Where should I shoot for?

[johnsmith62892]

I am a recent philosophy graduate from a state college in Oregon with a relatively weak philosophy department and I will be applying to grad school here this fall or next and my predicament is choosing the schools which are best within my reach. I was hoping someone could breakdown exactly what is within my reach (i.e. top 20 school, top 50 school, top tier masters, etc.). Here are my general stats:

Major: Philosophy

Minor: Writing

Overall GPA: 3.51

Phil. GPA: 3.72

GRE: 700 Verbal, 480 Quantitative, 5.0 Writing

Over 100 quarter-credits in philosophy:

Metaphysics/Epistemology (16 cr.)

Political Philosophy (20 cr.)

Phil. of Religion (16 cr.)

Logic (15 cr.)

Hst. of Philosophy (12 cr.)

Ethics (8 cr.)

Intership as TA (12 cr.)

Thesis (8 cr.)

And a few other topic courses (i.e. feminist philosophy, philosophy of mind, etc.)

My LORs are all from past philosophy professors. I have four of them.

My sample is on the philosophy of botany and was constructed via independent research during my senior year.

Accomplishments: Graduated Cum Laude, Undergraduate Arts Fellow

Note: I also started a non-profit organization aimed at encouraging youth to pursue careers in academic philosophy but I wasn't sure if this would have any factor in the overall selection process.

Thank you for your input.

[fluxkit]

Anyhow, I don't think you should base your decision on what you did in undergrad. Start by considering what problems in philosophy, or what figures in philosophy you are most interested in working on. Then find programs with faculty that support those interests. You can always emphasize your qualifications to fit around what you hope to pursue. It's more important to put forward an idea of where you want to go, than where you've been.

P.S.: I've no clue about these "quarter-credits." At first I thought you took like 38 or more philo. classes.

[johnsmith62892]

That's not really what I was asking. I want to continue to concentrate in political philosophy and metaphysics and most programs are competent in both of those areas so it doesn't matter what program I choose for the most part. My question is, however, what level of program am I looking at with my resume? Am I wasting my time applying to a top 10 or top 20 school even if my writing sample is pretty good, or is it within my reach? If not, what is the area best within my reach? Top 30? Top 40? Or is this resume more along the lines of an applicant at top masters program?

And quarter credits, as in, using the quarter system rather than the semester system. There's a big difference beings as most universities which operate on the quarter system require 180 cr to graduate while those on the semester system generally require 120 cr.

[Javslavin]

This is a tough question. It looks like you might make a first cut at many schools, at that point the focus shifts to the writing sample. [A great source of information regarding the phil grad school admissions process at most top schools: http://philosophy.uchicago.edu/prospective/admissions.html#review ] This is where something in your dossier strikes me as odd: If you're looking to go into political phil or metaphysics, then why is your writing sample in philosophy of botany? I think it would do you well to have a writing sample that speaks to your experience and interest in the sub-field you hope to work in.

Aside from that, perhaps you might try to polish up your GRE quant score, and you may want to figure out whether your LOR writers are willing to address whatever reasons there are as to why you don't have a 4.00 GPA (especially in philosophy). Otherwise, good luck! It is in your interest to apply to as many schools (that have something to offer in your area) as you can afford; this process is often a bit of a crap shoot.

Edited April 20, 2012 by Javslavin

[SocraticProf]

Alright, take this for what it's worth, but here is my experience in a nutshell. I applied to the University of Arizona, Colorado at Boulder, the University of Chicago, Northwestern, University of Missouri-Columbia, and Bowling Green State University. So a bit from all over the range in philosophy in general and political philosophy. I eventually got off the waitlist at Missouri, was on waitlist (#2) at Bowling Green, admitted to Chicago's MAPH (rejected from PhD), and admitted to Boulder's MA (rejected PhD). I was out and out rejected from the other two. So with my stats, I got into the bottom of the top 50 for PhD programs. So if I had my heart set on going to a top school, a mid-tier masters may have been the way to go; but I didn't, I wanted to go straight PhD.

My Stats:

From a small program at a school that mostly specializes in engineering and the sciences (strike one against me because it may be difficult to judge my preparedness and transcript).

GRE Revised General Test Percentiles: Verbal (99th), Quant. (77th), Writing (87th). The writing score really feels like a second strike.

GPA: 3.974

GPA in Philosophy: 4.0

Courses taken in philosophy: 15 (we did semesters and not quarters)

I don't know if that helps, but my advice is that if you can afford it, go ahead and apply to a dream school or two, and apply to lower tiered programs that have people there you really like and want to study with or specialize in your area (like say Bowling Green for applied ethics and political philosophy). And if you can find one, a funded masters program with a solid placement history in your subfield.

(Perhaps you should ask your advisor how successful the department is in placing students within certain ranges - it may give you an idea if top 20 is just too far out of reach to bother and stress over).

Edited April 20, 2012 by goodmayham