Saying "bad" to a 3.5 GPA really bugged me. Is this all real? why are we feeding this type of illusion forced on us by admission committees? I think it is pretty good. There are times we cannot change our grades, no matter how much we study. let us all agree that there are so many injustices going around the schools, and not all academicians are good teachers and good evaluators. I am sure there are plenty of MA & PhD programs you would be accepted to. Also, "the best place to do a PhD in Philosophy" is not totally objective, too.