Applying to Graduate School
Philosophy majors pursue many different professional and career paths after graduation from Northwestern. One option is to pursue graduate study in philosophy, which provides the opportunity to study more philosophy, in greater depth, among others who are equally interested in discussing philosophy, for one to two years (in a terminal M.A. program) or five to seven years approximately (in a Ph.D. program), and which can lead to a career in academic philosophy. If you are interested in this option, you should discuss it with your advisor and/or with professors in areas of philosophy that are of particular interest to you to find out about programs to which you might want to apply, specifics about the nature of graduate study, and so on. They can also advise you about what you can do now -- which courses to take, fellowships to apply for -- to make your application stronger.
The application procedure for programs in the U.S. proceeds roughly as follows (you may also wish to investigate the possibility of graduate study abroad, the application procedure for which varies from country to country, and among institutions).