What undergrad programs are the best when I’m planning to major in philosophy? I looked up some stats online and saw that NYU topped the list, but my mother is trying to discourage me from applying there (not enough prestige + too far + too expensive, apparently). Which schools are a nice pairing of both brand name and undergrad quality?
My brother really liked the dept at Dartmouth. He was a philo major (and is a lawyer now).
http://www.philosophicalgourmet.com/undergrad.asp
If the brand name is important to you, your qualifications are very strong, and you trust the above recommendations, then consider Pomona, Amherst, Princeton, Yale, Brown, Wash U/St. Louis, Northwestern, or Rice. All are very expensive but have excellent need-based aid. Use their online net price calculators to see if they would be affordable after aid. Reed College is somewhat less selective than any of the above, but seems to have a very strong philosophy program. It is need-sensitive in its admission decisions, but for students it does admit, claims to cover 100% of demonstrated need. If you don’t qualify for need-based aid, but want a lower sticker price (~$50K), consider the University of Vermont (which has been labelled a “public Ivy”). If you don’t qualify for need-based aid but want an even lower net price, look first to public universities in your own state (which may or may not have very strong, undergraduate-focused philosophy programs) or to colleges that offer good merit scholarships to students with your stats. Some of the Jesuit colleges (such as John Caroll) may have good philosophy departments and relatively affordable net prices (although they may lack the name recognition of an Ivy or a big state university).
You will want to familiarize yourself with the difference between Continental and Analytic Philosophy. Most schools lean one way or another (sometimes sharply) so you want to find a place that is sympathetic to the work you hope to do. And sorry, but I have to mention that one big thread in millennia of philosophy is the folly and futility of chasing prestige. 
@SomedayIwill If name brand plus quality is important, then I would suggest Notre Dame. It is an important major at ND with very interesting classes. Philosophy and religion cross paths often. Holy Cross and Boston College would be two others, but ND is probably the best school in the country for Philosophy.
Sorry Ivy-Leaguers…
The article referenced in post 2 states, “The first point to make is that the focus of this Report [sic] is on graduate study only.” (NYU’s position, referenced by the OP, also seems to be based on graduate department rankings.) The undergraduate programs mentioned consequently seem to be a sampling used to illustrate the general breadth of education in American philosophy. I would not consider them to be recommendations in an organized, well-researched sense. The article does state, however, usefully, in my opinion, that it, “might make . . . sense” to study “where student-faculty ratios are . . . favorable, and where there is a [strong] focus on undergraduate education.”
Have you considered welding? - Marco Rubio
@nickflynn haha! I was just thinking the same thing!
The Philosophical Gourmet ranks ND #17 (tied with Texas & Cornell).
The NRC’s 10 ranking formulas place ND between #2 and #83.
QS World ranks it 13th (behind NYU, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Oxford, Harvard, Cambridge, Princeton, LSE, Berkeley).
These are graduate program rankings, which are not necessarily the last word even for graduate/faculty rankings (let alone for undergraduate programs). Graduate program rankings tend to emphasize faculty publication/citation volumes, which may not be too relevant to most undergraduates (although they probably do tell us something about the quality of faculty scholarship.)
@tk1234 Ranking are always biased against the Catholic schools. There is no better or larger program than NDs. Everyone has to take it there so it is a priority curriculum. And ND is much like Dartmouth in that it is focused more on undergraduates.
Historically, NDs President has Chaired either the Philosophy or Theology department.
Michigan is very good at Philosophy. Small classes, even at the intro level and extremely accessible faculty.
OP’s other posts indicate a California resident. Are UC and CSU applications done or ready to go, since the deadline is in a few days?
For other schools, how suitable they are may depend on the OP’s cost constraints and financial aid situation (since the OP’s mother said that NYU is too expensive, cost is presumably a concern). However, it also looks like the OP’s mother has prestige constraints (since NYU is not prestigious enough for her) that can severely limit the choice of schools and probably eliminate all possible safeties. If the OP’s mother refuses to let the OP apply to any safeties, there could be all kinds of family drama if the OP gets shut out and has to start at a community college.
Former philosophy major here. I’ll do my best to answer your questions.
In the PGR, you get the impression that Leiter might recommend smaller schools over bigger ones. The former might be more undergraduate focused but will likely have less prestigious faculty. I actually emailed Leiter to get some clarification on this issue. He emailed me back essentially saying it depends on your individual needs and what environment would work best for you. So striking a balance depending on your individual needs is recommended. I can’t make further recommendations without knowing what type of school environment you’d prefer.
A motivated student could get close interactions with faculty at a larger university just as they could at a smaller one. I certainly did. But if you’re not the type of student that can just go up to a professor and strike a conversation, or perhaps speak up in a large lecture, then that would not work for you. There are compromises by going to office hours however, which, in my experience were generally empty.
What are your long term goals? Do you want to go into academia? Law? Something else?
NYU has a great program. It is very prestigious for philosophy. Its faculty are certainly among the best in the nation. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re getting into the best programs. I know of two NYU grads. One of whom got into a top twenty or so department; and another who got into a top ten department. I also knew of other graduates of very prestigious programs that didn’t do that great. One of my former professors who went to non-reputable graduate program got a job because he was a genius (or that’s what everyone said anyway.) Outside of that, I only saw jobs go to people from the top 1 – 2 departments.
If you’re a California resident, the UCs provide a great program. UCLA and Berkeley in particular are excellent. And USC now has a very good program as well.
And yes, Michigan does have a great and respectable philosophy department and has for some time.
I plan to major in Philosophy and then go into law for my long term goals.
Not at the undergraduate level you don’t. Even if a 17-year-old did manage to figure out concretely which set of traditions they preferred, it’d be difficult for them to accurately evaluate which way a department (particularly an undergraduate-only department, like at a SLAC) leaned. An undergrad education is supposed to give students a broad foundation in philosophy, with thoughts from both traditions; only after exposure to the readings and thinking in the field would a student even be able to formulate an opinion about which tradition they fell more in. (And some philosophers argue that the distinction is arbitrary, anyway.)
Philosophical Gourmet gives great advice for selecting an undergrad college.
Programs that offer Master’s Degrees, but no Phd, often get left out of the ranking schemes.They can offer a focus on teaching, a good selection of higher level courses and lots of access to professors.
From the Philosophical Gourmet:
http://www.philosophicalgourmet.com/maprog.asp
Daniel Dennett is considered one of the top living philosophers in the world - and he really looks like philosopher!
His views may or may not be compatible with what you are looking for…
If you combine Philosophy with Computer Science, either through a interdisciplinary major such as Cognitive and Brain Sciences or a just a double major, then you will be fine in both the short and long term. AI/Machine Learning is really hot and sits at the intersection of these two fields.
I have also seen Comp Sci majors go directly to Harvard Law as well.
http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2014-05/14/robo-ethics
http://ase.tufts.edu/psychology/undergraduate/concCognitive.htm