David O. Brink; UCSD: Graduate Study in Philosophy

This is a great little PDF outlineing what to expect from graduate school and how to apply.

Here is just a snippet but I suggest checking the whole document out for yourself.

http://philosophyfaculty.ucsd.edu/faculty/dbrink/GraduateStudy.pdf

David O. Brink; UCSD
May 2006
Graduate Study in Philosophy

• Be Realistic.
o Getting In. Top programs receive approximately 150-250 applications and admit between 5-15%.

o Finishing. Anywhere from one quarter to one half of those who start Ph.D. programs fail to
complete the degree.





o Getting a Job. Despite increased enrollments due to the Baby Boomlet, there are still many
more Ph.D.s than there are academic positions. Especially if you are interested in a position
in a research program, there is enormous competition for these jobs. Most of the better
students at top programs (e.g. the top 25 programs) eventually get tenure-track jobs of some
kind, though not necessarily at research universities, and these tenure-track jobs often come
only after one or two one-year jobs at different institutions. The success
rates at lower-ranked programs are lower.

o Be Flexible. While the very best students from the very best programs often receive multiple
job offers, many highly qualified Ph.D.s have more limited options. You must be flexible
geographically and willing to move, for instance, taking one or more one-year jobs before
finding a tenure-track position