How can my GRE score help me?

[temerarious]

Hi,

 

I'm in an unusual position. I got a 99th percentile GRE score: 170V/169Q. On AW, I got a 5. 

 

Now, I'm interested in pursuing philosophy in grad school. The problem is that it wasn't my undergrad major. I majored in a science. I did however minor in philosophy. I took as many philosophy courses as I could, which is a lot more than what a typical minor requires. I took 11 courses in philosophy. My CGPA is 3.65 and my philosophy GPA is 3.9.  I'd ideally like to apply to PhD programs but I'm not sure I have a realistic shot. Can my GRE score help me avoid a terminal Masters? Is my philosophy GPA and coursework sufficient to get me into good PhD programs? Thanks!

[random_grad]

As another person with a 99th-percentile GRE, I know how you feel: it's so cool but at the same time you know deep inside that nobody cares. It's an odd feeling to not be able to do anything with that score. All it can do is not hurt your application, and I heard that in some schools it influences funding. Still, profs never mentioned GRE to me and never asked about my score.

As for your other question, I don't know specifically about philosophy, which appears to be a very competitive field (you should ask in the philosophy forum, by the way), but in other fields in the humanities it is not uncommon for a person to use their minor as new primary field, esp. with so many courses take - 11 is a lot. What really matters is not the official designation of your major or minor, but your references and writing sample. Also, might be of relevance for you to highlight breadth of courses if indeed you achieved breadth. That's what 'major' is for: to ensure that you specialized a bit but most importantly that you fulfilled the foundation requirement in your major - philosophy would, for example, require you take courses in ethics, aesthetics, metaphysics etc - the different subfields - or courses on specific schools of thoughts to cover the basics. If in addition to that you have a couple of advanced courses, you'll be fine. If instead you only took intro courses or specialized too much, that might be problematic.

 

Another thing worth mentioning: science can be very relevant to philosophy. Look at the MIT philosophy program - lots of math. Or some programs have you replace a language req with a science foundation in, say, biology if you study bioethics.

Edited May 24, 2015 by random_grad

[temerarious]

As another person with a 99th-percentile GRE, I know how you feel: it's so cool but at the same time you know deep inside that nobody cares. It's an odd feeling to not be able to do anything with that score. All it can do is not hurt your application, and I heard that in some schools it influences funding. Still, profs never mentioned GRE to me and never asked about my score.

As for your other question, I don't know specifically about philosophy, which appears to be a very competitive field (you should ask in the philosophy forum, by the way), but in other fields in the humanities it is not uncommon for a person to use their minor as new primary field, esp. with so many courses take - 11 is a lot. What really matters is not the official designation of your major or minor, but your references and writing sample. Also, might be of relevance for you to highlight breadth of courses if indeed you achieved breadth. That's what 'major' is for: to ensure that you specialized a bit but most importantly that you fulfilled the foundation requirement in your major - philosophy would, for example, require you take courses in ethics, aesthetics, metaphysics etc - the different subfields - or courses on specific schools of thoughts to cover the basics. If in addition to that you have a couple of advanced courses, you'll be fine. If instead you only took intro courses or specialized too much, that might be problematic.

 

Another thing worth mentioning: science can be very relevant to philosophy. Look at the MIT philosophy program - lots of math. Or some programs have you replace a language req with a science foundation in, say, biology if you study bioethics.

 

Thanks for your response. 

 

Is it ok if I post the same thread in the philosophy section? If not, perhaps a mod can move this thread to that section.

[firewitch]

Hi Temerarious,

 

I don't think that you need to stick to graduate programs in your major. Just look through the CV's of professors and you'll see that many of them have BA or BS in a different subject than their MA or PhD. As to GRE, I would say that there are some programs where they have so many fine applicants that they don't even look at the ones below a certain figure, and certainly there are programs that make funding contingent on GRE, so a good score is a good thing.

 

Your grades look pretty good, I don't think they'll hurt you. Picking the right program to apply to (where there are people whose work interests you), writing a good SOP, and submitting a paper that shows you have writing skill and original thought will be crucial.

 

Once you are in a graduate program, things can change. By terminal Master's, I presume you mean a program that only has an MA. I wouldn't worry about that, because if you do well there, you can move into a PhD program afterward.

[temerarious]

As another person with a 99th-percentile GRE, I know how you feel: it's so cool but at the same time you know deep inside that nobody cares. It's an odd feeling to not be able to do anything with that score. All it can do is not hurt your application, and I heard that in some schools it influences funding. Still, profs never mentioned GRE to me and never asked about my score.

As for your other question, I don't know specifically about philosophy, which appears to be a very competitive field (you should ask in the philosophy forum, by the way), but in other fields in the humanities it is not uncommon for a person to use their minor as new primary field, esp. with so many courses take - 11 is a lot. What really matters is not the official designation of your major or minor, but your references and writing sample. Also, might be of relevance for you to highlight breadth of courses if indeed you achieved breadth. That's what 'major' is for: to ensure that you specialized a bit but most importantly that you fulfilled the foundation requirement in your major - philosophy would, for example, require you take courses in ethics, aesthetics, metaphysics etc - the different subfields - or courses on specific schools of thoughts to cover the basics. If in addition to that you have a couple of advanced courses, you'll be fine. If instead you only took intro courses or specialized too much, that might be problematic.

 

Another thing worth mentioning: science can be very relevant to philosophy. Look at the MIT philosophy program - lots of math. Or some programs have you replace a language req with a science foundation in, say, biology if you study bioethics.

 

The courses I took covered many topics in philosophy. They are: ethics, epistemology, metaphysics, philosophy of mind, philosophy of science, political philosophy, health care ethics (bioethics), decision theory, Indian philosophy.

Edited May 25, 2015 by temerarious

[Jay's Brain]

I'm not familiar with the Philosophy graduate programs either, but judging by your academic prowess in the area and the number of courses you've taken, it certainly seems like you can make a case that you fit into the program. I agree with random_grad, your major in a science-related field may not be such a deterring factor. After all, you've probably learned a lot of soft skills, such as critical thinking and flexibility, that can be transferred into a philosophy graduate program. 

From what I know, the Humanities are a bit more flexible with what your original undergraduate degree was in. It comes with what the fields look at. Perhaps you can look for an area in philosophy that interests you, maybe ethics and philosophy of science, and use that to spin why coming from a science background gives you the necessary tools to be a strong philosophy graduate student. If you can stamp out what you hope to pursue, it makes applications a lot easier!

[serenade]

Hi,

 

I'm in an unusual position. I got a 99th percentile GRE score: 170V/169Q. On AW, I got a 5. 

 

Now, I'm interested in pursuing philosophy in grad school. The problem is that it wasn't my undergrad major. I majored in a science. I did however minor in philosophy. I took as many philosophy courses as I could, which is a lot more than what a typical minor requires. I took 11 courses in philosophy. My CGPA is 3.65 and my philosophy GPA is 3.9.  I'd ideally like to apply to PhD programs but I'm not sure I have a realistic shot. Can my GRE score help me avoid a terminal Masters? Is my philosophy GPA and coursework sufficient to get me into good PhD programs? Thanks!

I don't think you have anything to worry about! Those scores are outstanding and the breadth and depth of phil courses you took will definitely make for a strong application. Cheers!