A prospective graduaute student writes:
As an undergraduate student who is preparing to apply for graduate programmes in the UK and US, I thank you for founding the PGR, which has been a very helpful resource in the application process. Thanks as well for your blog, which often provides professionally and philosophically interesting materials.
Here is a question I venture to put to you (and your readers, if you think appropriate): is there any application advice (especially concerning writing samples and personal statements) which most applicants would benefit from, or which many applicants get wrong? Professor Guerrero at Rutgers gave his advice here: https://static1.1.sqspcdn.com/static/f/1011404/28477892/1635443782310/Tips+for+applying+to+PhD+Programs+in+Philosophy2.pdf
I don’t know if you or your readers have seen this, and if so, what your opinions are.
Overall, I think Professor Guerrero's advice is good, but one needn't follow it precisely to succeed in applications at highly competitive programs. On writing samples, I think the best bet is to use a piece of writing that got a very good grade in a course, and that you can then polish a bit more. It is also fine to submit a paper offering exegesis of an important historical figure, especially if history is a primary interest. (Rutgers is a fairly ahistorical department, so that is no doubt why Professor Guerrero doesn't say much about that.)
Comments are open for thoughts from readers. Differences in UK programs might be particularly worth discussing, since Guerrero's advice works pretty well for most leading American programs.
