I Think, Therefore I Am

Philosophy attempts to provide critical, reflective and creative answers to some of the most fundamental questions we can ask about ourselves and the world around us.

Philosophy is about the power of ideas — to change people, and to change the world. Thinking, understanding, and asking the big questions. Demanding answers. Challenging common sense and popular opinions. Which claims are true, which are false? What is truth, or falsity? Is there a God? How is your mind related to your body? What should you do with your life? What does a just society look like? What are the limits of scientific knowledge? What can money not buy? You study philosophy if you wonder about questions like these. In the process, Philosophy will change you, in ways that are very rewarding both personally and practically.

Successful Philosophy students excel in critical thinking, communication, and problem solving. They can move seamlessly between different points of view on an issue; they can anticipate objections to their opinions and are prepared to disarm them; they can ingest difficult material and turn it into something everyone can understand; they can see deep, interesting and far-reaching connections between ideas. And if that is not enough reason for you to study Philosophy, then just consider the following statistics, which speak for themselves.

Graduate Record Exam:

Philosophy majors have the highest overall scores on the Graduate Record Exam (GRE), a general intelligence test used for admissions decisions in many graduate programs.

Law School Admission Test:

Philosophy majors have the highest mean scores of the ten most common majors writing the Law School Admission Test (LSAT).

Graduate Management Admission Test:

Philosophy majors score on average higher on the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) than students with any other social science or humanities major

Pre-Med:

Philosophy majors consistently score very highly on the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). Philosophy majors have the highest percentile chance of acceptance rate to med school.

Statistics available upon request from the Philosophy department.