When do we typically start hearing back from programs?

[greencoloredpencil]

February or is it March? 

[MattDest]

Depends on the program. The earliest some programs have notified is end of January (as far as I know), while some wait until Feb-March. 

[jamc8383]

The "results search" function of TGC is very helpful in this respect.  Sort for your discipline and you can see the date ranges in which people were getting admissions decisions for each of your programs last year.  I would presume universities will hold to roughly the same schedule for this admissions cycle.  Why not, right?

 

For instance, for the universities to which I'm applying (History Phd programs), all acceptances went out between January 24th and February 21st.  Ohio State sent out acceptances between January 24th and January 29th, Princeton, between February 7th and February 8th, and so on.  I don't know that this range would necessarily be consistent for Philosophy programs (or for the schools to which you've applied, in particular), but the methodology should hold.  Might as well take a look at the data from last year, at least you can plan when to panic, instead of existing in a heightened state of anxiety for the next month and a half 

 

Hope that helps.

[maxhgns]

March for the majority, mid-/late-February for a not-insignificant minority. I suggest you try to forget about it for as long as possible, to avoid abject misery.

[Cottagecheeseman]

March for the majority, mid-/late-February for a not-insignificant minority. I suggest you try to forget about it for as long as possible, to avoid abject misery.

 

The forgetting part = Drink a lot.

For me at least.

My friend is in an MA for philosophy and says out of a dozen or so MA students in the program, only 2 of them aren't high-functioning (quasi or not) alcoholics.

He's not one of the 2.

[kant_get_in]

March for the majority, mid-/late-February for a not-insignificant minority. I suggest you try to forget about it for as long as possible, to avoid abject misery.

Right. Good response. Those stellar students will usually receive word in early Feb. and the rest of us will have to wait until March. UC Riverside usually waits until Mercury and Venus align with the Earth before they send pigeons out to each of their applicants.

[MattDest]

Right. Good response. Those stellar students will usually receive word in early Feb. and the rest of us will have to wait until March. UC Riverside usually waits until Mercury and Venus align with the Earth before they send pigeons out to each of their applicants.

Last year, UCR notified some accepted applicants in mid to late January. Given that their deadline is mid-december (January 5th), this is a pretty quick turnaround. 

Edited December 22, 2013 by MattDest

[dfindley]

...most top schools probably already have a good idea who they're accepting.. just need a formal review to make final decisions....

Just hopefully there are a million 3.9s with mediocre papers and only a few with genuinely innovative work and promise in philosophy....

...

[wandajune]

Last year, UCR notified some accepted applicants in mid to late January. Given that their deadline is mid-december, this is a pretty quick turnaround. 

 

UCR's deadline is January 5th.

 

I just had a minor heart attack thinking my application was submitted late.

[MattDest]

UCR's deadline is January 5th.

 

I just had a minor heart attack thinking my application was submitted late.

Oops! So sorry, I have all of the info on a Google Doc and read the wrong line. My bad. 

[kant_get_in]

Last year, UCR notified some accepted applicants in mid to late January. Given that their deadline is mid-december (January 5th), this is a pretty quick turnaround. 

 

I don't doubt that, but the rejects had to wait until late April. There was a lot of gripe on this site because of it. 

[MattDest]

I don't doubt that, but the rejects had to wait until late April. There was a lot of gripe on this site because of it. 

Ah, I see. That's pretty miserable. 

[philstudent1991]

If you get in, expect February. If not, expect maybe April, maybe never.

[DHumeDominates]

I know some schools (e.g., Michigan) inform all of their applicants of whether they've been admitted, waitlisted, or rejected by March 15th at the latest. The thought is then that accepted applicants have at most one month to make a decision.

[dfindley]

....so anyone have any idea hoping methods?

I think I'll also simultaneously apply to study in China again as a secondary route. They give everybody scholarships.

...you can say you're going to study Chinese and just secretly ...don't. The programs in Beijing are horrible -- nobody would even notice.. !!

Plus I have my qeoo/month pension, I'd be practically .. middle class.

[Cottagecheeseman]

....so anyone have any idea hoping methods?

I think I'll also simultaneously apply to study in China again as a secondary route. They give everybody scholarships.

...you can say you're going to study Chinese and just secretly ...don't. The programs in Beijing are horrible -- nobody would even notice.. !!

Plus I have my qeoo/month pension, I'd be practically .. middle class.

 

Ever Thought about committing yourself to a psychiatric hospital? It would do you some good, and perhaps after that you could re-evaluate things and then move forward with philosophy.

[dfindley]

I thought about prison once. In Hawaii the system isn't so bad. (No gangs).

I decided it wasn't worth the risk...

[dfindley]

O_O. Omg maybe a psych ward isn't such a bad idea

[deloozin it]

gotta do some schizoanalysis on ya a$$

[purpleperson]

I'm telling myself not to expect to hear anything until mid-Feb.  But...I hear sometimes offers come as early as late January or early February.  My deal is...I just want to hear something.  Even if it's rejections at first; I want answers!