sar1906

Thanks. Had that link but lost it somewhere along the way. Good luck!

I'm probably missing something, but where is everybody seeing that X school has sent out Y notification other than their own?

thanks. i was surprised, but definitely put the time into my writing sample. AOI: 19th and 20th continental philosophy, phenomenology (Merleau-Ponty and Levinas) genealogy (Foucault and Nietzsche), American philosophy (mostly John Dewey), the intersection of ethics and politics

acceptance from Vanderbilt here.

Towards a Democratic Critique of Democracy: Thinking-in-Action with Rorty, Foucault, and Dewey

Wow...sounds like I should apply to Master's programs.... Do you mind saying what the topic of your writing sample is/will be?

That's the doubt forever hanging in the back of my mind. Just have to put in the effort to show why it shouldn't make a difference. It still might, but that's not completely within our control. The time and effort we put into the application is.

Thanks for all the feedback. I plowed through the Prolegomena and am now working on the first Critique. Going to read as much as possible. Good general reference list here from the philosophy undergrads. Thanks!

Undergrad: Technical school in upstate NY, majored in biochemistry, minored in philosophy. Paper accepted at an undergraduate philosophy conference but conflicted with a biochemistry conference, and chose the latter. I regret that. Grad: Graduated, applied to graduate schools, accepted at the New School, no funding, turned it down. Interviewed at DePaul but not offered a position, ended up going to Johns Hopkins to study biochemistry. After some time knee-deep in research and conversing with older students and faculty, decided that was the wrong path, left the program, moved to China to teach English and study Chinese. Third year in China, now preparing application for 2015. Interests: Nietzsche, Foucault, American philosophy. 19th and 20th century continental philosophy. Phenomenology, Critical Theory.

Very helpful, thanks. I've come across most of that, some with less depth than others. It sounds like the "standard" background would be broad and based on excerpts and articles rather than complete texts. Gives me a good sense of what I would need to go over. I feel pretty fairly covered with that. Thanks!

Sweet, I didn't see anyone mention American philosophy at all on here. I've read The Varieties of Religious Experience and The Will to Believe. I tend to favor classical American philosophy, James, Emerson, Dewey. I think their discussion of experience is very important, and somewhat neglected after the 'linguistic turn,' most evident in thinkers like Richard Rorty, though I also enjoyed his work. You can check out: Philosophy and Social Hope, Achieving our Country, and Essays on Heidegger and Others. My writing sample actually engages American philosophy. I think it's really important.

One issue is I read a lot of Nietzsche before I read Kant, so when I try to read Kant, I just hear Nietzsche shrieking from Beyond Good and Evil: But let's think about it, it is high time. 'How are synthetic a priori judgements possible?' wondered Kant, and what did he answer? They are facilitated by a faculty: unfortunately, however, he did not say this in four words, but so cumbersomely, so venerably, and with such an expense of German profundity and ornateness........etc., etc..

I mean, have you guys read the complete texts? One thing to have a familiarity with the texts, another to read them cover to cover. I've read broadly over the post-Kantian tradition, some completely, many not. Just wondering how completely philosophy majors typically read, or if you dealt mostly with excerpts and fragments. Obviously, the more the better, but there is only so much time.

So I am applying to Master's and Ph D programs with an undergraduate major in biochemistry, minor in philosophy. I have been doing reading in my own time to try to build a foundation of what I imagine undergraduate majors cover. By the end of your undergraduate major in philosophy, what does your reading background look like? Have you read complete texts of most of the major thinkers? Just excerpts here and there? My AOS are in 19th and 20th century continental, and American philosophy.

I'm applying in Dec. 2014, Jan. 2015, so I'll be around for a while....if anyone is left....

Anyone admitted to one of these schools? Able/willing to share personal statements and writing samples? I have about 8 months and looking for all of the help I can get!

You've got to be kidding me. I've been further even more decided to use even go need to do look more as anyone can. Can you really be far even as decided half as much to use go wish for that? My guess is that when one really been far even as decided once to use even go want, it is then that he has really been far even as decided to use even go want to do look more like. It's just common sense.

Great, thanks for the feedback. Yeah, I knew that if I went to the NS I would have had to work A LOT to make up the fees, and that would take away from my time in the department. I feel decent about my writing sample so far. I'm reading more philosophy recently so I am trying to model it on published material. It's an attempt at bringing together American pragmatism and "critical philosophy," for lack of a better term, with Richard Rorty and Michel Foucault being taken as provisional representatives of their respective traditions. I was pleasantly surprised to find similar work is being done by Colin Koopman at the University of Oregon. He calls it "genealogical pragmatism," or "pragmatist genealogy." Before I had even found his paper, I approached the same idea (though not as rigorously, of course) independently, so I feel encouraged about that.

JJB: How did you get through the program? Loans? Work? Yeah, they provided some funding, but I still would have had to pay about $50,000 out of pocket. This cycle I'll be applying to Ph D and Master's programs, mostly ones people have already mentioned. I was hoping to pick some accepted applicants' brains for writing sample ideas, starting with a general outline of what they did? Any takers?

Great! What was your major? Are you applying Dec. 2014/Jan. 2015?

Definitely going to look at some funded Master's programs. Thanks for the reminder about LMU, had that on my list as well. I'm a bit anxious about not having a philosophy major, but I interviewed at DePaul the first time around, and I have done a lot more reading and writing since then, so I'll apply to both. That was a long time ago, and I'm sure my anxiety and naivete about what philosophy graduate school involved showed in my interview, which contributed to my not receiving an offer.

Hey everybody, Graduated in 2011 with a B.S. in biochemistry and a minor in philosophy. Got into philosophy a bit later in my undergraduate career, but I managed to throw together an application and was accepted to the New School Master's program, but turned it down because of the funding. I then left the US to teach English abroad in China, which has given me plenty of time to continue to read, write, and think philosophy. I am applying in Dec. 2014 - Jan. 2015. My primary interests are in 19th and 20th century Continental philosophy, phenomenology, existentialism, and American philosophy. I'll be applying to the usual suspects for continental work: Emory, Stony Brook, Georgetown, Duquesne, University of New Mexico, University of Oregon, Villanova, Penn State, so far. I was wondering if any one out there has similar interests and applied to similar schools? I'd like to pick your brains! Thanks