Shut out of philosophy

[ianfaircloud]

Yep, that's right. I was shut out of philosophy admissions. I'm hearing (from a moderately reliable source) that people who wrote samples in the areas of evolutionary psychology and metaethics (Sharon Street type stuff) were at a disadvantage this year because of the sheer volume of work on the topic. I'm sure I'll analyze this for years to come. In the meantime, I hope people will benefit from my story.

 

I received a note from a student interested in my MA program, and one line of the note read: "it sounds like if you work hard in any subject, you will be able to place well." This person means well. But the fact is, this is exactly the kind of view that hurts people. Philosophy admissions are highly subjective. No doubt the people who land top spots tend to be really, really amazing people. But for every one amazing person admitted, five amazing people are rejected to the same place. 

 

For me, the answer is to have a back-up plan, one that will not feel like a major sacrifice. I'm happy to report that I've been admitted to several good law schools, including Penn and Cornell. I was given almost a full scholarship to attend UCLA law. I am waiting to hear from Chicago, NYU, and Stanford. For personal reasons, I may choose Penn over any of these. Penn offers strengths in philosophy of law and criminal law, and I have the option of taking graduate courses with the philosophy department. I hear that Penn doesn't close the door to academia.

 

People who are interested in law may want to do what I did. Law admissions are the opposite of philosophy admissions. Law admissions are highly predictable, based mostly on numbers. I used http://www.hourumd.com/ and http://www.lawschoolpredictor.com/wp-content/uploads/Law-School-Predictor-Full-Time-Programs.htm. These sites turned out to be accurate for me. I recommend that you treat the LSAT as far more important than anything else you do to prep for law admissions. I recommend that you apply to schools by no later than January 1. Applying in mid- to late-January absolutely reduces one's chances of admission. Also, remember that your goal is not merely admission but admission with good funding.

 

Anyone else shut out of philosophy admissions? 

 

Best of luck to everyone.

 

 

[PhiPhiPhi]

Sorry to hear. I think everyone around here (even those, like I, not applying) really appreciates the work you've put in.

 

Best of luck in the future.

[philstudent1991]

I'm sorry to hear you ended up getting shut out, but you will likely end up making more money than any of us  . I did my sample in metaethics, definitely "Sharon Street type stuff", so maybe that was my problem too (14 apps, 2 acceptances and 1 waitlist but all three non-rejections were MAs).

[Monadology]

Really sorry to hear you were shut out. It feels bizarre that one of the most active contributors to this forum and someone who created blogs, surveys and charts to help organize information for applicants has been shut out. 

 

I wish you the best of luck with your law school decisions. 

[Guillaume]

This is unfortunate news. Although I may not have always agreed with you, I have always appreciated the sincerity of your contributions to this forum and your website.

 

I wish you the best of luck with your legal future. You have some enviable law school choices (I have good friends who have graduted from all of the institutions you mentioned) and I have no doubt that could enter legal academia; something I have considered myself and it is 1) easier to publish and 2) better paid.

 

If you have any questions about Cornell, Ithaca, the University of Pennsylvania, or Philadelphia, please feel free to send me a PM as I am an alumni of one of those institutions and will be taking classes in the fall at the other.

Edited April 15, 2014 by Guillaume

[stressedout]

I was shut out of PhD programs (9 apps).  And I did my sample on debunking arguments.  I got waitlisted at one top-10 MA for funding...

[zblaesi]

First of all, I am so sorry to hear this, Ian. We all owe you a huge thanks for everything you've done this application season. You took a terrible, anxiety-inducing process and made it a little less horrible.

 

Yep, that's right. I was shut out of philosophy admissions. I'm hearing (from a moderately reliable source) that people who wrote samples in the areas of evolutionary psychology and metaethics (Sharon Street type stuff) were at a disadvantage this year because of the sheer volume of work on the topic. I'm sure I'll analyze this for years to come. In the meantime, I hope people will benefit from my story.

 

 

This is very revealing. I wrote in metaethics and drew on work in experimental philosophy. This could partly explain my rejections. I had a feeling this could screw me, but I didn't realize it was a hot topic right now. (In fact, I got the impression from Street that I was working in a relatively unexplored area.)

[Glasperlenspieler]

Sill waiting on two wait lists, but at this point it's looking very likely that I'll be shut out as well.

[dgswaim]

If I were one for Bayes theoretic approaches to the theodicy problem in philosophy of religion, I'd be inclined to say that ianfaircloud's having been shut out of philosophy admissions qualifies as evidence against the existence of God. I just find it totally unbelievable. That just sucks. 

[wandajune]

Yep, that's right. I was shut out of philosophy admissions. I'm hearing (from a moderately reliable source) that people who wrote samples in the areas of evolutionary psychology and metaethics (Sharon Street type stuff) were at a disadvantage this year because of the sheer volume of work on the topic. I'm sure I'll analyze this for years to come. In the meantime, I hope people will benefit from my story.

 

I very nearly used a writing sample on such a topic, changing my mind a few months before applications were due. Perhaps I would have been shut out, too. Just goes to show, again, how totally unpredictable this game is--how could you have known how popular your writing sample topic would be?

 

Thank you for the helpful blogging this season. After rooting for you all this time, I feel terribly disappointed for you. However, a hearty congratulations on the law school admissions! Those are some incredible schools, and I suspect you'll have the opportunity to continue studying philosophy, especially somewhere like Penn. 

[humean_skeptic]

Sorry to hear about the result of your PhD applications. You have extremely good stats -- better than everyone on here who's posted acceptances at T20 or even T10 schools -- and you seem to be coming from a great MA program, so I guess you were unlucky in selecting that writing sample topic. 

 

Best of luck to you at law school. 

[Cottagecheeseman]

Man, I find it crazy that you didn't get in anywhere! Congrats on the law school acceptances though. I'm sure you'll succeed with whatever you do!

[MattDest]

Bummer to hear, ian. Good luck with your law school decisions!

[Establishment]

This is exactly why I'm taking the LSAT this fall, in case my own PhD applications from my MA go south. Of course, it can do wonders just to apply the next year; but best of luck to you either way, I wish you the most success--you deserve it.

[ianfaircloud]

Reached my quota for up-votes. Thanks, everyone, for the kind response. I'll be on the forum, but I'll be on less often. I wish you all the very best. You all seem like great people.

Edited April 15, 2014 by ianfaircloud