Graduating Seniors headed to graduate school, law school

Twenty philosophy majors have just graduated, and post-graduation plans vary from graduate school to law school to domestic and international travel. Some graduates have their plans nailed down. Emily Ward will be a Helen DeVitt Jones Fellow in the MA Program in Philosophy at Texas Tech University, and Michael Cooley will pursue a Master’s degree at University College London. Most others plan on travel or work before pursuing further education.

 

Law school, this fall or in the coming years, is a popular choice for our Philosophy graduates. Lily Berryman, Zachary Josephs, Jeff Hudspeth, and Robert Griffith are all planning to attend law school. Hudspeth is currently weighing offers from a variety of law schools in Ohio, Wyoming, and California, while Berryman is planning on a summer internship with a local judge to learn the inner workings of the justice system.

Berryman explains this natural fit between philosophy and law: “Philosophy teaches its students how to critically analyze and argue in such a way that is unmatched by any other area of study. Law school is a way of taking all that we learn as philosophy majors in theory and translating it into practical and usable skills.”

Jackie Beyers is a double major in Philosophy and Sociology, with a sociological focus in criminology and criminal justice. Beyers also has earned a minor in Diversity in Law. She plans on taking a gap year and then either pursuing law school or an MA in Philosophy, ideally at CSU. After travel and work, Andy Madrick and Matt Hepler are also planning on furthering their educations a few years down the line. Madrick intends to apply his Philosophy degree to work in architecture.  He hopes to land a job in architecture after graduation and then likely pursue a PhD in the field.

Madrick explains the connection: “Philosophy has supported my interest in architecture by engaging in the theoretical foundations, rather than simply the technical aspects, of architecture. By studying a diversity of fields in philosophy, including phenomenology with Dr. MacKenzie and issues of equity with Dr. Archie, I’ve been thinking through architectural challenges in a new way.”

Many philosophy graduates plan to travel before settling down into school or work. Stephan Kuhn is mapping out a “Dharma Tour,” visiting a variety of different Buddhist centers across the U.S. Josephs is backpacking through Europe before law school, and Courtney Ketzler is traveling through Asia “until my money runs out!” The most whimsical of the bunch, Austin Gilkey, will be “travelling by bike, wherever the wind blows.”