Do I Stand a Chance?

[shelbyelisha]

Hey there, I've been lurking for a few weeks and finally decided to post.  Everyone here seems way smarter and way more prepared than I am!  I'm beginning to think this whole application process was just a huge mistake and I'm not going to get in anywhere.  I don't want pity responses, I want the truth: do I stand a chance?

 

Here are the facts: I graduated 2 years ago from a very small public liberal arts college.  I have a 3.85 GPA, 3.9 in philosophy, and was a double major with English.  I won a few awards, including an award that is given to one graduating philosophy major per year.  I graduated from the honors program and was one of two seniors who wrote and defended an honors thesis.  I know I will have three fantastic letters from my professors, but since I come from a small school, none of them are big names in the philosophy world.  My writing sample is risky; I wrote a dialogue between Hume and Kant in which they debate their views on morality.  My GRE scores are 166 verbal, 151 quantitative, and 4.0 analytical writing, though I am retaking them this Sunday.  

 

I'm applying to PhD programs at UConn, SUNY Albany, McGill, CU Boulder and UW Seattle, and the MA program at Concordia University in Montreal.

 

The applications are all uploaded and there isn't really much more I can do now, aside from retaking the GREs.  I'd just like to know what I could expect.

 

Thanks for your help, and the best of luck to you all in your pursuits!

[shelbyelisha]

Also, I just read a post that sort of hinted at posts like this one being super annoying.  Sorry if I'm being a n00b and breaking a secret internet rule here 

[philstudent1991]

absolutely you stand a chance, no bs

[bar_scene_gambler]

I agree with philstudent. You're not applying to huge, highly ranked programs, though that's in your favor, and your stats are good. If your dialogue is well-written and not totally full of errors, you stand a pretty decent chance from what I can tell.

[maxhgns]

You have a chance. Sounds like a gimmicky writing sample, though. If your supervisors/advisers OKed it, then it should be fine.

[shelbyelisha]

Thanks for responding, Philstudent, Bar_scene, and Max!  Since it's out of my hands now, maybe I can relax for the next few months before I hear something.

 

Max, it definitely is an unorthodox writing sample.  I did a lot of undergrad work with my advisor on writing in dialogue, and I thought it was the strongest paper I had, so I went for it.  It was probably in my best interest to use something more conventional, but, that ship has sailed. 

 

Good luck to you all!

[wandajune]

Your GPA is great and those GRE scores are fine, so at the very least none of that will disqualify you. If your writing sample is well written and the right person happens to like it, I would say you definitely stand a chance. Though I'd say applying to grad school is risky for anyone given the competition, even for the best students. If you get rejected this year, take it with a grain of salt, you'll probably be in good company. 

[Strong Flat White]

Of course, if you're writing dialogue and majored in English, too, maybe you want to pursue something literary?  Come on over, the water's fine! We pretend to do some philosophical things, too, but we call it "theory" so as not to step on the philosopher's toes. I throw it out there in earnest - you seem to have the right background to go either direction and good handle on creativity. As someone who "switched fields" I encourage an open mind, disciplinarily. I don't mean to be presumptuous, and maybe you get in to a great philosophy program, and maybe that's exactly where you belong.  But if not, it was a post much like this one that got the ball rolling for me.  Good luck! 

[bar_scene_gambler]

There's always another option, one that you probably haven't considered (though I dread mentioning it given that it could mean more competition for me). Have you heard of U Chicago's PhD in Social Thought? It's a great program, and really emphasizes interdisciplinary work, and the best part is that it isn't a money pit like most "interdisciplinary programs" (I'm looking at you MAPH). It's been around long enough that it has a pretty good placement record, and tons of well-respected scholars have been a part of the committee. Just something to think about. There is one caveat, and that is that it's extremely competitive and the comps are crazy difficult. But it's worth it if you don't want to pigeonhole yourself.

[MattDest]

I think you have a great chance. Out of curiosity, why did you wait two years before applying? I know that some schools want gaps in education explained, but I don't think two years is enough of a gap to warrant explanation. 

[gatewayselect]

I suspect your writing sample will backfire hard. That your professor from a small liberal arts college OK'd it doesn't really mean much. I've gotten bad advice from professors before, and those experiences taught me that I shouldn't listen to some professors. Those I should l listen to are those who don't hand out compliments, and who are well integrated in the field of analytic philosophy with a good track record of publication in top journals (something which many liberal arts college philosophy professors lack).

 

Some of your programs I can't speak with any knowledge about, but for the remaining: although UConn's rank doesn't reflect it, they are a very competitive program and are building up an impressive looking faculty. UC Boulder is very appealing program with strong faculty as well. This past year they had 240 applicants for 4 slots. I cannot fathom at all an admittance with such a writing sample.

 

I know it's too late at any rate, but I think honesty is the best policy.

[MattDest]

I suspect your writing sample will backfire hard. That your professor from a small liberal arts college OK'd it doesn't really mean much. I've gotten bad advice from professors before, and those experiences taught me that I shouldn't listen to some professors. Those I should l listen to are those who don't hand out compliments, and who are well integrated in the field of analytic philosophy with a good track record of publication in top journals (something which many liberal arts college philosophy professors lack).

 

Although the writing sample does seem a bit gimmicky, we really don't have any idea how well it is written. Moreover, I don't think there is really any evidence to suggest that professors in those programs will look bad at a dialogue just because it is a dialogue. I think you are spot-on about who to take advice from, though. 

Edited December 4, 2013 by MattDest

[shelbyelisha]

@ Strong Flat White:  I definitely have thought about going for a degree in literature, instead.  If this doesn't work out, English will probably be what I try next.

@ bar_scene:  Thanks for the advice about UChicago!  The program definitely looks like something I would be interested in.  I'm pretty tapped out financially, so I don't know if I'll apply, but it's definitely something for me to keep in mind.  Thank you!

 

@ MattDest:  I waited two years because I was exhausted and just wanted to work and save money for a while.  I worked in a Kindergarten classroom as a TA for 8 months, and I've been working at my alma mater's library for the past year.  
 

@ gatewayselect:  Thank you for your honesty.  I knew going in that Colorado was a very long shot.  Do you think the writing sample will be prohibitive for other, less competitive programs?