have info on the following: (1) how many people are "rather high" on the wait list, and (2) if one or some of you have already turned down or plan to turn down an offer from Texas Austin.

Any info would be super helpful! I'm in my 1st year of a funded PhD program right now, and if I decide to transfer to another school, then it's possible my funding will be cut off for the spring and summer months. So it would be really great to know sooner than later so I can make spring/summer plans.

[Philosopath]

I got into ASU, but also received no word on funding. I emailed the grad school a couple of nights ago and haven't heard back yet.

 

Any word?  I'm considering emailing Tom Blackson regarding the availability of grad assistantships. 

[incontradiction]

No idea. I got into a top 25 school, but I got into lower ranked schools that I could see going to over BU, so that's what compelled my decision.

 

One more question (sorry!): what are your research interests? Hopp made it sound like who gets picked off the waitlist is largely dependent on research interests/incoming class makeup.

[xaelyn]

Any word?  I'm considering emailing Tom Blackson regarding the availability of grad assistantships. 

 

None yet. It's rather frustrating, given how up-front the other schools were. But perhaps it's coming via post... As soon as I hear anything I'll post in the thread.

[LawrencevonBuskirk]

Got a letter from Marquette's GS today informing me that the offer I received is unfunded. 

Edited March 16, 2013 by LawrencevonBuskirk

[Phil2013]

One more question (sorry!): what are your research interests? Hopp made it sound like who gets picked off the waitlist is largely dependent on research interests/incoming class makeup.

My sample and undergrad thesis are in history of analytic phil, and it's my main interest at the moment. As the former compares Wittgenstein and Carnap and the latter is about Wittgenstein primarily, I imagine I would have been paired with Juliet Floyd at BU were I to have remained on the list. I also have an interest in philosophy of language and a general interest in various periods and thinkers of 18th-20th century history of phil. The latter probably molds well with BU, although I'm not sure about the former.

[incontradiction]

My sample and undergrad thesis are in history of analytic phil, and it's my main interest at the moment. As the former compares Wittgenstein and Carnap and the latter is about Wittgenstein primarily, I imagine I would have been paired with Juliet Floyd at BU were I to have remained on the list. I also have an interest in philosophy of language and a general interest in various periods and thinkers of 18th-20th century history of phil. The latter probably molds well with BU, although I'm not sure about the former.

 

Thanks for answering so many of my questions! Best of luck wherever you end up.

[Philosopath]

Anybody else still waiting on their implied rejection from Tufts?  Particularly those who got their email the other day about looking for their application status to be updated?

[xaelyn]

Anybody else still waiting on their implied rejection from Tufts?  Particularly those who got their email the other day about looking for their application status to be updated?

Yep. It's frustrating. Mostly because I don't understand why the process is going the way it is... maybe there's some delay between the department sending its decisions to the Grad School, and the Grad School updating the website?

[ἀκρατής]

Is there anybody else in here who hasn't heard back from UCLA yet? It is the only school I haven't heard back from yet. I am about to accept another offer and am only waiting for the UCLA rejection before I do it. But I want to make sure that it really is a rejection!

[Phil2013]

Whom should I e-mail at CUNY if I want to solicit them for a response on my application? I've seen things on the results page about getting contacts from Stephen Neale, but I want to be sure whom I should contact...

[xaelyn]

I've turned down Arizona State. Good luck to whoever gets bumped up.

[Philosopath]

I see.  I'm il_brontolone on WGI.  What made you turn it down without learning about funding?  (Admittedly, the funding prospects look poor.)

[xaelyn]

I see.  I'm il_brontolone on WGI.  What made you turn it down without learning about funding?  (Admittedly, the funding prospects look poor.)

I figured. I've responded to you a few times over there, always as an anon.

There were a few things. The largest was geography... I've lived the last 18 years of my life in a desert, and would rather not move to another one.

Apart from that, I wasn't all that impressed by their placement.

Other smaller things sealed it for me... I'm in at programs I liked better, they have not said anything about funding or teaching, and the only correspondence I've had has been an automated email which pointed to my admit letter. Compared to GSU, the communication has been incredibly impersonal.

[Philosopath]

Right.  I have family that has made the move out west to Arizona and so I've been there a few times.  Honestly, I don't like Arizona that much, but for two years I could do it. 

 

I agree completely on the placement concerns.  Not only is it unimpressive, but there also appears to be a dearth of applicants.  From what I've heard, ASU's had some financial trouble generally.  Just don't like the vibe I'm getting from the program.  I feel if they had good word about the availability of their 13k assistantships, then they'd relay it.  I imagine at this point, they have no such news.  That said, they have a strong faculty.  But any graduate program you apply to should.

Edited March 19, 2013 by Philosopath