Applying to grad school with low overall GPA but high philosophy GPA

[Fkarachi]

I got my degree in philosophy two years ago from a school with a fairly reputable philosophy department. I had a 3.91 philosophy major GPA(all As and one B ) but a 2.5 overall GPA. I was mostly too uninterested or unmotivated in any classes other than philosophy. I also found at my senior year that I had ADHD(which also caused depression and other issues), and the medication for that has helped me tremendously(I think I would have had a great GPA if I had the medication the entire time). Since leaving school, I have worked full-time in data-science(self taught) and one of my main hobbies/obsessions has been reading philosophy. I have matured to the point where I obviously realize now that I should have put the work in to all my classes(as I always thought grad school was something I wanted to do in the future). I think I could do good work in a master's program and then apply to a PhD after.

I have spoken recently with a few of my professors from undergrad, and they were all very supportive when I suggested that I was thinking of applying for grad school. One in particular(who has a degree from the University of Chicago and whose opinion I respect highly) told me that they think I have a special talent for philosophy and that they would be glad to write me a letter of recommendation. I explained my 2.5 GPA problem to them, and they said that they think I would likely get the attention of the entrance committees due to my high philosophy GPA. This along with a good GRE score and a my writing sample(which I have been working on and have received encouraging and constructive feedback on) would likely be enough to get a chance to explain my mental health situation and likely be accepted into some reputable programs.

What do you all think? I do feel that this professor might be overly encouraging as we have always gotten along personally very well.

Edited May 2, 2021 by Fkarachi

[lurkingfaculty]

Hi Fkarachi, my department (PhD) would definitely read your application and would probably discount your low GPA if all of the other aspects of your file were extremely strong. I do suspect lots of people would be concerned though. I would think that if you have a strong writing sample you would be a good candidate for the good MA programs. And I do think if you had a very strong writing sample that PhD programs would consider you, but I think you'd have better luck by first going to an MA program and developing a more consistent academic record there. It's easy for people who are not currently in grad school to underestimate how competitive PhD admissions are (because it's gotten progressively more competitive), so your professor may not be being overly encouraging, but may not really understand either how big or how good the pool of candidates you will be competing against are. If you do apply to PhD programs, I would focus on PhD programs that match your interests extremely well. Having a writing sample that is really strong *and* in an area that lots of people on the faculty are experts on and can trust their own evaluation of really well would put you in a better position for people to discount your grades.

[musicdegree4me]

I suggest applying to funded masters programs for a chance to improve your GPA.

[pisto]

I second applying to MA programs. Apply to UNM if you are at all interested in anything going on there. That's a very strong MA program. I went there with a similar situation with my application and they seem to make a point of taking some folks who have imperfect track records. Makes for a very interesting program, that's for sure.