>>25222640
Why'd it take you so long?

>>25222640
How'd you get the money for that?

I'm thirty and burning some savings to take a year off and learn a lot of stuff but it took me years to save up for it. I have a house and all that.

>>25223263
I was literally fucking around for a long time

>>25223268
Come from an extremely poor household, full ride practically

>>25222640
You know better what coursework you'll be doing in the fall than we do. People like you are why philosophy is in shambles.

>>25223271
Ah nice congratulations. I was in that boat too but went to college at 18. Make good use of it while you can, I regret not studymaxxing back then and fucking around and playing videogames all the time.

>>25223273
>You know better what coursework you'll be doing in the fall than we do.

wut?

>>25222640
Is that a picture of the Allman Brothers? My dad likes them.

>>25222640
Oh and I'm 43 and going for world history so its not too late

>>25222640
try to be useful.

define your interests.

fuck it read some Plato and some Kant, but then dig into your interests.

>>25222640
Congrats man. Seems your plan is pretty solid. I agree with some of the other replies here: start with the greeks and then transition to what you’re most interested in. If you have a basic understanding of metaphysics and logic you should be able to grasp most of the concepts that are discussed.


As for your question on postgraduate life, just be active in class and do your reading. Ask questions and don’t be afraid to talk to your teachers after class. I’m a postdoc at an R1 and we usually ‘scout’ potential phd/postgrads fairly quicky. Given that you’re a bit older than your fellow students is a big advantage here. Most zoomers are fiercely antisocial, so standing out in terms of engagement withthe material/touchers shouldn’t be that hard. Good luck

>>25222640
Pick a professor in that department and study what he studies (or his research). Most professors have their own web pages.
Like https://math.mit.edu/~gs/

>>25223690
What qualities do you usually look for in potential candidates ?

>>25222640
I always found the old people in classes annoying and try hard and generally very stupid. No offense.
Idk what the professors see but it’s fucking weird and the old fags always has the same personality, like god damn. Know your fucking role. You’re a weird ass stupid guy finally getting on track, you’re behind not ahead.
I think it’s more embarrassing is these people don’t know how stupid they are. They always would ask the dumbest fucking questions and always converse with the professor like they are equals and #1 student in class.
I promise you, dear friend, half the class could pass without trying and the young try hard are gunning for perfect scores for med school but it’s not like a struggle here to get by. I remember always rolling my eyes at the old fag asking some absurd question and we all knew he was doing it for social points not becuase he was stuck or interested.

As for faculty I got into a lab the first week and stayed for four years and it was a great experience. I’m sure even your old ass can get in with faculty, most seem to enjoy it. It’s generally normal to go somewhere else for undergrad and grad school though.
Best of luck. Good on you for fixing your shit. However I find your types annoying, generally extremely dumb , and a pain in the ass. Hope it’s not you. Sorry it’s just my experience. Usually a decade away from school doesn’t make you smarter. It makes you lazy and slow witted.

>>25223690
Interesting.

>>25224810
Not off to a good start bruh lmao but I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt.
I just don’t see how you could be serious at 30 and also not have an answer to your own question. Somebody already said it. Look at the professors interests and try to understand their field. You’re an undergrad you’re not even close to being a useful mind. It’s just how it is. You barely learn anything in undergrad. At 30 I’d honestly expect you have a grasp of formal logic and the Greeks already.
My advice is to STFU and be aware that you’re just not far enough along to have good ideas or insight and just keep the information flowing from the faculty to you .
Sorry it’s rough but I just don’t like most of your cohort

>>25224810
Not that guy, but he said standing out in terms of engagement with the material and teachers relative to the rest of the class.

What I'm wondering is what level of philosophical precociousness are 18, 19, 20 year olds attending a great university at?

>>25224855
Only stupid people ask stupid questions but anyone getting a philosophy degree isnt learning anything applicable for a job.

>>25224855
I think it's strange that you got so triggered by my post and immediately made all kinds of assumptions about me. I actually agree with most of what you said but because you came off like a fag I'm not going to respond to any of it.

>>25224856
>>25224855

First I didn’t end up in philosophy post grad so I’m not the expert but I was there enough to know that most philosophical undergrad classes are filled with absolute retards. We’re talking barely capable of grasping Plato at a basic level. These guys all love to think they’re genius though. So in terms of standing out I have to assume a basic level of seriousness and ability to use the terms correctly and use logic correctly already makes you stand out.
. Philosophy is a cut throat art and everyone thinks they are a genius and they don’t want to help competitors. It’s not like it’s 1935 where there is fraternity.

The talented guys have already read the basics for fun in high school and probably already know some formal logic and its significance. It’s just the nature of it. The talented computer science guys already can code Java and C++ as a hobby when they get to college. If you’re actually going to college and these courses are your first exposure you’re definitely not ahead. You’re average. If youre struggling you need to find a new field because you’ll never be more than a mediocre grinder at it.

>>25224875
I wasn’t talking about it you, I was talking about my experience with 98% of the old fags I encountered through school to the post grad level. I thought you may find this information useful or interesting. I didn’t know you wanted me to suck you off and praise you and tell you how amazing it is you are doing 19 year old shit at 30 years old.
It’s just my experience. Maybe you’re a great guy with a sharp mind and your peak is ahead of you, idk we never met.
I’m fairly confident if you can read a room you’ll figure out if the faculty like you or not. Was pretty damn obvious just like any other social venue who was liked and who was tolerated.

>>25222640
Hi, I finished a top undergrad philosophy program in '20. Did not get jabbed so did not advance from there. Here's my advice FWIW. Read slowly and allow yourself to feel stupid. If you feel stupid then you are doing it right. Even as a transfer, it's unlikely that your profs will assume you are previously acquainted with any philosophy. If you must read something this summer, read Hugh of St. Victor's Didascalicon.
How easy it is to develop a relationship with the faculty will depend on what they think of you. Mine had high hopes for me so they made it easy and offered a lot of support.

>>25222640

>what to review
look up what the courses you plan to take are teaching, and review that

>specialization
depends on your program, but undergrads aren't usually specialised in phl on a degree level. just study what you care about aka what you want to go to grad school for. general greek knowledge and formal logic is arguably useless if you're not directly taking an course in those fields. less obvious is a deep understanding of kant and the point of the analytic project.

>social environment
i'm autistic as fuck nigga dont ask me

>>25224866
Oh I agree. The only goal of a philosophy degree is to teach philosopjy and to publish in a journal some original ideas.
I personally am very doubtful a 30 year old undergrad will finish at 36 years old and then have his best years ahead of him wnd do more than grind out a career teaching at a small school and publishing niche analysis of Aristotelian physics.

I’d guess OP doesn’t know Greek either. So yet another disadvantage. Very hard to learn languages as an old fag.

>>25224902
When I was in undergrad there were over 100 applicants to every open chair. It is probably worse now.

I'm OP, for the record I changed my major from computer science to philosophy and I've studied stuff like Critique of Pure Reason and World as Representation carefully. Also did well in into formal logic and enjoyed it.

>>25224919
lol. Grad school Bros back me up, please. I’m not just being mean.

What inspired you to do this and whats your plan

>>25224891
you've given a horrible impression of yourself man im not sure why you're chewing this guys head off for no reason like this but you've gotta get over yourself and whatever bitterness is making you act out like this. your behavior is totally uncalled for. its not even really pertinent to anything op asked its just a non sequitur you felt the need to get off your chest here of all places.

>>25224940
You speak the truth, but OP will probably end up with a career in law, finance, or marketing anyway. You really do have to be top 1% to eventually teach or research, and the pay sucks unless you get famous.

>>25224957
I don't get why people make such a big deal out of academia being difficult when you can easily jump ship and put your skills to use somewhere else...thats the business model of higher education.

>>25224855
Not everyone has the same opportunities in life as you.

>>25224973
You can study for your own benefit, and you can self-publish anything, but you need academic credentials to be published in an academic journal.

>>25224961
The only thing that my philosophy degree has made easy for me in the real world is poverty, but that's ultimately a lot.

>>25224990
Sure, but this is entirely context based. I know computer science majors who are having a tough time. Maybe you and them would both be better off if you had taken full advantage of your opportunities. You can try to do so and fail, but most of the time people dont try and cry.

Given the state of the world, who gives a fuck what you major in and when you do it? lol fucking major in hentai rape well all be dead in 6 months

>>25224810
I’m not in philosophy. Our selection criteria might be a bit different than the ones in the labs you’re interested in.

Good grades is a start. However, a lot of people that get good grades do well because they’re good at being told what to do, or have a drive for perfection that cripples them in the long term. Neither of those qualities are really suited for research. My personal experience is that the best candidates are found in the top 20%, but not the top 5% of a given class. This group often has the intellectual capability to succeed, but not the crippling insecurity that tends to come with being very smart. If you are seriously about working in academia, you have to accept that you will be rejected, often for bullshit reasons, wether it is for grants, positions or journals.

We screen potential candidates and one thing we always do is throw a research proposal (often like a 10 page draft) at them and ask them to explain to us how they would go about this. We usually give them only 2 days to read and prepare, so being able to digest new information fast is crucial.

Other than that, as I said, be active, participate and do your reading. Its appreciated. Don’t be too annoying in class. Don’t complain about your grade, however unfair you may think you’ve been treated. As I said, academia is hugely unfair sometimes and if you’re complaining about these minor things already you are not going to make it when you’re exposed to the full bullshittery of the academic world.

Finally, a word of advice. When applying to labs/profs, ask yourself the question ‘is this a nice person’ and ‘would I want to work for this person’. You don’t want to spend the next however many years working for some power tripping asshole, of which there are, I assure you, many. Even if the subject interests you, working in a bad environment will wear you down eventually.

>>25224992
I don't regret my choices. A lot of people in my boat do, but there's often a sense of entitlement there. The universities foster it really, it's a marketing strategy, but for whatever reason, I always felt that what I got out of school depended on what I put into it.
It is hard to take full advantage of your opportunities regardless. First you have to recognize them, and then you have to practice perseverance in order to benefit from them. This implies a degree of difficulty.
For me, the main opportunity I saw in the study of philosophy was to become wiser. To an extent, I was looking in the wrong place, since academic philosophy is not a way of life. But it wasn't totally useless to this end, and I'm happy with what I learned.
I feel really bad for CS majors.

>>25224961
lol good grief.

>>25224951
Oh please. I wasn’t talking about him I was talking about old people doing undergrad courses.

And you literally asked about the social environment between faculty and students. I literally shared my thoughts on that subject. Sorry I didn’t say ‘wowzers you must be so smart at 30 compared to the 19 year olds you’ll be ahead of them, I’d bet you have special gifts!’

Nice same fag btw.

>>25224979
True and not true. Grandpa here was 19 and needed something to do after high school just like me. Grandpa could have read Schopenhauer in high school. Libraries and student loans are basically free.
Guys I’m sorry. You want respect as an undergrad you have to EARN it. Nobody understands college level or graduate level academics innately. Frankly starting to become disgusted with you lot crying about it. Pretty fucking clear that you guys might not have ‘it’. College is an opportunity and you can get by with just the classes or you can leave with 60+ hours a week of experience. I was in a lab as an undergrad every day at all hours of the day. 7AM and 1 AM.
Schopenhauer is great. Glad you read it, but you should be aware that there are people who read it for pleasure at 18 and use their time very wisely. Idk what you spent the last decade doing but I don’t want to hear some sob story about me being cruel to you. I don’t even consider myself particularly talented or front of the class. I can just tell you from experience it seems like you’re behind and your attitude is not the kind that ‘make it’.

You seem like you belong in a marketing department where you can churn out some special ideas and get money for them.

>>25225028
yeah I didn't samefag. i don't understand why you seem to have a problem with everything and everyone

>>25225034
(It's because grad school is an extremely competitive environment)

>>25225037
did you respond to the wrong post

>>25225039
No, I did not. Grad/doctoral students will tend to adopt this attitude when talking about their field because it's a meat grinder.

>>25225028
dude youre insane. youre assuming everyone in the thread is the same person. You really took schopenhauer to heart didnt you?

>>25225040
is this a bot?

>>25225044
Yeah, I'm a robot. Beep boop.

>>25223271
Go fuck yourself leech

>>25224855
lol your such an asshole

>>25222640
Four things, just get some basic intro stuff to review and it won’t take much of your time and try to keep them all treated equally, all up. Here;
Metaphysics
Epistemology
Logic
The History of Philosophy

God speed!

>>25225084
>no Ethics
GOOD advice. You will have to forget it all anyway when you get to law school!

>>25225042

>>25225040
>>25225037
Hey, I already typed that exact explanation out. But I actually got my doctoral degree a while ago I’m not in the Grinder. Very true, he’d be wise to listen.
I don’t get why he’s so hostile to me, I’m trying to help him. I thought the old fags were annoying try hards. Simple as. Didn’t say ALL of them were.
>>25225042
Schopenhauer? More like COPEnhauer. But that’s my real point. I read him for fun on a vacation in my free time. You’re misremembering the name of his book and paying to learn it and it’s your primary academic achievement. Do you see the problem? I just don’t understand what you guys did with the 10 years between high school and now. Were you partying or doing lawns or what?

what a deranged loser

>>25225077
What? You guys act like I’m the only one who thinks it.
I’m just the one saying it out loud. And besides. What’s more ass like behavior than presuming a lecture hall wants to here some old fag undergrad’s take on the transcendental ideal.

>>25225234
Sorry, I’m not gonna pull you full of sunshine. The rest of the guys here with phd work agree with me, I’m just saying it out loud. Didn’t even say it was you, just people in your situation. Although, I clearly struck a nerve lmao.

>>25225274
must be exhausting for you to pretend like you're a normal person in public

File: IMG_7068.jpg (113 KB, 1200x630)

113 KB JPG

>>25225449
Was it weed or wow or what did you waste the last decade doing?

>>25225274
cunts like you dont belong in education.

when i was teaching, i had 18 year olds, i had 40 year olds. its not a behind nor an on track thing, its just choices and timing and interests that people have. you help people grow, all sorts, thats the game. miserable bitches like you please go elsewhere

>>25225624
Wow dead poets society over here. Very nice very nice. Did you ever bother to follow up and see if the students paying for your services ever got a return on investment?

tilted pretty hard

File: COPLESTONE.jpg (68 KB, 700x457)

68 KB JPG

>>25222640
>transferring into one of the top undergrad philosophy program

Look at the faculty. Whichever has the topical focus you're after, disproportionately devote leisure reading toward that. It's undergrad, at most formal logic might benefit you prepping. Picrel if you need a historical overview/survey. If you have a Minor in mind, add some community college credits towards that now/over summer (e.g. Greek, slowly translate something, then fish for credits).

>>25225673
yes, i have.
they are literally partners at firms and running their own businesses and socially engaged.
i was pretty blown away, to be honest.

>>25226019
Some* but very good. However I still maintain old fags are mostly midwits at best.

>>25225012
Yes, it is extremely important that you work for a nice person. But, uh, you're on 4chan so there's a good probability you don't have the people skills to tell. One heuristic is if the professor is an easy grader. Easy graders tend to be nicer people.
Of course, if you do find that nice prof, PLEASE make his life easier not harder.