A student in Europe writes:
I'm currently a sophomore student of philosophy at a European university, and I'm hoping to go to grad school in some other country once I'm done with my bachelor (3 years/180 ECTS degree). I'm worried because philosophy is a single subject degree here, which means that all of my courses will be in philosophy (including logic). I have come to understand that most universities expect their students and grad school applicants to have a broader undergraduate background. (Or a more modest background in philosophy; I'm not quite sure which one is to be emphasized.)
So what I would like to hear is what admission commitees in other places – especially in the US and the UK – think of applicants with this kind of narrow (or deep?) training. I myself will have ¼ of my courses in logic and the other ¾ in philosophy (and a thesis). But I wont have anything else. If this is seen as something bad, is there anything I could do to improve my chances?
My impression is that many American PhD programs generally appreciate the more intensive training undergraduates get in other countries, and that lack of a "broader" background rarely counts against them. But what do other readers think? Signed entries will be preferred.
