2015 Applicants Assemble!

[Infinite Zest]

Hey everyone,

 

I thought I'd join you guys. I need a group of people to worry with.

 

I'm applying to to mostly top 10 PGR schools this Fall.

 

Info:

 

I'm coming from an Ivy League school with a ~3.90 GPA (~3.80 phil.). I won best philosophy student, and best student in my other science major, summa cum laude, distinction in both majors, etc.

 

I'm still trucking away at the writing sample (cut cut cut), but I'd like to think it's the strongest part of my application. It won best paper, it incorperates a lot of cutting edge empirical data with traditional analytic philosophy, and brings up points not found in the current phil. literature.

 

GRE: ??? I'm taking this beast soon & hoping for 165+ on V/Q.

 

Rec letters: 3 from philosophers, 1 from a scientist. All the philosophers are pretty well know. I seem to be in pretty good standing with everyone.

 

Overall, I think the biggest weakness in my application will be my philosophy grades. My philosophy GPA seems pretty low (relative to others on this forum), but I've gotten all As since senior year. Oh well, I guess every application has its weakness.

 

HI EVERYONE

[MorganFreemanlives]

Hey everyone,

 

I thought I'd join you guys. I need a group of people to worry with.

 

I'm applying to to mostly top 10 PGR schools this Fall.

 

Info:

 

I'm coming from an Ivy League school with a ~3.90 GPA (~3.80 phil.). I won best philosophy student, and best student in my other science major, summa cum laude, distinction in both majors, etc.

 

I'm still trucking away at the writing sample (cut cut cut), but I'd like to think it's the strongest part of my application. It won best paper, it incorperates a lot of cutting edge empirical data with traditional analytic philosophy, and brings up points not found in the current phil. literature.

 

GRE: ??? I'm taking this beast soon & hoping for 165+ on V/Q.

 

Rec letters: 3 from philosophers, 1 from a scientist. All the philosophers are pretty well know. I seem to be in pretty good standing with everyone.

 

Overall, I think the biggest weakness in my application will be my philosophy grades. My philosophy GPA seems pretty low (relative to others on this forum), but I've gotten all As since senior year. Oh well, I guess every application has its weakness.

 

HI EVERYONE

why only top 10? apply to top 30's if you want to avoid major disappointment. not to say you cant get in to any or even all top 10, but this is not something you should expect.  also to warn you, it seems you are interested in very empirical philosophy, perhaps even X phil, which means many philosophers hold will that agaisnt you. dont believe me, head over to leiterreports where he is currently doing a poll on what people who go to his site think of xphil. only 3 percent thinks its foundational and 41 % think its bad philosophy and psychology combined. thats twice as bad as the suspicion agaisnt metaphysics!

 

what im saying is, very few people should be cocky enough to only or even mostly apply to top 10, unless you can afford applying all 10 and it won flinch your bank account. in your case, be particularly wary of enemies you can make along he way on sample paper alone.  apply to top 30 schools with a particular focus on x phil, philosophy of bio, neurophilosophy ect where this bias is less likely to manifest.

[Infinite Zest]

why only top 10? apply to top 30's if you want to avoid major disappointment. not to say you cant get in to any or even all top 10, but this is not something you should expect.  also to warn you, it seems you are interested in very empirical philosophy, perhaps even X phil, which means many philosophers hold will that agaisnt you. dont believe me, head over to leiterreports where he is currently doing a poll on what people who go to his site think of xphil. only 3 percent thinks its foundational and 41 % think its bad philosophy and psychology combined. thats twice as bad as the suspicion agaisnt metaphysics!

 

what im saying is, very few people should be cocky enough to only or even mostly apply to top 10, unless you can afford applying all 10 and it won flinch your bank account. in your case, be particularly wary of enemies you can make along he way on sample paper alone.  apply to top 30 schools with a particular focus on x phil, philosophy of bio, neurophilosophy ect where this bias is less likely to manifest.

 

I didn't mean to come off as cocky! I know how easy it is to get rejected by ALL of you schools to which you apply, and I'm perfectly willing to accept such an outcome.

 

Still, my professors have recommended that I shoot for top schools. I'll be applying to ~14 schools overall, and I'm open to going into the sciences if none of my applications work out. Basically, I'm hoping for one acceptance--I don't need more than that.

 

I'm not at all interested in x-phil. (As an aside: I do think it gets a bad wrap.) Rather, what I meant to say is that I'm particularly interested in integrating, to some degree, empirical findings with the more traditional analytic method. Surely such a position isn't overly controversial, especially if not pushed to the extreme.

Edited August 3, 2014 by Infinite Zest

[Establishment]

why only top 10? apply to top 30's if you want to avoid major disappointment. not to say you cant get in to any or even all top 10, but this is not something you should expect.  also to warn you, it seems you are interested in very empirical philosophy, perhaps even X phil, which means many philosophers hold will that agaisnt you. dont believe me, head over to leiterreports where he is currently doing a poll on what people who go to his site think of xphil. only 3 percent thinks its foundational and 41 % think its bad philosophy and psychology combined. thats twice as bad as the suspicion agaisnt metaphysics!

 

what im saying is, very few people should be cocky enough to only or even mostly apply to top 10, unless you can afford applying all 10 and it won flinch your bank account. in your case, be particularly wary of enemies you can make along he way on sample paper alone.  apply to top 30 schools with a particular focus on x phil, philosophy of bio, neurophilosophy ect where this bias is less likely to manifest.

 

 

I was going to comment on that too, but to be fair, he just says mostly top-10, not only top-10.

 

Also, I have a suspicion Infinite Zest wasn't referring to x-phi. I was reading a MA thesis from a recent GSU alum which incorporated some recent empirical psychology to address a problem raised by Hume. I don't think this is what x-phi is, and is probably the sort of thing usually meant by people talking of incorporating empirical data and philosophy. But Infinite Zest can speak for himself.

 

EDIT: He beat me to it.

Edited August 3, 2014 by Establishment

[dgswaim]

There was one fellow that got in to all of the top 10 programs this last time 'round. Maybe lightning can strike twice. 

[Establishment]

There was one fellow that got in to all of the top 10 programs this last time 'round. Maybe lightning can strike twice. 

 

I think there's been data in the past that every year there's a couple of students that'll mop up the top-10/top-20 programs.

 

We are the 99%.

[Infinite Zest]

A friend of mine recently applied to only one philosophy graduate school, a PGR top 5 no less, and got in.

 

Is my strategy really that outlandish? Apply to quite a few top schools and hope for one or two acceptances. Is it any riskier than applying to only a couple top ten schools and hoping for the best?

 

By the way, I'm also applying to one 20-30 tier school and three schools ranked 10-20 (PGR rankings).

[jjb919]

A friend of mine recently applied to only one philosophy graduate school, a PGR top 5 no less, and got in.

 

Is my strategy really that outlandish? Apply to quite a few top schools and hope for one or two acceptances. Is it any riskier than applying to only a couple top ten schools and hoping for the best?

 

By the way, I'm also applying to one 20-30 tier school and three schools ranked 10-20 (PGR rankings).

 

Given your pedigree, impressive accomplishments, and heavy-hitting support, it may not be as big of a risk for you.  For most of the rest of us, however, that would be a bold move and a big risk; the probability of being shut out entirely is much greater.

[Establishment]

A friend of mine recently applied to only one philosophy graduate school, a PGR top 5 no less, and got in.

 

Is my strategy really that outlandish? Apply to quite a few top schools and hope for one or two acceptances. Is it any riskier than applying to only a couple top ten schools and hoping for the best?

 

By the way, I'm also applying to one 20-30 tier school and three schools ranked 10-20 (PGR rankings).

 

That sounds like a decent enough spread by itself were you only applying to Philosophy PhD's. But especially with some alternative plans of going into the sciences, I wouldn't worry about it. I don't think your application plan sounds unusual.

 

EDIT: I'd have to disagree with the above that your plan only makes sense given your pedigree.

 

I think there's two conflicting opinions regarding the app process. Some want to apply to programs only once, and don't have any back up plans, thus they apply to ~20 programs very broadly to increase their chances. The chances of getting shut out are just as equal for someone of your pedigree as for anyone else. The main difference is that you have established a focused interest on a set of programs and have some plans for if you do get shut out.

Edited August 4, 2014 by Establishment

[MorganFreemanlives]

There was one fellow that got in to all of the top 10 programs this last time 'round. Maybe lightning can strike twice. 

speak of the devil, i was just reading his writing sample on hume to get some ideas on how to perfect my writing sample.

[Infinite Zest]

That sounds like a decent enough spread by itself were you only applying to Philosophy PhD's. But especially with some alternative plans of going into the sciences, I wouldn't worry about it. I don't think your application plan sounds unusual.

 

EDIT: I'd have to disagree with the above that your plan only makes sense given your pedigree.

 

I think there's two conflicting opinions regarding the app process. Some want to apply to programs only once, and don't have any back up plans, thus they apply to ~20 programs very broadly to increase their chances. The chances of getting shut out are just as equal for someone of your pedigree as for anyone else. The main difference is that you have established a focused interest on a set of programs and have some plans for if you do get shut out.

 

This is my line of thinking. I'd rather get rejected altogether and do something else with my life than go to a graduate school that I only have a lukewarm interest in. Coincidentally, the majority of the top ten PGR programs are aligned with my academic interests.

 

This perspective seems applicable regardless of "pedigree."

 

On that note, how many programs are you all applying to?

[Lutefisk!]

This is my line of thinking. I'd rather get rejected altogether and do something else with my life than go to a graduate school that I only have a lukewarm interest in. Coincidentally, the majority of the top ten PGR programs are aligned with my academic interests.

 

This perspective seems applicable regardless of "pedigree."

 

On that note, how many programs are you all applying to?

I'll probably apply to 10-15 programs.

[dgswaim]

This is my line of thinking. I'd rather get rejected altogether and do something else with my life than go to a graduate school that I only have a lukewarm interest in. Coincidentally, the majority of the top ten PGR programs are aligned with my academic interests.

 

This perspective seems applicable regardless of "pedigree."

 

On that note, how many programs are you all applying to?

Last time around I applied to a combined total of something like 19 schools (MA and PhD programs) and accepted a funded MA. In 2016 I'll probably apply to about 15 PhD programs. I have a tentative list (in my signature) of schools that seem appealing. I'd prefer, ideally, a program with people working in both "Continental" and "Analytic" philosophy. I'm interested in both and I'm interested in integrating.

[The Pedanticist]

This is my line of thinking. I'd rather get rejected altogether and do something else with my life than go to a graduate school that I only have a lukewarm interest in. Coincidentally, the majority of the top ten PGR programs are aligned with my academic interests.

 

This perspective seems applicable regardless of "pedigree."

 

On that note, how many programs are you all applying to?

 

I think your plan is fine.  Hopefully all goes well for you.  I'll be applying to at least 15 schools.

[MorganFreemanlives]

about 8-12 places, but its a forced number on me. since i wont take the gre, u.s and canada is about 6 and the UK is about 6.

[Establishment]

This is my line of thinking. I'd rather get rejected altogether and do something else with my life than go to a graduate school that I only have a lukewarm interest in. Coincidentally, the majority of the top ten PGR programs are aligned with my academic interests.

 

This perspective seems applicable regardless of "pedigree."

 

On that note, how many programs are you all applying to?

 

Probably around 3 or 4 PhD's. Carnegie Mellon, Notre Dame, and Ohio State. Maybe Stanford.

Edited August 4, 2014 by Establishment

[jjb919]

10 schools, listed in my signature.

[reixis]

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.  

 

Thanks! I'll take a look at those schools. 

[NathanKellen]

Probably around 3 or 4 PhD's. Carnegie Mellon, Notre Dame, and Ohio State. Maybe Stanford.

What topics are you interested in in mathematical logic? I might be able to suggest some other places you could try as well. I don't work in mathematical logic but know plenty of people in the area.

[MorganFreemanlives]

What topics are you interested in in mathematical logic? I might be able to suggest some other places you could try as well. I don't work in mathematical logic but know plenty of people in the area.

i have heard that university of Barcelona and university of Amsterdam have their own decent logic programs.

[NathanKellen]

i have heard that university of Barcelona and university of Amsterdam have their own decent logic programs.

Amsterdam has a great logic program in the ILLC. I don't really recognize any of the people at Barcelona, but their LOGOS center is good in general. If I were to suggest going to Europe though, I'd just say MCMP and be done with it.

[Establishment]

What topics are you interested in in mathematical logic? I might be able to suggest some other places you could try as well. I don't work in mathematical logic but know plenty of people in the area.

 

Proof theory.

 

I know there are other places. Texas A&M for instance. UC San Diego has Buss. But overall there's not much proof theory done in the states. There's probably more abroad. Amsterdam has a younger bloke and Troelstra, but I've heard Troelstra is no longer a viable advisor. There's Helsinki with Negri and Plato. Munich and St. Andrews also have a bloke or two.

[NathanKellen]

Ah yeah, proof theory is great. There's a lot of people interested in that around here, but mostly for philosophical applications (e.g. Dave Ripley), and so not really up your alley.

 

I take it you're not leaving the US then? Greg Restall is a great guy and does fantastic work on proof theory as well, but maybe not quite as mathematically inclined as you'd like.

[Establishment]

Ah yeah, proof theory is great. There's a lot of people interested in that around here, but mostly for philosophical applications (e.g. Dave Ripley), and so not really up your alley.

 

I take it you're not leaving the US then? Greg Restall is a great guy and does fantastic work on proof theory as well, but maybe not quite as mathematically inclined as you'd like.

 

Leaving? Probably not. I'm a bigger fan of the North American PhD system than the European DPhil given the funding situation, the domestic employment advantage, and being not as strictly focused just on research. And since I'm largely expecting to go into a different career now, I feel a lot less pressured to apply perhaps as broadly as I otherwise would have (where I would have thrown the dice at some European and additional North American universities).

Edited August 7, 2014 by Establishment

[kant_get_in]

Undergrad: I studied Philosophy and Sociology at a middle tier university. I graduated with a 3.6 GPA (I slacked off my first two years, blah blah blah). My major GPA is 3.8 in philosophy and 4.0 in sociology. 

 

Grad: I did my MA in philosophy at an un-"Lieterific" program. I graduated with a 3.8 GPA. 

 

My letter writers are well known in their respective fields, and at least one of them is on the verge of mainstream success (judging by the attention given to his recent publications).

 

My writing sample is on Robert Nozick's theory of utopia, the framework for utopias, and how insular communities problematize this account of utopia.

 

I applied to PhD programs last year. I was accepted to three, but only one of them was able to secure adequate funding for me. I was accepted to SUNY Binghamton, SUNY Albany, and USC's (South Carolina not Southern California) MA program (with conditional acceptance to the PhD afterwards).  I rejected each of these offers.

I applied with GRE scores that were low compared to other philosophy majors: 161v 156q and 4a. I have been practicing for the test, and I will take it again in October and November.