Following the plan for Finishing the Fifth Semester, Deadlines and Priorities is particularly challenging, as an enormous part of my future depends on the PhD Applications Results. Therefore, I want to analyse what I would need to do in less optimal scenarios—namely, if I get rejected from all the best options.
I can briefly outline what these best options are, though I do not wish to rank all the universities I applied to, as it is realistic that I will not be admitted to most of these programmes. Instead, I want to categorise them into two groups: on one hand, the programmes I would definitely accept if admitted; on the other, those I would not be entirely satisfied with, either due to a lack of academic excellence or because they do not align with my primary research interests.
Optimal Universities
The universities in the first group—the optimal options—are all PhD Applications in the US except for Toronto, which lacks a particular focus on logic and mathematical philosophy, and Simon Fraser University which only offers a master degree. This group also includes Oxford and Cambridge, but no other universities. All other programmes in PhD Applications then belong to the second group of suboptimal options.
Suboptimal Universities
Among the suboptimal programmes, some do not align with my interests, such as Saint Andrews & Bonn, while others lack particular academic excellence, like Czech Academy of Science. However, the best option within this group is certainly Czech Academy of Science, as I am particularly interested in the project at the intersection of algebra and proof theory, which I find highly compelling.
Assuming I am only admitted to suboptimal programmes, several options remain open.
First, I would apply to more universities. There are still optimal options, such as LMU Munich, ILLC Amsterdam, and Bristol, to which I have yet to apply. I would definitely consider contacting professors at these universities to explore potential opportunities. I would also look into other European universities, such as those in Vienna or other major cities. Additionally, I could consider self-funding a PhD in Germany, as this seems feasible, and my family could support me financially for up to two years.
To continue this reasoning, let’s assume that by the end of the academic year, in August, I have no optimal offer but only some suboptimal ones. In that case, I could accept the most appealing suboptimal offer, spend a year there, and then decide whether to complete the PhD and later pursue a postdoc, or to interrupt the PhD after the first year and reapply to the same (and more) optimal programmes, ensuring I have fewer PhD Applications Regrets.
Alternatively, I could decide to stay at ILLC Amsterdam, not officially terminate my M.Sc. Logic (UvA), and instead spend more time conducting research there for a year before reapplying to optimal PhD programmes. Among the plans I considered three months ago in Assume I finish the MoL in one year, what then, these currently seem to be the only options I am open to pursuing.