2015 Applicants Assemble!

[Edit_Undo]

Rough list of MAs I'm considering: CSU LA, Biola, SDSU, SFSU, Georgia State, Loyola Marymount, NIU. I have yet to take a good look at programs in the UK. 

 

You'll find the most helpful and caring professors in SDSU (assuming you mean San Diego State and not South Dakota). The department is small but very welcoming. Having said that, if you are interested in doing a PhD afterwords, SDSU might not be the best choice. Mainly because your letter writers will not be famous people.

If you have any further questions on the department or particular professors, don't hesitate to PM me. Good Luck!

[MattDest]

Hey, everybody. Every time I research issues regarding grad school, this forum keeps coming up, so I figured I should finally sign on. 

Undergrad: Thanks to a massive lack of motivation and purpose coming out of high school, I wound up going to community college for my first couple years. Fortunately, a philosophy professor there lit a fire under my butt and got me into philosophy. I transferred to Boston College last year, and I'm now about to enter my senior year for a BA in philosophy. While I really did enjoy my time at community college, I feel as though a terminal MA would be helpful in gaining a more well-rounded knowledge of philosophy, gain teaching experience and up my potential of getting into a better PhD program than I would from just two years at BC. 

Current interests: Philosophical theology, ethics (primarily applied, but with an interest in meta), ancient philosophy (particularly Hellenistic), medieval philosophy. 

Rough list of MAs I'm considering: CSU LA, Biola, SDSU, SFSU, Georgia State, Loyola Marymount, NIU. I have yet to take a good look at programs in the UK. 

Other: Have yet to take the GRE. I'm currently working on my writing sample - I'm discussing Christian reproductive ethics in light of David Benatar's recent work in antinatalism. 

 

You might consider applying to Saint Louis U, as they have pretty significant strengths in your AOIs. It's a PhD program, but it might be worth taking a chance on it. 

[The Pedanticist]

HI everyone

 

Graduate/Undergraduate Education:  I went to an unknown state school getting a bachelor’s degree in communication and one in philosophy as well.  I also have a minor in creative writing.  Basically, since everyone convinced me that I shouldn't do philosophy I decided to get the practical degree in communication.  That last until my junior year when I decided to also major in philosophy.  I applied to the MA in Liberal Studies program at the university and got accepted with a very generous TAship.  I've focused on philosophy classes, classes in history, science and communication.  I'm currently writing my thesis on Alvin Plantinga, and his cohorts, Evolutionary Argument Against Naturalism.  I'm also working as an applied ethicist/researcher at my school for issues related to hunger awareness.  

 

Interests:  I'm interested in epistemology (especially evolutionary epistemology), philosophy of history, ethics (especially applied ethics as it applies to issues in poverty) and philosophy of religion.  I'm also very interested in interdisciplinary studies especially philosophy of pop culture and philosophy of primatology.  I've actually published and conferenced a number of times in this area, right now it’s really wide open in terms of research.

 

Programs I'm applying to:  Rutgers (don't we all?), Cornell, Washington St. L, Duke, UNC, Virginia, Chicago, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Rochester, Iowa, Miami, NIU, Toronto, Cambridge and Georgia State.  That it’s for right now anyways.  Many of them seem like such a stretch, but its is worth a try I guess

Edited July 28, 2014 by The Pedanticist

[jjb919]

 

Programs I'm applying to:  Rutgers (don't we all?), Cornell, Washington St. L, Duke, UNC, Virginia, Chicago, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Rochester, Iowa, Miami, NIU, Toronto, Cambridge and Georgia State.  That it’s for right now anyways.  Many of them seem like such a stretch, but its is worth a try I guess

 

 

The University of Colorado Boulder also is strong in applied ethics, and they should be accepting graduate students again this year. Have you looked into applying there?

[The Pedanticist]

The University of Colorado Boulder also is strong in applied ethics, and they should be accepting graduate students again this year. Have you looked into applying there?

 

Thanks for the suggestion!  I've considered the program, but I'm just not sure how to interpret the current situation in terms of how it will effect students chances of placement from the program.  Obviously, that's not stopping me from applying to Miami, but I still feel like the situation in Colorado seems more extreme.  On the plus side, maybe less people will apply to these programs.  

Edited July 28, 2014 by The Pedanticist

[The Pedanticist]

By the way if you are interested in Virtue Ethics you should check out Miami!  They really do have a top notch program.  I started getting into virtue ethics a while back and that quickly transferred into an interest in virtue epistemology.  

[jjb919]

Thanks for the suggestion!  I've considered the program, but I'm just not sure how to interpret the current situation in terms of how it will effect students chances of placement from the program.  Obviously, that's not stopping me from applying to Miami, but I still feel like the situation in Colorado seems more extreme.  On the plus side, maybe less people will apply to these programs.  

 

Yeah, I hear you on that.  It's become a very complex and multifaceted situation, but the more I read the more I gravitate toward the position that while there are certainly some climate issues that need to be addressed, the problems are really isolated to a small number of the faculty and the department at large was hard done by the APA report. Plus, with other misconduct issues popping up in other philosophy programs, like Miami and Northwestern, I don't expect to see graduates of Colorado unduly 'punished' on the job market more than other programs.

 

 

By the way if you are interested in Virtue Ethics you should check out Miami!  They really do have a top notch program.  I started getting into virtue ethics a while back and that quickly transferred into an interest in virtue epistemology.  

 

Thanks, I will definitely look into that!  However, I think I'll be facing an impossible battle trying to convince my wife to move that far south if I were to get in!

[The Pedanticist]

Yeah, I hear you on that.  It's become a very complex and multifaceted situation, but the more I read the more I gravitate toward the position that while there are certainly some climate issues that need to be addressed, the problems are really isolated to a small number of the faculty and the department at large was hard done by the APA report. Plus, with other misconduct issues popping up in other philosophy programs, like Miami and Northwestern, I don't expect to see graduates of Colorado unduly 'punished' on the job market more than other programs.

 

My problem is that if the situations worsens while I'm there some people might think that any graduates who are white and male may have become a part of the problem.  At any rate, if I were to get in there and not somewhere else in the top 40, I would certainly go there.

 

 

 

Thanks, I will definitely look into that!  However, I think I'll be facing an impossible battle trying to convince my wife to move that far south if I were to get in!

 

Miami is amazing.  The city is awesome.  The campus is incredible.  It's probably my second favorite place in the lower 48 behind Seattle.

 

I also have a friend up at Fordham and she really loves it up there.  U of Chicago just sounds like a dream from everything I've read and seen. 

Edited July 28, 2014 by The Pedanticist

[MorganFreemanlives]

My problem is that if the situations worsens while I'm there some people might think that any graduates who are white and male may have become a part of the problem.  At any rate, if I were to get in there and not somewhere else in the top 40, I would certainly go there.

 

 

Miami is amazing.  The city is awesome.  The campus is incredible.  It's probably my second favorite place in the lower 48 behind Seattle.

 

I also have a friend up at Fordham and she really loves it up there.  U of Chicago just sounds like a dream from everything I've read and seen. 

i will switch places with you anytime. miami is hell on earth, and im hispanic , cant stand the heat and culture. I would rather be where the white man has properly conquered ( LOL i kid , i kid you folks take yourselves and your thumbs way too seriously )

 

as for U of miami, it is a great place for pragmatism, virtue ethics and a few other specialists. they also have Susan Haack but with Mcginn now gone, who knows how its upcoming ranking in the gourmet will be.  my institution being so close to UM (if you are a south floridian i prob already gave it away) and a few of my professors UM graduates, they have told me that unfortunately, their grad school culture is a bit apathetic to job placement as opposed to other universities which try to help you in the job hunt. many of their graduates end up being adjuncts or instructors  at miami dade college.

 

still if you t like the heat, cuban bread, pragmatism, and a decent 20k stipend, then i coudnt think of a better place.

[dgswaim]

Susan Haack would be reason enough for me to apply to just about any department that housed her... but Miami is a no go. It's been difficult enough to adjust to the humid climate in Baton Rouge. Maybe a department in a more temperate region will give her a senior offer ( I would welcome just such a development).

[Nastasya_Filippovna]

Susan Haack would be reason enough for me to apply to just about any department that housed her... but Miami is a no go. It's been difficult enough to adjust to the humid climate in Baton Rouge. Maybe a department in a more temperate region will give her a senior offer ( I would welcome just such a development).

 haha I take it you aren't a Rorty fan!! Did you ever read the little back and forth they had many years back? I'm trying to recall which collection of Rorty's essays in which it was printed, but it was a good read. Regardless of who you agree with, Haack is a very lucid writer and interesting philosopher. 

[The Pedanticist]

i will switch places with you anytime. miami is hell on earth, and im hispanic , cant stand the heat and culture. I would rather be where the white man has properly conquered ( LOL i kid , i kid you folks take yourselves and your thumbs way too seriously )

 

as for U of miami, it is a great place for pragmatism, virtue ethics and a few other specialists. they also have Susan Haack but with Mcginn now gone, who knows how its upcoming ranking in the gourmet will be.  my institution being so close to UM (if you are a south floridian i prob already gave it away) and a few of my professors UM graduates, they have told me that unfortunately, their grad school culture is a bit apathetic to job placement as opposed to other universities which try to help you in the job hunt. many of their graduates end up being adjuncts or instructors  at miami dade college.

 

still if you t like the heat, cuban bread, pragmatism, and a decent 20k stipend, then i coudnt think of a better place. 

 

For the most part I agree.  Miami really is kind of a niche department.  I just really like some of their faculty like Thomasson, Lehrer and Slote.  Their placement record does seem to place a lot of people to Dade or within the department itself.

[dgswaim]

 haha I take it you aren't a Rorty fan!! Did you ever read the little back and forth they had many years back? I'm trying to recall which collection of Rorty's essays in which it was printed, but it was a good read. Regardless of who you agree with, Haack is a very lucid writer and interesting philosopher. 

I'm very much the realist about science (and a non-naturalist, metaphysically), so I have little in common with Rorty (though I do appreciate his wit and clarity).

[NathanKellen]

Hi all!

 

I'm (as the username states) Nathan Kellen - a third year grad student at UConn. I've been told by other students that this is where applicants tend to hang out, so I figured I would stop by. As the philosophy grad president for AY2014-2015, I hope I can be a resource for any potential applicant to the programme.

 

Just figured I would introduce myself and say hi. I imagine there's no questions yet, but if you do have some, feel free to contact me via post here, PM here or email (nathan.kellen@gmail.com).

 

[jjb919]

So my fiance just landed a nice promotion and raise (yay!). However this comes with a commitment on her part to stay in this new position for at least two years. This limits my options for graduate school to our immediate geographical area, in other words Fordham or Columbia (which I don't expect to be admitted to), and maaaaaaybe Stony Brook, but that would be a bitch of a commute.

 

I could put off applying for another year or two. None of the preparation I will have done so far will go to waste, and there may even be some benefits to holding off a year, but I know that if I do my fiance's very strong preference will be to stay in NYC, and it will be a very hard sell to make the move to DC, or Chicago, or Toronto. And I think a cross-country move would be out of the question (knocking my top choice program, U. Oregon, out of the question).

 

She has worked extraordinarily hard for years to get to her current position, and she is now on the verge of being in a place where she can save a significant amount to settle down and start a family. Moving to take a chance on a PhD program, which comes with large opportunity costs on my end and results in her having to support us during my studies (potentially in a city in which she is unable to find a decent job) seems to be, in my mind, a very selfish thing to ask her to do.

 

I'm not sure what to do at the moment. Do I take my chances and just apply to NYC schools? Do I hold off a year or two, apply to all the schools on my list, see where the chips fall, and try to convince her to move should I get into an excellent program further away? What do people think?

[Establishment]

So my fiance just landed a nice promotion and raise (yay!). However this comes with a commitment on her part to stay in this new position for at least two years. This limits my options for graduate school to our immediate geographical area, in other words Fordham or Columbia (which I don't expect to be admitted to), and maaaaaaybe Stony Brook, but that would be a bitch of a commute.

 

I could put off applying for another year or two. None of the preparation I will have done so far will go to waste, and there may even be some benefits to holding off a year, but I know that if I do my fiance's very strong preference will be to stay in NYC, and it will be a very hard sell to make the move to DC, or Chicago, or Toronto. And I think a cross-country move would be out of the question (knocking my top choice program, U. Oregon, out of the question).

 

She has worked extraordinarily hard for years to get to her current position, and she is now on the verge of being in a place where she can save a significant amount to settle down and start a family. Moving to take a chance on a PhD program, which comes with large opportunity costs on my end and results in her having to support us during my studies (potentially in a city in which she is unable to find a decent job) seems to be, in my mind, a very selfish thing to ask her to do.

 

I'm not sure what to do at the moment. Do I take my chances and just apply to NYC schools? Do I hold off a year or two, apply to all the schools on my list, see where the chips fall, and try to convince her to move should I get into an excellent program further away? What do people think?

 

Sounds like you two should talk about long term plans. In figuring out the answer to the question of where you two see yourselves ten years down the road, you'll be able to answer the relevant question of whose career is gong to take priority in terms of bringing home the bread, if the assumption is y'all are going to be wanting to settle down and start a family (something you mention in your post). Are y'all going to risk everything for you to attend a PhD program and try to find stable academic employment afterward, or are y'all going to depend on her career path? If the latter, then your pursuant of philosophy seems more equivalent to a hobby. In which case, apply to local programs until you reach success, and maybe afterwards try to pick up some adjunct work if you're looking for some supplementary financial income.

 

The degree to which what I've presented is a false dilemma will probably depend on the degree to which your fiance's career will be sacrificed in a move to Oregon or wherever for your PhD (and the specifics of your long term futures. Do you plan to have kids? Is someone going to be a stay-at-home, or would you consider raising kids while both carry full time careers? Etc. etc.), which'll be specifics only the two of you are going to know about, and will have to consider in this discussion. 

Edited August 1, 2014 by Establishment

[MorganFreemanlives]

So my fiance just landed a nice promotion and raise (yay!). However this comes with a commitment on her part to stay in this new position for at least two years. This limits my options for graduate school to our immediate geographical area, in other words Fordham or Columbia (which I don't expect to be admitted to), and maaaaaaybe Stony Brook, but that would be a bitch of a commute.

 

I could put off applying for another year or two. None of the preparation I will have done so far will go to waste, and there may even be some benefits to holding off a year, but I know that if I do my fiance's very strong preference will be to stay in NYC, and it will be a very hard sell to make the move to DC, or Chicago, or Toronto. And I think a cross-country move would be out of the question (knocking my top choice program, U. Oregon, out of the question).

 

She has worked extraordinarily hard for years to get to her current position, and she is now on the verge of being in a place where she can save a significant amount to settle down and start a family. Moving to take a chance on a PhD program, which comes with large opportunity costs on my end and results in her having to support us during my studies (potentially in a city in which she is unable to find a decent job) seems to be, in my mind, a very selfish thing to ask her to do.

 

I'm not sure what to do at the moment. Do I take my chances and just apply to NYC schools? Do I hold off a year or two, apply to all the schools on my list, see where the chips fall, and try to convince her to move should I get into an excellent program further away? What do people think?

consider a long term relationship, for about 3 years or so and take summers off to visit one another. ph.d programs cause a lot of friction with couples and often separate during this time. if your relationship is worth the struggle, a small stop or slowing down the way will put it to the test. this way, she enjoys her promotion , you go to the best place you can possible an everyone fulfills their desires. if this doesnt work out , then at least take solace that she prob wasnt worth deferring or giving up on a top school for. if it does work, then the sacrifice was all the more worth it, so apply to all the schools you were going to and apply to  more NYC schools  if you like to increase the odds.

 

another approach, is to still consider the long term relationship but apply to places that will be quite close,like say within a 8-12 hour drive radius, so that you visit each other quite often and keep the morale up. this will be easier on both parties, and this will significantly extend your grad school choices given that the northeast has a goo concentration of top programs.

 

no, choice here however will be easy unless you hit the jackpot on where you get accepted.

[jjb919]

Are y'all going to risk everything for you to attend a PhD program and try to find stable academic employment afterward, or are y'all going to depend on her career path? If the latter, then your pursuant of philosophy seems more equivalent to a hobby. In which case, apply to local programs until you reach success, and maybe afterwards try to pick up some adjunct work if you're looking for some supplementary financial income.

 

Thanks for this. As much as I hate to admit it this might be the realistic option. My ideal career would be to be a professor, but I know how slim those chances are, and I also know of the many opportunities PhDs have off the academic track.  I was planning on giving my best shot for a few years on the market when I'm ABD and recently minted, but I have no stomach for lingering in temporary positions year to year, potentially constantly uprooting my family in the vain hopes of landing that golden ticket.  If I don't secure a TT job within a few years on the market, I plan on going back to the non-profit work I'm doing now, for which a PhD will still come in handy.

 

We do plan on having kids, within the next 4-5 years. Ideally she would love to be a stay-at-home mom for a few years at least, but also knows that even if I don't go for my PhD and stay in the work force we may not be able to swing a single income.

 

While she does work in higher education, and so theoretically could land a job at the university I attend, or one nearby, the economic situation in Eugene is so bad, jobs at the university so hard to come by and paying pretty little, that a move to Oregon could be a killer for her career, and if she can't find a job at the university then there aren't many other options (Walmart is one of the largest employers in the city). While she will probably have better chances in a city like Chicago, DC, Toronto, or Chapel Hill, it's still a big risk and if she isn't able to find decent employment quick, my stipend is not going to be enough for both of us to live off of.

 

Given these realities, it may make sense to just apply locally, go wherever I can get in, and not worry too much about placement success or how perfectly the department fits my research interests. In which case waiting a year may not really make any difference and I should just apply this season.

 

 

consider a long term relationship, for about 3 years or so and take summers off to visit one another. ph.d programs cause a lot of friction with couples and often separate during this time. if your relationship is worth the struggle, a small stop or slowing down the way will put it to the test. this way, she enjoys her promotion , you go to the best place you can possible an everyone fulfills their desires. if this doesnt work out , then at least take solace that she prob wasnt worth deferring or giving up on a top school for. if it does work, then the sacrifice was all the more worth it, so apply to all the schools you were going to and apply to  more NYC schools  if you like to increase the odds.

Thank you for the suggestion, but neither of us want the added stress of a long-distance relationship. I've done it once when I started my MA with a previous girlfriend, and it wasn't something I want to repeat.

[reixis]

This is my first application season and I'm coming from South America (non-English speaking country). My interests are in metaphysics, philosophy of mind and philosophy of science.

 

Here’s my background: I have a 4.0 GPA and have taken 26 philosophy courses during my undergraduate (it's a four-year major). Not sure to what extent that is relevant, since my university is widely unknown internationally, although it is a top one in my country. I have 12 papers published (11 of them in my native tongue and in undergraduate journals) and one in English that appeared in a leading professional journal in my country, though I suspect people know about it in the US. I have also presented 14 papers at national conferences. I got two letters of recommendations from senior philosophers at two different Leiter’s Top 20 departments, which as far as I can gather, will be very good, and one from my professors at my home university.

 

I don’t have much money and will only be able to afford five or six applications. I will be taking the GRE in the next weeks, but I don't expect much of it. My scores have been fairly low in previous practice tests (somewhere between 155-160 in V and Q), although I believe I can do better at the AWA and there is some time for improvement.

 

Well, since I have to spend my money very wisely, any incoming advice for someone with a background like mine is welcome. My list of schools is below. I’m looking forward to fill the two extra spots with “safe schools” (if there is such thing at all).

1) Harvard

2) MIT
3) Penn

4) U. of Miami

5) ??

6) ??

Edited August 1, 2014 by reixis

[MorganFreemanlives]

This is my first application season and I'm coming from South America (non-English speaking country). My interests are in metaphysics, philosophy of mind and philosophy of science.

 

Here’s my background: I have a 4.0 GPA and have taken 26 philosophy courses during my undergraduate (it's a four-year major). Not sure to what extent that is relevant, since my university is widely unknown internationally, although it is a top one in my country. I have 12 papers published (11 of them in my native tongue and in undergraduate journals) and one in English that appeared in a leading professional journal in my country, though I suspect people know about it in the US. I have also presented 14 papers at national conferences. I got two letters of recommendations from senior philosophers at two different Leiter’s Top 20 departments, which as far as I can gather, will be very good, and one from my professors at my home university.

 

I don’t have much money and will only be able to afford five or six applications. I will be taking the GRE in the next weeks, but I don't expect much of it. My scores have been fairly low in previous practice tests (somewhere between 155-160 in V and Q), although I believe I can do better at the AWA and there is some time for improvement.

 

Well, since I have to spend my money very wisely, any incoming advice for someone with a background like mine is welcome. My list of schools is below. I’m looking forward to fill the two extra spots with “safe schools” (if there is such thing at all).

1) Harvard

2) MIT

3) Penn

4) U. of Miami

5) ??

6) ??

this is indeed a very impressive resume. your number of classes may be slightly mitigate by the prestige of your school but 20+ i already that stage where the academic variety and amount is too big to fail you. as for your publications an conferences, even if they werent in amazing places, it takes passion to do that much. im presuming you are a underrepresented minority yes? if so you have a very good shot at top places provided the writing sample fits with the rest of the profile. at first i was gonna recommend to apply to a few places that dont require gre but universities may be able to over look if its just a native tongue thing.

 

i would replace penn for cornell since cornell has a reputation for favoring talented non-conventional students. i would consider a safety school in the UK or canada but that is up to you. with only 6 spots its really difficult . apply to a few places willing to refund you or waive the application fee in special cases like yours. i think columbia and a few others do this but im not so sure.

 

this advice will be more controversial an you prob wount like it but i feel compelled to inform you of it as a possibility. if you are low on cash and what you desire is going to a solid philosophy program even at the expense of a couple top ones, you can save the gre money (thats 180 dollars you can use on app and i doubt your application will improve because of gre scores, if anything due to language barrier it could count slightly agaisnt you) an apply to places that dont require it, that is, cornell and john hopkins, most canadian universities and the UK universities. the Uk in particular has more affordable application costs, even oxford being less than 50 dollars if i recall correctly. in my case, im going this route because of an intense dislike of gre but in your case, it may simply be a way to get the most of your buck.

Edited August 2, 2014 by HegelHatingHegelian

[reixis]

this is indeed a very impressive resume. your number of classes may be slightly mitigate by the prestige of your school but 20+ i already that stage where the academic variety and amount is too big to fail you. as for your publications an conferences, even if they werent in amazing places, it takes passion to do that much. im presuming you are a underrepresented minority yes? if so you have a very good shot at top places provided the writing sample fits with the rest of the profile. at first i was gonna recommend to apply to a few places that dont require gre but universities may be able to over look if its just a native tongue thing.

 

i would replace penn for cornell since cornell has a reputation for favoring talented non-conventional students. i would consider a safety school in the UK or canada but that is up to you. with only 6 spots its really difficult . apply to a few places willing to refund you or waive the application fee in special cases like yours. i think columbia and a few others do this but im not so sure.

 

this advice will be more controversial an you prob wount like it but i feel compelled to inform you of it as a possibility. if you are low on cash and what you desire is going to a solid philosophy program even at the expense of a couple top ones, you can save the gre money (thats 180 dollars you can use on app and i doubt your application will improve because of gre scores, if anything due to language barrier it could count slightly agaisnt you) an apply to places that dont require it, that is, cornell and john hopkins, most canadian universities and the UK universities. the Uk in particular has more affordable application costs, even oxford being less than 50 dollars if i recall correctly. in my case, im going this route because of an intense dislike of gre but in your case, it may simply be a way to get the most of your buck.

 

Thank you for the feedback. I don’t know whether I’m legally considered as a underrepresented minority (I don’t know the criteria for such a classification), but I believe so. I would say there are fewer than five students from my country at US philosophy programs right at this moment, and I’m sure there hasn’t been more than 30 in the past 50 years (as far as graduate program in philosophy is concerned).

 

As for my WS, I’ve been told by one of my letter writers that my work equals the quality of advanced students in top graduate programs (those were his words). I have considered Canada and the UK, but funding opportunities for overseas students are very limited and I cannot afford applying to these places too. In fact, this is a one-time shot for me, at least in the foreseeable future. If I don’t get admitted, I will have to work for maybe two years to be able to afford another round. Unfortunately, there are no opportunities for fee waives for international students. University policies usually restrict it to American citizens.

 

I share your concerns about the GRE. I have had a hard time preparing for it and now that I have less than two weeks for the test I had no choice but to gather on my desk and start studying. I recognize that I have what might be a good profile, but I still feel kind of lost on this whole process. I don’t know how things work in American academy and I always have the impression that the fact that I’m coming from nowhere will overshadow all the good aspects of my application. So, I thought that would be good to ask for advice from people who have been recently engaged in this process.

P.S.: I didn't know about Cornell. I read somewhere else that the philosophy department gave pedigree a great weight.

Edited August 2, 2014 by reixis

[MorganFreemanlives]

Thank you for the feedback. I don’t know whether I’m legally considered as a underrepresented minority (I don’t know the criteria for such a classification), but I believe so. I would say there are fewer than five students from my country at US philosophy programs right at this moment, and I’m sure there hasn’t been more than 30 in the past 50 years (as far as graduate program in philosophy is concerned).

 

As for my WS, I’ve been told by one of my letter writers that my work equals the quality of advanced students in top graduate programs (those were his words). I have considered Canada and the UK, but funding opportunities for overseas students are very limited and I cannot afford applying to these places too. In fact, this is a one-time shot for me, at least in the foreseeable future. If I don’t get admitted, I will have to work for maybe two years to be able to afford another round. Unfortunately, there are no opportunities for fee waives for international students. University policies usually restrict it to American citizens.

 

I share your concerns about the GRE. I have had a hard time preparing for it and now that I have less than two weeks for the test I had no choice but to gather on my desk and start studying. I recognize that I have what might be a good profile, but I still feel kind of lost on this whole process. I don’t know how things work in American academy and I always have the impression that the fact that I’m coming from nowhere will overshadow all the good aspects of my application. So, I thought that would be good to ask for advice from people who have been recently engaged in this process.

P.S.: I didn't know about Cornell. I read somewhere else that the philosophy department gave pedigree a great weight.

dont worry TOO much. remember that admissions committee hold pedigree in high regard because they view it as safe applications, but they also know this might put otherwise talented students without such privilege at a disadvantage. you are as  talented an international student resume as it could get barring a kripke so if they dont accept you, how could they possibly take any other non national?

 

this is just a conjecture i have always abide by but i think when an applicant has something very interesting going for him like URM status, interesting and relevant exceptional circumstances, and underrepresented interest in philosophy which would otherwise fit perfectly with a department and so on, an the department accepts a decent amount of applicants, i would say at last 7 or 8, the applicant's chances are what i would call a zebra admission. its that one spot for the promising  black sheep where his real competition will be other black sheep. the black sheep may not always be the very best applicant per se, but he is a welcomed spot for diversity and all that warm fuzzy stuff.

 

URM are the best example of this. graduate admissions are always pressured to accept more females and minorities for a variety of reasons, so lets say they admit 10 people in 1 year, they may want to save 1 or 2 spots to this category of students or at least make the preference for such selection obvious. in that regard your chances of admission may not be 10/x where  is the number of applicants but  1/ subset of x where the subset is the top student who happens to be a minority, and this will make your chances of admission far more manageable. you already have an application thats worthy of comparison to non minority applicants and the main hurdle of getting good letters from known people you seem to have overcome so i will not worry too much at this point.

Edited August 2, 2014 by HegelHatingHegelian

[The Pedanticist]

This is my first application season and I'm coming from South America (non-English speaking country). My interests are in metaphysics, philosophy of mind and philosophy of science.

 

Here’s my background: I have a 4.0 GPA and have taken 26 philosophy courses during my undergraduate (it's a four-year major). Not sure to what extent that is relevant, since my university is widely unknown internationally, although it is a top one in my country. I have 12 papers published (11 of them in my native tongue and in undergraduate journals) and one in English that appeared in a leading professional journal in my country, though I suspect people know about it in the US. I have also presented 14 papers at national conferences. I got two letters of recommendations from senior philosophers at two different Leiter’s Top 20 departments, which as far as I can gather, will be very good, and one from my professors at my home university.

 

I don’t have much money and will only be able to afford five or six applications. I will be taking the GRE in the next weeks, but I don't expect much of it. My scores have been fairly low in previous practice tests (somewhere between 155-160 in V and Q), although I believe I can do better at the AWA and there is some time for improvement.

 

Well, since I have to spend my money very wisely, any incoming advice for someone with a background like mine is welcome. My list of schools is below. I’m looking forward to fill the two extra spots with “safe schools” (if there is such thing at all).

1) Harvard

2) MIT

3) Penn

4) U. of Miami

5) ??

6) ??

 

I would suggest looking into both Arizona  and Virginia. How "safe" do you want the school to be?  

[reixis]

dont worry TOO much. remember that admissions committee hold pedigree in high regard because they view it as safe applications, but they also know this might put otherwise talented students without such privilege at a disadvantage. you are as  talented an international student resume as it could get barring a kripke so if they dont accept you, how could they possibly take any other non national?

 

this is just a conjecture i have always abide by but i think when an applicant has something very interesting going for him like URM status, interesting and relevant exceptional circumstances, and underrepresented interest in philosophy which would otherwise fit perfectly with a department and so on, an the department accepts a decent amount of applicants, i would say at last 7 or 8, the applicant's chances are what i would call a zebra admission. its that one spot for the promising  black sheep where his real competition will be other black sheep. the black sheep may not always be the very best applicant per se, but he is a welcomed spot for diversity and all that warm fuzzy stuff.

 

URM are the best example of this. graduate admissions are always pressured to accept more females and minorities for a variety of reasons, so lets say they admit 10 people in 1 year, they may want to save 1 or 2 spots to this category of students or at least make the preference for such selection obvious. in that regard your chances of admission may not be 10/x where  is the number of applicants but  1/ subset of x where the subset is the top student who happens to be a minority, and this will make your chances of admission far more manageable. you already have an application thats worthy of comparison to non minority applicants and the main hurdle of getting good letters from known people you seem to have overcome so i will not worry too much at this point.

 

Thanks! I didn't know about those political/social pressures on admissions committee. At the same time that I don’t think it is fair at all to have such an advantage over other people, that might help overcoming possible difficulties with my background. As you said, relying on pedigree is a way to ensure you are making a “safe bet” and I think that even though admissions folks are not consciously willing to rely on these criteria, they might do so unconsciously.

 

I would suggest looking into both Arizona  and Virginia. How "safe" do you want the school to be?  

 

I would say that a safe school in this situation is one in which I have considerably higher chances of admissions than the ones on the list I mentioned and yet one that offers a good education in the so-called analytic tradition. As I said, this might be a one-time opportunity in the near future for me, so I would like to make sure there is at least one place in which it is very likely that I will be admitted, even though I know that is something hard to evaluate beforehand.

[The Pedanticist]

I would say that a safe school in this situation is one in which I have considerably higher chances of admissions than the ones on the list I mentioned and yet one that offers a good education in the so-called analytic tradition. As I said, this might be a one-time opportunity in the near future for me, so I would like to make sure there is at least one place in which it is very likely that I will be admitted, even though I know that is something hard to evaluate beforehand.

 

My advice, for what is worth, is that you should create a couple of "tiers" of schools in terms of ranking on "safeness".  I would suggest picking 2 schools from the four you have chosen so far and placing those as your "top tier" schools (I would choose MIT and Penn, but that's just me), then choose two as "second tier" schools you might include schools ranked 20th or below (Miami might be included here) on the Gourmet report and choose a school in the 35 - 45 range.  If you want to be really safe add one that isn't ranked but has strong faculty in your areas of interest.  Schools for this category might include Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri (ranked 50th) or Illinois.  No one really knows the likelihood of getting into any one school, but this type of program gives you the best chance of getting into a school that meets your needs.  Again this is just what I've been advised to do by professors.  From what you've said I really do hope you get to study philosophy further.