MA Thread

[Monadology]

To anyone who ends up attending UW Milwaukee:

 

It looks like Margaret Atherton is teaching her seminar on Berkeley again. I highly recommend it. It's probably the best course I took at UWM, and I'm not even that interested in early modern! You'll learn good historical scholarship, great reading skills and you'll also learn not quickly assume the received stereotype of a historical philosopher is the correct one. Also Berkeley's a great writer and a joy to read (and a lot less crazy than most people think). 

Edited March 25, 2014 by Monadology

[Cottagecheeseman]

 Berkeley's [is] a lot less crazy than most people think

 

Yeah... I dunno how I feel about that.

[Monadology]

Yeah... I dunno how I feel about that.

 

About my claim that he's a lot less crazy than most people think or about the fact that he's a lot less crazy than most people think? 

[Cottagecheeseman]

About my claim that he's a lot less crazy than most people think or about the fact that he's a lot less crazy than most people think? 

Only one of those those makes sense to me.

[alethicethic]

Rejected from UW-Milwaukee.

 

If you have interests in logic, I'd recommend checking out SFSU. Bas van Fraassen teaches an awesome logic workshop every semester, with varying topics. Students can also cross-enroll one class per semester at Berkeley, so you can take advanced logic and math classes over there.

[rubberducky]

Anyone not hear from Milwaukee yet? Crickets here (and making assumptions as to what that means).

[Edit_Undo]

If you have interests in logic, I'd recommend checking out SFSU. Bas van Fraassen teaches an awesome logic workshop every semester, with varying topics. Students can also cross-enroll one class per semester at Berkeley, so you can take advanced logic and math classes over there.

I was trying to escape California, but I'll consider it for next season. Thanks for the info!

[PerpetualApplicant No More]

I was trying to escape California, but I'll consider it for next season. Thanks for the info!

I think they accept applications until 4/1 or 4/15 (if it's 4/1 and you really want to apply, I'd bet you can contact them and work something out).

[Edit_Undo]

I think they accept applications until 4/1 or 4/15 (if it's 4/1 and you really want to apply, I'd bet you can contact them and work something out).

Thank you! I could not find the deadline on their site. I am going to email them. If it is 4/1, then I think I can manage to apply and have everything ready by then. Thanks again!

[dgswaim]

If you have interests in logic, I'd recommend checking out SFSU. Bas van Fraassen teaches an awesome logic workshop every semester, with varying topics. Students can also cross-enroll one class per semester at Berkeley, so you can take advanced logic and math classes over there.

If I were to take a seminar with van Fraassen I'd just spend the whole time wondering whether or not I was really taking a seminar with van Fraassen...

[PhiPhiPhi]

 (and a lot less crazy than most people think). 

He's not crazier than most people think - antirealism's just a lot more plausible than most people think

[Establishment]

Bishop Berkeley's prose makes me an instant fan of him.

[Flipflophero]

For everyone else admitted into brandeis: what are you planning to do about the whole decide within two weeks thing? Are you going to try and push that back to the April 15th deadline? It's annoying that brandeis doesn't seem to observe it.

[Griswald]

For everyone else admitted into brandeis: what are you planning to do about the whole decide within two weeks thing? Are you going to try and push that back to the April 15th deadline? It's annoying that brandeis doesn't seem to observe it.

I didn't realize that departments were allowed to do this. Did they say that your offer would be rescinded in two weeks?

[suzanne.neefus]

Accepted at Georgia State (full funding), Western Michigan (full funding), NIU (waitlist for funding), and VA Tech (no funding). Leaning toward GSU, although if I get funding at NIU I would probably go there because they have a better placement record

[ianfaircloud]

I saw this tonight (http://www.philosophynews.com/post/2013/10/20/Graduate-School-in-Philosophy-Terminal-MA-Programs-In-Philosophy.aspx). I saw it many months ago (or saw something very much like it), but I hadn't taken the time to read it carefully.

 

Now that I've read it, I just want to say that I think people should be very careful interpreting these results! There's SUCH a temptation to make this process easy on ourselves by reducing programs to a numerical ranking. Unfortunately, it's not that straightforward!!!

 

I know a T-7 master's program whose students are back-stabbing and whose environment is cut-throat competitive. You don't want to attend a program like that, even when it does have a marginally better placement record! And that kind of thing can't be factored in these rankings and charts.

 

The data in these tables may not be very meaningful. I just looked at Georgia State's 2013 placement record, and I gotta say, I think it's outstanding. Sure, the average placement isn't as strong as what's at Tufts and Brandeis. But there are some nice programs on that list! Look at all the UCSD offers, for one thing. That tells you something very specific about the relationship between Georgia State and UCSD. And UCSD is on the cusp of the T-20. Note also the placements at Cornell, Pitt, and Penn.

 

The data about Brandeis is almost meaningless, frankly. Brandeis hasn't been around as long, so there isn't enough data to come to a very meaningful conclusion. Having said that, if you just look at what Brandeis has to offer, then common sense suggests that it's a very, very strong program, particularly for someone with interests in metaphysics or epistemology. Also, Brandeis offers a smaller size; that could be a nice feature, for some people.

 

Tufts is Tufts. If you're considering Tufts, please talk to the students. The placement record tells a very good story. And the location cannot be beat (among the T-7).

 

Also regarding the philosophynews website. The author ranks programs according to average rank of PhD programs to which admitted students are placed. But sometimes a candidate will drop a #5 offer to attend a #12 program. So the rankings posted by philosophynews (or whatever), with regard to average ranking of programs to which students are admitted, do not tell you the whole story. This year, I know one MA student who is entertaining a #15 or so offer over a #8 or so. That's a significant difference!

 

The best way to learn about master's programs is to consider all of the data, talk to the students, learn about the faculty, and consider matters of personal importance (like location and expense). Please don't hurt yourself by reducing this to a matter of a few charts on a website, charts which are only somewhat helpful.

[ianfaircloud]

For everyone else admitted into brandeis: what are you planning to do about the whole decide within two weeks thing? Are you going to try and push that back to the April 15th deadline? It's annoying that brandeis doesn't seem to observe it.

 

WHOA, WHOA, WHOA...

 

This cannot be right. There's no way this is accurate. Sorry to call into question your authority here, mightymike11. But I'm absolutely positive that you misread your letter of admission. The letter says that the school would like to hear whether you are still interested. They are not asking you to commit. Please, please re-read your letter.

[bar_scene_gambler]

I saw this tonight (http://www.philosophynews.com/post/2013/10/20/Graduate-School-in-Philosophy-Terminal-MA-Programs-In-Philosophy.aspx). I saw it many months ago (or saw something very much like it), but I hadn't taken the time to read it carefully.

 

Now that I've read it, I just want to say that I think people should be very careful interpreting these results! There's SUCH a temptation to make this process easy on ourselves by reducing programs to a numerical ranking. Unfortunately, it's not that straightforward!!!

 

I know a T-7 master's program whose students are back-stabbing and whose environment is cut-throat competitive. You don't want to attend a program like that, even when it does have a marginally better placement record! And that kind of thing can't be factored in these rankings and charts.

 

The data in these tables may not be very meaningful. I just looked at Georgia State's 2013 placement record, and I gotta say, I think it's outstanding. Sure, the average placement isn't as strong as what's at Tufts and Brandeis. But there are some nice programs on that list! Look at all the UCSD offers, for one thing. That tells you something very specific about the relationship between Georgia State and UCSD. And UCSD is on the cusp of the T-20. Note also the placements at Cornell, Pitt, and Penn.

 

The data about Brandeis is almost meaningless, frankly. Brandeis hasn't been around as long, so there isn't enough data to come to a very meaningful conclusion. Having said that, if you just look at what Brandeis has to offer, then common sense suggests that it's a very, very strong program, particularly for someone with interests in metaphysics or epistemology. Also, Brandeis offers a smaller size; that could be a nice feature, for some people.

 

Tufts is Tufts. If you're considering Tufts, please talk to the students. The placement record tells a very good story. And the location cannot be beat (among the T-7).

 

Also regarding the philosophynews website. The author ranks programs according to average rank of PhD programs to which admitted students are placed. But sometimes a candidate will drop a #5 offer to attend a #12 program. So the rankings posted by philosophynews (or whatever), with regard to average ranking of programs to which students are admitted, do not tell you the whole story. This year, I know one MA student who is entertaining a #15 or so offer over a #8 or so. That's a significant difference!

 

The best way to learn about master's programs is to consider all of the data, talk to the students, learn about the faculty, and consider matters of personal importance (like location and expense). Please don't hurt yourself by reducing this to a matter of a few charts on a website, charts which are only somewhat helpful.

I think it's important to point out that GSU's placement record on their website mentions both where the students accepted and where else they were admitted. Seeing everywhere where their students got in was important in my choice to apply.

[Establishment]

I was just questioning the rationale of placing UWM as a third tier MA program after GSU.

edit: Woops, wrong thread

Edited March 28, 2014 by Establishment

[ianfaircloud]

I think it's important to point out that GSU's placement record on their website mentions both where the students accepted and where else they were admitted. Seeing everywhere where their students got in was important in my choice to apply.

 

Yes, agreed. I really like the way GSU does the placement record. It's ideal. Brandeis's is OK, but it isn't as informative as the GSU record. Tufts's record could be misinterpreted. The list of "other programs to which our students were admitted," listed by year, may lead someone to conclude incorrectly that this success was evenly distributed among applicants that year.

 

My only thing about the GSU record is this: Many students don't want their detailed records on a site for public consumption. I know that in my program, some people wouldn't want the world to see where else they were admitted, wait-listed, denied, etc. I'm not sure how GSU talks its graduate students into being *so* open with the record.

[Flipflophero]

WHOA, WHOA, WHOA...

 

This cannot be right. There's no way this is accurate. Sorry to call into question your authority here, mightymike11. But I'm absolutely positive that you misread your letter of admission. The letter says that the school would like to hear whether you are still interested. They are not asking you to commit. Please, please re-read your letter.

 

Whoa whoa whoa yourself, BubbaGump. Call my authority into question all you want, but that is and always has been Brandeis policy. You must decide within two weeks of receiving your official acceptance letter. Ask anyone else who was admitted.

[ianfaircloud]

Whoa whoa whoa yourself, BubbaGump. Call my authority into question all you want, but that is and always has been Brandeis policy. You must decide within two weeks of receiving your official acceptance letter. Ask anyone else who was admitted.

 

That's completely false. I will gladly post a screen-shot of a Brandeis admission letter to show otherwise. If anyone is interested, send me a message in private. I'd be glad to demonstrate that mightymike11 is wrong about this.

 

EDIT: I just checked again with a source on this. I'm 100%, absolutely positive that mightymike11 is mistaken. And I will be glad to demonstrate it to anyone who sends me a private message. I don't know the motive here -- I'll assume that mightymike11 means the best and has simply misread his letter. But I know from a personal connection (and have now seen with my own eyes) that Brandeis only asks that admitted students give them an idea, in some number of weeks, of whether they remain interested in the offer. The request is *not* to commit. No legitimate department asks students to commit early. And frankly, it's extremely irresponsible to offer up such a claim in a forum like this. If anyone is under the impression that Brandeis has made this kind of demand, that person should ask the department to clarify. Because I'm 100%, absolutely, positively sure that the department makes no such demand.

 

EDIT 2: I was so disturbed by the comments of mightymike11 that I have decided to post a GIF of a Brandeis acceptance letter. Everyone on this site may view it and see that mightymike11 is mistaken.  See http://faircloudblog...-acceptance.gif.  The letter is legitimate. Berislav Marusic was the co-director of graduate studies that year.

Edited March 29, 2014 by ianfaircloud

[ianfaircloud]

I was so disturbed by the comments of mightymike11 that I have decided to post a GIF of a Brandeis acceptance letter. Everyone on this site may view it and see that mightymike11 is mistaken.

 

http://faircloudblog.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/brandeis-acceptance.gif

 

The letter is legitimate. Berislav Marusic was the co-director of graduate studies that year.

[Monadology]

ianfaircloud, is it possible things might've changed between 2012 and 2014 as far as their policy or do you have information for 2014 as well? Not trying to take a side here. Maybe someone else with a Brandeis offer might be able to weigh in.

[ianfaircloud]

ianfaircloud, is it possible things might've changed between 2012 and 2014 as far as their policy or do you have information for 2014 as well? Not trying to take a side here. Maybe someone else with a Brandeis offer might be able to weigh in.

 

I have taken the extraordinary step of contacting the current director of graduate studies at Brandeis.