Another 'what are my chances' thread

[759]

This is my second year applying to graduate school. Last time around, I made the mistake of following the advice of professors at my undergraduate university and only applied to the top ~10ish ranked schools in linguistics. In retrospect, I was probably only a really good fit for ~3 of them, and these were all schools that only accept like 4 of the 200 people that apply. A waste of an application cycle to be sure. Now that I've gained a bit of experience I'm trying to do things right this time around. I'm only applying to universities that I believe I have some chance of getting into and I've added a bunch of MA programs as well. So here's my question, should I still apply to my 'dream programs'? N.B. None of my 'dream programs' are from last year's list of failures.

 

A bit of background about myself:

 

As an undergrad I double majored in linguistics and philosophy. My interests lie in the philosophy of language, formal semantics, logic, pragmatics, and philosophy of linguistics (sometimes referred to as linguistic meta-theory, I think). I went to an undergraduate program with a stellar reputation in linguistics, but a rather obscure continentally-inclined philosophy department (they only had one logician, who I essentially learned everything I could from, and so I had to do a lot of supplementing in upper division semantics). I have a 3.75 gpa, with something like a 3.8 or 3.9 in linguistics and philosophy; solid letters of recommendation (3 linguists and 1 philosopher); three solid writing samples (2 linguistics, 1 philosophy of language); 2 paper presentations; and I collaborated on a linguistics paper that won the university's award for undergraduate research. All this being said, I failed to get in anywhere last year. (Again, I blame no one but myself).

 

Now, my 'dream program' at this point is probably Stanford's philosophy of language MA. They require applicants to have a strong background in the philosophy of language and linguistics, which I think I've got covered. However, my failures last year have sort of shaken my confidence in getting into anything resembling a top tier program like Stanford. (I mean, this is a program that only has like 2 MA students at any given time). Given my stats should I go for it anyway? I'm sort of 'too close' to this issue to objectively determine whether or not this is a waste of time and money. 

 

Thanks in advance for the advice. I understand that these threads are tiresome and mostly just people venting nervous energy!     

[NathanKellen]

Yes, I think you should still apply to your dream schools (if you can afford it). You don't want to be worrying about how things could have been.

Also if you haven't considered UConn, we may be a good fit for you! If you would like some details, shoot me a PM or email me (nathan.kellen@gmail.com).

[759]

15 hours ago, NathanKellen said:

Yes, I think you should still apply to your dream schools (if you can afford it). You don't want to be worrying about how things could have been.

Also if you haven't considered UConn, we may be a good fit for you! If you would like some details, shoot me a PM or email me (nathan.kellen@gmail.com).

Thanks for the advice. I haven't considered UConn yet, but after checking it out it does sound pretty impressive. I'll be sure to send you an email.

[ssynny]

Definitely try! If you think it's a good fit after doing all that research, then definitely go for it. Your sats look good, so just focus on writing great SOPs tailored for each school. Good luck!

[overoverover]

17 hours ago, WVE said:

Thanks for the advice. I haven't considered UConn yet, but after checking it out it does sound pretty impressive. I'll be sure to send you an email.

 

I'm another UConn student, with an emphasis on language and logic. It's really a great place to be to work on this sort of stuff! Nathan should be able to answer any of your questions. I do want to add that UConn Linguistics is also really good, and I've had no problem taking courses there as well (both this semester and next), so if you're interested in the linguistics-y bits of philosophy of language or the philosophy of linguistics, it's definitely something you can do here.

[ianfaircloud]

On 11/7/2015, 4:16:03, WVE said:

This is my second year applying to graduate school...   

Your chances of admission to strong PhD programs are always low, even if you're an outstanding candidate. I still think it's worth the try. What I see in your case is that you have a solid and focused resume; you know what you want. That's a very good thing, because these departments really like people who are focused. Just based on what I'm reading, you look like a solid candidate. What I can't see here is whether you attended a strong undergraduate institution and whether your letter-writers are people known in the philosophy world. To gain admission to a top PhD program, it's almost necessary that at least one of your letter-writers be (well-)known among those who will evaluate your application. Also, I can't see your writing sample. But your writing sample must be fantastic. It has to be very, very strong. It sounds like maybe you produce good work.