Fall 2016 Applicants: Introduce Yourselves

[oddnumber]

Hi everyone!

I'm the new admin for the private Facebook group for women-identifying applicants. If you would like to join, please private message me and I will add you to the group. The aim is to create a supportive space for women-identifying applicants, and it includes useful information about the climate at different departments.

Just a little bit about me: I'm currently in my final year at Oxford studying Maths and Philosophy, and my main interests are in Philosophy of Mind and Early Modern Philosophy. I also enjoy formal work, and am keen to delve deeper into ethics and epistemology. 

[gughok]

Hey everybody,

I've heard TGC has been quiet this year but I thought I'd try to make my contribution. I haven't actually decided if I'm applying for this cycle - I'm currently trying to choose between going for it or taking a year off, which is quite the conundrum.

I'm a fourth-year Linguistics and Philosophy major at Cornell, though I started out studying Physics and waded through some Math. I'd really love to work on philosophy of mind and AI at somewhere like NYU or Rutgers but I don't fancy my chances much at the moment.

One question: signatures? I saw instructions somewhere for how to make one, but I couldn't figure it out, and I saw elsewhere that they've been disabled.

[Hadeel]

Hi everyone!

I'm the new admin for the private Facebook group for women-identifying applicants. If you would like to join, please private message me and I will add you to the group. The aim is to create a supportive space for women-identifying applicants, and it includes useful information about the climate at different departments.

Just a little bit about me: I'm currently in my final year at Oxford studying Maths and Philosophy, and my main interests are in Philosophy of Mind and Early Modern Philosophy. I also enjoy formal work, and am keen to delve deeper into ethics and epistemology. 

Hi, I have messaged you but it hasn't been read so far or something is wrong maybe. Let me know if you have received it. Thanks 

[SamStone]

Hey all!

I thought I'd introduce myself. 

I'm in the process of finishing up my MA in philosophy at one of the so-called T7 programs. My previous degrees are in art (BFA) and theology (MA). 

My interests are listed in my signature, so I won't mention them here.

I'll be applying to philosophy PhD programs this year...I am still in the process of composing my list of schools, but I will definitely be applying to: Yale, Harvard, Columbia, Pitt, U-Chicago, Northwestern, UT-Austin, UC-Berkeley, UC-Riverside and UC-San Diego

[thatsjustsemantics]

Hi, I thought I would introduce myself as well! I'll probably make a signature once this forum gets busier.

1. B.A. in Philosophy (GPA 3.8x/P-GPA 3.8x)

2.  AOI: time, metametaphysics, language, feminism

3. I'll be applying to fifteen schools, all PhD programs! Of course, three of them are "lower ranked"according to the PGR but excellent fits for my AOI; If I get shut out, I'll take it as a good sign and pack my bags elsewhere.



 

Edited October 27, 2015 by thatsjustsemantics

[VentureIntoNothingness]

Hi All,

I am an international student going to a US uni. I don't think I am as competitive as most of people here, but I figured I'd just give it a try. I would like to study Spinoza/Schpenhauer. I am particularly interested in metaphysics, philosophy of mind, and epistemology (the order indicating the level of my interest).  My writing sample is currently under development about proposing a model interpreting Spinoza's "Essence." My GPA so far is comparatively "bad," 3.5 cumulative (philosophy: 3.55; psychology: 3.7; mathematics: 3.4). Since I am also applying to some psych programs that I feel I have better chances of getting in, I am aiming high for phil programs. My recent GRE score is disclosed in my signature with AW score pending. 

[sidebysondheim]

Why not UNC for philosophy? Alan Nelson is a really fantastic early modern scholar, we also have great people for metaphysics and epistemology. Philosophy of mind isn't super strong but we have jr faculty who are doing work in it.

Mostly saying just because you have UNC for both Psych fields. 

[VentureIntoNothingness]

6 hours ago, sidebysondheim said:

Why not UNC for philosophy? Alan Nelson is a really fantastic early modern scholar, we also have great people for metaphysics and epistemology. Philosophy of mind isn't super strong but we have jr faculty who are doing work in it.

Mostly saying just because you have UNC for both Psych fields. 

Hi,

Thanks for the suggestion. I did notice that UNC seems to have an excellent program. I am not applying to UNC for philosophy because I am applying to UNC for Psych. I was worried that if I apply to both psych and phil (with two statement of purpose), I may seem dishonest and/or kind of all over the place. I worried that this may significantly reduce my chances of getting in either program, so I wanted to stick with the psych program for UNC. 

But if I get admitted by the psych program (which is fairly impossible considering how competitive that program is), I would seek opportunity for either directed reading or auditing classes with the phil department for sure.

 

[Hadeel]

On 8/18/2015, 10:54:59, philosophe said:

Hi friends, 

I'm rearing up for take 2, after applying a few years ago and receiving a few funded acceptances from low ranking phd programs. I'm currently at a great (funded) MA program, and I'm looking forward to (hopefully) reaching higher this year. I'm figuring out my writing sample, but everything else is ready to go.  I'm applying to all of the usual suspects for epistemology. 

Question -- when do you think is the appropriate time to ask for letters? I've heard everything from September to November. 

Also, I'm kind of annoyed no one posts their apps until September. Now's when we have plenty of time to take care of that busy work! Wish there were a common app because that would save us a bajillion hours.  

 

Hi! Just wondering where are you getting your MA from? 

Also, where are you planning to apply for your PhD in epistemology?

[maxhgns]

I was thinking that you guys might find it useful to chat about your concerns and stuff in real time. It's fallen into disuse recently, but years ago we had a webIRC channel (#philosophy-grad). I'll spend some time there in the next few days and keep it open for y'all in case that's of interest. You can access it at http://webchat.freenode.net/?channels=philosophy-grad

[gughok]

On 11/3/2015, 3:38:06, VentureIntoNothingness said:

Hi,

Thanks for the suggestion. I did notice that UNC seems to have an excellent program. I am not applying to UNC for philosophy because I am applying to UNC for Psych. I was worried that if I apply to both psych and phil (with two statement of purpose), I may seem dishonest and/or kind of all over the place. I worried that this may significantly reduce my chances of getting in either program, so I wanted to stick with the psych program for UNC. 

But if I get admitted by the psych program (which is fairly impossible considering how competitive that program is), I would seek opportunity for either directed reading or auditing classes with the phil department for sure.

If you chose to at any point, I think it's also generally possible to switch departments within a university (with an application), so that's probably open to you as well.

[sidebysondheim]

1 hour ago, gughok said:

If you chose to at any point, I think it's also generally possible to switch departments within a university (with an application), so that's probably open to you as well.

I don't see how this would be in anyway different than just anyone dropping out of one program and applying for a new program. 

[gughok]

9 minutes ago, sidebysondheim said:

I don't see how this would be in anyway different than just anyone dropping out of one program and applying for a new program. 

Don't know what to tell you - my advisors just mentioned this as an option to me when I was agonizing over which program to apply to.

[gughok]

14 hours ago, maxhgns said:

I was thinking that you guys might find it useful to chat about your concerns and stuff in real time. It's fallen into disuse recently, but years ago we had a webIRC channel (#philosophy-grad). I'll spend some time there in the next few days and keep it open for y'all in case that's of interest. You can access it at http://webchat.freenode.net/?channels=philosophy-grad

I'll be lurking around this channel, I do appreciate real-time commiseration.

[religionprof]

I tried the chat room, but it seems to not be a good time right now so I will write my question here. Would you say it's possible to get accepted into a Philosophy Phd without any Philosophy undergrad/grad work?  I am currently completing a MA in Theology and hoping that the overlap between Theology and Philosophy will be enough background. What do you think?

I would really appreciate any insight.

Thanks!

[gughok]

2 hours ago, religionprof said:

I tried the chat room, but it seems to not be a good time right now so I will write my question here. Would you say it's possible to get accepted into a Philosophy Phd without any Philosophy undergrad/grad work?  I am currently completing a MA in Theology and hoping that the overlap between Theology and Philosophy will be enough background. What do you think?

I would really appreciate any insight.

Thanks!

Sorry! I try to hang around there but maxhgns and I can't keep our eyes on it all the time on our own.

In general, philosophy PhD programs tend to require at least a major's worth of coursework in philosophy from one's undergrad (something like 6-10 courses). Some programs might have this as a strict requirement, for others it's just a strong recommendation. I can say that across all of them, without an attested background in philosophy you would be disadvantaged. That's not to say all hope is lost, however - you'd need to show, in that case, a propensity for philosophy through related coursework, your letters, your sample, and/or publications. This sounds like a lot, and yes: if you don't actually have the coursework, getting into a PhD will be hard. But it's possible.

There's another option, too. Have you considered an MA to equip you with coursework that will appeal to PhD programs later on?

[SamStone]

3 hours ago, religionprof said:

I tried the chat room, but it seems to not be a good time right now so I will write my question here. Would you say it's possible to get accepted into a Philosophy Phd without any Philosophy undergrad/grad work?  I am currently completing a MA in Theology and hoping that the overlap between Theology and Philosophy will be enough background. What do you think?

I would really appreciate any insight.

Thanks!

I'd second what gughok said: philosophy phd programs usually require admits to have done quite a bit of philosophical work in the past. I would imagine that this is because there are a lot of applicants and the process is very competitive—that means that many applicants come from philosophical backgrounds, and have great philosophical writing samples. Thus, there is more of a risk in admitting students who may not be sure (or at least haven't proven their surety) that they are dedicated to philosophy. Of course, that is not to say that you can't have shown you love of the field, and have a great writing sample, etc. It is just a really difficult process. 

I also have an MA in theology, and wanted to go get my phd in philosophy...I applied to a few schools and didn't get accepted for the phd programs. However, I was admitted to several MA programs and decided to take that route...I am finishing my program in the spring. While my case may not be the standard—again, I wouldn't think it'd be impossible to make the switch directly from theology MA to philosophy phd. But what I can say is that the overlap between philosophy and theology would not really be enough, on its own, to convince a department that you are ready for a phd in philosophy. I still love theology, and am really loving philosophy, but after going through the MA it has become much more obvious that the fields are quite different in terms of academic expectations. What's even more maddening is that even after getting my MA I am not guaranteed to get into a phd program! haha

(btw, what are you working on in theology?)

[religionprof]

Thanks so much for your answers. To be honest, I was kind of anticipating responses along these lines. As much as I've enjoyed, and been personally enriched by, my theology studies, I guessed it was a long shot that I might use that alone to switch fields.

(Right now, I'm waist-deep in a research paper for my final course. I'm comparing Ratzinger and Kung's hermeneutic values by examining their reactions to two Vatican II documents. It's a fun one!)

[notorious_biv]

Hi there!

 

Edited November 13, 2015 by notorious_biv

[SamStone]

On November 11, 2015 at 12:14:24 AM, religionprof said:

Thanks so much for your answers. To be honest, I was kind of anticipating responses along these lines. As much as I've enjoyed, and been personally enriched by, my theology studies, I guessed it was a long shot that I might use that alone to switch fields.

Yea, for me it was a tough call deciding to do another MA. But I will say that without my experience working theology I would not have even been equipped to get into a philosophy MA program. So, in that sense, theology on its own is enough background to switch fields...just probably not to the place you want to be in (a phd program), since it means spending another two years in school (though, some of the Canadian MA programs are only 1 year, correct?).

[Contretramp]

Hello! New user, and first post.

I'm applying to philosophy PhDs for the first time this year. I've been out of academia for a while; finished my Master's in physics at Cambridge in 2012, and then worked for a consulting company for a few years. Have now decided physics was the wrong one of my undergrad majors to go with, and I should have been a philosopher all along...

I'm interested in social epistemology and philosophy of science, so applying to the schools you can see below. I'd like to work on the status of science as a particular way of pursuing knowledge, and how lay people should interact with it -- including policy makers. 

My big concerns are all around having been out of the game for so long. Was a bit of a motivational challenge to get back in contact with my lecturers from 08-09 philosophy major, reintroduce myself, and get them to write letters for me. My current major challenge is my writing sample: it is my first piece of philosophical writing in years, so I'm worried about it. Content, style, tone - I feel like I am obsessing over every word. Obviously, I also don't have a professor around to review it. Bit of a bumber. Do have some grad friends working in nearby fields who have signed themselves up to read drafts, but it'll be a bit patchy. 

Cheers, J

 

 

[religionprof]

On 11/13/2015, 3:49:38, SamStone said:

Yea, for me it was a tough call deciding to do another MA. But I will say that without my experience working theology I would not have even been equipped to get into a philosophy MA program. So, in that sense, theology on its own is enough background to switch fields...just probably not to the place you want to be in (a phd program), since it means spending another two years in school (though, some of the Canadian MA programs are only 1 year, correct?).

Ha yeah well that was what I originally thought! This one ended up being a year and a half, but I was wondering, do you know anything about The Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology? They have a MA there in Philosophy that meets most Phd requirements. Do you think this could be a good stepping stone to the Philosophy Phd?

Any advice or alternatives you could give would be most appreciated! Thanks!

[sidebysondheim]

If your goal is to get into a top philosophy PhD I'd look at a terminal MA program. I can never remember the list of all the good ones, but it's probably in this thread.  

[thatsjustsemantics]

1 hour ago, sidebysondheim said:

If your goal is to get into a top philosophy PhD I'd look at a terminal MA program. I can never remember the list of all the good ones, but it's probably in this thread.  

Hey sidebysondheim, how's UNC? I'm applying there this season, interests in metaphysics (phil. of time) and metametaphysics. Is L.A. Paul taking students? Are there a disproportionate amount of students specializing in metaphysics?

[religionprof]

On 11/21/2015, 3:18:11, sidebysondheim said:

If your goal is to get into a top philosophy PhD I'd look at a terminal MA program. I can never remember the list of all the good ones, but it's probably in this thread.  

Thank you, that is helpful, I will have a look! I am at this point looking at DSPT part of GTU for a terminal MA in Philosophy, and hopefully on to a Phd at Brown, is this reasonable do you think? I know they are not high on the list for Phds however I really like the professors and feel I would be a good fit for their department. Your comments are welcome!