Creative Projects
08 Creative Projects: Building a Visible Philosophy Portfolio
Kai, philosophy applicants are often evaluated almost entirely through writing and intellectual initiative. Unlike majors with obvious competitions or labs, philosophy strength is demonstrated by the quality of ideas you produce and the intellectual communities you build. The committee highlighted that your existing philosophical ecosystem — including a journal, Ethics Bowl involvement, and discussion spaces — can become a powerful portfolio if it is documented and structured more deliberately.
The goal over the next 6–9 months is to transform your philosophical work from scattered activities into a coherent intellectual platform. Think of this less like “extracurriculars” and more like building a miniature academic field around your interests.
Below are three high‑impact projects that can become the core artifacts of your application.
1. Turn the Philosophy Journal into a Formal Editorial Publication
You mentioned a philosophy journal. Right now, the strategic opportunity is to elevate it from a casual publication into something that resembles a real academic journal. Admissions readers at places like Chicago, Brown, and Williams respond strongly when a student demonstrates scholarly leadership rather than just participation.
The key is documenting intellectual rigor.
Consider building the journal around a transparent editorial system:
- Editorial board structure: Editor‑in‑chief, section editors (ethics, political philosophy, metaphysics, etc.), and reviewers.
- Submission process: A public submission form and clear guidelines for formatting, citations, and word counts.
- Peer review workflow: Each submission receives two anonymous reviews before acceptance.
- Publication statistics: Track number of submissions, acceptance rate, and revision cycles.
Even if the scale is small, documenting these processes creates the impression of a serious intellectual institution.
Technical build suggestion:
- Platform: Static website using Next.js or Astro
- Content management: Markdown files stored in a GitHub repository
- Submission system: Google Forms or Typeform feeding into a review spreadsheet
- Editorial tracking: Notion or Airtable workflow for reviewer assignments
- Hosting: Vercel or Netlify
Portfolio deliverables:
- A public website for the journal
- An “Editorial Process” page explaining peer review
- Published issues with downloadable PDFs
- An annual report summarizing submissions and accepted pieces
This converts a student activity into something that resembles a mini academic institution.
2. Produce a Flagship Long‑Form Philosophy Essay
Every strong humanities portfolio includes one central intellectual artifact: a piece of writing that demonstrates depth, argumentation, and originality.
You should create a long‑form philosophy essay (4,000–6,000 words) that becomes the centerpiece of your portfolio. This essay can be published through your journal or presented independently on your site.
The goal is not simply length; it is to demonstrate genuine philosophical inquiry.
A strong structure could look like:
- Clear philosophical question
- Engagement with existing philosophers
- A structured argument
- Objections and responses
- A concluding theoretical contribution
Possible directions (exploratory — choose based on your real interests):
- Technology and moral responsibility
- Philosophical problems in artificial intelligence
- The ethics of climate responsibility
- Free will and modern neuroscience
- Democratic legitimacy and digital communication
Presentation matters. Treat this essay like a serious publication:
- Use academic citations (Chicago or APA style)
- Include an abstract and keywords
- Provide a clean PDF layout
- Include a short author’s commentary explaining how the idea evolved
Admissions readers at philosophy‑heavy institutions often skim essays to assess whether the student can actually reason philosophically. A well‑structured long paper gives them concrete evidence.
3. Document the “Philosophy Ecosystem” You’re Building
The committee highlighted that your activities — the journal, Ethics Bowl participation, and discussion groups — can be framed as parts of a single intellectual ecosystem.
Instead of listing these separately in your application, consider presenting them as a unified project: a student‑run philosophical community.
Create a digital hub that documents how these pieces interact.
Suggested structure:
- Philosophy Journal – publication platform for student ideas
- Discussion Group – live philosophical debates and reading sessions
- Ethics Bowl – applied philosophy in competition
This framing communicates something admissions officers care about deeply: you are not just studying philosophy — you are organizing spaces where philosophy happens.
To make this visible, build a simple portfolio site.
Portfolio architecture:
- Homepage: “Kai Andersen – Philosophy Projects”
- Journal section: issues, editorial process
- Writing section: long‑form essay and shorter pieces
- Community section: Ethics Bowl and discussion events
- About page: intellectual interests
Tech stack suggestion:
- Framework: Next.js or simple static HTML
- Writing format: Markdown files stored on GitHub
- Design: minimal academic aesthetic (serif fonts, clean layout)
- Hosting: Vercel
This gives you a shareable link that admissions readers can explore if they want deeper evidence of intellectual engagement.
GitHub Strategy for Humanities Work
Even for philosophy, a GitHub repository can strengthen your portfolio by showing process and intellectual development.
Create a public repository structured like this:
- /journal – source files for issues
- /essay – drafts of your flagship paper
- /reading-notes – summaries of philosophical texts
- /site – code for your philosophy portfolio
Commit changes regularly as you refine arguments or edit journal content. This creates a visible record of intellectual development.
Few philosophy applicants document their thinking this way, so it subtly signals both rigor and initiative.
Creative Project Timeline (Next 6–9 Months)
| Month | Focus | Target Outcome |
| February |
|
Journal framework + essay outline |
| March |
|
Public platform live |
| April |
|
Working manuscript |
| May |
|
Essay revision cycle |
| June |
|
Public intellectual platform |
| July |
|
Core portfolio artifacts complete |
| August |
|
Portfolio ready for submission season |
By the start of senior year, the goal is for you to have three visible outputs:
- A structured philosophy journal with real editorial processes
- A substantial original philosophy essay
- A digital platform showing the intellectual community you’ve built
For philosophy‑focused schools like Chicago, Brown, and Williams, this kind of portfolio demonstrates something admissions readers rarely see from high school applicants: serious engagement with philosophical ideas beyond the classroom.