Greetings, call for fellow Continentalists!

[sar1906]

Hey everybody,

 

Graduated in 2011 with a B.S. in biochemistry and a minor in philosophy.  Got into philosophy a bit later in my undergraduate career, but I managed to throw together an application and was accepted to the New School Master's program, but turned it down because of the funding.  I then left the US to teach English abroad in China, which has given me plenty of time to continue to read, write, and think philosophy.  I am applying in Dec. 2014 - Jan. 2015.

 

My primary interests are in 19th and 20th century Continental philosophy, phenomenology, existentialism, and American philosophy.  I'll be applying to the usual suspects for continental work: Emory, Stony Brook, Georgetown, Duquesne, University of New Mexico, University of Oregon, Villanova, Penn State, so far.

 

I was wondering if any one out there has similar interests and applied to similar schools?  I'd like to pick your brains!

 

 

Thanks

 

 

 

[Phil519]

If you are looking for funded masters programs in continental philosophy, then I would recommend Miami (Ohio) and LMU (L.A.). It may be difficult to get directly into a PhD program without a major in philosophy. Both programs have good placement records at the schools your interested in. I have a friend at LMU who is very happy with the program. While at the program he presented at several senior level conferences and has a publication in a top continental philosophy journal. I also know that some faculty there do have interests in American philosophy.

Edited April 9, 2014 by Phil519

[sar1906]

Definitely going to look at some funded Master's programs.  Thanks for the reminder about LMU, had that on my list as well.  I'm a bit anxious about not having a philosophy major, but I interviewed at DePaul the first time around, and I have done a lot more reading and writing since then, so I'll apply to both.  That was a long time ago, and I'm sure my anxiety and naivete about what philosophy graduate school involved showed in my interview, which contributed to my not receiving an offer. 

[Guillaume]

I graduated in 2008 and did something similar; opened a restaurant, taught English in China, and have some overlapping areas of interest. I will apply during the next application season and look forward to hearing more from you.

[sar1906]

Great!  What was your major?    Are you applying Dec. 2014/Jan. 2015? 

[Weltgeist]

Have you considered Vanderbilt?

 

also the funded master's Phil519 mentioned are a good option

Edited April 9, 2014 by Weltgeist

[philosophia14]

I would also check out Boston College. They have strengths in phenomenology and are just a solid Continental department. 

[jjb919]

I finished my MA at The New School last fall, and while it is an excellent place for your interests, the abysmal funding is not worth it (seeing as you declined their offer, you were smarter than I was). I can say that they are working hard to change their funding situation and make it more sustainable, accepting fewer students to give all more funding, they are not there yet.

 

I will be applying to several schools you mentioned (specifically U Oregon, Stony Brook, and Georgetown), and from speaking with my mentors I was turned on to many of the other schools mentioned in this thread.

 

I don't really have any schools to add, and I would agree with Phil519 that you should focus on funded MA programs (not to say that you shouldn't apply directly to PhD programs at all), I just wanted to add a degree of confirmation to the research you've done already and let you know that I'll be right there with you in the trenches when the Fall 2014 application cycle rolls around.

[Glasperlenspieler]

Georgia State is also strong in Kant and post-Kantian German philosophy.  It also has a pretty good placement rate and is one of the Leiter T-7.

[armedneutrality]

I finished my MA at The New School last fall, and while it is an excellent place for your interests, the abysmal funding is not worth it (seeing as you declined their offer, you were smarter than I was). I can say that they are working hard to change their funding situation and make it more sustainable, accepting fewer students to give all more funding, they are not there yet.

 

I've been back and forth about the new school, so thanks for this; it's definitely helpful.

 

Though I'll be aiming for a master's program, I'll be applying to UC Riverside and Boston U, two doctorate programs that haven't been mentioned yet, but you might consider. I think both programs have a lot to offer a 'contentalist,' as they offer the chance to not only further their AOS, but to do some analytic exploring as well.

Edited April 9, 2014 by armedneutrality

[jjb919]

I've been back and forth about the new school, so thanks for this; it's definitely helpful.

 

If you have any questions about the department, funding, culture, feel free to ask or send me a message. I think The New School has helped me immensely in my philosophical development, refining my writing and my interests, and has made me much more competitive in grad applications than I would have been if I had applied right out of undergrad (we'll see just how competitve this time next year).

[sar1906]

JJB:  How did you get through the program?  Loans?  Work?  Yeah, they provided some funding, but I still would have had to pay about $50,000 out of pocket.

 

This cycle I'll be applying to Ph D and Master's programs, mostly ones people have already mentioned. 

 

I was hoping to pick some accepted applicants' brains for writing sample ideas, starting with a general outline of what they did?  Any takers? 

[Differance]

JJB:  How did you get through the program?  Loans?  Work?  Yeah, they provided some funding, but I still would have had to pay about $50,000 out of pocket.

 

This cycle I'll be applying to Ph D and Master's programs, mostly ones people have already mentioned. 

 

I was hoping to pick some accepted applicants' brains for writing sample ideas, starting with a general outline of what they did?  Any takers? 

 

I'll be attending Penn State this fall (excitement), and, like you, my interests are in 19th/20th century continental. I'd be happy to answer questions about applications if you want to PM me (I'll try to the best of my ability, anyway).

 

I would also suggest University of Memphis. The school as a whole went through some unfortunate budget cuts this year, but they do have a pretty strong department, in my opinion. I applied to a few of the schools you mentioned, actually (though not the New School).

Best of luck on your applications this year!!

[jjb919]

sar1906: I got through the program by taking out loans to pay for tuition and fees, and juggling a couple of part time jobs to pay for living expenses.  I was given a 33% scholarship and took it with the hope that I could get more funding my second year if I showed academic excellence.  The hardest thing at NSSR is to get more funding as a second year MA student.  After two years of the program, I ended up taking out nearly $50,000 in loans, and again that was just to cover tuition and fees.  Most students I knew also took out loans to cover living expenses.  Because I worked to cover the cost of living, I unfortunately was not very active in department life outside of class, which was regrettable. 

 

For what it's worth, I am taking my MA thesis, paring it down to an article sized paper, presenting it at a conference later this month, work-shopping it more, (maybe even try my luck at publishing it), and then using the resulting polished paper as my writing sample. The topic is on attempting to show the moral status of the body, and suggesting some consequences this has for moral reason.

 

One of the most sound pieces of advice I got from one of my mentors was to take my thesis, and taking a year to re-write and re-write and re-write it. Look at the papers you have written for one of your philosophy classes and find one you still feel strongly about (and ideally one which you did well on), one in which you feel you have something to say. Then spend a ton of time polishing it.  Present it to people, make a 30-second elevator pitch; this will force you to concisely locate your central idea and present it as clearly as possible, and then present that idea as early in the paper as possible. Make sure your reader can follow you every step of the way, and could even anticipate where you are going. Ideally, find a professor you had/have a relationship with and have him/her critique it. Several times. Also find a friend whose judgment and insight you trust, and have them read it and critique it, to ensure clarity and accessibility (not everyone on the adcom will be familiar with your AOS).  Take your time with the paper, let it sit with you, let the ideas marinate and mature. 

 

Ideally, your writing sample should be related to your proposed AOS.  It may seem obvious, but this will go some way toward giving the adcom a detailed sense of your interests and your philosophical chops in those areas, as well as how well-equipped their department is to guide you in working on those issues.  If you really feel that your strongest paper is in an area that is not your primary interest, it may be good to note reasons why you chose that particular paper in your personal statement.

[sar1906]

Great, thanks for the feedback.  Yeah, I knew that if I went to the NS I would have had to work A LOT to make up the fees, and that would take away from my time in the department.

 

I feel decent about my writing sample so far.  I'm reading more philosophy recently so I am trying to model it on published material.  It's an attempt at bringing together American pragmatism and "critical philosophy," for lack of a better term, with Richard Rorty and Michel Foucault being taken as provisional representatives of their respective traditions.  I was pleasantly surprised to find similar work is being done by Colin Koopman at the University of Oregon.  He calls it "genealogical pragmatism," or "pragmatist genealogy."  Before I had even found his paper, I approached the same idea (though not as rigorously, of course) independently, so I feel encouraged about that.

[jjb919]

Yeah, Oregon has a great department.  I was attracted to it because of the work Mark Johnson has done on embodied cognition and metaphor theory, which has many parallels to the work I've been doing recently on the body and morality. I also really like the work their new hire Mark Alfano has done on virtue ethics. So many talented people in that department, working on such varied topics, it seems like a really exciting place to be.

[sar1906]

Anyone admitted to one of these schools?  Able/willing to share personal statements and writing samples?  I have about 8 months and looking for all of the help I can get!

[Billy Goehring]

Anyone admitted to one of these schools?  Able/willing to share personal statements and writing samples?  I have about 8 months and looking for all of the help I can get!

I attended Duquesne for my MA and am now a student at U Oregon, so I have a good deal of inside information on both. And FWIW, I would apply to a mix of MA and PhD programs, but you shouldn't be discouraged by not having a B.A. in philosophy. I wasn't a philosophy major and i know several other students (who went straight to PhD) who weren't either. Having a strong app and good letters is more important (and can certainly make up for not having an "official" background in philosophy).

 

I obviously don't care much for anonymity, but feel free to private me if you have any questions!

[Monadology]

I've only been at UCR's PhD for about a quarter, but I'll be happy to answer any questions about it insofar as I am able (either now or as the admissions process progresses). 

Edited December 1, 2014 by Monadology

[jjb919]

Sorry if this is jacking the thread, but does anyone have any inside information on the program at Georgetown? One of my advisers turned me on to it and I'm growing more interested in their program, and would appreciate any information I could get.

[isostheneia]

I don't exactly have inside info at Georgetown, but I took some summer courses in the phil dept there a few years ago, and some of my professors from undergrad are quite close with some professors there and have talked to me about the department. So I know at least a bit about the kinds of work some of the faculty are interested in doing/promoting, but not with any intimate detail. Do you have any particular questions that I might be able to answer?

[jjb919]

Hey isostheneia, thanks for the reply!

 

I'm mostly looking for impressions about the atmosphere there, the kinds of relationships between advisers and students, how closely do they work with their advisees (I know everyone is different and has a different style, but are most professors more hands on or off?), how available the professors are, opportunities to work at the Kennedy Institute (how competitive are the spots for their graduate fellows?), camaraderie among the cohorts, if the students are helpful or really competitive with each other, the climate for women, experience with teaching and teaching mentorship (their website says there is no official teaching requirement, and I wouldn't want to end up finishing the degree with little to no teaching experience), anything like that.  Their website is on the minimal side in terms of information about their program and the experience there.

[isostheneia]

I can't comment on most of your questions, unfortunately. But I can say a few things. First, I've heard positive things about the relationships between advisers and students, though I've heard it regarding a few professors in particular. Davis, Kukla, and Lance are all good to work with, from what I heard. Possibly Pinkard too. Don't know about other professors. I've heard nothing about the atmosphere among cohorts or how competitive the students are, but I did hear that the climate is really good for women/minorities. I don't know anything about teaching/mentorship, but I have seen some data that suggests that their placement rates are good.

 

My exposure to the sort of work they're interested in is anecdotal, but some of their faculty seem pretty big on Sellars/Pittsburgh school epistemology, and integrating that material with work on truth. As in, I heard a few of them get into a 2 hour long conversation at a conference about how absurd deflationism is. And there's Pinkard always doing his Hegel stuff. I haven't really asked about other subjects, since these tend to be the ones I'm interested in anyway.

[jjb919]

Thanks, this is still helpful!

 

Yeah, I've heard the faculty is big on Sellars/Pitt epistemology as well, and Pinkard is an attraction for me as well.  I was mostly attracted to the work the faculty does in feminist philosophy, vulnerability, applied ethics, and European philosophy (I would love to work with Carse, Little, Blattner, or Kukla).

[Monadology]

jjb919, regarding questions you might have about the atmosphere for women, if you are a woman yourself, you might try and get in touch with this group: 

 

They will probably have some helpful information.