Decisions 2015!

[phil-life]

In my opinion, Montreal is a better city than Toronto to live in. But maybe it's just me.

 

I've also heard that Toronto has a *huge* department, which makes it hard to talk to everybody. But it also has a near 1-to-1 faculty-student ratio, which presumably makes it easier to talk to the ones you do want to talk to?

 

----

I've also just realized your acceptance is from IHPST, which means I'm probably either waitlisted or rejected   (haven't heard back from them.)

 

At any rate, congrats!

I've been to both of the McGill and UofT philosophy departments and also IHPST. As you mentioned, Montreal is a really fun city. but UofT's philosophy department is really larger. Have you ever been in any of the 2 schools?

 

And yes, I have admission from IHPST. Thanks. But they may release results later as well, if anyone declines.

 

You've been accepted into LPS of Irvine! That seems to be an amazing program!

[DontFly]

I've been to both of the McGill and UofT philosophy departments and also IHPST. As you mentioned, Montreal is a really fun city. but UofT's philosophy department is really larger. Have you ever been in any of the 2 schools?

And yes, I have admission from IHPST. Thanks. But they may release results later as well, if anyone declines.

You've been accepted into LPS of Irvine! That seems to be an amazing program!

Yes! So far through correspondence it seems like a great department!

I have been to both cities, but neither of the schools. I used to be very much opposed to the idea of a gigantic department like that of Toronto, but chatting with a friend made me realize it has its advantages. The faculty-student ratio is one of them; you also get more options if initial supervisor doesn't work out. The IHPST is also a lot smaller too.

If you have been to both of them, try use gut feelings? Someone told me gut feelings is the best when it comes to important decisions. They are also pretty on par reputation-wise, so it won't be a big tradeoff either or.

[phil-life]

The great thing about IHPST is that students have full access to philosophy department. I guess , but still I'm waiting for a cpuple of other results. But so far, gut is inclined towards UofT

BTW, I see that you've applied for a couple of Canadian programs, but no McGill. If you don't mind, can I ask why?

Yes! So far through correspondence it seems like a great department!

I have been to both cities, but neither of the schools. I used to be very much opposed to the idea of a gigantic department like that of Toronto, but chatting with a friend made me realize it has its advantages. The faculty-student ratio is one of them; you also get more options if initial supervisor doesn't work out. The IHPST is also a lot smaller too.

If you have been to both of them, try use gut feelings? Someone told me gut feelings is the best when it comes to important decisions. They are also pretty on par reputation-wise, so it won't be a big tradeoff either or.

[kosmo]

I've just declined CUNY. Hope that helps!

[DontFly]

BTW, I see that you've applied for a couple of Canadian programs, but no McGill. If you don't mind, can I ask why?

Lack of fit, that's all. I pretty much do exclusively science related stuff (maybe plus some science related epistemology and history of analytic). My criterion for choosing schools was to have at least two philosophers of science and at least one in phil of a special science that's not math or physics. McGill didn't get on my radar for that reason. (I don't think its hps program has a grad component.)

[phil-life]

Lack of fit, that's all. I pretty much do exclusively science related stuff (maybe plus some science related epistemology and history of analytic). My criterion for choosing schools was to have at least two philosophers of science and at least one in phil of a special science that's not math or physics. McGill didn't get on my radar for that reason. (I don't think its hps program has a grad component.)

 

Thanks for the response! 

 

They don't have an active hps track in their philosophy department, you are right!

[verificationist]

OK, people, it's decided. After having been rejected by Columbia and having gotten a first-round acceptance into UT-Austin, it is Texas for me next year. Ah, that certainly is a big 'take that' to Northwestern, Maryland and Brown for having spurned my writing sample!

 

Haven't hear from Ohio nor U Conn at all. Presumed rejection from Mass.-Amherst, but I still love them because I sent them a weaker writing sample, since unfortunately my main sample was too long for them.

 

Will decline the following offers:

 

Missouri

U of Miami

Colorado (waitlist)

Indiana (waitlist)

 

My stats were these:

 

GRE: 170 V, 162 Q, 5.5 A

BA Philosophy. British degree. Very low 2:1, borderline 2:2

 

I am doing an MA in the UK, but I didn't send any graduate grades because I didn't have any yet. I think it's a miracle I got a good outcome given how low my BA grades were, but one caveat is that it's from a place with very, very good pedigree. All recommendations are from well-known people. I think I got into UT-Austin because I wrote on a very traditional phil of language topic, and perhaps it resonated with some of the faculty there. That's it, I guess!

Edited March 6, 2015 by verificationist

[philstudent1991]

OK, people, it's decided. After having been rejected by Columbia and having gotten a first-round acceptance into UT-Austin, it is Texas for me next year. Ah, that certainly is a big 'take that' to Northwestern, Maryland and Brown for having spurned my writing sample!

 

Haven't hear from Ohio nor U Conn at all. Presumed rejection from Mass.-Amherst, but I still love them because I sent them a weaker writing sample, since unfortunately my main sample was too long for them.

 

Will decline the following offers:

 

Missouri

U of Miami

Colorado (waitlist)

Indiana (waitlist)

 

My stats were these:

 

GRE: 170 V, 162 Q, 5.5 A

BA Philosophy. British degree. Very low 2:1, borderline 2:2

 

I am doing an MA in the UK, but I didn't send any graduate grades because I didn't have any yet. I think it's a miracle I got a good outcome given how low my BA grades were, but one caveat is that it's from a place with very, very good pedigree. All recommendations are from well-known people. I think I got into UT-Austin because I wrote on a very traditional phil of language topic, and perhaps it resonated with some of the faculty there. That's it, I guess!

Congratulations, and thanks for the very helpful post I'm sure a lot of people will appreciate this. Texas is a great program, and Austin is a great city to live in. 

[Nastasya_Filippovna]

I just wrote USF because I hadn't heard from them, and apparently my acceptance email must have gotten lost somehow because I was accepted there! So now I have my options: 

 

Acceptances: USF, Wayne State, Temple

Wait lists: UW-Madison, Purdue

 

At this point I have no idea what odds are for the wait-lists or when I may hear back, and that adds so much stress! As far as the acceptances go, there are things that appeal to me about all the programs. I'll be visiting Wayne State in two weeks (trip got delayed), and I have more encouraging news about Temple after contacting some profs there who did get back to me and appear to be very knowledgeable in my AOIs. USF has a good program for me too. Right now I am just drained and overwhelmed!

[Duns Eith]

I just wrote USF because I hadn't heard from them, and apparently my acceptance email must have gotten lost somehow because I was accepted there! So now I have my options:

Acceptances: USF, Wayne State, Temple

Wait lists: UW-Madison, Purdue

At this point I have no idea what odds are for the wait-lists or when I may hear back, and that adds so much stress! As far as the acceptances go, there are things that appeal to me about all the programs. I'll be visiting Wayne State in two weeks (trip got delayed), and I have more encouraging news about Temple after contacting some profs there who did get back to me and appear to be very knowledgeable in my AOIs. USF has a good program for me too. Right now I am just drained and overwhelmed!

Suppose these were all acceptances, how would you prioritize them?

Madison

Purdue

USF

Temple

Wayne

?

Or what do you think?

I can't remember what you're going into.

[ianfaircloud]

OK, people, it's decided. After having been rejected by Columbia and having gotten a first-round acceptance into UT-Austin, it is Texas for me next year. Ah, that certainly is a big 'take that' to Northwestern, Maryland and Brown for having spurned my writing sample!

 

Haven't hear from Ohio nor U Conn at all. Presumed rejection from Mass.-Amherst, but I still love them because I sent them a weaker writing sample, since unfortunately my main sample was too long for them.

 

Will decline the following offers:

 

Missouri

U of Miami

Colorado (waitlist)

Indiana (waitlist)

 

My stats were these:

 

GRE: 170 V, 162 Q, 5.5 A

BA Philosophy. British degree. Very low 2:1, borderline 2:2

 

I am doing an MA in the UK, but I didn't send any graduate grades because I didn't have any yet. I think it's a miracle I got a good outcome given how low my BA grades were, but one caveat is that it's from a place with very, very good pedigree. All recommendations are from well-known people. I think I got into UT-Austin because I wrote on a very traditional phil of language topic, and perhaps it resonated with some of the faculty there. That's it, I guess!

 

UT Austin is great. Congrats to you.

[Nastasya_Filippovna]

Suppose these were all acceptances, how would you prioritize them?

Madison

Purdue

USF

Temple

Wayne

?

Or what do you think?

I can't remember what you're going into.

Ahhh Turretin what do you think? The first two you have spot-on. My first two picks, in that order, are 1- UW-Madison and then Purdue. As far as the other three, do you or does anybody else have any opinion on school reputation? I am beginning the placement research (i do have some info regarding Wayne State's Placement but the other two I have yet to investigate). Any advice would be greatly appreciated! My main AOIs are philosophy of mind and philosophy of language (particularly in respect to the work of Davidson, Quine and Putnam), epistemology. I also like a bit of continental- in truth I love Nietzsche and some Hegel, but my ultimate dissertation interests are in the former categories.

[BerryHill]

Hi.

I think Turretin's prioritization of schools is spot-on. USF is strong in the history of phil. & continental phil. PM me if you have any questions about USF; a friend of mine is getting their BA in philosophy up there.

[dullandwitlessboy]

I just declined admissions to UC Davis, as well as the Tufts MA program. Hope this helps someone. Hopefully will decline a few more schools here in the next few days as I narrow down my options (having to spend this much time thinking through schools is grueling, but it's a super good problem to have, and I'm humbled and flabbergasted that I even have this problem).

[duckrabbit11]

Are there any good resources to learn more about the climate and reputation of specific departments (e.g. faculty aren't interesting in advising students, students take longer than usual to finish, etc.)?

 

I know there's the Gourmet Report, department websites, and placement records/analyses of placement records, but they don't cover climate or reputation. I plan on visiting the schools I'm considering, but I'd hope there might be a more objective place to find out about the schools.

 

There's also the the "" thread, but unfortunately the schools I'm considering aren't covered much there, so it's not much help.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sorry if this question has been asked before elsewhere.

[philadam]

Are there any good resources to learn more about the climate and reputation of specific departments (e.g. faculty aren't interesting in advising students, students take longer than usual to finish, etc.)?

 

I know there's the Gourmet Report, department websites, and placement records/analyses of placement records, but they don't cover climate or reputation. I plan on visiting the schools I'm considering, but I'd hope there might be a more objective place to find out about the schools.

 

There's also the the "" thread, but unfortunately the schools I'm considering aren't covered much there, so it's not much help.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sorry if this question has been asked before elsewhere.

I don't believe there's any aggregated and/or more 'objective' source for information about climate. There was something in the works last year at the department I'm at, but the project was halted, though I'm not privy as to what the concerns/issues were.

I take it that the best option, probably for both questions about climate and 'reputation' is to get in touch with graduate students at the various departments. I know a graduate student at Chicago who seems trustworthy that I could put you in touch with if you end up going this route.

Edited March 9, 2015 by philadam

[kosmo]

I declined a funded offer from Vanderbilt yesterday. Will also decline Rice soon. hope this helps!

[NathanKellen]

Are there any good resources to learn more about the climate and reputation of specific departments (e.g. faculty aren't interesting in advising students, students take longer than usual to finish, etc.)?

 

I know there's the Gourmet Report, department websites, and placement records/analyses of placement records, but they don't cover climate or reputation. I plan on visiting the schools I'm considering, but I'd hope there might be a more objective place to find out about the schools.

 

There's also the the "" thread, but unfortunately the schools I'm considering aren't covered much there, so it's not much help.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sorry if this question has been asked before elsewhere.

As philadam said, I'd just get in touch with some grad students. See if you can find the head of their grad student association or whatever (most schools have one of these) and ask them. I do this for the grads at UConn, for example.

 

In my experience most, grads will answer questions completely honestly about their department life. Most people recognise they have a moral duty to do so, and they aren't so far removed from your position that they've forgotten how difficult it can be to get real, reliable information.

[Mather]

Not sure if this is the appropriate place to put this, but:

 

If anyone has questions about Columbia, shoot me a message, and I'll answer to the best of my ability. I'm in my second year in the philosophy PhD at Columbia and currently serving as one of the grad student reps. My precise areas of interest are hard to pin down, but, roughly speaking, I'm interested the history of philosophy (esp., Kant), normativity, and agency. As a quick, general remark, I've found Columbia to be a wonderful place to study philosophy with a supportive faculty, an active and friendly graduate community, a healthy range of diversity with respect to philosophical interests, and plenty of other great academic resources within and outside of the university.

 

I'm also a former UW-Milwaukee MA student. So, if you've got questions about that program, I'm happy to throw in my two cents, though, naturally, I'd encourage you to contact current students in the program, too.

[MissingBlue]

Well it's Pittsburgh for me! Just accepted their offer.

[IWokeUpLikeThis]

Not sure if this is the appropriate place to put this, but:

 

If anyone has questions about Columbia, shoot me a message, and I'll answer to the best of my ability. I'm in my second year in the philosophy PhD at Columbia and currently serving as one of the grad student reps. My precise areas of interest are hard to pin down, but, roughly speaking, I'm interested the history of philosophy (esp., Kant), normativity, and agency. As a quick, general remark, I've found Columbia to be a wonderful place to study philosophy with a supportive faculty, an active and friendly graduate community, a healthy range of diversity with respect to philosophical interests, and plenty of other great academic resources within and outside of the university.

 

I'm also a former UW-Milwaukee MA student. So, if you've got questions about that program, I'm happy to throw in my two cents, though, naturally, I'd encourage you to contact current students in the program, too.

Hi! I'm waitlisted at Columbia. My AOI are epistemology, philosophy of mind, and metaethics (especially reasoning and rationality). My questions for you are 1. Do you have any idea how large the incoming class typically is? 2. Do you have any idea how many students are typically admitted off the waitlist? I've been told it's a "short" waitlist and that it's not linearly- ordered. I know those (especially the second) are not easy questions. But I appreciate any help you can provide!! I will be at the prospectives visit.

[herenowagain]

Hi! I'm waitlisted at Columbia. My AOI are epistemology, philosophy of mind, and metaethics (especially reasoning and rationality). My questions for you are 1. Do you have any idea how large the incoming class typically is? 2. Do you have any idea how many students are typically admitted off the waitlist? I've been told it's a "short" waitlist and that it's not linearly- ordered. I know those (especially the second) are not easy questions. But I appreciate any help you can provide!! I will be at the prospectives visit.

 

I think the rule of thumb is that you can expect them to go as deep into the waitlist as there are spots. So if the incoming class is 5, then (generally speaking) you can wager on them going 5 deep into their waitlist. But this stuff is so random and crazy, the rule of thumb here might be useless folk wisdom.

[TheNaturalist]

Hey everyone -- So the final decision for me comes down to between Northwestern, Indiana, and UMass Amherst. I am going to take myself off the waitlist at UW-Madison. I am going to visit UMass in about a week, but right now I'm leaning toward Northwestern, assuming two of the faculty I want to work with decide to stay there. So chances are I will be declining Indiana and UMass in a couple weeks (but who knows!). Hope this helps someone and congrats to all!

[isostheneia]

I think the rule of thumb is that you can expect them to go as deep into the waitlist as there are spots. So if the incoming class is 5, then (generally speaking) you can wager on them going 5 deep into their waitlist. But this stuff is so random and crazy, the rule of thumb here might be useless folk wisdom.

 

I hadn't heard this rule of thumb before. I'd be interested to know if you (or anyone else) have any more thoughts as to how true it is. Pitt is definitely my top choice, so any insight into my chances would be welcome.

[Nastasya_Filippovna]

I hadn't heard this rule of thumb before. I'd be interested to know if you (or anyone else) have any more thoughts as to how true it is. Pitt is definitely my top choice, so any insight into my chances would be welcome.

I certainly don't know the "rule of thumb" either; I wonder if it would be different for different departments. I hope Pitt works out for you! Which of your offers are you leaning towards? UCSD?