Prose Posted January 8, 2018 Posted January 8, 2018 Honestly, I've never wanted anything more, and the past few months have been pretty hellish. Anxiety about applications was one thing, but health issues last semester kept me from giving a 100% on the most important bit of all, the writing sample. I'm applying to top programs (BPhil at Oxford, top-40 PGR programs, etc.) with the following: -3.98/4.00 -170 (verbal) / 158 (quant) / 5.5 (writing) -Good letters from people working in my AOI, but from a private liberal arts university that is unranked and lacks a PhD program -A good writing sample, but nowhere near what it could or should have been -Lol I am 99% sure this matters nil but my ethnicity is underrepresented in philosophy (not my gender though) What are the odds that I just get completely shut out? Thoughts? Would extremely appreciate any advice from current/past applicants. Thanks.
kretschmar Posted January 8, 2018 Posted January 8, 2018 I can do little to assuage your anxiety, as I suffer from my own case of it. We both have strong but imperfect applications, and I doubt anyone will be able to judge our chances with any accuracy. Did you apply to any MAs or safety schools? And hey, even if you are going to get shut out, worrying about it only means that you'll suffer twice. That probably didn't help.
Prose Posted January 8, 2018 Author Posted January 8, 2018 2 hours ago, kretschmar said: I can do little to assuage your anxiety, as I suffer from my own case of it. We both have strong but imperfect applications, and I doubt anyone will be able to judge our chances with any accuracy. Did you apply to any MAs or safety schools? And hey, even if you are going to get shut out, worrying about it only means that you'll suffer twice. That probably didn't help. Haha no worries, thanks for your comment. Do you have any insight into the competitiveness of the BPhil program, specifically?
Metanoia Posted January 9, 2018 Posted January 9, 2018 The B.Phil program is quite competitive, and no easier to get into than a mid-ranked (30-40) PhD program. From what you've described, I think you may be worrying too much about being shut out. At worst, you won't get into a top-25 or so, but PGR-40 is a broader and safer range. Also, you may want to look at top MA programs in the US, if you haven't already. I think the deadline for Tufts has passed, but some other good schools may still be open.
maxhgns Posted January 9, 2018 Posted January 9, 2018 BPhil admission is competitive, but not as competitive as people often think. The cohorts are actually quite large. There are two main catches: (1) funding is extremely competitive, and there's not much to go around, especially for applicants outside the EU, and (2) very, very few BPhils make the cut to the DPhil. Oxford winnows its cohort big-time. I don't think any of the things you listed are really (or, at least, necessarily) strikes against you. The real questions are: how many programs did you apply to, how close is your fit with those programs, and how many students do your prospective supervisors have/what's the current student AOS distribution in the department. FWIW, I know that being shut out seems like a horrific outcome. That's how I experienced the thought when I was applying. But with hindsight, I can see now that it really wouldn't have been a big deal. I'd have just tried again a time or two, and then moved on to something more lucrative, certain, and with significantly more control over where I live. Duns Eith 1
PhilosophyMatters Posted January 12, 2018 Posted January 12, 2018 (edited) what are you worried about? You have an average of 3.98 !!!!! How could that have been any better? I'd be very surprised if you don't get in with those grades. And they don't ask for GRE marks. It mostly your grades and your writing sample. But your grades are too good, they will confiscate even if your writing sample was bad. Which i dont think it is given how well you've performed. Just sit back and plan ahead for getting into Oxford. I'm so jealous btw. I wish I had grades as good as you. Then I'll just be booking my ticket to Oxford in advance. Edited January 12, 2018 by PhilosophyMatters
Prose Posted January 12, 2018 Author Posted January 12, 2018 8 hours ago, PhilosophyMatters said: what are you worried about? You have an average of 3.98 !!!!! How could that have been any better? I'd be very surprised if you don't get in with those grades. And they don't ask for GRE marks. It mostly your grades and your writing sample. But your grades are too good, they will confiscate even if your writing sample was bad. Which i dont think it is given how well you've performed. Just sit back and plan ahead for getting into Oxford. I'm so jealous btw. I wish I had grades as good as you. Then I'll just be booking my ticket to Oxford in advance. Hahaha, I wish I shared your optimism, but thanks so much.
Prose Posted February 6, 2018 Author Posted February 6, 2018 No news from me so far :/ On 1/30/2018 at 8:34 AM, PhilosophyMatters said: any news from anyone?
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