HomelessSophist Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Does anyone know how many people Loyola is known to accept every year? Congrats to the acceptances. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carolinebk Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 I just declined my offer to U Conn Storrs, so I hope one of you brilliant philosophers gets a offer soon! humean_skeptic, Vardan_Mkhitaryan, shelbyelisha and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philstudent1991 Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 I just declined my offer to U Conn Storrs, so I hope one of you brilliant philosophers gets a offer soon! may I ask in favor of what? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platonist Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 (edited) I am not getting in anywhere this year. Probably will reapply the next year. Could any admitted philosopher PM me with your anonymous writing sample or statement of purpose (please be sure to remove any personal information in them if you are concerned with confidentiality)? Thanks. I need your help and advice badly. Edited February 9, 2014 by Platonist Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monadology Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 (edited) I am not getting in anywhere this year. Probably will reapply the next year. Could any admitted philosopher PM me with your anonymous writing sample or statement of purpose (please be sure to remove any personal information in them if you are concerned with confidentiality)? Thanks. I need your help and advice badly. It's very likely too early to be resigning yourself to not getting in. It will still be a month before all programs have sent out their initial offers. There are plenty of programs that have yet to send any. Furthermore, not a lot of programs have begun wait-listing people yet, so on top of the large number of initial offers remaining there is also a great deal of opportunity to be waitlisted. Edited February 9, 2014 by Monadology Edit_Undo, Vardan_Mkhitaryan and DHumeDominates 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattDest Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 I am not getting in anywhere this year. Probably will reapply the next year. Could any admitted philosopher PM me with your anonymous writing sample or statement of purpose (please be sure to remove any personal information in them if you are concerned with confidentiality)? Thanks. I need your help and advice badly. Way too early to think like this, Platonist! wandajune 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platonist Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Thanks for your advice, Monadology and MattDest. But most of the schools to which I applied have released the offers and I did not receive any one from any of them. Many of them also released the wait-lists but I am not waitlisted. So it is reasonable to expect that I will receive rejections from these schools later. I have not heard from the remaining 2 schools yet, but I do not think there will be much hope either. So basically I am shut out of admissions this year. It is a great torture for me; I lost my sleep last night. But I do want to thank you guys for your good will. I want to learn from your writing sample and statement of purpose if possible. I think those of mine suck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carolinebk Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 may I ask in favor of what? not positive yet, i'm still waiting to hear back from a few of my other top choices. but i was accepted to Arizona, which was in my top three, so I knew no matter what that i wouldn't be going to U Conn, so I figured i'd go ahead and notify them! Table and shelbyelisha 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stressedout Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 carolinebk, Congrats! But I hope you get into more of your top choices so you can give Arizona to me!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ta_pros_to_telos Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Congratulations, Caroline (and everyone else who has recently posted acceptances here)! It's really good of you to notify the school(s) you won't be attending so promptly, too. Platonist, I know I personally would not feel comfortable sharing my Writing Sample with other applicants, but I feel you, and I'm sorry the whole process is so stressful. wandajune 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platonist Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Congratulations, Caroline (and everyone else who has recently posted acceptances here)! It's really good of you to notify the school(s) you won't be attending so promptly, too. Platonist, I know I personally would not feel comfortable sharing my Writing Sample with other applicants, but I feel you, and I'm sorry the whole process is so stressful. OK, But you are already accepted, so the sharing is not going to hurt you anyway. But, yes, I do understand. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wandajune Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 OK, But you are already accepted, so the sharing is not going to hurt you anyway. But, yes, I do understand. Thanks. I think in general it would be a bad idea for anyone to casually distribute a paper online, since it's possible someone may choose to plagiarize and pass it off as his/her own. Not that you would do this, but as a rule I probably wouldn't send my work to a stranger. mrs_doubtfire, Vardan_Mkhitaryan, ta_pros_to_telos and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrs_doubtfire Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 I think in general it would be a bad idea for anyone to casually distribute a paper online, since it's possible someone may choose to plagiarize and pass it off as his/her own. Not that you would do this, but as a rule I probably wouldn't send my work to a stranger. I totally agree. Once your stuff is out there, you have no control over who uses it and for what purpose they may use it for. Platonist, I think it's a bad idea to be soliciting people's writing samples. An uncharitable reader might interpret such a request as an attempt to borrow and profit from someone's else's ideas. ta_pros_to_telos and wandajune 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philstudent1991 Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 not positive yet, i'm still waiting to hear back from a few of my other top choices. but i was accepted to Arizona, which was in my top three, so I knew no matter what that i wouldn't be going to U Conn, so I figured i'd go ahead and notify them! congratulations!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Table Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Like others have said, Platonist, don't assume you're shut out so soon! Platonist, I think it's a bad idea to be soliciting people's writing samples. An uncharitable reader might interpret such a request as an attempt to borrow and profit from someone's else's ideas. Uncharitable indeed. I think we all can understand the curiosity about other people's writing samples: everyone says it's the most important factor in deciding who gets in, so it's natural to wonder what a writing sample from someone who got into school X looks like. Like other people, though, I'm hesitant to send my work to an anonymous recipient online. If your worried about your own writing sample, Platonist, it would probably be easier to find someone willing to read and comment on it. Did you see the SoP samples Eric Schwitzgebel has posted (A, B, C)? SelfHatingPhilosopher, ta_pros_to_telos and Monadology 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgswaim Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 I'm not sure how much more silence I can bear... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weltgeist Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 come on Pippin, just email me already Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philstudent1991 Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Like others have said, Platonist, don't assume you're shut out so soon! Uncharitable indeed. I think we all can understand the curiosity about other people's writing samples: everyone says it's the most important factor in deciding who gets in, so it's natural to wonder what a writing sample from someone who got into school X looks like. Like other people, though, I'm hesitant to send my work to an anonymous recipient online. If your worried about your own writing sample, Platonist, it would probably be easier to find someone willing to read and comment on it. Did you see the SoP samples Eric Schwitzgebel has posted (A, B, C)? I actually don't think Platonist's request is unreasonable. Any benefit he receives would apply toward the next cycle, thus not affecting the sample's original author. The main reason I think it's a reasonable request is because I've thought the exact same thing. I come from a state school where I am the only student applying to grad school in philosophy, and while I think my sample was pretty good, certainly my best work, and my reading professor thought it was good too, I have NO IDEA what the competition is like. I know what GPA and GRE scores look like and that many applicants are from MA programs and top UG schools (right now I feel like they all are), but I have no idea what other samples look like. Splintered mind only features successful SOPs, not writing samples, unless something has changed. Canis 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hopephily Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 I'll be happy to share my sample once this application cycle is through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheVineyard Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 I'll be happy to share my sample once this application cycle is through. Because it will be publicly available in the latest edition of the Journal of Philosophy? lol DHumeDominates, Vardan_Mkhitaryan and humean_skeptic 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hopephily Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Because it will be publicly available in the latest edition of the Journal of Philosophy? lol Something like that. wandajune, MattDest and Vardan_Mkhitaryan 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Table Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 I actually don't think Platonist's request is unreasonable. Any benefit he receives would apply toward the next cycle, thus not affecting the sample's original author. The main reason I think it's a reasonable request is because I've thought the exact same thing. I come from a state school where I am the only student applying to grad school in philosophy, and while I think my sample was pretty good, certainly my best work, and my reading professor thought it was good too, I have NO IDEA what the competition is like. I know what GPA and GRE scores look like and that many applicants are from MA programs and top UG schools (right now I feel like they all are), but I have no idea what other samples look like. Splintered mind only features successful SOPs, not writing samples, unless something has changed. Oh, I think it's reasonable as well! I'm just personally hesitant to share mine at this point. He originally asked to see writing samples and SOPs, which is why I included the link to the Schwitzgebel stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
humean_skeptic Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Possible snippet of 300-come-grad school applications dialogue occurring this same time tomorrow on this thread: Applicant #1: "Tons of offers going out today. This is crazy!" Applicant #2: "Madness, you say?" Applicant #1: "Actually, I said 'crazy', not 'madness'." Applicant #2: "This is not madness. This. Is. Mondaaayyyyyyy!!!" Applicant #2 then runs out of the room in order to kick the next person (s)he finds into a conveniently placed hole/well. And...scene. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PerpetualApplicant No More Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 I am not getting in anywhere this year. Probably will reapply the next year. Could any admitted philosopher PM me with your anonymous writing sample or statement of purpose (please be sure to remove any personal information in them if you are concerned with confidentiality)? Thanks. I need your help and advice badly. Platonist, I really really feel for you, and I want to give you some hope and advice. But the hope isn't the generic "keep hanging in there! it'll happen any day now" sort. I'm sorry to say, but you are probably correct that you are being shut out. What I want to say is that if you love philosophy and really want to do this, then getting shut out is a roadblock, not a death blow. I should know: this round is my *fifth time* applying for Ph.D. programs. I have been shut out four times before (hence my handle). But I now have an offer of admission with full funding (I think they even gave me an extra year!), and will be moving on to my Ph.D. next year. First, I applied out of undergrad, and did not get in to any Ph.D. programs, but did get in to a M.A. program at a Leiter-Ranked Ph.D. school. However, I wasn't really ready to do grad work at that point, and I struggled. I didn't get into any Ph.D. programs coming out of there. I took a few years off, and, at risk of oversimplifying, I grew up. So I started re-applying, but I really needed to prove that I was a different student than I had been in my first MA program. I took some classes as a non-degree student at the local PGR ranked Ph.D. program, but that still didn't work. (I should add that each time, I checked this site as obsessively as you seem to be). But then I enrolled for a second MA (most places, it turns out, let you do that!). And that worked! I'm hardly cleaning up in admissions--I think my bad MA grades from my first program will always hurt me a bit--but who cares? I am in, and I can compete for the next level (jobs) with people on an even playing field (no one will care about my grades, let alone those from years ago, when I am a job candidate!). Now, I understand my situation is not your own. It seems like you are coming straight out of undergrad. What I would hope that you (and others being shut out) would take from my story is that you can always improve your application, and what you should do is simply figure out the best way to do that, and then get right to it. It is, I gather, in this vein that you are asking for statements and writing samples. I have (IMO) a better suggestion: look into a M.A. program. Right now. Many of the top ten MA programs are still taking applications (I know that Brandeis, GSU, SFSU and UMSL are, some others may be as well). These programs exist to fix deficiencies in your application, and they will give you the guidance you need to do so. It sounds like you are in a place where you know you need to improve your app, but are unsure how to do so. They will tell you. Moreover, and possibly more importantly, their letters will count more than those from faculty at schools that generally do not produce Ph.D. applicants simply because the admissions committees are familiar with those letter-writers as letter-writers. Edit_Undo, Table, Monadology and 3 others 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattDest Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Perpetual's advice is stellar! It's understandable that a lot of applicants are leery of MAs becoming necessities, but if you do get shut out and want to improve your chances of getting into a quality PhD program (not to mention developing a lot as a philosopher), an MA program is ideal. One of the more under-rated aspects of an MA, in my opinion, is that you have an entirely new set of faculty to learn from and work with. The make-up of my undergrad and MA departments was quite different, and I think I benefitted a lot from this diversity. PerpetualApplicant No More 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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