What should an undergraduate philosophy student do in order to make the best grad school application

[hopefulundergraduate]

I'm about to start my junior year and have started thinking about grad school. I'm not sure if any other philosophy undergraduates at other universities feel this way, but it is extremely difficult to find information regarding things that I can do during my undergraduate to increase my chances of getting into a top PHD program. I go to a public university where the undergraduate advisor for the philosophy department is definitely a great help, but unfortunately my advisor can only really help us with getting our bachelors degrees from the current institution I'm at.

After doing some prying on this site, I've found the following to be a pretty good list of things to try and do while I'm here to increase my chances of going to a school like NYU, Harvard, or Columbia. Here's what I know:

1) Having a high GPA is important. A GPA between 3.6-4.0 seems to be what people accepting fully funded PHD's to programs like Harvard or Yale have. 
2) The writing statement is, by some accounts, the most important factor to most top universities 
3) Having great LORs is key
4) Getting a paper accepted to present at philosophy conferences definitely helps

I was wondering whether having studied abroad makes a huge difference in the quality of one's application? Moreover, how important is the foreign language requirement to top schools like Harvard or Columbia? I'm asking since I'm considering doing Spanish at a local community college here for the sake of keeping a high GPA, but I wouldn't want a higher GPA at the cost of a net lower quality application. Please let me know what you think in regards to these two questions, and please feel free to add to my list of things I can do to increase my chances of getting into a top PHD philosophy program. 

 

Edited July 25, 2016 by hopefulundergraduate

[janeaude]

I don't think there is a foreign language requirement for philosophy programs, unless you plan to do ancient philosophy (then Greek might help). Here's more information on the application process: http://schwitzsplintersunderblog.blogspot.my/2007/10/applying-to-phd-programs-in-philosophy.html

Edited July 25, 2016 by janeaude

[isostheneia]

Foreign language shouldn't be a problem - I applied with a big emphasis on German Idealism, without knowing any German whatsoever, and even then no school that I applied to had a problem with that. And plenty (most, at this point?) of departments don't have a language requirement anymore.

Regarding other factors:

1) GPA 3.6-4.0 sounds about right.

2) The writing sample is almost certainly most important. Make sure to read lots of contemporary papers on whatever topic you're writing on, cite/respond to them (showing how your paper is a worthwhile contribution to the literature), and make your paper look and read like them. Following the stylistic norms (e.g. how to motivate main issues, how to raise and respond to objections, what papers it's important to cite and respond to, etc.) of a sub-field is an important way of showing off philosophical skill.

3) Great LORs are probably second-most important, I think. Eric Schwitzgebel's blog has more.

4) I don't think presenting at undergrad conferences makes much of a difference directly, although indirectly it may help the quality of your thinking and writing.

Finally, two more things. With the GRE, it's probably good to aim for a total score of 315 or higher. Many profs on admissions committees don't care much about GRE, but some do, and you have no way of knowing who will read your application. So it's good to get each component as high quality as possible. And second, statement of purpose/evidence of fit is important. Departments want students who are excited to be there and have interests that are well served by the department. So choosing schools where you would fit well, based on your interests, and demonstrating that fit in your statement of purpose can definitely help.

[Glasperlenspieler]

It does seem like the language requirement is being phased out at many programs (instead you often have to demonstrate a research tool for which a language would qualify but so might taking a couple of high level statistics classes depending on your research area). That being said for schools that do still have a language requirement, they typically want Latin, Greek, French, or German, so the Spanish may not be of much help here. Although if you're motivated to study Spanish for other reasons, then by all means.

[hopefulundergraduate]

Thanks for the stuff on the language requirement. 

Does having study abroad on my application make much of a difference? How to admissions people usually see study abroad, and am I missing something crucial if I elect not to study abroad? 

[maxhgns]

9 hours ago, janeaude said:

I don't think there is a foreign language requirement for philosophy programs, unless you plan to do ancient philosophy (then Greek might help). Here's more information on the application process: http://schwitzsplintersunderblog.blogspot.my/2007/10/applying-to-phd-programs-in-philosophy.html

 

41 minutes ago, DerPhilosoph said:

It does seem like the language requirement is being phased out at many programs (instead you often have to demonstrate a research tool for which a language would qualify but so might taking a couple of high level statistics classes depending on your research area). That being said for schools that do still have a language requirement, they typically want Latin, Greek, French, or German, so the Spanish may not be of much help here. Although if you're motivated to study Spanish for other reasons, then by all means.

 

DerPhilosoph is right. It's worth noting, however, that even at programs with a foreign language requirement, that's usually a requirement for graduation, not for entry into the program. Although, of course, the earlier you master a language you need for research, the better. Spanish is not going to count unless you're working on stuff that's mostly been conducted in Spanish.

Just focus on your writing sample, GPA, and your statement of interest. Those are the only things over which you really have any control, and they're the things that matter most (letters matter, but they are what they are; if you have good grades and are developing a solid writing sample, your letters will say nice things about you [and everyone else's do too, so they won't really help you stand out]). Don't waste time doing things for the sake of your application that you wouldn't otherwise do for reasons of your own.

Oh, and try to brush up on your logic. It'll make it easier to deal with the logic requirement. Not every program has one, and not every program has a hard one. Many do, however, and it's best to go into it with a solid background. It can be a real gatekeeper in some places.

 

[maxhgns]

8 minutes ago, hopefulundergraduate said:

Thanks for the stuff on the language requirement. 

Does having study abroad on my application make much of a difference? How to admissions people usually see study abroad, and am I missing something crucial if I elect not to study abroad? 

 

The "admissions people" are faculty in the department, and they don't really give a shit about it. If you want to go for your own reasons, do it. If you don't, don't. It could be a really good, valuable learning experience, but it's not going to boost your application in any noticeable way.

 

EDIT: I should add that if there are any scholarships (or grants) for which you can apply, you should do so. Those do matter. And if you want to apply for a Rhodes scholarship, remember that you have to be involved with some kind of sport.

Edited July 25, 2016 by maxhgns

[janeaude]

13 hours ago, hopefulundergraduate said:

Thanks for the stuff on the language requirement. 

Does having study abroad on my application make much of a difference? How to admissions people usually see study abroad, and am I missing something crucial if I elect not to study abroad? 

As has been said, studying abroad doesn't in itself make you a stronger applicant. But if you happen to be on exchange at a well-ranked university, having a letter of recommendation from someone who is respected and recognized within philosophy circles will certainly be a plus.

[pterosaur]

On 25/07/2016 at 10:09 PM, maxhgns said:

EDIT: I should add that if there are any scholarships (or grants) for which you can apply, you should do so. Those do matter. And if you want to apply for a Rhodes scholarship, remember that you have to be involved with some kind of sport.

You do not have to do sports to be qualified for the Rhodes. They've reinterpreted that section of the goals to mean that there are other ways applicants can show "vitality" like being active in community service, etc. That said, they're still generally more athletic than Marshall Scholars, but I wouldn't let it turn you off of applying. (Also, if you're considering this sort of fellowship, also look at the Marshall, Mitchell, and Fulbright scholarships.)

[maxhgns]

23 hours ago, pterosaur said:

You do not have to do sports to be qualified for the Rhodes. They've reinterpreted that section of the goals to mean that there are other ways applicants can show "vitality" like being active in community service, etc. That said, they're still generally more athletic than Marshall Scholars, but I wouldn't let it turn you off of applying. (Also, if you're considering this sort of fellowship, also look at the Marshall, Mitchell, and Fulbright scholarships.)

Good to know.