Heidegger99 Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 Hey everybody! Maybe its a stupid question, but im thinking about it for a quite a while... so lets go! It is my lifelong dream to pursue a Ph.D in the US. Now im wondering how difficult it is to get admitted into a Ph.D program in the US (top 100 Uni's). I must admit im kind of insecure about my grades when I compare them to the US grading system. I would say they are okay but not extremely competitive. I do have some other strengths tho.. Im currently studying Philosophy at the university of Leuven, Belgium (1st Belgium, 31th worldwide) and will study at LMU Munich for 6 months next year (1st Germany, 14th worldwide). Also im fluent in Dutch, German, French and English + I will first complete a Ma degree (in English) before applying for a Ph.D. (Im especially interested in German and French 20th century philosophy.) The question: How important would grades be in my case? Would I be a competitive candidate if I would be applying for a Ph.D at (for example) the University of Virginia, University of Missouri or Georgetown? Anyway, thanks a lot! <3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcus_Aurelius Posted March 21, 2021 Share Posted March 21, 2021 Like for pretty much all applicants, your writing sample will be most important, along with letters of recommendation. If you have a dynamite sample, and established professors who can vouch for you (and perhaps contextualize the grading system / address the grades), you should have a shot. So, writing sample writing sample writing sample. Heidegger99, hector549, PolPhil and 1 other 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hector549 Posted March 23, 2021 Share Posted March 23, 2021 On 3/19/2021 at 12:09 PM, Heidegger99 said: Hey everybody! Maybe its a stupid question, but im thinking about it for a quite a while... so lets go! It is my lifelong dream to pursue a Ph.D in the US. Now im wondering how difficult it is to get admitted into a Ph.D program in the US (top 100 Uni's). I must admit im kind of insecure about my grades when I compare them to the US grading system. I would say they are okay but not extremely competitive. I do have some other strengths tho.. Im currently studying Philosophy at the university of Leuven, Belgium (1st Belgium, 31th worldwide) and will study at LMU Munich for 6 months next year (1st Germany, 14th worldwide). Also im fluent in Dutch, German, French and English + I will first complete a Ma degree (in English) before applying for a Ph.D. (Im especially interested in German and French 20th century philosophy.) The question: How important would grades be in my case? Would I be a competitive candidate if I would be applying for a Ph.D at (for example) the University of Virginia, University of Missouri or Georgetown? Anyway, thanks a lot! ❤️ I don't think you'll be at a disadvantage coming from a European university. People here have heard of Leuven and LMU Munich. Those are schools with some prestige here, at least in philosophy. As @Marcus_Aureliussays, focus on your sample and getting strong letters from faculty. If you want to work on 20th century German and French philosophy, though, Virginia and Missouri aren't going to be a good fit for you, so make sure you're applying to programs that make sense given your interests and the topic of your writing sample. PolPhil, Marcus_Aurelius and Heidegger99 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidegger99 Posted March 23, 2021 Author Share Posted March 23, 2021 Thanks for the much appreciated advice @hector549 and @Marcus_Aurelius! hector549 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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