A student in Scotland writes with this and other questions:
I am a Scottish student who hopes to apply to graduate programs in philosophy in the United States. I am finding the application process a little daunting because, as an international student, I am not entirely sure how to compare myself with American students. I have been informed from some sources, that a first class honours from a British university is automatically counted as equivalent to a 4.0 GPA, yet on the other hand I have also been told that my GPA will be calculated in some detail (which would be worrying, as in Scotland our grades aren't 'counted' for the first two years of study.) I am also entirely unsure as to how Scottish universities are regarded in the United States. I have heard that some competitive graduate programs take the 'pedigree' of an applicant's undergraduate institution very seriously - but I am not sure how these programs would regard foreign institutions. I was wondering if it would be possible for you to post this on your blog, as I would be interested to see if anyone has any suggestions of resources for foreign students considering applying to philosophy grad school in the states. I am aware of no websites or forums which address international students in particular.
I'm opening this for comments from readers--especially on the GPA issue, since I don't know if there is a standard way U.S. programs have of handling this. I think several of the Scottish programs are quite well-known and recognized in the U.S.: St. Andrews and Edinburgh most clearly, but also, I would venture, Glasgow and Stirling. And now that Catherine Wilson has moved to Aberdeen and Crispin Wright has located his Northern Institute of Philosophy there, I would expect that program's international profile will also rise. But thoughts on that question from faculty with admissions experience will also be welcome.
