General Questions:
Q: Where else can I find classes I might like?
A: Anyone interested in philosophy should always check out the religious studies, comparative literature, contemplative studies, humanities, political science, and economics designations in CAB. These departments regularly offer classes of extreme interest to philosophers.
Q: How can I get involved in philosophy research during undergrad?
A: Reach out to professors. It is rare that an opportunity will be advertised or paid, but often professors will have opportunity for you to help with things such as indexing for an upcoming book project. Outside of that, many institutes and universities have academic workshops/fellowships during the summer, which they provide stipening for.
Q: Do we have free will?
A: No.
Thinking of Grad School?
Q: What extracurriculars should I do?
A: Grad schools care about your ability to do philosophy. After you have a certain philosophy GPA (~3.8, with better grades in the latter half of your studies), they judge your application almost entirely by your writing samples and to a lesser (but still very important) extent, letters of rec. Extracurriculars tend to only be helpful to the extent that they improve these things. Admissions committees do not care whether you are the head of a philosophy journal or the undergrad who wrote the answer to this. They want to know that you can think and write.
Q: Who should apply to philosophy grad school?
A: Philosophy grad school builds the same soft skills that any humanities program does: writing, critical thinking, etc.. For that reason, your degree is broadly applicable to a variety of fields (such as policy, strategic decision making, etc.). However, if your goal is to get a job in academia, be warned: it is incredibly difficult, even if you get into a top grad program. For that reason, you should only apply to a PhD if you are comfortable spending 5 years of your life pursuing it, only to not end up in academia.
Q: Do I need to do a thesis to get into grad school?
A: Not necessarily. A thesis is a great opportunity to showcase your skills to a professor who you intend to ask for a letter of rec, and to build your analytic and writing abilities. However, most theses are not done by the time grad school admissions are due, and most are too long to submit for a writing sample anyway. For that reason, a capstone is a completely acceptable alternative!
Q: Do I need to take graduate level classes in undergrad in order to be more competitive?
A: No! Since most of your application is determiend based on letters of rec and a writing sample, they are not necessary. You can still demonstrate your philosophical chops and and produce a quality writing sample in an undergrad class. However, the small nature of graduate seminars can be an excellent opportunity to show off more of your skills to a professor, and go more in depth on a topic you care about. They are also a good way to gauge whether grad school is something you may be interested in. At Brown, whether or not you can take a philosophy grad class is up to the professor. As a freshman or sophmore it is incredibly rare, as a junior it is still very uncommon, but as a senior it is more common. Reach out to a professor if you are interested in taking their class!
Q: Do I need to have publications?
A: No. Most admitted undergrads do not have any publications, even in top grad programs. Additionally, when you submit your writing sample, it is assumed that this is your "best" (or close to best work, because sometimes theses are too long for submission). They can judge you just as well by reading this.
Considering declaring as an undergrad?
Q: How employable is an undergraduate philosophy degree?
A: Philosophy is great for building soft skills such as writing, analytic thinking, and other skills that are extremely hard to demonstrate to a potential employer in just an interview and cover letter. For that reason, it is great both as a primary and secondary degree in a variety of fields such as government, business, journalism, consulting, and more. If you are unsure what you want to do, it is a flexible primary degree that does wonders when combined with the Brown name. Additionally, with only 10 requirements, it is a great secondary degree for supplementing another degree, such as economics, which demonstrates more hard or industry-specific skills.
Q: How has concentrating affected your life?
A: "When I was in Edinburgh I was exiting a Co-Op and a man in a ski mask walked in to steal some Cadbury Cream Eggs from the storefront. As he hopped on his bike to bolt away, product in hand, I instinctually grabbed it and started to attack him. Without my education as a Brown University philosophy student, I would not have been as readily attuned to the commands of the moral law, and could have easily been a bystander." -Alex Anaya '27