A Promising Wait List

University of Michigan emailed me tonight to inform me that I have made their 'short list'. Although this is not (yet) an acceptance, this is promising. The email said that people on the wait list have a 'very good chance' of being offered admission and that 'most members of the short list' have been offered admission in the past. The email said that I shouldn't accept any other offer until I have spoken with Michigan. In addition, I've been invited to visit the department at the end of March for a Prospective Students' Weekend, a trip that the dept will mostly pay for. So this has been good news.

Michigan is a very good philosophy dept--arguably one of the top 5 in the English-speaking world, certainly one of the top 10. They also provide excellent financial support for their Ph.D. students, a big plus. The opportunity to go to Michigan would be amazing--although Barb and I aren't sure how we feel about returning to long, cold, and snowy winters after 2 years away.