One of my favorite things to do at the end of the semester involves sending emails to those particularly excellent students I had in class and trying to recruit them to the Philosophy major. I don’t think I tell students often enough during the regular term that they’re doing good work, or that they have real talent, or that I’m genuinely impressed– I’m working on that!– but I really do try to make a point of doing so after I finish grading and before we all go on break for the holidays or the summer. The Philosophy major is not always an easy sell, even to students who have a talent for it and are predisposed to love it, for a number of (cultural, social, economic, et al) reasons. It often takes just a little push, a professorially-sanctioned hey-you’re-really-good-at-this confirmation, the relay of a few helpful details that prospective majors might take home to reassure Mom and Dad that they won’t just be serving “fries with that” after all, in order to make it possible for talented Philosophy students to see the major as a real possibility. So, at the end of each semester, I send an email.
Those of you who know me will know that OF COURSE I HAVE A TEMPLATE ALREADY for these Philosophy-major-recruitment emails. And, since several hundred of you downloaded my “Recommendation Letter Form” (a super-time-saving template for writing rec letters), I’m going to assume these things are useful.
Below is the basic form of the email that I send to students who I’d like to see declare a major or minor in Philosophy.
———————————–
write to you personally, first, to congratulate you on your excellent
performance in [insert course] and, second,
to encourage you to think seriously about majoring or minoring in
Philosophy. I could see a real talent
for [insert student’s specific strengths]
in the work you completed for my course this term. Those talents are especially well-suited for
Philosophy and, with more training and study, I think you have the potential to
be a very strong student in our Department.
I know what you’re thinking. But what can I do with a Philosophy major?
The short answer to that is: almost anything. A major in Philosophy trains you
think broadly and critically, sharpens your capacity to effectively assess
others’ positions as well as precisely articulate your own and, perhaps most
importantly, equips you with the sorts of fundamental problem-solving skills
necessary for any future occupation.
Studies have shown that Philosophy majors regularly score the best or
near best on the LSAT, the MCAT, and the GRE.
Just this last year, there have been a number of articles reporting that
Philosophy majors are increasingly attractive job candidates in business and
technology fields as well. Former students of mine who majored in Philosophy have
gone on to law school, medical school, business school and graduate school in
various disciplines; others have gone into advocacy/nonprofit work, politics,
film and media, journalism and, of course, education.
exposure to the discipline of Philosophy, the question what can you do with a major
in Philosophy? is a natural and unfortunately anticipatable one. That question really ought to be: what CAN’T you do with a major in
Philosophy? I can see in you and in your work this semester that you have
not only the critical skills, but also the creative and curious disposition of
mind, necessary for asking that second question.
again, everybody needs to eat!—so I’ll also just point you to this
recent study showing that Philosophy majors out-earn almost all other
degrees in the humanities.
you have any questions about the major or the Department, please do feel free
to come and speak with me.
an excellent student and a genuine pleasure to have in class, so I hope that whatever
you choose as a major is something that you love, that inspires and challenges
you, and that permits you to excel in all the ways that I am confident you are
capable.
Thank you for your work this term. I
hope you enjoy your break and I look forward to seeing you again, if not in
class, then in the hallways and community.
Best,
Dr. J
If you’re interested, you can download a copy of the above “Philosophy Major Recruitment Email” here.