Philosophy, BA

GRE General Test Interpretive Data by Borad Graduate Major Field, based on seniors and nonenrolled college graduates who tested between July 1, 2017 and June 30, 2020.

GRE General Test Interpretive Data by Broad Graduate Major Field, based on seniors and nonenrolled college graduates who tested between July 1, 2017 and June 30, 2020.

“On a conceptual level, the Philosophy program at IUP offered an opportunity to consider carefully and systematically myself and my perception of the world. I learned to question assumptions and evaluate arguments, especially regarding the relationship between the world and the way I think about it. On a practical level, the work required for completing the major is difficult, and the students are appropriately held to high standards. It is a valued fact that this program taught me to meet deadlines.”

“One thing I learned is that careful, critical consideration of my beliefs, and the many presuppositions underlying those beliefs, can show you that some of your deepest commitments are often no more than mere prejudices. How did philosophy do this? That’s what philosophy does—it teaches you how to critically engage any and all claims no matter the discipline. In particular, I found the most esoteric areas of philosophy to be the most helpful in teaching me how to think critically about extremely difficult and abstract concepts. If you can think and write clearly in a metaphysics class, then you can think and write clearly on almost anything.”

“I don’t think I can even begin to explain why and how philosophy has changed my views without devolving into generic answers that don’t really do justice to what studying philosophy really means to me. It has changed my views about everything and in the deepest of ways, and this is just because it asks the most basic of questions about everything. Nothing can escape its domain.”

1. “I am a much clearer thinker and writer than I was before going through the Philosophy program.
2. “I learned that kindness and encouragement can coexist with strict and uncompromising intellectual standards.
3. “I learned to never (initially) be certain that my intuitions or beliefs are correct. That is, I am a much more humble, open person than I was before taking philosophy.”

1. “I can formulate arguments to support an assertion more readily.
2. “I actively engage in the exploration and analysis of arguments that disagree with my own, rather than presume their falsity, and am able to formulate effective rebuttals.
3. “Relevant to (1) and (2), I have developed a level of mental dexterity that I never imagined I would achieve in college.”

“I have developed in the following ways:

1. “I’ve become much more critical, but also more humble;
2. “I’ve become much more aware of myself, the world, and others. In other words, I’m not on autopilot; and
3. “The philosophical education I got at IUP has had its most significant and long-lasting impact on my growth and development in that it has allowed me to become who I am. Studying philosophy has made me more autonomous, more passionate, and it has given me the tools to find meaning and purpose in my own life and to develop myself in the ways that express who I really am and who I want to be.”

“I have learned how to find the main points of an argument or idea and the assumptions that underlie the idea. I can now do that with any idea, which helps me to assess and effectively interact with the statements in any discipline or in daily life. As I said above, I have also grown a lot in confidence about my own abilities as a thinker! So I don’t need to shy away from hard or technical texts wherever I encounter them. I have learned how to ask good questions. All of these things will benefit me for the rest of my life in any field of study and in daily life.”

“I think you teach some of the only skills that will help any career path: critical thinking and self-reflection. These are methods of examination and inquiry, rather than a mere bundle of facts or statistics. I would say that any student hoping to enter a creative field in which problem solving is a requirement (engineering, business, teaching), you better have a strong ability to think critically, question the ideas of others as well as yourself, and recognize how some decisions, actions, and positions are either tenable or untenable.”

“I am confident that my future career as a physician will involve cases that I am not going to be prepared for. The dexterity and nimbleness that is being fostered in my mind as a result of pursuing philosophy coursework will, in my opinion, translate well into the field of medicine, because I will be able to respond quickly and appropriately to unforeseen problems, and also because discussions in the classrooms will better prepare me for discussions with patients.”

“Philosophy, more than many majors, teaches you skills that make you an incredibly flexible employee. If you have the ability to think critically and clearly (which philosophy trains you to do), then you’re in good shape no matter where you go.”

“I believe the Philosophy Department has taught me the most important skill any person could develop: how to think. This is done by coming alongside the greatest minds in history and learning to think like them and ask questions like them. How could this not help me in my career path? Beyond the career path, this is a skill essential to living a better life!”

• “The Earning Power of Philosophy Majors,” The Atlantic

• “For Philosophy Majors, the Question After Graduation Is: What Next?” Washington Post

• “A Case for Majoring in Philosophy,” Forbes

• “Philosophers Don’t Get Much Respect, But Their Earnings Don’t Suck,” FiveThirtyEight

• “5 Reasons Why Philosophy Majors Make Great Entrepreneurs,” Entrepreneur

• “The Unexpected Way Philosophy Majors Are Changing the World of Business,” HuffPost

• “Where the Smart Students Are,” New York Times

• “The Sword of Damocles: The Value of Philosophy to a Business Leader“ Chicago Business Journal

• “A Harvard Medical School Professor Makes the Case for the Liberal Arts and Philosophy,” Washington Post

• “9 Famous Execs Who Majored in Philosophy,“ Business Insider

• “How Philosophy Makes You a Better Leader,” Harvard Business Review

• “That ‘Useless’ Liberal Arts Degree Has Become Tech’s Hottest Ticket,” Forbes

• “I Think, Therefore I Earn,” The Guardian

• “The Management Myth,” The Atlantic

• “Why I Was Wrong About Liberal-Arts Majors,” Wall Street Journal

• “50 Ways to Improve Your Life … Study Philosophy,” US News & World Report