Prospective Philosophy Major with Questions (Chance Me)

Chance Me / Match Me!
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<p>Hello, I'm a rising senior that has been lurking cc for a while, and I noticed that people were giving suggestions for prospective students. I want people to look at my credentials and possibly give any advice. Princeton is my first choice for college, so I want to make sure I help my chances as much as I can. I'm interested in studying law in graduate school but wish to major in philosophy and possibly study psychology as well. </p>

<p>In addition, I know I want to apply to Villanova, Rutgers, Seton Hall, UPENN, NYU, and Boston University. I was also interested in Tulane, Harvard, Boston College, and Dartmouth, but I'm still looking and probably will make a more condense list as time goes on. </p>

<p>I'll just list what I have here:</p>

<p>3.7 unweighted GPA
4.6 weighted GPA (although my school is screwy with how it handles GPAs)</p>

<p>2190 SAT I (After a second time)
690 SAT II Math Lv. 2
760 SAT II US History</p>

<p>*5 APUSH
*5 Calculus AB
*4 Computer Science A
*All taken this past year</p>

<p>EC's</p>

<p>*Managing Editor for school newspaper (9, 10, 11)
*Yearbook Copywriter/Editor (11)
*Model United Nations (11)
*Computer League Co-Captain (11)
*Peer Mentor (10, 11)
*NHS (11)
*Science NHS (10, 11)
*Tutor (11)</p>

<p><em>In addition to that, I am also the project manager of an independent Computer Science class at my school. I work in organizing a group of 6-7 guys in designing and implementing a registration database for incoming freshmen (I go to a private school). It's going to be totally web based and (hopefully) up before I leave high school. I coordinate with the students and faculty involved, keep notes on meetings, and make sure everyone is doing what they need to be doing to stay on task. I also do some coding myself, but for the most part I am organizing the project</em> <--- I was wondering if this kind of endeavor, in particular, would make me stand out a bit in my application, but I'm doing it because I like this kind of stuff. </p>

<p>Outside of School
*~50 hours community service at soup kitchen and various fundraisers
*Recreational Soccer Referee (unlicensed) (9, 10, 11)
*I went to the National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine in Philly (10)
*I also went to a John Hopkins program on enrichment education. I took a three week class on expository essay writing, but this was before I went to high school (8). </p>

<p>That's essentially what I have so far. Everything I mentioned I plan on continuing. </p>

<p>I did some research and saw that Princeton was ranked very high in terms of its Philosophy undergrad program, and also ranked very well in pre-law. I was wondering if anyone knew if my decision in this major affects my status in the admission process. I have also read that Philosophy majors are on a decline, in place of other more popular fields of study. Would Princeton (or any college) look at me in a different light for this? </p>

<p>Don't get me wrong, I'm not choosing this because I want to stand out, I have a deep passion for philosophy in general, and read as much as I can in my free time. No matter where I go, I want to study this field in much more depth. I just wonder if, when writing my college essays, I should elaborate more on this interest, or am I just being pretentious in thinking people will look at me different come application time. </p>

<p>I also was wondering if I should take the SAT I a third time. I scored 2190, but I'm worried I'm not high enough compared to the other kids who are hitting 2300+ and applying. I went up 250 points from the first time I took the exam. </p>

<p>I am planning to take the SAT II in English as well, come October. Should I worry about my Math SAT II score in terms of sending that in? It isn't that high compared to other people applying, but I'm not headed towards the mathematical fields. I chose math because I want to demonstrate I'm well rounded, so I'm hoping my Calculus AB score would offset that at all. </p>

<p>Finally, in terms of my classes I'm taking next year, I have a full schedule, including AP Calc BC, AP US GOV, and AP LIT. I'm also taking honors Spanish, and classes in economics and con law, but those aren't offered at the AP level. I want to self-study a few APs in addition to my regular schedule to help with the courses I'd take as I get ready for Law School:</p>

<p>AP MACRO & MICRO: I was wondering if taking these two courses would be worth it considering my intentions. I know I would be taking at least one economics course, but I'm not sure to what extent I will be studying this topic. </p>

<p>AP COMPARATIVE GOV: This, in addition to AP US GOV, don't appear in Princeton's AP Credits table as far as I saw. They do appear in other schools, but in general, is it worth it to take an exam in both APs? I want to study this but at the same time I know I will be busy and want to prioritize the exams that would help me out the most. </p>

<p>AP PSYCH: I'm already committed to self-studying this.</p>

<p>In addition, are there other AP's I should focus on instead? I want to maximize the effectiveness of this program the best I can. </p>

<p>Does anyone have any other suggestions to boost my credentials? Is there anything extra I should do considering what I want to study, or particular essay topics that colleges would like to see from a student (besides the run of the mill cliche stuff)? I know this is a lot to read, but anyone who can answer at least part of my questions would be greatly appreciated, especially anybody who is considering majoring in philosophy or are doing so right now. </p>

<p>Thanks a lot n_nV""</p>

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<p>Very complete post, lol. But good to have the details. First of all, and most important, the quality of schools you are looking at will all have plenty of offerings in philosophy to keep you satisfied for 4 years. Remember, this is undergrad, and 2/3-3/4 of your courses will be outside of your major. Obviously though, schools like Princeton and Harvard offer extremely strong and challenging choices, as do Dartmouth, BC, Tulane, Penn, etc. Your list is a good one, because some are reaches, like the Ivies (which are a crapshoot for anyone, even those with 2300+ SAT, etc.), and the rest are matches or highly likely. Is money an issue? Upshot is even if you got accepted to them all (and you probably won’t), don’t pick based on where you think the philosophy department is strongest, pick based on where you think you like it best based on academic environment in general, the kind of students that tend to be there, the location (urban vs. rural), the size of the school, weather, sports scene, whatever is important to you, even these seemingly superficial things. They actually are not superficial unless they truly don’t matter to you, because besides going to class you are living at this place, it is your home for 4 years. You will party, date, get involved in other activities, ski or golf or throw frisbees or whatever it is you do…you get the idea. Good example: BU and NYU are very urban, not a classic campus setting, especially the latter. Dartmouth and Princeton are almost exactly the opposite. Rutgers is a large state school. Tulane is in New Orleans, quite a different location geographically than the others you mention. These differences should lead you to have preferences once you get you acceptances.</p>

<p>Minor point: your phrasing “I’m interested in studying law in graduate school” is a bit odd, I am taking it to mean you want to go to law school. Technically that is professional school as opposed to graduate school; people can study about law in grad school without going to law school and getting a JD. Simpler and clearer if you just say “I want to go to law school”. That said, philosophy is considered one of the best majors for pre-law, because you have to read, absorb, comprehend, and analyze so much material. Very good preparation for the LSAT and for law in general. I don’t believe that what major you are considering makes any difference to admissions unless it was architecture or something like that. Over 50% of students change majors, and colleges know that.</p>

<p>Taking the SAT I again to try and get it higher than 2190…Probably a good idea for the schools you are considering (read Ivies). Your score is great(!) but given the competition for the Ivies, 2250+ would be a nice thing if you could do it. It won’t make a huge difference, there are so many complicated factors that go into their decisions. But you have nothing to lose other than a few bucks and some time. Now if you decide not to apply to the Ivies, I wouldn’t bother to take it again. Your score is plenty good enough for those other schools. Don’t sweat the SAT II scores. They don’t really use those at most schools.</p>

<p>I think you have a nice set of EC’s and your leadership for that web project you describe is certainly worth including. Seems like something that makes a great example of leadership and organizational ability if it comes up in an interview.</p>

<p>I would stick with the AP Micro and Macro if it doesn’t kill you as far as workload. I wouldn’t self study Comp. Gov though, as many schools don’t give credit for this. You have enough going on, it seems to me. Again, don’t overthink all this, you have a great resume. You don’t need every AP course under the sun.</p>

<p>Congrats on a great high school career so far and a bright future. Most of those schools you mention will be wonderful experiences and I am sure you could do well and be happy at them. Think about what I said about what environment you think is best for you. Also of course the money, if that is an issue with your family. Good luck!</p>

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<p>NO … But dont worry. You can make up for it with EC’s. I myself have been helping anorexic british kids gain weight and self esteem for the past 2 monts.</p>

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<p>@fallenchemist</p>

<p>Thanks for the advice, I meant law school idk what I was thinking when I was typing lol. I prefer to try to apply to schools that I’ve seen, and the ones I’ve listed are the ones I’ve gone to or are going to. I’m more of a suburban/urban type, I liked Tulane because it was near downtown New Orleans, but I think I’d thrive more so in the New England/Mid-Atlantic States. </p>

<p>I’ve been applying for several scholarships and have the fortune of a financial situation that would allow me to study just about anywhere. my family would really back me up if I went to Princeton, which is close to home for me. The only that worries me about my major is that the quality of the classes I would have to take would be sub-par compared to other majors, because of its popularity. I’ll definitely retake the SAT to get into the 2250 range, so that at least that will be more or less equal. </p>

<p>Thank you very much :]</p>

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<p>

I am not quote sure what you mean by this, but philosophy is not considered a “soft” major. It can really be quite difficult, but in any case you will be fine. If that is your passion, it absolutely is what you should do. Many, maybe even most students double major, so if you want to pick up another subject you think comes across as more rigorous, by all means do it. However, I think it is a false worry on your part.</p>

<p>And your comment about thinking you prefer the NE/Mid-Atl states is exactly what I mean, that’s good. Helps narrow down the list (although bummer, I would love to see you at Tulane, lol. I’m a grad.) I meant to ask, have you considered any LAC’s?</p>

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<p>I’m not sure what you mean by LAC’s, could you tell me what that means?</p>

<p>When I say sub-par, I mean with the trend in decreasing participation, I have read that the department as a whole in some colleges have declined in quality. I haven’t found any specific examples to prove this, however.</p>

<p>I know philosophy is a rigorous field of study, but I’m also greatly interested in psychology. I have been discouraged by guidance counselors and my parents on a double major, but I think I’m better off just feeling things out once I do actually make it somewhere before deciding a double major.</p>

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<p>Yeah, I think you are getting some advice that is out of touch with the current times. Tons of kids double major (both mine are, and almost all the kids they hang out with are), it just really is very common. Be sure the people advising you understand the difference between a double major and a double degree. I haven’t researched Princeton or most of the others in this regard, but at Tulane for a double major you still just need the normal 120 hours, and the extra “burden” compared to a single major is that you have to fulfill the requirements of both departments, which is usually not much more difficult than a single major. Most of the time the courses you take for the second major also fulfill requirements the school has for students to take a broad range of courses in different areas. In this case even as a philosophy major you would still have to take science, math, social science and other types of courses outside the area of your major. Your psych degree will help fulfill those requirements at the same time you are fulfilling the requirements for a psych major. In the end, under this scheme you get one BS or BA with two majors listed.</p>

<p>The other scenario is that you actually get two degrees, say a BS in psych and a BA in philosophy. This requires 150 hours (again, I am only talking about Tulane, but I suspect it is similar at other schools). Naturally, this is more challenging. 120 hours is 15 hours a semester, the normal load. 150 hours is about 19 hours a semester, an entire extra course which can become a heavy load. AP credits help lighten this, but it can still be pretty challenging. Anyway, double majors are extremely common, two degrees much less so.</p>

<p>LAC means liberal arts college. These are schools that typically have no graduate programs and students, or very limited offerings like maybe a Masters in English. This means the professors don’t focus on research with responsibility for a bunch of grad students, but instead their primary responsibility is their undergraduate teaching. Many of these schools are as selective as the Ivies and so have brilliant students, and they tend to be small (2500 students, often much less) and so have small class sizes. Some people think that having profs that are not involved in cutting edge research or having research groups in which they can participate represents something of a disadvantage compared to big time research universities. I don’t agree with that assessment in general, although there are exceptions. But for your areas of study I don’t see this as a problem at all. Here is a link to the top LAC’s, you can look at their web sites and get a feel for each school.</p>

<p>[Liberal</a> Arts Rankings - Best Colleges - Education - US News and World Report](<a href=“http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/liberal-arts-rankings]Liberal”>http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/liberal-arts-rankings)</p>

<p>While I think ranking schools is crap, it is a convenient list of excellent schools for you to research. Students that attend LAC’s do very well in admission to professional schools.</p>

<p>Finally, I wouldn’t pay much attention to the “decline in quality” issue. While there may or may not be some validity to the number of people pursuing higher degrees in some areas because job propects are iffy, at the quality schools you are considering plus the top LAC’s they will have highly intellectual faculty for the most part.</p>