2015 Acceptance Thread

[MissingBlue]

I was starting to lose hope but then, suddenly, I got an acceptance email from Pitt! First acceptance and it's the best school I applied to!

I had to get my partner to read the email to me, because I started hyperventilating and jumping up and down just at the sight of the subject line, 'good news from pitt'.

[isostheneia]

I was starting to lose hope but then, suddenly, I got an acceptance email from Pitt! First acceptance and it's the best school I applied to!

I had to get my partner to read the email to me, because I started hyperventilating and jumping up and down just at the sight of the subject line, 'good news from pitt'.

 

Jeez, congratulations so much. I'm incredibly jealous. Still waiting for that email to appear in my inbox...

[MissingBlue]

Jeez, congratulations so much. I'm incredibly jealous. Still waiting for that email to appear in my inbox...

Thanks

I'm from a non-ranked school in South Africa, so I really didn't think I'd stand a chance.

[sidebysondheim]

That's awesome! Congrats! 

[reixis]

Thanks

I'm from a non-ranked school in South Africa, so I really didn't think I'd stand a chance.

Congrats! Are you coming from an MA or straight out of undergraduate?

[MissingBlue]

Congrats! Are you coming from an MA or straight out of undergraduate?

From an MA.

[a_for_aporia]

I was starting to lose hope but then, suddenly, I got an acceptance email from Pitt! First acceptance and it's the best school I applied to!

I had to get my partner to read the email to me, because I started hyperventilating and jumping up and down just at the sight of the subject line, 'good news from pitt'.

 

Congrats!!!! I would be hyperventilating too

 

It's very encouraging to hear that you got accepted by the best program you applied to, but rejected by the lower ones! How many lower ranked programs have you been rejected by (if you don't mind my asking)? 

[MissingBlue]

Congrats!!!! I would be hyperventilating too

It's very encouraging to hear that you got accepted by the best program you applied to, but rejected by the lower ones! How many lower ranked programs have you been rejected by (if you don't mind my asking)?

No rejections yet--waiting on Cornell and Stanford. I didn't hear anything from San Diego, but the Science Studies program apparently only decides in March. I'm still not clear on what the protocol with Philosophy+Science Studies admission notification is. I emailed Eric Watkins a week ago, but he hasn't responded.

I felt silly applying to only four schools, but my advisor was very encouraging and my finances were too low to apply to more. I decided to aim high. So happy it paid off!!

Edited February 21, 2015 by missing_shade_of_blue

[Cecinestpasunphilosophe]

Congrats!!!! I would be hyperventilating too

 

It's very encouraging to hear that you got accepted by the best program you applied to, but rejected by the lower ones! How many lower ranked programs have you been rejected by (if you don't mind my asking)? 

Indeed it is! 

 

Hope springs eternal in the human breast;

Man never is, but always to be blessed:

The soul, uneasy and confined from home,

Rests and expatiates in a life to come.

Edited February 21, 2015 by Cecinestpasunphilosophe

[LennyBound]

BUT CHALMERS! Here is Chalmers with a lightsaber (and me). 

I was at a Halloween costume party in Boston a few years ago and Chalmers showed up. He came straight from a conference at Harvard, and didn't have a costume on. I asked him what he was and without missing a beat he replied "my zombie twin." 

[Nastasya_Filippovna]

congrats to pitt and NYU acceptances!! I am not surprised I did not get into either- they were dream schools! But big round of applause to those who did! And I am mad jelly of those who are buddies with Chalmers!

[Establishment]

It's like dfindley 2.0

[popsteady]

I don't mean to change the subject(s), but I was just wondering: does anyone know* the percentage of PhD applicants/admissions who already have their MA? 

 

 

* Epistemology jokes notwithstanding.

[Matt Bauer]

I don't mean to change the subject(s), but I was just wondering: does anyone know* the percentage of PhD applicants/admissions who already have their MA?

* Epistemology jokes notwithstanding.

I have heard roughly 30%

[Establishment]

According to Kukla from Georgetown (http://leiterreports.typepad.com/blog/2013/03/masters-degrees-postdocs-and-the-hyperprofessionalization-of-philosophy-kukla.html), "the large majority of the people we admitted [in 2013] had some graduate training already," and that there is a, "hefty – and I think growing – percentage of the students we admit are coming out of terminal MA programs."

 

I think it'll vary from school to school and year to year. I think USCD had a year where like everyone they admitted came from GSU, other schools might rarely admit MA students that one might think they were biased against them. Matt Bauer's figure might be a safe average, albeit one that has been and will probably continue to increase.

 

Here's one ranking (http://www.philosophynews.com/image.axd?picture=%2f2013%2f10%2fMAplacement_14.png) (from: http://www.philosophynews.com/post/2013/10/20/Graduate-School-in-Philosophy-Terminal-MA-Programs-In-Philosophy.aspx) of PhD programs based on percentage of admitted students with MA's. I have no idea how accurate it is though. Georgetown is relatively low on the list despite Kukla's report. UCSD and UCR are high however, which I would expect. These to me seem to admit a lot of MA students.

[NathanKellen]

I'll throw some numbers out there for UConn (just the ones I know, from the past couple years). They might not be representative of any larger trend throughout the profession, and I have no idea about what this year's data will be like unfortunately.

 

Fall 2011: 5 students - 1 with MA

 

Fall 2012: 6 students - 2 with MAs

 

Fall 2013: 10 students - 3 with MAs (and two more with similar coursework/degrees)

 

Fall 2014: 7 students - 6 with MAs

 

The 2014 class was a surprise to me at least. That's a huge percentage.

[sidebysondheim]

It's like dfindley 2.0

 

I went back to find the dfindley thread and holy crap. 

[overoverover]

Like UConn, this year's BU cohort had a huge number of incoming students with an MA (and by huge, I mean 6 of the 6 had an MA). That's sort of unusual: in my cohort, there were 2 students with MAs out of 7. The year before that, I think there were 2 out of 6. I don't know (and wouldn't even want to guess) what next year will be like. 

[hopeontelevision]

Hi All,

This forum was super helpful to me when I was applying, so I thought I'd pay it forward. I'm a PhD student in the philosophy department at Western Ontario. If any admits have questions about visitation, the program, etc, feel free to ask me here or PM me. I'm also a resident in the Rotman Institute if anyone has questions about that!

[ineedwine]

Hi All,

This forum was super helpful to me when I was applying, so I thought I'd pay it forward. I'm a PhD student in the philosophy department at Western Ontario. If any admits have questions about visitation, the program, etc, feel free to ask me here or PM me. I'm also a resident in the Rotman Institute if anyone has questions about that!

I applied there. I'm not sure if they admit international students for their MA but I guess i'll find out. It's a perfect fit for me. How's the environment/profs? Do you know when they generally release decisions? What are you studying there?

[Twas Brillig]

Congratulations to everyone accepted to Pitt! See you all on March 18.

[mariePhy]

Hi All,

This forum was super helpful to me when I was applying, so I thought I'd pay it forward. I'm a PhD student in the philosophy department at Western Ontario. If any admits have questions about visitation, the program, etc, feel free to ask me here or PM me. I'm also a resident in the Rotman Institute if anyone has questions about that!

Hi,

 

I have been offered admission to Western Ontario and I have some worries about funding (UWO offers a financial support package of 30000 dollars per year for 4 years, but i am expected to pay tuition and fees -19500 dollars per year, for an international student- from this amount). The letter I received says that details will come only after I accept their offers. Do you have any information about stipends or additional funding possibilities? Am I supposed to live with 875 dollars per month? I would be very grateful for any info at this point!

[flybottle]

Hi,

 

I have been offered admission to Western Ontario and I have some worries about funding (UWO offers a financial support package of 30000 dollars per year for 4 years, but i am expected to pay tuition and fees -19500 dollars per year, for an international student- from this amount). The letter I received says that details will come only after I accept their offers. Do you have any information about stipends or additional funding possibilities? Am I supposed to live with 875 dollars per month? I would be very grateful for any info at this point!

 

I'm not a Western Ontario student, but I will just flag the "no details until you accept" aspect. If that's right-- and, frankly, I would be shocked if they really meant that-- it's a huge red flag. Bluntly, call them on that shit: it is absolutely unacceptable to prevent prospective students from making a well-informed decision, including based on financial considerations. 

 

I've received an offer from a different Canadian school (Toronto) in a different discipline, and they also have a very tight funding package; relative to the US, this seems to be somewhat normal. However, Toronto suggested to me that they initial offer isn't the final offer. I don't know what your negotiating position is, but finances are a very important aspect of deciding where to go, and if the program really wants to you, they should try to make the strongest offer to you that they can. 

Edited February 23, 2015 by flybottle

[hopeontelevision]

I applied there. I'm not sure if they admit international students for their MA but I guess i'll find out. It's a perfect fit for me. How's the environment/profs? Do you know when they generally release decisions? What are you studying there?

 

Hi indeedwine,

Sorry I can't be more help, but the Theory and Criticism department is seperate from the Philosophy department. The Philosophy department admits international students, so I would assume the Theory and Crit department does too, but I'm not sure.

[ineedwine]

Hi indeedwine,

Sorry I can't be more help, but the Theory and Criticism department is seperate from the Philosophy department. The Philosophy department admits international students, so I would assume the Theory and Crit department does too, but I'm not sure.

Ahh, I failed to recognize that. Oh well, thanks anyway.