At present, I am enrolled in a combined MA/PhD program with six years of guaranteed funding. I just finished my first year of the MA and am on track to finish that portion by the end of next spring semester. However, as I develop my research interests, I am finding that the institution I am at is not as good of a fit as it was initially, and so I am thinking about applying elsewhere. After reviewing some schools and talking with my partner, I decided that UC Irvine is really the only other department I would be interested in.
I was wondering if anyone on this forum either attends UC Irvine or has applied, and what that experience has been like? I am particularly interested in learning more about the department's intellectual environment and the competitiveness of their application process. Thanks!
PS- if it matters at all, I am a cultural anthropologist studying environmental health discourse. So, broadly, the anthropology of scientific knowledge is my "niche," which is what UC Irvine's program is well-known for.