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Philosophy 2009

itsalion00

Is there anyone on here applying to St Andy's for Philosophy '09 or am I the only one?

Reply 1

Ronar

15

Me

That and International Relations

I seriously doubt I'll get in though :P

Reply 2

Ekpyrotic

13

Huzzah! Good luck everyone.

Reply 3

ScholarsInk

10

itsalion00

Is there anyone on here applying to St Andy's for Philosophy '09 or am I the only one?

Moi aussi.

it's my first choice

Wow, a lot of people for philosophy this year...

If any of you have questions about the course here, I'd be happy to answer them to the best of my knowledge (taking into account I am a first year, of course...)

Reply 6

interllectuallity

Yay me ASWEL

Philosophy and Arabic!!!

Its my first choice and i so hope i get in !!!

Reply 7

Dan1607

I applied for philosophy on its own.

Reply 8

the_sandman

applied for psych/phil 2009 , had acknowledgement but nothing else!

Reply 9

username224850

3

Jormungandr

Wow, a lot of people for philosophy this year...

If any of you have questions about the course here, I'd be happy to answer them to the best of my knowledge (taking into account I am a first year, of course...)

Thanks

Do you what the average applicant :tongue:

lace ratio is?

Reply 10

Jormungandr

8

lotsofsnails

Thanks

Do you what the average applicant :tongue:

lace ratio is?

To my knowledge, the University doesn't release such data on a subject-by-subject basis, but across the board there are roughly 11 applications to each place.

Reply 11

milliethephilosopher

bugger, yes i too am applying (in fact, REapplying for university!) to St. Andrews, and yes, it too is my first choice.

At my cambridge interview last year, everyone i met said that our subject is up there with medicine in terms of competetivity. While the physical number of people applying may be less than most subjects, the standard of those few tends to be of a much higher calibur, and on top of that, the number of places per course is significantly less.

We have it hard, guys, and so few people recognise it!
Honestly, when people found out that i was forced to take a gap year for lack of Uni Offers, the looks of shocked embarrasment that i recieved upon them then discovering that my subject was philosophy and not "law" or "medicine" was heartbreaking.
And then going through the rigmorole of explaining...
how desperate
oh, how desperate.
please let me know when you hear from them :smile:

Reply 12

Clarkman

Applied for Philosophy and Ancient History. St Andrews is my first choice. Roll on the 15th!

Reply 13

predius

I did Classics/Philosophy, and was admitted late November.

Reply 14

Hummel

I applied for Philosophy & French but don't think I rele got a chance to get in :frown:

It is by far my first choice though and allthough I got offers from all my other choices for French & Journalism/ Communication like courses I think if I get rejected by St Andrews I will wait a year and reapply.

My problem is that I first wanted to study Journalism & French and St Andrews is the only Philosophy course I applyed for and therefore my personal statement doesn't cover much about philosophy :/
I don't know... a few weeks after I sent my appliaction off in October I just really got into philosophy and started to do a lot of background reading and I just know it's the right course for me now.
Usually I don't change my opinion just like that but it happened this time and I just wish I could turn back time and write a proper personal statement now to show them how much I really am interested in the course!

Oh well... good luck to everyone!! I hate the waiting... after the 15th I will properly check my e-mails every hour and pray to get an offer... I just fell in love with St Andrews

Reply 15

milliethephilosopher

Hummel

I applied for Philosophy & French but don't think I rele got a chance to get in :frown:

It is by far my first choice though and allthough I got offers from all my other choices for French & Journalism/ Communication like courses I think if I get rejected by St Andrews I will wait a year and reapply.

My problem is that I first wanted to study Journalism & French and St Andrews is the only Philosophy course I applyed for and therefore my personal statement doesn't cover much about philosophy :/
I don't know... a few weeks after I sent my appliaction off in October I just really got into philosophy and started to do a lot of background reading and I just know it's the right course for me now.
Usually I don't change my opinion just like that but it happened this time and I just wish I could turn back time and write a proper personal statement now to show them how much I really am interested in the course!

Oh well... good luck to everyone!! I hate the waiting... after the 15th I will properly check my e-mails every hour and pray to get an offer... I just fell in love with St Andrews

All you can do is wait and hope (unless you email the university and explain the situation, what does everyone else think?)

And to the current philosophy students, how long after the 15th did everyone recieve their offers? Oh and, how are you enjoying the course? :smile:

Reply 16

Jormungandr

8

milliethephilosopher

All you can do is wait and hope (unless you email the university and explain the situation, what does everyone else think?)

And to the current philosophy students, how long after the 15th did everyone recieve their offers? Oh and, how are you enjoying the course? :smile:

I got my offer on the 31st Jan/1st Feb (forget which) so not too long after the 15th.

The course is good - I do both modules on offer and they're both solid, though you'll find tutorials a disappointment because they're full of people who thought philosophy would be a doss subject and don't actually do anything (if they've bothered to read the material at all.) The standard of teaching is generally pretty good. I've certainly no particular complaints about the course.

Reply 17

milliethephilosopher

Jormungandr

I got my offer on the 31st Jan/1st Feb (forget which) so not too long after the 15th.

that's good to know, i'd much rather know sooner rather than later either way. I feel like a fraud when I'm asked which University I shall be attending in september and I answer St Andrews, but it makes life so much easier if I don't have to explain.

Jormungandr

The course is good - I do both modules on offer and they're both solid, though you'll find tutorials a disappointment because they're full of people who thought philosophy would be a doss subject and don't actually do anything (if they've bothered to read the material at all.) The standard of teaching is generally pretty good. I've certainly no particular complaints about the course.

No complaints? doesn't sound like glowing praise, if I may say... I suppose you can but hope that they'll be kicked off the course :biggrin:

sorry, that was mean of me :P

Reply 18

Jormungandr

8

milliethephilosopher

that's good to know, i'd much rather know sooner rather than later either way. I feel like a fraud when I'm asked which University I shall be attending in september and I answer St Andrews, but it makes life so much easier if I don't have to explain.

No complaints? doesn't sound like glowing praise, if I may say... I suppose you can but hope that they'll be kicked off the course :biggrin:

sorry, that was mean of me :P

Oh, don't get me wrong! It was me struggling to find a negative point because there aren't many. I do both PY1005 (Metaphysics) and PY1105 (Ethics) and we've had about 5 lecturers between them - 3 have been very good, 1 has been outstanding, and 1 was pretty meh. The topics are interesting and well-taught, though if you've done any kind of ethics at A-level you may well get major deja vu from the course (though it's more theoretical and interesting.) Metaphysics is well taught but I don't think I can give too fair an opinion on it simply because I don't enjoy it (I'm a bit practically minded in the sense that I like moral philosophy so both free will and personal identity, two topics on the philosophy course, are pretty much a non-issue). Perhaps ekpyriotic can comment since he likes that course.

Library books can be an issue (then again, name a uni where it isn't) but the department is very good about using WebCT - the uni intranet - to provide good ideas on what to read and links to online sources where appropriate. On the other hand, they thought it a good idea to only have one copy of several important books in the library on short loan (4 hours) and none on normal loan (between 7 days and a month), meaning if you want that book for any length of time you have no option but to buy it yourself. There is a departmental philosophy library but it is separate to the main system and fairly inscrutable about how you can join - on the plus side, the library does have a pretty bay window looking out on the sea.

The quality of tutors varies (as ever when a uni gets postgrads who have better things to do than tutor). It's not as good as medieval history, but that's possibly because the MedHis class sizes are smaller and the lecturers do act as tutors. I haven't had any serious issues with any of my tutorials, the issue with tutorialmates aside.

That about covers it. Heh, despite the minor niggles (which I have no doubt are common to most if not all unis), I really do recommend coming here for philosophy. Especially with the recent result in the RAE (2nd in the country for philosophy research).

Reply 19

Ekpyrotic

13

Jormungandr

Perhaps Ekpyrotic can comment since he likes that course.

H'okey pokey. I'll partition my critique.

Content: PY1005, and metaphysical philosophy in general, focuses on post-1930s philosophy. Although the course is broad St. Andrews doesn't hide the fact that it's v. analytical; expect the analytical branches (mind, language, science, mathematics) to get a more thorough treatment than, say, religion; this is the reason most students choose St. Andrews. You'll find the course emphasizes critique over memorisation so essays require little comprehension or referencing, instead you're expected to give logically sound independent thought.

Teaching: Teaching is v. good. I disliked one lecturer whom everybody else loved; loved another whom everyone else loved which shows that teaching is impossible to judge objectively. Some lecturers are good at giving out notes, and others demand that you write notes yourself. Most lecturers will expect students to give vocal insight within the lecture. Teaching styles aside all the lecturers are at the top of their field - full stop. They know the topic inside-out, often while researching the topic you'll come across your lecturer's own papers/books. This is why in the recent RAE results we drew first (not second), and why currently we are first in the world for the history of analytical philosophy.

(ref1: http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/table/2008/dec/18/rae-2008-philosophy, ref2: http://www.philosophicalgourmet.com/breakdown/breakdown28.asp)

Tutorials: [based on my tutor] I love my tutor, although I know Jormungandr was a little less keen. He answered emails promptly and fully, gave comprehensive feedback on essays, and set up one-on-one sessions to give fuller essay feedback. The tutorials themselves can be a little dull because, as Jormungandr said, you'll soon realise a good percentage of first year phil. students had decided to try philosophy out and find, to their dismay, that the course actually requires reading so the group discussions can be less than illuminating to say the least. (this is first year though)

Marking: Essay questions are interesting and require real Independent thought. Marking tends to be tough, from what I've seen, and markers are incredibly hard on articulation, grammar, and defining terms. Expect yourself to learn how to write professionally. Essay feedback has always been great. All marks are moderated by the head of the course, so expect them to come back slowly.

In summation: St. Andrews' philosophy department is one of, if not the, best in the country (especially for analytical philosophy) and I hope to see you next year.

Philosophy 2009

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