I've enjoyed reading this thread so I figured I'd post my information as well. 1. Application list: UCLA, UC Berkeley, Stanford, USC, Arizona (Tucson), WashU, UC San Diego, UC Riverside, UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara, and Washington (Seattle). 2. Undergraduate Education: Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Southern Methodist University (despite the name, SMU's philosophy department is heavily analytic and has some well-published philosophers amongst its faculty). 3. Philosophical Interests: Metaphysics and Philosophy of Language. 4. Grades: Mostly A's and A-'s in Philosophy 5. GRE Scores: Mediocre at 530V/590Q/4.5AW I can't really give a measure for my writing sample or my letters of recommendation since there's no reliable means by which to quantify those (arguably most crucial) aspects of the admissions process--as has already been pointed out. However, although i admit it means very little to say, I feel quite confident about both. Good luck to everyone in getting in to their top choices!