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Life as a Philosophy Major
Majoring in philosophy involves a lot of reading, writing, and coffee. In addition, there are a number of ways to take your philosophy experience beyond the classroom.
Philosophy Clubs
Many schools have some type of philosophy club, similar to what you may have experienced in high school. These are usually open to all students and can be a way to satisfy your urge to do philosophy even if you aren’t able to major in philosophy. If you are a major, this can be a fun way to further your philosophic explorations, often in a more informal way.
Whether solving
a problem in a
group setting, working on good intellectual habits through advanced education, or bringing up issues in your local community, philosophy will give you the skills to live a creative, rational, and fulfilling life.
Undergraduate Journals
Academic journals are publications that give people in a particular field the opportunity to showcase their work. This means that you could be a published author when you graduate from college! Papers submitted for consideration to a journal undergo a peer- review process that can give you valuable feedback on your work. There are a number of journals around the country that only publish the philosophy of undergraduates. One such journal is Stance, which is produced entirely by undergraduate students at Ball State. Philosophy students at Ball State not only have the opportunity to publish their work, but also to act as the publishers of an international journal.
Conferences
Conferences are gatherings of people in the philosophy community to share ideas. They typically feature paper presentations, panel discussions, and commentaries on books. Much like journals, conferences are a great opportunity to share your work with others in your field and get ideas for your next project. There quite a few annual conferences that are dedicated to undergraduate work. Many professional philosophy conferences also feature an undergraduate paper or two. Some conferences may even offer cash prizes for your work. Even if you’re not presenting, attending conferences can still be a fun way to engage with the work of other people in your field in real time.