It's the time of year when I start getting emails from prospective grad students asking about Northwestern's Philosophy department. While I typically don't mind replying to the emails, it is a busy time of year right now. In an attempt to save my self some time I thought I'd post my replies to some of the typical questions that I get. It should go without saying, but the views expressed below are my own and should in no way be seen as being endorsed or approved by the department or university. ]]>
A couple of things of note before I proceed to some direct questions. (1) Applicants should know that the department faculty numbers are not currently at full strength. There are currently a number of positions that the department is looking to fill this year; a couple of open rank M&E positions and one German Philosophy with special interests in 19th century. Given the hires the department has made in the last couple of years I would expect these positions to be filled by exceptionally good individuals. (2) Keep in mind that because of the CIC program students at NU can take courses at neighbouring institutions such as UIC and the University of Chicago. These ties are strengthened by both the Chicago Area Consortium on German Philosophy and the Chicago Area Consortium on Ancient Greek and Roman Philosophy.
Is the focus of the program heavily continental, or pretty evenly balanced between continental and analytic?
I know that Northwestern has a reputation as a continental program, but as things currently stand the place isn't particularly continentally oriented. It is probably fair to say the department is skewing analytic these day. Within the department the continental strengths lie in German philosophy from Kant to Heidegger. That said, those of an analytic bent should know that all of the continental people are fairly friendly to, and familiar with, analytic philosophy. So friendly that someone like Cristina Lafont regularly teaches a courses on both Heidegger and co-teaches a course on reference with Gregory Ward in Linguistics. I was never so surprised as when I heard Cristina Lafont say that "The problem with Heidegger is that he lacks a theory of direct reference."
Is Northwestern hospitable for analytically inclined grads?
In brief, of course! If you are interested in epistemology, philosophy of language, or philosophy of mind, then there is a lot that NU has to offer and the future is only getting brighter.
Are the faculty available, friendly, around, etc?
I've heard horror stories about unavailable professors who are dismissive of student work and lax in responding to emails, grading, and the like. I'm happy to say that I've never experienced anything like that at NU. I get regular face time with all of the people that I work with, and I always get prompt and helpful comments back on my work. All of the faculty are also required to provide written feedback at the end of every course, and we get feedback from year end departmental evaluations. The faculty also participate in the life of the department by attending talks, participating in reading groups, hosting conferences, throwing parties, and the like. They are all very approachable, engaging, and some are even good for the occasional pub crawl.
You might be thinking, "But of course he'd say that!" However, it's all true and I could have dodged the question entirely.
What do you think of your fellow students?
They're great folks who I regularly disagree with. One challenge is that because we're a small department you might not have many people who work in the same area as yourself. What this means is that while people are happy to discuss each others work, you might have to do more work explaining problems/concepts up front. Aside from the work we often go out for drinks after talks, and have a few parties every term.
I've heard Northwestern is very into interdisciplinary studies. What is this like?
It's true that NU encourages interdisciplinary work. I can only speak to this from my own perspective, but I think this is an area where NU's resources really shine. We have a thriving cognitive science program which brings in a number of speakers and offers alternative avenues for travel/research funding. The philosophy department has close working relationships with the faculty in linguistics and psychology. Grads from philosophy regularly take courses outside the department in allied departments. Faculty from those departments participate in our reading groups, attend talks, and participate in the Philosophy and Linguistics Workgroup.
What do you think of the Graduate Interdisciplinary Cluster program?
I think the long term goal of the cluster programs is to have people apply directly to the clusters through The Grad School and do away with departmental applications. I think that's a particularly bad idea and I don't think it will happen. That said the cluster programs currently provide an alternative route into the department. In fact, one could apply both to the cluster program and to the department. Unfortunately you'll have to have particular interests for such an option to be feasible.
What are my chances of admittance given GRE XXX and GPA X.X?
I have no idea. Northwestern is very competitive so you want good scores, and great writing sample, and nice letters of recommendation, just like anywhere else. I don't know anyone's actual scores (mine would be irrelevant since I never applied) however, my impression is that past applicants have had quite good scores.
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Getting through graduate school with a child presents some unique challenges, but it also has a few great upsides. One of those upsides is the amount of time you get to spend with your child in comparison to your friends doing the daily grind of a 9-5. The area where we live has a walk score of 85, which my daughter Izzy and I take advantage of most days. I've learned this year that, apparently, one of the favorite occupations of four-year-olds is near constant conversation. Sometimes these conversations are a bit one sided, stream of consciousness, affairs. However, she can also be very introspective and earnest. Almost always, though, she talks with the gesturing habits of an Italian butcher.
