humeanerror

I knew pedigree mattered, but boy does it seem to matter. Seriously, is there anyone who has gotten into a T20 who did not also go somewhere Leiter-ranked (or highly ranked)?

I am hoping to apply this next round, but based on a previous thread, it seems like those who apply for graduate school have done a lot of outside reading. I have not done much reading outside my classes, but I am a strong candidate in most other ways (high GPA, good GRE, presumably strong recommendations). I am, however, worried that my AOIs will not come across as contemporary or "cutting-edge." How much philosophy did you read outside of coursework as an undergraduate? For those who did not do much, do you think this hurt your SOP? Do you think someone who has not done much reading outside coursework should take a gap year?