Everyday Ethics

In several previous articles, I shared some of my experiences with applying to philosophy graduate programs, in an effort to help future applicants avoid my own mistakes. Now that the application process is complete, I am in the midst of a new challenge: the waiting game. It’s difficult to sit and wait patiently for months on end regarding a decision that will likely shape the rest of one’s career. Thus, I want to offer some tips for those of you either currently waiting to hear from your chosen graduate school, or simply thinking about applying sometime in the near future.

1. Rediscover Your Studies-Most people who choose to apply to philosophy graduate programs are current students, either in Master’s programs or as undergraduates. More than likely, your studies have been severely neglected during the application process. Now that you’re done, it’s time to start playing catch-up on what you’ve missed, especially if what you’ve been avoiding is something substantial and arduous, like a Master’s thesis or a Senior thesis project. Just because you’re thinking about moving on doesn’t mean you are done with your current task. And in many cases, acceptance to graduate programs will be contingent on completing your current program. Don’t move on before it’s time to do it.

2. Verify That Your Materials Have Been Received-Just because you sent everything on time doesn’t mean it got where it needed to be, and the peace of mind associated with knowing that all your materials made it to their destination is worth the minimal effort required to verify it. Usually this can be accomplished with a simple email to a graduate secretary. I’d recommend checking in about a week or two in advance, via email, and then making a phone call as the deadline gets closer. Don’t be annoying, but don’t be afraid to go after the information that you need. Most importantly, give yourself enough time to correct any problems. Programs are generally pretty accommodating if you communicate with them. It would be a shame to miss out on your top program because a transcript didn’t make it and you never bothered to find that out.

3. Don’t Sweat It When Others Hear News Before You-My own program at Colorado State has several people who have applied to PhD programs, mostly in philosophy. As of this date, two of them have heard acceptances, one of which included a university fellowship nomination. While this sort of thing is a bit depressing and makes the waiting a bit tougher, it is by no means bad news for you when it happens. If the programs making offers are not ones that you have applied to, it’s not an indicator that your own chances have been reduced. More importantly, news about others is just that; it’s not for you or about you, so it’s not something that you need to be worried about. Better to be happy for your friends. After all, if they get into good programs, and you have a similar pedigree, chances are you will be hearing some offers too.

4. Calm the F*ck Down-This sounds overly simplistic, but bears repeating, sometimes to yourself when you begin to worry about such matters in a nonsensical way. Here are the facts. Your applications are in, you’ve put your best foot forward and applied to programs that are realistic choices and good fits for what you want to do. That’s the extent of your control over this matter. Worrying, wondering, guessing, these things will all make you crazy, as well as doing nothing to make your situation more certain. Graduate programs have until April 15th to submit offers, and many great programs are abysmally slow in their decision process. Further, you should want your chosen program to be as meticulous in their choosing as you were with your applications. These things take time, no matter how you slice it.

None of these suggestions will magically transform you from a sweaty, worrying mess to a calm and collected future scholar. Worrying is an indicator of caring, and hopefully you care a little bit about where you go for a PhD. And you should. But it’s important to draw a line somewhere between healthy concern and genuine neurosis, and these tips can assist some of you in finding yourself on the right side of that line.

About the Author

Elijah Weber is a graduate student at Bowling Green State University. He holds a Master's degree in philosophy from Colorado State University, and Bachelor’s degrees in sociology and philosophy from Chapman Univerity. He currently lives in Bowling Green, Ohio with his wife Laura, his newborn son Brandon, and his feline life-partner Monte.