Students should also keep in mind that many, perhaps most, of the academic positions in philosophy in the United States are at institutions of higher learning that have as their primary function general education, rather than intensive training in philosophy. There is every reason to suspect that programs will rely upon GRE scores and grades to reduce the size of the applicant pool to a more manageable size for careful scrutiny. It would behoove students whose GRE's or grades are not indicative of their philosophical potential to flag this in their application, and perhaps to have faculty recommenders do the same. Programs consider an applicant's undergraduate institution to the extent that there may be concern about the adequacy of the student's preparation for graduate work, especially in contemporary analytic philosophy. At the later stages of the admissions process, a student's sample of written work can really make a difference.
Students are well-advised to work hard in preparing a strong writing sample.
Students should query departments about particular faculty members of interest to insure that they will be there upon the student's arrival. Students are better off relying on the opinions of faculty at other institutions to which the student is applying, and this Report. You should also, of course, consult your own faculty advisors, though keep in mind they may have their own parochial biases and blinkers as well. It is also worth considering more general institutional factors in choosing a graduate school. For example, some universities are in financial trouble, which affects not only graduate-student support, but the quality of support services and research facilities.