<p>Basically, Philosophy boils down to this:</p>
<p>Pro: Can get you into ANY form of higher learning (MD, MBA, JD, PhD) and from those, you can go far.</p>
<p>Con: A BA in Philosophy won't do you much in the job field.</p>
<p>If you are sure that you want to go and get a higher degree, and you are sure that you love Philosophy since grades don't come easy, then I'd go for it.</p>
<p>I had the same problem last year. I really liked Philosophy but I had the same worries. I decided to major in Political Science and minor in Economics. It sounds more respectable, and political theory classes are essentially philosophy. If you are 100% certain on law school and think you can get good LSAT scores, go for it. </p>
<p>If not, I'd go for a philosophy minor.</p>
<p>cool since you guys are talking about the variety of majors like philosophy and its route to law school or bschool, can u give me some advice? does it matter what major i choose at UCLA letters and science in order to get a job in the coporate world and eventually get an mba? i know majors like dance or fine arts obviously wont work but im talkin more of the "liberal arts", academic majors rather than biz economics or engineering etc. thanks for the advice.</p>
<p>wait wait wait!!!!</p>
<p>i thought philosophy was a pretty easy major, compared to that of Biological sciences or business majors...</p>
<p>Bump!</p>
<p>Bump</p>
<p>Bump</p>
<p>
[quote]
i thought philosophy was a pretty easy major, compared to that of Biological sciences or business majors
[/quote]
As well as a few other classes, I took Greek Philosophy and Organic Chemistry last semester. To be quite honest, I much preferred orgo. The same goes for the math course and three science courses I'm taking this semester. Philosophy was time-intensive and made my head hurt. It's definitely not an easy major. :(</p>
<p>Philosophy is far from easy. It can be very difficult and frustrating as the above poster mentioned.</p>
<p>Also, I forget where I read this, but I think Philosopher Majors were #1 in scores for LSATs, or in the top 5 at least. I forget where I saw this list, but I don't doubt that Philosopher is truly up there. Undergraduate Philosophy isn't the best degree by itself, but it gives you a great education and if you seeker higher learning (like law school), it's a great choice.</p>
<p>People seem to underestimate philosophy.</p>
<p>Remember, if it wasn't for philosophy, over 50% of the other majors wouldn't even exist.</p>
<p>Just think about the fact that all science and math related subjects were started by philosophical minds. Before they existed, it was philosophy that was using their reason to reflect on the universe and search for more. It's a shame that people look down upon philosophy now a days, I think it really can teach you some valuable things.</p>
<p>I personally am not going to major in philosophy, but will probably use all my extra credits on philosophy courses (could add up to a minor).</p>
<p>
[quote]
All science and math related subjects were started by philosophical minds.
[/quote]
I don't look down on philosophy. It just doesn't appeal to me personally since it is not an experimental science. Aristotle was a philosopher who decided that all matter was composed of Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Ether. It took Galileo to create science so that we could get beyond that sort of thinking. I think it probably is a difficult major, but it seems well suited to subjects such as ethics and theology while not so well suited to others. It does seems that it would be good training for the mind and would help you on the LSAT's. It obviously uses logic, but in such a way that nothing can be proven.</p>
<p>"Alanstewart = Certified Idiot"</p>
<p>LOL</p>
<p>I'm majoring in Philosophy @ Reed College.</p>
<p>Philosophy teaches:</p>
<pre><code>* Problem solving. Systematic study. Distinguishing good from bad, right from wrong. Critical thinking. Clarity. Analysis. Evaluation. Communication. How to build on successes and failures, both one's own and others'. Persuasion. Writing skills. Development and assessment of methods and standards. Advocacy. Examination. Thinking.
* Philosophy is an ancient discipline teaching skills that are always in demand. It trains the mind. It is the purest intellectual discipline. Its skills can be applied to any problem.
</code></pre>
<p>Philosophers study:</p>
<pre><code>* Language. Mathematics. Logic. Animal Cognition. Ethics. History. Technology. Science. Artificial Intelligence. Public Policy. Law. Systems Analysis. Religion. Culture. Education. Psychology.
</code></pre>
<p>Why major in Philosophy?</p>
<pre><code>* Philosophy majors are shown to be very well-prepared for graduate and other advanced study. Philosophy majors score higher on the GMAT than any one but hard science majors. On the GRE, Philosophy majors have the highest verbal score and second highest analytic score. Philosophy majors also excel on the LSAT.
* Philosophy is not job-training for an entry-level position. It is education for a lifetime. What fits the job description of entry-level positions is rarely what is required for career and life fulfillment, especially given how rapidly the needs of employers, social and economic patterns, and personal circumstances change. Philosophical training, in its development of valuable transferable skills, is significant for its long-term benefits. It teaches skills that enable you to take on new responsibilities and to adapt to changing careers and life demands. The value of philosophy is in its capacity to broaden the range of things you can understand and enjoy.
* Many Philosophy majors also pursue degrees in other liberal arts, business, science, and engineering. Most Departments encourage and support interdisciplinary pursuits.
* There are still more reasons, but I'll leave it at that.
</code></pre>
<p>Thank you so much for your detailed response. My son's looking at Reed; he's inherited my love of learning for learning's sake. <em>smile</em></p>
<p>"Alanstewart = Certified Idiot"</p>
<p>I wholeheartedly concur.</p>
<p>Anybody who is ignorant enough to chastise PHILOSOPHY, of all majors, and then cite "prelaw" as the major to pursue may be a moron.</p>
<p>And philosophy is definately not an easy major.</p>
<p>Excerpt from web page all considering philosophy should check out:</p>
<p>"In addition, Philosophy majors consistently outperform other majors on the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) including Pre-Law and Political Science majors![1] They are therefore are more likely to get into the law schools of their choice."</p>
<p>'nuff said</p>
<p>and funny to think that somebody would have the foolishness to say that majoring in philosophy is useless for law.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Thank you so much for your detailed response. My son's looking at Reed; he's inherited my love of learning for learning's sake. <em>smile</em>
[/quote]
More power to him!</p>
<p>I'm just playing devil's advocate and keeping the thread going, but it is interesting that this thread has two main points.<br>
1) Learning for learning's sake is "good".<br>
2) If I major in philosophy, I can get into a top law school and make lots of money.</p>
<p>I read a study that was done a while back about which college majors had the best LSAT scores. For those of you telling him to do pre-law, pre-law and criminalistics were the two worst majors on the list for scoring well on the LSAT (Surprisingly, physics majors had the highest average). I would say that you should just major in whatever you will enjoy, and don't worry about law school for a while. :)</p>
<p>It probably is good to major in "whatever" for pre-law students. Cases can be very technical now and it is probably good to specialize in some specialized area of law. Being a former Biology major would be good for lawyers working on environmental cases or genetic-engineering patent cases, and so forth.</p>
<p>bump
bumnp</p>
<p>Does anyone know if pre-law has undergrad weed-out courses like pre-med does?</p>
<p>Nope. There is no pre-law at most schools. Just Your Overall GPA and LSAT score. You can major in anything.</p>