Suggestions, Phil Dept important

jonri
Mon, 18 Nov 2013 14:26:08 +0000

The OP’s kid doesn’t need to pick a career track now at the age of 17. He needs to find an affordable way to get a degree in a field that he loves which will help him launch at age 22…



It it wasn’t obvious from my post, I totally agree with blossom.

When a kid is thinking about medical school, though, it makes sense to look for a college that has a good track record of getting its students into medical school. Based on the OP’s post, I thought–maybe erroneously–that she was taking a similar approach to choosing a school which would help him get into a top graduate program in philosophy.

She also seemed to be saying that teaching was a sort of “back up plan” for him–he was going to teach “so he doesn’t starve.” For me, that “sounds” as if he thinks it’s fairly easy to get a job teaching philosophy in college. It isn’t; it’s extremely difficult.

Because teaching philosophy isn’t likely to become his ultimate profession, IMO, using a college’s track record in terms of getting its students into top-ranked philosophy programs should NOT play a major role in his search process.

I don’t know the OP’s family situation, but she should be aware that if her S’s father is known and living but isn’t part of the household, his income/assets will still be considered by many colleges in determining financial aid.