Rejection thread

[ianfaircloud]

Excuse me, but WTF do you know about my book? How do you know my book isn't good? Have you read it? Have you read one word of one sentence? No. But go on, just assume my book isn't good. How many books have you written that have gotten published before getting a doctorate? I'm guessing zero. 

 

I'm not assuming that your book isn't good. Please re-read my post very carefully, above.

[PerpetualApplicant No More]

No, I suppose it wouldn't help, but I feel like I'm running out of options here, and don't know what to do. I already wrote a book that was accepted by an academic publisher. I got the MAster's coming from a Continental program. I got a 3.83 GPA, I got the letters. What the heck am I supposed to do next? Write another book? Write an article in a peer-reviewed journal? I feel like I'm out of options, and that waiting another year isn't going to do anything for me. I can't think of what would come next. SOmeone suggested teaching at a community college with a Master's until I apply next year, but that's just adding bells and whistles to the application. THat's not something that's going to impress an admissions committee.

Well, this is a longer discussion, and something you should give some thought to, but a few things come to mind:

 

1) Get a few papers up to writing sample level and use different ones for different schools depending on fit.

2) Apply more broadly (any ranked program that is also ranked in your sub-fields should be in game at this point--really, anyone where there are people who are famous enough to advise the dissertation you actually want to write and get you a job)

3) Apply to UK programs (since all of their applicants have MA's, they are more partial to things like publications, books, etc)

4) Yeah, publishing won't hurt. (It certainly didn't for me)

5) Work on your personal statement. Write a different one for each school, explaining what you'd like to do there, and why their faculty are a good fit for this project (given that you have your MA, you should know enough to write something along these lines; it's understood that your actual diss topic will likely change).

6) Stay involved with your MA program. Take seminars if you can (at least audit them and beg the prof to comment on/grade your paper). If you can defer graduating for a semester until Fall 2014, so that you are still technically in school when you submit apps, that would be good.

[Table]

I really really recommend meeting with a therapist to talk about this stuff. It's something that has been very helpful for me, and it seems like you're under an enormous amount of stress. 

[philstudent1991]

Mine says the exact same thing, and it should also be noted that my last name begins very early on in the alphabet. It's also been updated on the website for me.

My last name starts with W, so I guess I have another day or two until I get rejected

[ianfaircloud]

Or maybe, just maybe, we're both being admitted or wait-listed to Arizona!! Let's just assume this until we hear otherwise.

[ungerdrag]

No, I suppose it wouldn't help, but I feel like I'm running out of options here, and don't know what to do. I already wrote a book that was accepted by an academic publisher. I got the MAster's coming from a Continental program. I got a 3.83 GPA, I got the letters. What the heck am I supposed to do next? Write another book? Write an article in a peer-reviewed journal? I feel like I'm out of options, and that waiting another year isn't going to do anything for me. I can't think of what would come next. SOmeone suggested teaching at a community college with a Master's until I apply next year, but that's just adding bells and whistles to the application. THat's not something that's going to impress an admissions committee.

 

Out of curiosity, what did you get on the GRE?

[murial]

Honestly, from reading your posts, I think the right course for you is to give up on philosophy. It's not working for you. You've devoted much to it with little return. As you've said yourself, there's almost nothing else you can do. You say you have run out of options? Indeed, you have. It's clear, just from reading your posts, that you should give up and move on.

What a way to kick someone who is already down!    

[Cottagecheeseman]

What a way to kick someone who is already down!    

It's probably the best advice that guy can hear though...

[mrs_doubtfire]

Excuse me, but WTF do you know about my book? How do you know my book isn't good? Have you read it? Have you read one word of one sentence? No. But go on, just assume my book isn't good. How many books have you written that have gotten published before getting a doctorate? I'm guessing zero. 

 

you and dfindley should definitely grab coffee sometime. maybe give each other feedback on one another's books. no point talking to the non-authors and non-winners on here. plus, the application process can weigh you down, so it'll be nice to talk to a kindred spirit. 

Edited February 18, 2014 by mrs_doubtfire

[murial]

It's probably the best advice that guy can hear though...

I must have missed something for I surely fail to see how such mean comments are warranted.

[philosophe]

I must have missed something for I surely fail to see how such mean comments are warranted.

 

This guy is either trolling or the second incarnation of dfindley. He's clogging up the threads with look-at-me comments, creating new threads for topics that already exist, being uber defensive, and most of all he is not showing respect for his fellows in the admissions process. We all did well in undergrad/MA, we all wrote papers (that may or may not have been published), we all had strong LORs. The "I don't understand what more I could do because I'm already perfect" 'tude is one the rest of us can only laugh at, considering the fact that many good quality philosophy students do not make it in the PhD game. Anyone with this mindset clearly does not have a realistic understanding of the process or of his competitors. 

[ianfaircloud]

What a way to kick someone who is already down!    

 

I'm holding back here, because this comment angers me.  My suggestion that Iamparem get out of philosophy is not 'mean'.  It's not 'kicking' anyone.  It's completely honest, and it's based on my reading of more than a dozen, lengthy posts that Iamparem has brought to this forum in the last few days.  Please read these posts.  I think my conclusion is completely warranted, and someone needs to speak honestly about Iamparem's situation.  Moreover, Iamparem has "tried everything," apparently.  And if a person believes that she has tried everything, that person needs to hear a candid remark like the one I offered.  At the very least, it's an invitation for that person to assess the situation and ask herself, "Have I *really* tried everything?"  So Murial, your intentions are good.  And I don't want to start an argument with you.  But I really, strongly disagree with your assessment of my comment.  

 

This guy is either trolling or the second incarnation of dfindley. He's clogging up the threads with look-at-me comments, creating new threads for topics that already exist, being uber defensive, and most of all he is not showing respect for his fellows in the admissions process. We all did well in undergrad/MA, we all wrote papers (that may or may not have been published), we all had strong LORs. The "I don't understand what more I could do because I'm already perfect" 'tude is one the rest of us can only laugh at, considering the fact that many good quality philosophy students do not make it in the PhD game. Anyone with this mindset clearly does not have a realistic understanding of the process or of his competitors. 

 

Yes.  Precisely.  A few of you apparently just joined us in this thread, and I don't think you have the proper context to see why some of these replies are completely warranted.

 

Many of Iamparem's comments are at least insensitive, and even offensive and hateful.  Again, if you read the comments, you will see this.

[philophilosopher]

Even if Iamparem's comments are insensitive and offensive, I don't see how crude and curt responses are warranted. Comments like those only exacerbate the tension and trolling on these forums. In what way can they help?

 

The issue is not whether lamparem's comments are misguided and excessive (which, to me, I agree with you that they seem to be); the issue is with how you respond to those comments, and, as far as I can tell, those responses seem to be discourteous and unhelpful (much like lamparem's)

 

Addendum: this post should be prefaced with the observation that it seems highly unlikely one can assess someone else's capacity for philosophy based on gradcafe forum posts. If the entire reason for those comments toward lamparem's are only based on lamparem's comments on this website, then that just seems a little silly and presumptuous to me.

Edited February 18, 2014 by philophilosopher

[murial]

I'm holding back here, because this comment angers me.  My suggestion that Iamparem get out of philosophy is not 'mean'.  It's not 'kicking' anyone.  It's completely honest, and it's based on my reading of more than a dozen, lengthy posts that Iamparem has brought to this forum in the last few days.  Please read these posts.  I think my conclusion is completely warranted, and someone needs to speak honestly about Iamparem's situation.  Moreover, Iamparem has "tried everything," apparently.  And if a person believes that she has tried everything, that person needs to hear a candid remark like the one I offered.  At the very least, it's an invitation for that person to assess the situation and ask herself, "Have I *really* tried everything?"  So Murial, your intentions are good.  And I don't want to start an argument with you.  But I really, strongly disagree with your assessment of my comment.  

 

c'mon! cut the person some slack! He's obviously having a baffling experience and just ranting. Stop deriving so much meaning out of the rant. By all means warn him if he gets abusive etc on the thread but you can't say : philosophy is not for them and they should just "move on". I'm sorry if this angers you but I really felt compelled by the things you wrote. 

Edited February 18, 2014 by murial

[bar_scene_gambler]

Just got my rejection email from Emory. It's kind of a relief actually.

[burroughs]

No, I suppose it wouldn't help, but I feel like I'm running out of options here, and don't know what to do. I already wrote a book that was accepted by an academic publisher. I got the MAster's coming from a Continental program. I got a 3.83 GPA, I got the letters. What the heck am I supposed to do next? Write another book? Write an article in a peer-reviewed journal? I feel like I'm out of options, and that waiting another year isn't going to do anything for me. I can't think of what would come next. SOmeone suggested teaching at a community college with a Master's until I apply next year, but that's just adding bells and whistles to the application. THat's not something that's going to impress an admissions committee.

 

I fear that you overstate the significance of simply having written a book. It's certainly an achievement, regardless of quality, and given that you've got a reasonable GPA and have attended a decent MA program one might even suppose that it'll be quite good. The sort of thing (say) that indicates an awareness of the problems and some attempt to resolve them. Nevertheless, books aren't always impressive just as books. A lot of books are overly long, containing a core of decent philosophy and then a rather too heavy crust of other work. So, it may be that a paper, or perhaps a presentation, is a better medium in which to indicate your capacity to write philosophy. Given this, the question will probably not be whether or not you've written a book, but instead how strong your writing sample is. Reading your posts, you tend to spare little room for remarks on your writing sample and give too much space to the fact that you've written a book. So, what are you to do next? Presumably the same thing that everyone must do. You improve your sample, and work on the issues. The question isn't whether or not you may (at some point) write some extensive treatise, the question is whether or not you can produce terse & solid philosophical writing. On Denoting, not On What Matters.

[kant_get_in]

This thread has been threadjacked. 

 

Just got my rejection email from Emory. It's kind of a relief actually.

 

Can we start using it for this kind of thing again? 

[Cottagecheeseman]

Just got my rejection email from Emory. It's kind of a relief actually.

Man, sorry bro - The south aint that fun anyway.

[Monadology]

Just got my rejection email from Emory. It's kind of a relief actually.

 

Sorry to hear the news. I remember you mentioning Emory in the Acceptance thread and I was rooting for you to get an offer from them.

[bar_scene_gambler]

It's all good. Thanks for the condolences guys. I'm beginning to think I'll be shut out this year though.

[Cottagecheeseman]

It's all good. Thanks for the condolences guys. I'm beginning to think I'll be shut out this year though.

You have a few MA programs, chances are you'll get accepted to one of them. That's what I'm hoping for at least, for both of us!

[philophilosopher]

You still have your Warwick acceptance though, even if the rest is bad news (and that you meet the provisions for the conditional acceptance). So, you aren't completely shut out!

[philstudent1991]

I also just got an Emory rejection. Wasn't high on my list, and if I end up at Georgia State I think I can take a class or two there anyways...perhaps that's some consolation.

[philstudent1991]

I haven't gotten an Arizona rejection yet. It could be because my last name starts with W...but more likely it's just that there is fierce debate about how much $$$ they are going to offer me

[bar_scene_gambler]

You still have your Warwick acceptance though, even if the rest is bad news (and that you meet the provisions for the conditional acceptance). So, you aren't completely shut out!

Not really much of a comfort considering that I can't afford to do it, even for one year. But I suppose you're right. 

 

You have a few MA programs, chances are you'll get accepted to one of them. That's what I'm hoping for at least, for both of us!

Me too man. At this point, I'm shooting for GSU. My girlfriend got accepted to do Environmental Science there, so that's probably the best option.