Need some guidance on getting things in order prior to applying for graduate program - Seeking Advice

[Beautiful Sciences]

Hey all,

Hope this is the right place to post this. I am currently early-mid twenties and graduated with a Bachelors' degree in Fine Arts. I work primarily in AutoCAD. Due to working for two gap years during undergraduate, I graduated last May, 2021, after a year and a half of zoom courses. I discovered during this time that my true passion is philosophy, and have spent a significant amount of time, as of late, dedicated to studying the philosophy of the pre-critical rationalists (Baumgarten, Wolff, Meier, etc), and studying philosophy in general (probably 2 years now). I am mostly interested in Aesthetics, philosophy of Science, philosophy of History, and political philosophy.

Despite having a well-known professor, my school was a C-level school; I didn't get too many connections there and don't really know anyone from there I could turn to advice for the Fine Arts, much less philosophy, which is my true passion. So that's why I come here.

I am aiming towards a joint JD-MPhil degree (partly for law money), and, of course, making somewhat of a lateral shift from another field. On one hand, the path to having a good application to a Law program is much more clear and rigid (Intern as a paralegal, good writing, study LSAT and get a good score), but the philosophy component is FAR less clear. In this case, I have to apply to both programs seperately.

What actions could I take to prove to a potential admissions department that I have what it takes to be a graduate philosophy student without having anything clearly marked in my Curriculum Vitae or Resume? I have writings on Eriugena and Neoplatonism, Kant, Aztec philosophy, etc. I am also a student of the Arabic and German languages. I don't have anything on paper that indicates a background in philosophy or the humanities in general (other than humanities courses in undergraduate which bordered between philosophy and art criticism).

Are there any programs that are akin to what an art residency would be, but for philosophy?

What are the best things I could do to beef up my chances of being accepted into such a program?

Edited December 2, 2021 by Beautiful Sciences

[Duns Eith]

You may want to consider an MA program in philosophy first.

https://fundedphilma.weebly.com/

There are funded spots at most of these. How are they funded? Well, they typically cover most or all tuition, plus a stipend to offset cost of living, in exchange for TA'ing (for first year MA students) and teaching (for second year MA students). This can be a great way to develop professionally, get into the academic scene, confirm what kind of grit you have for your passion (or the lack thereof), network and get letters of recommendation, and perhaps most importantly 'extend your reach' for top PhD programs. The majority of grad students at PhD programs earned an MA first.

On this note, I would strongly urge you to think of grad school as an internship + apprenticeship, and that you should not be paying your way but rather earning your keep. If you have no funded offers, try applying again or take it as evidence that you should go into something else. If they don't fund you, they literally don't think you're worthy of their investment when compared to the other applicants. It's competitive.

[you'll_never_get_to_heaven]

M.A. program is probably a good idea in your case, but -

M.A. programs cost money, even if they say they do not.

That being said, if your passion is philosophy, include some of the M.A. programs mentioned in the link above.

Edited December 5, 2021 by you'll_never_get_to_heaven

[Duns Eith]

Post script: It might seem that the application season is already getting behind us, but notice that many programs for the MA accept apps in January and February. I went to Western Mich for their MA, and had a great experience there. Let me know if you have questions about their program. I think they have an app due end of Jan or early Feb

[you'll_never_get_to_heaven]

On 12/13/2021 at 4:27 PM, Duns Eith said:

Post script: It might seem that the application season is already getting behind us, but notice that many programs for the MA accept apps in January and February. I went to Western Mich for their MA, and had a great experience there. Let me know if you have questions about their program. I think they have an app due end of Jan or early Feb

CSULB has a terminal M.A. and is very strong in philosophy of science (recent placement into Pitt HPS and UC Irvine is demonstrative of that)

[maxhgns]

On the aesthetics front, have a look at the American Society for Aesthetics' Guide to Graduate Education in North America. It's essentially a list of MA and PhD programs with some kind of focus in aesthetics and the philosophy of art. It's not a curated list, so some departments are not necessarily as great as they look on paper, but it's a great place to start. You can then cross-compare with department pages and the Philosophical Gourmet Report (and Leiter's law school report) to find programs strong in several of your areas of interest.

If you want to combine a JD with a PhD (or an MA or an MPhil), of course, that's going to narrow your list of options significantly. But that's not a bad thing.

 

Edited December 27, 2021 by maxhgns

[AKFlowerree]

I'm just here to boost the MA program at Texas Tech! Our students come from diverse educational backgrounds, and one type of student we support is the one who would be great at philosophy but doesn't have enough training to get into a phd program.

You can find our blurb on the philosophers cocoon: https://philosopherscocoon.typepad.com/blog/2022/01/funded-ma-at-texas-tech.html

Or visit our website: https://www.depts.ttu.edu/philosophy/degrees/gradprogram.php

Also, feel free to email me directly to see if it would be a good fit for you. Our priority deadline is Feb 15th (we continue to review applications after that).

amy.flowerree@ttu.edu 

[captleibniz]

Do not pursue philosophy as a career if you would not be happy teaching it at a community college someday. Professor jobs at R1 universities are very, very, very difficult to attain and the job market only gets worse every year. 

However, if you're a crazy person like me, then the other people are right -- sounds like an MA Philosophy is the way to go. Funded would be great, but those are few and far between. 

If you could swing the MA, that could bolster your CV substantially, especially if you don't have much philosophical education already in-hand.