As to 3) : Philosophy PhDs can sometimes take a long time, compared to other disciplines—in part because unlike, say, chemistry, there’s no objective criterion to appeal to. I knew a philosophy PhD who spent >15 years in grad school, and part of that (several years lost each time) was because she had not one but two (old) advisers die on her.
6) There are huge differences among say Cornell, Harvard, Princeton, and Berkeley’s environments. All are good, but in meaningfully different directions
7) You cannot hope for contacts to fall into your lap. No matter where you go, it takes work to meet people and maintain relationships. And yet, these can be absolutely key in all sorts of endeavors, so taking steps to reduce the work needed can be very valuable.
As to 3) : Philosophy PhDs can sometimes take a long time, compared to other disciplines—in part because unlike, say, chemistry, there’s no objective criterion to appeal to. I knew a philosophy PhD who spent >15 years in grad school, and part of that (several years lost each time) was because she had not one but two (old) advisers die on her.
6) There are huge differences among say Cornell, Harvard, Princeton, and Berkeley’s environments. All are good, but in meaningfully different directions
7) You cannot hope for contacts to fall into your lap. No matter where you go, it takes work to meet people and maintain relationships. And yet, these can be absolutely key in all sorts of endeavors, so taking steps to reduce the work needed can be very valuable.