Hi everyone,
I am applying to a PhD in Philosophy. I need to present a Writing Sample, but I do not know what they mean for Writing sample. Should I present a thesis and then a counterargument on a Philosphical issue, or should I present author’s position on that topic.
A writing sample is a paper that you’ve already written that you’ve gotten good feedback on from professors in your field. The ideal piece is a paper that you’ve written for a philosophy class that you got an A on. Another option is a chapter or section of your thesis that’s already been vetted and reviewed by a philosophy professor. You shouldn’t be writing a paper from scratch for this.
If you really, really don’t have anything to show them that was written for a class, an independent study, a research project, or something similar - then you will have to write from scratch, but you should never submit something that you haven’t gotten some feedback from professors on.