Fall 2016 Applicants: Introduce Yourselves

[machineghost]

I'm a non-traditional student in all sorts of ways. I've undergraduate degrees in psychology and philosophy and an MS in information science. I received my psychology BA degree in 1999 and didn't do particularly well since I didn't particularly care about school and certainly didn't plan on applying to PhD programs nearly 20 years later. I finished an MS in information science in 2003 and finished an undergrad in philosophy in 2009. Since then, I've taken a bunch of extra philosophy courses, done a lot of independent studies, etc., while working full time as a software engineer. My overall grades are comparatively poor, no doubt, but my grades since 2001 have been excellent. My philosophy GPA is 3.91. My GREs are Verbal 164 Quant 159 AW 5.0. My primary interests are philosophy of action and mind, as well as philosophy of language.

 

Good luck everyone! 

[metaphysician]

On 1/7/2016 at 3:02 PM, machineghost said:

I'm a non-traditional student in all sorts of ways. I've undergraduate degrees in psychology and philosophy and an MS in information science. I received my psychology BA degree in 1999 and didn't do particularly well since I didn't particularly care about school and certainly didn't plan on applying to PhD programs nearly 20 years later. I finished an MS in information science in 2003 and finished an undergrad in philosophy in 2009. Since then, I've taken a bunch of extra philosophy courses, done a lot of independent studies, etc., while working full time as a software engineer. My overall grades are comparatively poor, no doubt, but my grades since 2001 have been excellent. My philosophy GPA is 3.91. My GREs are Verbal 164 Quant 159 AW 5.0. My primary interests are philosophy of action and mind, as well as philosophy of language.

 

Good luck everyone! 

My research interests are the philosophy of action, too. What questions/philosophers interest you? And where are you applying? 

[ddddddddddddddddd]

I'm also a non-traditional student. I graduated with a degree in Commerce in 2010 and worked several years before going back to school for an MA in philosophy in 2014. I ended up passing over some offers at MA programs with better placement records for one that I took to be a better fit -- hoping this doesn't come back to haunt me this year. I defended my MA thesis in December on Rawls and economic markets. My undergraduate GPA is largely irrelevant since it is unrelated, but about 3.9 in those philosophy classes I did take (which amounted to about 24 credits, or 8 classes). My masters GPA is also irrelevant because it's on a bizarre scale (foreign) which I also hope doesn't come back to haunt me, though I hear grades are largely irrelevant. GRE 170V, 162Q, 4.5. My primary interests are in political philosophy, metaphysics (modality, metaphysical explanation, time, free will), metaethics, and Nietzsche.

[machineghost]

5 hours ago, metaphysician said:

My research interests are the philosophy of action, too. What questions/philosophers interest you? And where are you applying? 

I'm interested in all aspects of the free will debate, especially as it relates to law and the justification for various theories of punishment. I have always been sympathetic to incompatibilism, despite thinking that neither camp has a monopoly on strong arguments. I like Smilansky's work and tend to agree that we needn't choose sides on the matter, since compatibilism and incompatibilism are useful ways of thinking about freedom. I've never found any of the libertarian arguments to be persuasive, however.

I've applied to Duke, Chicago, Arizona, Georgetown, Texas, Florida State, UC Riverside, and Georgia State.

Where did you apply?

[machineghost]

32 minutes ago, ddddddddddddddddd said:

I'm also a non-traditional student. I graduated with a degree in Commerce in 2010 and worked several years before going back to school for an MA in philosophy in 2014. I ended up passing over some offers at MA programs with better placement records for one that I took to be a better fit -- hoping this doesn't come back to haunt me this year. I defended my MA thesis in December on Rawls and economic markets. My undergraduate GPA is largely irrelevant since it is unrelated, but about 3.9 in those philosophy classes I did take (which amounted to about 24 credits, or 8 classes). My masters GPA is also irrelevant because it's on a bizarre scale (foreign) which I also hope doesn't come back to haunt me, though I hear grades are largely irrelevant. GRE 170V, 162Q, 4.5. My primary interests are in political philosophy, metaphysics (modality, metaphysical explanation, time, free will), metaethics, and Nietzsche.

It seems to me that you'd be a pretty strong candidate. I have no idea how non-traditional students are perceived, but here's hoping that maturity, life experience, extensive work experience and other such things are at the very least valued. But I sort of doubt it.

[spirograph]

Hi, everyone! Another non-traditional student here, finishing my BA this semester in my late-early-thirties. I also wonder how this might figure into admissions decisions, of course worrying it could work against me somehow. The evaluation process feels so mysterious anyway that it's hard not to obsess. Some days I feel somewhat confident and other days I wonder why I applied anywhere at all. The advice I got from professors unanimously was to apply only to PhD programs, but so many people here have applied to MA programs as well that I'm wondering if I should have listened. For financial reasons, I also applied to an unusually small number of programs. My GPA is 3.98 overall, 4.10 in philosophy. GRE 170V, 161Q, 5.0AW. My main interests are normative ethics, political philosophy, and feminist philosophy. To a lesser extent I'm interested in philosophy of mind too.

[sidebysondheim]

8 hours ago, spirograph said:

Hi, everyone! Another non-traditional student here, finishing my BA this semester in my late-early-thirties. I also wonder how this might figure into admissions decisions, of course worrying it could work against me somehow. The evaluation process feels so mysterious anyway that it's hard not to obsess. Some days I feel somewhat confident and other days I wonder why I applied anywhere at all. The advice I got from professors unanimously was to apply only to PhD programs, but so many people here have applied to MA programs as well that I'm wondering if I should have listened. For financial reasons, I also applied to an unusually small number of programs. My GPA is 3.98 overall, 4.10 in philosophy. GRE 170V, 161Q, 5.0AW. My main interests are normative ethics, political philosophy, and feminist philosophy. To a lesser extent I'm interested in philosophy of mind too.

You sound like a strong candidate, as long as you applied widely (not exclusively top 5 or 10 programs) I bet you'll get something. Did you apply to UNC? 

[gughok]

10 hours ago, spirograph said:

Hi, everyone! Another non-traditional student here, finishing my BA this semester in my late-early-thirties. I also wonder how this might figure into admissions decisions, of course worrying it could work against me somehow. The evaluation process feels so mysterious anyway that it's hard not to obsess. Some days I feel somewhat confident and other days I wonder why I applied anywhere at all. The advice I got from professors unanimously was to apply only to PhD programs, but so many people here have applied to MA programs as well that I'm wondering if I should have listened. For financial reasons, I also applied to an unusually small number of programs. My GPA is 3.98 overall, 4.10 in philosophy. GRE 170V, 161Q, 5.0AW. My main interests are normative ethics, political philosophy, and feminist philosophy. To a lesser extent I'm interested in philosophy of mind too.

Don't worry about age at all. It simply is not a problem - plenty of people start their PhDs in their thirties and an admissions committee is not going to be bothered by it. If you want to think anything of your age at all, count it in your favour: maturity is very important for the sort of commitment a PhD takes.

I agree with sidebysondheim on your profile. You seem like a very strong candidate. I wouldn't be worried.

[spirograph]

I didn't apply to UNC, though it might have made sense. Thanks both of you for the encouragement. I hope for the best for everyone waiting!

[philstudent1991]

Anyone want to claim the Ohio State admit? 

[gughok]

Yeah we're probably gonna need our Acceptances and Rejections threads pretty soon.

[MentalEngineer]

Well, since I've taken the plunge and registered, I may as well give my profile. Anyone from my program will instantly recognize me, so hello, you fellow neurotics!

Philosophy was my third undergraduate major. Between the early failed classes that led to migrating across fields and work ethic problems, my undergrad GPA was only 3.51 and my philosophy GPA not much higher. I attended an unranked undergrad that, if it is known, is known for having its entire economics department sponsored by the Koch brothers and making the Final Four that one time 10-odd years ago. But I somehow scraped my way into a top-tier funded MA and had an absolute blast. I struck out in my first year of applications, but I've been able to stay in the city where I got my MA auditing courses, going to colloquia, and writing, and I get to adjunct in the spring. So I think I put together a fairly productive "third year." For my writing sample this year, I wrote an entirely original piece instead of refining a term paper, which definitely helped me because I gave a shit about the subject matter this time.

My interests mostly fall under philosophy of mind and psychology, evolutionary ethics - shading into phil. of science and phil. of biology, metaethics (because I hate it and want it gone), practical reasoning, some stuff about identity and action, and the ethical and policy fallout of debates in those other areas. I've got side interests in Nietzsche, pragmatism, feminist philosophy, and Sartre. Most importantly, I've also developed a finely honed methodological approach: if I can be skeptical of something, I'm skeptical of it; if I can't be skeptical of it, I'm deflationary about it; if I can't be skeptical or deflationary, I'm pragmatist about it; if I somehow can't manage any of those, I assume modal realism and choose the position that follows from that. This ensures that even if I never finish, I'll at least enjoy myself.

TL;DR: 

3.51 UG (3.54 philosophy), 3.97 MA, 169V/159Q/5.5AW

Arizona, CUNY, Texas, UCSD, UC Riverside, WashU, Duke, Maryland, British Columbia, Cincinnati, FSU, UI Urbana Champaign, UI Chicago

[psm1580b]

Hey all,

  It's my second year here, actually. Which, I have to say, in terms of stress--that's the way to go. This year's applications were night-and-day less stressful than last years. For instance: I'm sleeping, eating, not smoking, and even still employed. This is the first time I've looked at grad cafe since last March--Imagine that! So yes, I highly recommend the year-two plan. You'll sleep better. Good luck!

Best,

Socratease 

[Swann]

Hey all, I started to post here the other day but never introduced myself.

I am currently finishing my MA in philosophy! I did not study philosophy as an undergrad and have thoroughly enjoyed my MA—I am very much looking forward to doing PhD work. My interests, as my signature notes, are mostly in the history of philosophy...but I also love contemporary issues relating to aesthetics and religion. I tend towards "continental" approaches to philosophy, but I also like a lot of the issues being discussed in analytic-style philosophy of mind and language. 

As far as my 'professional' experience goes, I've presented at 10 or so academic conferences. Some were professional, but most have been student conferences. I didn't have the best undergrad GPA (I often found myself distracted by many interests) but my MA GPA is 4.0. 

Also: I have found the application process extremely stressful—though, I bet most people would say this, too. 

 

Best of luck!

Edited January 27, 2016 by Swann

[LLeuven]

59 minutes ago, Swann said:

Hey all, I started to post here the other day but never introduced myself.

I am currently finishing my MA in philosophy! I did not study philosophy as an undergrad and have thoroughly enjoyed my MA—I am very much looking forward to doing PhD work. My interests, as my signature notes, are mostly in the history of philosophy...but I also love contemporary issues relating to aesthetics and religion. I tend towards "continental" approaches to philosophy, but I also like a lot of the issues being discussed in analytic-style philosophy of mind and language. 

As far as my 'professional' experience goes, I've presented at 10 or so academic conferences. Some were professional, but most have been student conferences. I didn't have the best undergrad GPA (I often found myself distracted by many interests) but my MA GPA is 4.0. 

Also: I have found the application process extremely stressful—though, I bet most people would say this, too. 

 

Best of luck!

Hurrah! Another continental!

I am finishing a Theological Studies M.A. right now, but my background is in both religion and philosophy. I did my philosophy B.A. in Leuven, Belgium where the Husserl archives are and I'm currently writing my Masters thesis on William James and Husserl.

Where are you applying?

[Swann]

13 hours ago, LLeuven said:

Hurrah! Another continental!

I am finishing a Theological Studies M.A. right now, but my background is in both religion and philosophy. I did my philosophy B.A. in Leuven, Belgium where the Husserl archives are and I'm currently writing my Masters thesis on William James and Husserl.

Where are you applying?

Wow, writing on James and Husserl sounds like it could be a really fun project! How are you connecting them? Also, if you don't mind my asking, where are you getting your theology MA?

I've applied to UC-Riverside, Northwestern, Columbia, Toronto, Georgetown, Boston and University of Chicago. And a couple others that may not be as open to continental thinkers/history: Yale, UC-San Diego, and UT-Austin. How about you?

[RamyaS]

Hi everyone,

 

I am little late to the forum. I have applied to a whole bunch of schools in various disciplines. I have interests in urban history and US history (19th and 20th century), specifically Detroit. I am currently finishing up a Master's in Urban Design and have two previous Master's degrees in Political Science and STS. 

I have applied to 5 history programs, primarily based on POIs: Yale, Columbia, MSU, George Washington, Wayne State; 3 urban planning programs: MIT DUSP (CDD); Harvard GSD and the University of Michigan; and 1 STS program: Cornell. 

 

I have an admit from MSU (phew) and I am pretty happy with that. Given that I have not heard from Yale or Columbia (though my POI at Columbia did say that he is looking for new doctoral students), is it safe to assume that I did not get in? My concentration is US history in both. 

I am not sure what to (or when to expect anything from the urban planning programs. Or Cornell. Does Cornell (for STS) conduct interviews?

 

Cheers,

Ramya

[currentphilgrad]

I have to be kind of cryptic because I don't want people to find out who I am. I'm currently a PhD student in a top 25 Leiter program. I HATE it SO much! It's awful! I'd rather not do philosophy than stay in this program. As such, I've decided that I'm going to leave my program even if I don't get in anywhere. I feel bad because I've invested 3 years of my life into this program, but my happiness is worth more. My main interests are in Philosophy of Science, Philosophy of Biology, and Philosophy of Perception. I applied to 15 programs with hopes that I can get into just one! I may update my signature to indicate which programs but I'm not sure yet (again, I'm trying to avoid any identifying information in fear my current department will find me). So hello all. Thanks for having me!

[Ulixes]

On 1/21/2016 at 11:47 AM, MentalEngineer said:

Anyone from my program will instantly recognize me, so hello, you fellow neurotics!

Most importantly, I've also developed a finely honed methodological approach: if I can be skeptical of something, I'm skeptical of it; if I can't be skeptical of it, I'm deflationary about it; if I can't be skeptical or deflationary, I'm pragmatist about it; if I somehow can't manage any of those, I assume modal realism and choose the position that follows from that.

 

Knew you were a modal realist deep down.

 

To introduce myself: I like metaphysics and metaethics, and currently finishing an MA at the same place as MentalEngineer. I've applied to 16 schools, but I can never remember them all. I recognize some of your names from the 2014 season; so, hello!

 

 

[Ulixes]

And, of course, philosophy of religion. I take it for granted that everyone loves philosophy of religion, so forget to mention it as a special interest.

[SamStone]

On January 29, 2016 at 9:30 PM, Ulixes said:

 

Knew you were a modal realist deep down.

 

To introduce myself: I like metaphysics and metaethics, and currently finishing an MA at the same place as MentalEngineer. I've applied to 16 schools, but I can never remember them all. I recognize some of your names from the 2014 season; so, hello!

 

 

HI! I see that three of us are posting on here...anyone else from the dept?

[Ulixes]

16 minutes ago, SamStone said:

HI! I see that three of us are posting on here...anyone else from the dept?

 

Hey!
 

It took me a few seconds to figure out which of us you are; I think there's one or two others on here (at least one refreshing the results page every few minutes). I think on of our second year's still hovers around, too.

[MentalEngineer]

54 minutes ago, Ulixes said:

(at least one refreshing the results page every few minutes)

I thought that was you? It's what you're doing every time I stop by your office...

[Ulixes]

52 minutes ago, MentalEngineer said:

I thought that was you? It's what you're doing every time I stop by your office...

 

Every time you stop by the office I'm trying to shut out all the kerfuffling hullabaloo.

[FoxAndChicken]

It's so nice that y'all have people applying with you. Everyone in my department who intends to apply that I've talked to says they're taking at least a year off. Also, because my major is logic, not philosophy, I don't know all of the philosophy students very well. I have lots of math friends to commiserate with though. They're already getting acceptances though, and I've yet to hear anything. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯