When I was in college I got the impression that professional (i.e. US academic) philosophy had standards of rigor, such that areas more generally considered phi

When I was in college I got the impression that professional (i.e. US academic) philosophy had standards of rigor, such that areas more generally considered philosophy -- existentialism, for example -- weren't so in their domain. I've got no opinions either way, but it sounds like someone needs to define what is meant by "philosophy."