MA Thread

[Ulixes]

I'm interested in hearing from those who are hoping to get into an MA program before doing PhD work.

 

Where'd you apply to, and have you heard back?

Which MA program are you hoping for?

 

 

[Edit_Undo]

I applied to Tufts, Brandeis, NIU, and Milwaukee.

 

Rejected from Tufts.

[Ulixes]

Same for Tufts.

 

I emailed NIU to hear about being waitlisted or rejected. Waiting to hear back is horrible.

[bar_scene_gambler]

I applied to GSU, NIU, Warwick, and U Houston.

I was admitted to Warwick, waitlisted at GSU, and I'm assuming rejected from NIU and Houston.

In addition, I was admitted to Chicago's MAPH program (along with the rest of the Western Hemisphere), which I declined promptly.

I'm hoping GSU accepts me off the waitlist, given that I'm moving to ATL one way or another.

[xypathos]

You don't want to live in Atlanta, no one does.

[Ulixes]

I visited Atlanta once for an undergrad conference; there's this little taco place hidden away, Day of the Dead theme. Overall, except for the violence and crime and gunshots and stuff, decent place.

[kant_get_in]

I applied to GSU, NIU, Warwick, and U Houston.

I was admitted to Warwick, waitlisted at GSU, and I'm assuming rejected from NIU and Houston.

In addition, I was admitted to Chicago's MAPH program (along with the rest of the Western Hemisphere), which I declined promptly.

I'm hoping GSU accepts me off the waitlist, given that I'm moving to ATL one way or another.

 

Don't let them scare you. Atlanta can be great! There are a lot of great restaurants, places to live, hipster-ish/philosophy kid things to do in midtown. Buckhead is really great too, but it can be super expensive. 

[philosophe]

I'm really considering tufts over my phd offers. I was pleasantly shocked today, they gave me a huge scholarship! (Like 80% of tuition). I was under the impression that they give almost no funding.

I don't know, maybe it's hubris and risky to decline my other offers, but I really wonder how much stronger my app could be after going through that program. Any thoughts on this? I'm open to any and all advice.

[Dialectica]

Ulixes, thank you for starting this thread. I was thinking of making one myself, but I felt there was a dearth of MA applicants this year. Accordingly, I'm happy you have made your presence known here. 

 

Much of this is found in my signature, but here it goes: 

 

I've been accepted to NIU, Western Michigan, and Virginia Tech. I have only received funding from Western Michigan (full funding at that (thank goodness)); I've been rejected from GSU and Tufts; and I'm eagerly awaiting responses from Milwaukee, Brandeis, and SFSU. 

[PerpetualApplicant No More]

I'm really considering tufts over my phd offers. I was pleasantly shocked today, they gave me a huge scholarship! (Like 80% of tuition). I was under the impression that they give almost no funding.

I don't know, maybe it's hubris and risky to decline my other offers, but I really wonder how much stronger my app could be after going through that program. Any thoughts on this? I'm open to any and all advice.

Your app would likely be stronger if you succeed at Tufts (i.e. get almost all A's). Here's the thing:

 

1) You aren't guaranteed to succeed at Tufts. Many people straight from undergrad struggle at the grad level at first; if you're already in a Ph.D. program, they will help you along and not care if you get B's in some classes your first year. Getting B's at a M.A. program *really* hurts your application (I had to enroll in a second one and get a bunch of A's several years after to erase mine!) in two senses. First, in terms of the grade itself, many adcoms read less than A grades as "this person is not ready for our Ph.D. program" (Schwitzgebel said something to that effect in one of his many posts on the topic). Second, your letters will suffer. This may be more important, especially given that you will no longer be able to use your undergrad faculty as letter writers (at least not for more than one, and even then, it should be supplemental). Doing so will be seen as an acknowledgment on your part that you were a sub-par student at Tufts.

 

2) Succeeding at Tufts will be a lot of work, and most Ph.D. programs will likely make you take classes when you get there for two years. So you'll be doing a lot of extra work for a shot at better placement. That doesn't mean you shouldn't do it, just be cognizant of that fact in your calculation.

 

3) Even if you do excel at Tufts, again, there is no guarantee. So you'd be doing this for the likelihood of doing better, not the fact that you will--it is entirely possible you would do worse.

 

So, I'm not saying you shouldn't do it--I quite honestly might in your situation--but rather there are negatives that you should take in to account when making your decision.

Edited March 18, 2014 by perpetualapplicant

[frege-bombs]

Admitted: Virginia Tech (full funding), NIU (invited to apply for tuition waiver), Ohio University (declined)

Waitlisted: Colorado State

Rejected: Georgia State

 

Still waiting on Brandeis, Milwaukee, and Western Michigan. 

[stressedout]

Waitlisted at WMU

 

:-/

[philosophe]

Your app would likely be stronger if you succeed at Tufts (i.e. get almost all A's). Here's the thing:

 

1) You aren't guaranteed to succeed at Tufts. Many people straight from undergrad struggle at the grad level at first; if you're already in a Ph.D. program, they will help you along and not care if you get B's in some classes your first year. Getting B's at a M.A. program *really* hurts your application (I had to enroll in a second one and get a bunch of A's several years after to erase mine!) in two senses. First, in terms of the grade itself, many adcoms read less than A grades as "this person is not ready for our Ph.D. program" (Schwitzgebel said something to that effect in one of his many posts on the topic). Second, your letters will suffer. This may be more important, especially given that you will no longer be able to use your undergrad faculty as letter writers (at least not for more than one, and even then, it should be supplemental). Doing so will be seen as an acknowledgment on your part that you were a sub-par student at Tufts.

 

2) Succeeding at Tufts will be a lot of work, and most Ph.D. programs will likely make you take classes when you get there for two years. So you'll be doing a lot of extra work for a shot at better placement. That doesn't mean you shouldn't do it, just be cognizant of that fact in your calculation.

 

3) Even if you do excel at Tufts, again, there is no guarantee. So you'd be doing this for the likelihood of doing better, not the fact that you will--it is entirely possible you would do worse.

 

So, I'm not saying you shouldn't do it--I quite honestly might in your situation--but rather there are negatives that you should take in to account when making your decision.

 

Thanks for your thoughts. I definitely appreciate your perspective, and I'm considering all these factors. It's a tough choice. I'm hoping my visits might make things clearer. (Also, well-deserved up vote!)

[bar_scene_gambler]

From what I can tell, there are some decent places to live. I've been looking at places in Decatur and a bit further out. Longer commute but its worth it. 

[Ulixes]

I've 'reached my quota for positive votes today' unfortunately, or I'd upvote the acceptances and waitlists!

 

I can't imagine how long WMU's waitlist must be... I'd prefer to do it gladiatorially, where we all get in a big room and argue philosophy until we're dehydrated, then fight it out with batons.

 

Either way, WMU is awesome; I'd love to get in (and for all of us to get in) off the waitlist. My hope is that WMU is being used as a safety net for people applying to PhD programs, and that, come April, people will start declining.

[Griswald]

Your app would likely be stronger if you succeed at Tufts (i.e. get almost all A's). Here's the thing:

 

1) You aren't guaranteed to succeed at Tufts. Many people straight from undergrad struggle at the grad level at first; if you're already in a Ph.D. program, they will help you along and not care if you get B's in some classes your first year. Getting B's at a M.A. program *really* hurts your application (I had to enroll in a second one and get a bunch of A's several years after to erase mine!) in two senses. First, in terms of the grade itself, many adcoms read less than A grades as "this person is not ready for our Ph.D. program" (Schwitzgebel said something to that effect in one of his many posts on the topic). Second, your letters will suffer. This may be more important, especially given that you will no longer be able to use your undergrad faculty as letter writers (at least not for more than one, and even then, it should be supplemental). Doing so will be seen as an acknowledgment on your part that you were a sub-par student at Tufts.

 

2) Succeeding at Tufts will be a lot of work, and most Ph.D. programs will likely make you take classes when you get there for two years. So you'll be doing a lot of extra work for a shot at better placement. That doesn't mean you shouldn't do it, just be cognizant of that fact in your calculation.

 

3) Even if you do excel at Tufts, again, there is no guarantee. So you'd be doing this for the likelihood of doing better, not the fact that you will--it is entirely possible you would do worse.

 

So, I'm not saying you shouldn't do it--I quite honestly might in your situation--but rather there are negatives that you should take in to account when making your decision.

There are some good points here. It's certainly true that going to Tufts does not guarantee future success. Collectively, though, these points seem to imply more pessimism than I think is warranted. If Tufts admitted you and gave you one of their most generous funding packages, you should take that as evidence that you'll succeed in the program. The adcom certainly thinks you will, and they're in a good position to predict such things.

 

My main concern with Tufts is the cost. 80% of tuition is quite good for them (from what I've heard), but that living in Boston is quite expensive and that you'll be paying for all of your living expenses out of pocket for at least two years. You should also check on whether the tuition remission covers health insurance, school fees, and other hidden costs, as these can add up to a lot as well. Of course, finances may not be an issue for you, in which case Tufts is all the more attractive. For many people, though, the prospect of taking out loans to complete an MA in philosophy is unattractive.

[Cottagecheeseman]

I'm really considering tufts over my phd offers. I was pleasantly shocked today, they gave me a huge scholarship! (Like 80% of tuition). I was under the impression that they give almost no funding.

I don't know, maybe it's hubris and risky to decline my other offers, but I really wonder how much stronger my app could be after going through that program. Any thoughts on this? I'm open to any and all advice.

Here's a good question to think about. Are the phd offers you have now offers that you would be excited to take after you have the Phd? If so, it makes sense to take them, as admissions is a crazy business and you never know how it's gonna go. But as you have two good, but not great, phd acceptances, it might make good sense to take the MA. 

[philosophe]

There are some good points here. It's certainly true that going to Tufts does not guarantee future success. Collectively, though, these points seem to imply more pessimism than I think is warranted. If Tufts admitted you and gave you one of their most generous funding packages, you should take that as evidence that you'll succeed in the program. The adcom certainly thinks you will, and they're in a good position to predict such things.

 

My main concern with Tufts is the cost. 80% of tuition is quite good for them (from what I've heard), but that living in Boston is quite expensive and that you'll be paying for all of your living expenses out of pocket for at least two years. You should also check on whether the tuition remission covers health insurance, school fees, and other hidden costs, as these can add up to a lot as well. Of course, finances may not be an issue for you, in which case Tufts is all the more attractive. For many people, though, the prospect of taking out loans to complete an MA in philosophy is unattractive.

 

Thanks for your response. I appreciate the vote of confidence, I certainly hope you're right! Honestly, if I'm not succeeding in the MA program (though I obviously hope this is not the case) I might take that as a sign that I should do something else after graduation anyway. 

 

Regarding the cost, I agree with you. I'm asking a lot of questions to guestimate the situation. I'm already living in Boston, and it's true, rent is steep. I took two years off to work fulltime, so I have savings and could do it, though it would exhaust my resources. I'm waiting for them to get back to me on the details of the scholarship (and to visit all of my schools) before I make any decisions. 

[philosophe]

Here's a good question to think about. Are the phd offers you have now offers that you would be excited to take after you have the Phd? If so, it makes sense to take them, as admissions is a crazy business and you never know how it's gonna go. But as you have two good, but not great, phd acceptances, it might make good sense to take the MA. 

 

Yeah, trying to determine that now. I feel like academically I'm well suited to Rochester, but the program is like 95% male and 70% of those men are married / with children... socially I'm not sure if it's the right place for me.

 

I'm considering whether I should visit Iowa, they gave me substantially less funding than Rochester, and I don't want to waste their time and money unless I'm seriously considering it, which I haven't decided yet. 

 

Planning to visit tufts, I hope I just love it and can put the matter to rest. 

[Cottagecheeseman]

Yeah, trying to determine that now. I feel like academically I'm well suited to Rochester, but the program is like 95% male and 70% of those men are married / with children... socially I'm not sure if it's the right place for me.

 

I'm considering whether I should visit Iowa, they gave me substantially less funding than Rochester, and I don't want to waste their time and money unless I'm seriously considering it, which I haven't decided yet. 

 

Planning to visit tufts, I hope I just love it and can put the matter to rest. 

Iowa is also cheaper than Rochester as far as I can tell, so there's that. And yeah, that Rochester place seems kinda weird, and even I (male) would be a little put off by that.

[Ulixes]

Yeah, trying to determine that now. I feel like academically I'm well suited to Rochester, but the program is like 95% male and 70% of those men are married / with children... socially I'm not sure if it's the right place for me.

 

It might just be the luck of the draw that there are so many men; hopefully it doesn't say anything about the department.

 

And don't let married people put you off! We're fun people!

[philosophe]

It might just be the luck of the draw that there are so many men; hopefully it doesn't say anything about the department.

 

And don't let married people put you off! We're fun people!

 

Yeah, as far as I can tell it's not that the climate is bad, just that they women are taking offers elsewhere. The faculty seemed very nice and supportive.

 

I'm sure they're great, it's just that it would be isolating enough to be 1 of 2 women in the program (the other would graduate after my first year), and as a 23 year old single woman, I just see this whole different stages of life thing as another isolating barrier. :/ 

[prepare2deluze]

Although they don't seem to get much love on these boards (I think mostly because of funding concerns), I'm pretty excited about the offer I received from New School's philosophy department. 

[Cottagecheeseman]

Although they don't seem to get much love on these boards (I think mostly because of funding concerns), I'm pretty excited about the offer I received from New School's philosophy department. 

Someone mentioned in another thread that even among the continental schools, the New School has a bad reputation, so that's why. I don't even do continental stuff and I've heard the stories of 10+ years to Phd and very little funding. Congrats on your acceptance, though, I hope it works out good for you and that these are only rumors!

[prepare2deluze]

Someone mentioned in another thread that even among the continental schools, the New School has a bad reputation, so that's why. I don't even do continental stuff and I've heard the stories of 10+ years to Phd and very little funding. Congrats on your acceptance, though, I hope it works out good for you and that these are only rumors!

 

Well - even if they don't offer funding when I get to the PhD level I feel like doing my MA at NS would help land a funded spot somewhere else.