SHOULD I MAJOR IN PHILOSOPHY?
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Some links to good pages on majoring in philosophy are:
If you missed our forum on majoring in philosophy, you might like to have a look at the following handout, which was distributed at the forum:
Forum on Majoring in Philosophy
 February 28, 2005
Is it ok to major in philosophy even if one doesn’t think that one wants to be a philosopher?
YES: The philosophy major provides excellent preparation for a variety of careers.
MEDICINE
The New York Times (“Education Life” section, Sunday, August 5, 2002) reported:
Medical schools encourage undergraduate students to major in subjects they like most and are best at. Interest in what is being learned enhances performance. Medical schools, Mr. Owen adds, favor applicants who can analyze moral, ethical and cultural issues with the same facility they bring to scientific problems.
Many pre-meds declare a major in biology or chemistry because they think that medical schools prefer applicants in those disciplines. They are wrong. Data collected by the association of medical colleges demonstrates that there is no meaningful correlation between a major and the likelihood of admission. Of the applicants to medical school in 2000, a letter of acceptance went to 44.9 percent of applicants majoring in the biological sciences, 50.9 percent in the physical sciences and 50.5 in non-science subjects. “In my years of medical school admissions work,’ says David Owen, health professions adviser at the University of Chicago, ‘never once have I witnessed an applicant’s major to be influential in a decision for admission.” Pre-med science courses are all the preparation that is needed for the science portions of the MCAT’s – science majors do not post higher scores than Shakespeare specialists.
LAW
An excerpt from The American Bar Association’s statement “Education”:
In assessing a prospective law student’s educational qualifications, admissions committees generally consider the chosen curriculum, the grades earned, and the reputation of the colleges attended…Solid grades in courses such as logic, philosophy, and abstract mathematics are generally considered a plus…Law schools will respect your pursuit of subjects you find challenging. This is especially true if the courses you take are known to be more difficult, such as philosophy, engineering, and science. Also, look for courses that will strengthen the skills you need in law school. Classes that stress research and writing are excellent preparation for law school, as are courses that teach reasoning and analytical skills.
(you can find the complete article at: http://www.abanet.org/cleo/edu.html)
Furthermore, “Philosophy Rocks the Graduate Record Exam!” (more can be found at
http://lclark.edu/~phil/gre.html)
Philosophy students score higher [on the GRE] than every other major in the Humanities and Arts, higher than every major in the Social Sciences, higher than every major in the Life Sciences…Philosophy students score higher than four out of the six majors listed in Physical Sciences, and five of the seven listed in Engineering.”
Doing philosophy requires one to discern and evaluate arguments, think clearly and creatively, and express one’s thoughts concisely and precisely in both spoken and written form.
These skills will serve one well in almost any career.
In addition, the philosophy major will serve you well in life.
Consider the comments of a former philosophy major in the New York Times article “Philosophers Find the Degree pays off in Life and in Work”:
“I think [philosophy] influences the way I go about doing things,” Mr. Gilbert said. “I think its given me a sense of the complications that we face as human beings. It gives me a sense of the beauty and wonder of life. It helps me understand people in dire circumstances.”
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