tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26951738.post1450408682729947503..comments2024-03-28T19:14:33.619-07:00Comments on The Splintered Mind: Applying to PhD Programs in Philosophy, Part IV: Writing SampleEric Schwitzgebelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11541402189204286449noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26951738.post-14396268885723178002023-11-16T15:14:51.410-08:002023-11-16T15:14:51.410-08:00Being up to date in your references is a nice bonu...Being up to date in your references is a nice bonus, but not necessary. Quality is the most important thing!Eric Schwitzgebelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16274774112862434865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26951738.post-46250946452048484992023-11-16T12:28:02.461-08:002023-11-16T12:28:02.461-08:00Thank you very much for your very helpful advice!
...Thank you very much for your very helpful advice!<br /><br />I do have a lingering question regarding sources: is there an expectation that our writing samples include the most "cutting edge" research being done in the field? For example, if I am writing on emotional realism, should I focus on working with writers that I encountered in class, or should I be working to include contemporary philosophers writing on this very topic? What matters more: that I write an exemplary essay with limited sources, or that I write a less than exemplary one with a more up-to-date bibliography?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26951738.post-19850198982955232232021-10-21T01:02:21.374-07:002021-10-21T01:02:21.374-07:00Power relationships between professors and student...Power relationships between professors and students? Gosh that doesn't sound like a good learning environmentAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26951738.post-53675226754321570912021-01-04T17:46:18.636-08:002021-01-04T17:46:18.636-08:00Yes, I can see the problem! The samples couldn...Yes, I can see the problem! The samples couldn't be released without the applicant's permission. But even asking permission is probably inappropriate, given the power relationships between professors and students.Eric Schwitzgebelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16274774112862434865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26951738.post-35385042506108836252021-01-01T03:29:27.054-08:002021-01-01T03:29:27.054-08:00I wonder why is so difficult to find a sample of w...I wonder why is so difficult to find a sample of written work from a successful applicant from the previous years? I contacted a few departments asking for a sample, and I received a cold, almost arrogant rejection. I just wanted to compare the quality of my sample. I am not from the USA, and it is very difficult for me to have an objective assessment of my writings. My sample might be very good, it might be horrible. If I have something to compare, and If I find that my sample is just not at a satisfactory level to gain admission, I will just not apply. Is there some policy against making these samples public?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26951738.post-15522822352538804242020-10-19T15:01:27.189-07:002020-10-19T15:01:27.189-07:00Overall, footnotes are probably good -- as long as...Overall, footnotes are probably good -- as long as they are serious and scholarly and not too digressive or off topic. Definitely *not* required. Only a minority of samples have them.Eric Schwitzgebelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16274774112862434865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26951738.post-72548736639556708022020-10-18T12:54:12.090-07:002020-10-18T12:54:12.090-07:00Hello! Is having so many footnotes, especially lon...Hello! Is having so many footnotes, especially long, technical ones, impressive (say, because they show attention to details and caveats) or harmful to the application? Thank you!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26951738.post-33562594113156843912020-08-21T18:22:22.525-07:002020-08-21T18:22:22.525-07:00Hard to say — maybe! Consult with your letter wri...Hard to say — maybe! Consult with your letter writers. A fresh paper *could* be good, but without a prof’s supervision and evaluation it could be weaker than you realize.Eric Schwitzgebelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16274774112862434865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26951738.post-78856472072435689912020-08-20T20:02:48.844-07:002020-08-20T20:02:48.844-07:00I've really enjoyed your series, and I greatly...I've really enjoyed your series, and I greatly appreciate the insight. I guess a question I have here would be: what if your grades were not superb (B average) and you (an applicant) don't feel like any paper you've written for your undergrad program is good or long enough for a sample paper? Would you say the applicant should write a sample paper that was never submitted for a grade?Jason Cnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26951738.post-30895141745574786692019-11-26T09:37:01.118-08:002019-11-26T09:37:01.118-08:00I am in my first year of PhD study in philosophy a...I am in my first year of PhD study in philosophy at a US institution ranked between 20th and 30th on the last Gourmet Report and I was told, not in so many words, that I was admitted primarily on the strength of my writing sample.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26951738.post-2427333999477061832019-11-04T09:44:53.230-08:002019-11-04T09:44:53.230-08:00Anon: It will be a very rare undergraduate or Mast...Anon: It will be a very rare undergraduate or Master's student who has a solo-authored work published in a well-regarded philosophy journal. But if you do, I think you would be forgiven for submitting it as your sample, even if it's over length!<br /><br />Something published in an undergraduate philosophy journal or a journal that the committee isn't familiar with won't count for much, though. It shows a certain initiative, which is good, but in that case I'd recommend treating it as a normal sample, and if possible formatting it in the usual 12-point double-spaced way, within guidelines.Eric Schwitzgebelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16274774112862434865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26951738.post-45272535265996303302019-11-04T04:17:30.171-08:002019-11-04T04:17:30.171-08:00Thanks for these posts!
I was wondering if one sh...Thanks for these posts!<br /><br />I was wondering if one should submit published work as a writing sample, if they have it. I don't know if one would need to submit a pre-print or be unable to cut-down/edit the existing work for publication reasons. I have in mind something like an article in a well-regarded philosophy or philosophy-adjacent journal here, although I suppose some people might consider submitting work they published in an undergraduate journal.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26951738.post-55860852189553968362019-11-01T09:26:02.516-07:002019-11-01T09:26:02.516-07:00Thanks, Anon! My main aim in this series is to he...Thanks, Anon! My main aim in this series is to help level the playing field for admissions by giving my (hopefully good) advice to students whose professors might not have as much knowledge of the details of philosophy PhD admissions as I do. It's especially gratifying when students learn helpful things from the series that they would not otherwise have known or thought of.Eric Schwitzgebelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16274774112862434865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26951738.post-5859296702180323902019-11-01T06:59:03.672-07:002019-11-01T06:59:03.672-07:00Whew, thank you so much for this post! I am curren...Whew, thank you so much for this post! I am currently revising my Honors thesis, but it's three to four times as long as the stated length at any graduate program (my undergraduate program intends the thesis to be adequate preparation for graduate-level work). Of all the programs I'm applying to, only one said that they'd accept the whole thesis. All the others were adamant that the sample not exceed the stated length. I've been working on an abstract that both adequately summarizes the work, introduces/contextualizes the revised excerpt, and ties it to my current philosophical interests. I hadn't really thought of bracketed summaries or sending the whole thing and specifying which pages to read. I really appreciate your blog posts on the graduate application process.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com