Slagatha

Just to jump in here - the IELTS result has to be valid at the time the programme starts for universities here in NZ, so I don't know if this is a standard thing or not. So, for example, while we would receive an application in November 2016 where the IELTS might be valid through to say January 2017, we would still require a new IELTS score for a programme beginning in March 2017. We would still give a conditional offer if everything else was in order though, and bump that to a full offer when new IELTS results are received. We'd waive IELTS if someone has studied in certain countries for a minimum duration (one or two years, depending on country) but I imagine this varies! Yeah, definitely check with the school.

Nonono, totally, but I am so it just wouldn't be feasible. From what I've been reading, there are some prohibitively expensive areas in Seattle, but I guess that's the same in most major cities. Thanks for your comments! Yeah, that's something one of the grad students mentioned when I had a chat to her - most people live solo or with partners, it's pretty cool that that's affordable. I will definitely let them know that campus carry plays into my decision, I really hope that kind of feedback helps - I just can't rationalize why it being mandatory vs. opt-in is a thing. Personal, but so hard! There's always aspects of each that appeal, so no matter which way you go you're sacrificing something when you pick.

Whoa, okay, I didn't mention affirmative action at all. Maybe I could better generalize that across the south on the whole, based on your comment? Again, I don't know, I haven't lived there. Sure, racism and sexism and other challenges are certainly everyday issues for a lot of people. I worked through a budget between the two and yeah, Texas would have been a little cheaper overall, but not by any amount that makes the decision unrealistic. I think a one bedroom apartment is a little ostentatious for a PhD student. I've been looking at shared houses in both cities - fairly comparable actually, and utilities seem to be around the same, too. EDIT: But thanks again, always appreciate some different insights!

I think that being a Fulbright awardee will definitely bolster your academic CV, so that's something to consider going ahead. Rutgers isn't a shit hole by any stretch of the imagination, and does seem to have a good reputation. tbh I've never heard much about Cornell's anthro programme, so I don't know how much it being an ivy ultimately matters. Especially for your MA. Do the Fulbright. Do it.

Haha, it's interesting that both responses picked up on location quite significantly. I actually lived in the Middle East for a long time as a kid, and and I've since conducted field work there, so I definitely get the appeal of hot and sunny but there's more to it than that for me (and I really enjoy cold and wet). I know that guns are a thing in the US more broadly, but I'd be lying if I said that the mandatory campus carry laws in Texas weren't concerning (although I believe that private universities can opt out). I also have concerns about racism and diversity - these may or may not be unfounded, I don't know, I haven't lived there, but there was some news last year out of the Texas university that was a bit unsettling. Two things stopping me from taking out loans: 1) I'm an international student so would be taking out a loan back home, but with no income per se in the US a loan would not feasible to keep on top of and the interest would build steadily, and 2) I honestly don't think I (or tbh the majority of suitable students) should have to pay to do a PhD. So, yeah, it was a fun week weighing up the pros and cons, but I've gone with the Washington offer.

Cheers for the input!

Good fits and reaches are pretty variable depending on what kind of candidate you are, what funding is available, what the rest of the applicants that year are like... That said, Chicago, UC Berkeley, UCLA, Michigan, Harvard, Brown, etc are probably reaches for the majority of people, but obviously people get in. Funding is miserable, and for international students especially. You cost more in fees and that might just be a budget that some places, e.g. UArizona this year, can't afford unless you bring some funding along with you. Check out if your home country has anything that you might be able to apply for, and things like the Fulbright.

Remember: in the US programmes you have a few years of coursework where you're taking classes with these folks, so maybe the connection will develop over time I had a pretty touch-and-go application round - I applied to 5 schools in the US and one in the UK (in hindsight there are at least 3 others I should have tried for... but no matter). Ultimately the US options were two funded offers, one to the safety school and one to the top choice. The one that brought me out for the prospectives visit ended up not wanting me at all! I think museum_geek's plan is solid - 3-4 reaches, 5-6 good fits, and a couple back-ups (I think I combined mine in that the solid fits were reaches!). That said, with 10-14 applications that's a lot of money to spend, and a lot of references to request (and more if you intend to apply for scholarships)!

A bit more complicated than that, but a big part of the choice. I've been given funded offers to two programmes: one private in Texas, and one public in Washington state. The private university has deep pockets, and has offered me a) about $5k more stipend per year than the public, and b) an extra year of guaranteed funding (so 3 years instead of 2). My concern is that additional funding (and grants for travel, conferences, etc) might be easier to come by at the private university than at the public. In either case, it's livable, although I might be eating more noodles in Washington. I worry about the added stress of sourcing funding at both, and wonder if it's likely to be significantly easier at a private university. I know that in both cases I'll be looking for dissertation funding from outside sources (NSF, etc), but I think that is fairly common. The public university is right up there in terms of rankings, and has an excellent and well established faculty. The private university is known in some circles, but not widely, and has some good faculty although a lot younger and not nearly as established. The potential dissertation project, fieldwork, and supervision at the private university sound really excellent, but I'm still working out the specifics of the public dissertation (although the supervisor sounds just as good). Texas does not sound appealing. Like. At all. I'd give it a crack for 5-6 years for the sake of the degree, but I can't see myself being totally happy there, even with a bit more money. So: Are you likely to see more opportunities from a, say, second-tier private university over a top-range public? That might depend on faculty connections, but is it likely to matter in terms of name and the public-private divide? The Big Question: Financial security + summers doing field work on a tropical island, or an adventure in poverty + a potentially more valuable piece of paper?

The advice I got was to learn how to study to take the test - it's pretty formulaic. Look through the guidebooks to work out how to answer the analytical sections. If you can structure an essay cohesively, evaluate sources, and construct a balanced argument then you'll be fine, to be honest. I think you can psych yourself out pretty easily but it's not that bad, in all honesty. Magoosh was super helpful, especially the free iPhone vocab flashcard app. That saved my butt. I didn't use any of their paid material, but they look pretty good. I ran through the practice tests and found those really helpful. The ETS GRE book was really helpful for practice analytical and verbal questions particularly, plus general tips. For a great free resource for the maths, Khan Academy is unbeatable. This list gives you a good guide for what to look at on Khan, and you'll figure out what needs attention as you go through the practice tests. I just Googled 'GRE quantitative practice tests' for more practice questions - this one was good, for example. What namarie says is correct - limited to four submissions for free (at the time you take your test), and then you can submit others. If you don't know where else you're applying to during the test then don't worry, you can request the additional scores to be sent online later. If you only pick two or three places at the test, you can't use those remaining free ones later I ended up sending a few scoreslike the day the application was due - most places were okay with a short delay in scores being received if the rest of the application was complete. Double check that when you're applying though, some places could be different. The whole GRE thing is a scam tbh, just profit generating garbage that you have to buy into! Yeah - I was (and am) working full-time while prepping for the GRE and getting my applications together. I was taking a French paper as well, to try and get my language up, but ended up dropping it to focus on applications - I applied to the UK too so needed more formal research proposals as part of that. In hindsight, if I could have kept up with the French paper at the same time it probably would have helped my applications for some places but who knows, it's so hard to pick where your shortcomings are for some of these places. The US seems obsessed with how well you 'fit' with the department - pretty different to Aus and NZ applications (and UK, to an extent)!! I was luck to get three days off before the GRE to focus on last-minute revision (craming always helps) but that'd be harder to do while keeping up with your classes! One of my references is American, and his insights into the US system actually helped with the recommendation itself so you might find that useful. My quantitative score on the GRE was pretty awful (thankfully offset by high verbal/analytical), but he addressed that by saying that we don't get those general education maths courses as part of our degrees that they do in the US (they do a four year Bachelors vs. our three year Bachelors), that I know it's something to work on, and that he's confident I will build up anything that needs it. Worked out okay - my first year of funding relies on a knowledge of calculus, so we'll see how that goes!

What's the best way to scope out rooms for rent (Wedgewood,Maple Leaf, Northgate, Ravenna, Fremont, and Wallingford seem to be good options for UW)? I only know of Craigslist but I'm also concerned about housemates being potential serial killers. Otherwise, I'm looking at student housing at UW Mercer or Nordheim because, while more expensive monthly, they're furnished and include utilities + internet. It would be cool to live in an actual house but maybe something to consider after the first year when I've got some grounding in the city? Edit: Someone mentioned roomsurf a few pages back but I don't necessarily want to live in a house full of 19 year olds.

All of the above (Kiwi who just finished applying to the US). Our first test centre turned out to be an abandoned building, so we ended up taking our tests 4 weeks later than anticipated (mid-November, yuck!!). If you're only applying to two places it will hurt less but otherwise prepare for a bit of a financial investment - the GRE ain't cheap but you have to do it. Make sure you have your list of max. four places to submit your scores to the moment after you finish the test - you get four for 'free', but have to pay $27 USD to send each additional one. Going into the test I had picked out four places, but only ended up applying to two of those, and had to send other scores afterwards. Application fees for each university seem to be around $75-110, so factor that in, too. I only had one that needed a hardcopy of my transcript for the application, so that saved me some money (we pay for each transcript we request here!). Also consider getting in touch with folks at the universities you're looking at to ask about what their international funding situation is like. I ended up not applying to one particularly excellent place because they were really straight up about how 'the situation for international students has been particularly challenging' and that it 'would be virtually impossible' without external funding.

Hey guys, any of the UWashington admits, or anyone currently attending, around? Drop me a line, I have (non-invasive) questions!

Please, please, do yourself a favor and wear comfortable shoes! I made the mistake of tidy shoes that I though were comfortable but after a day of touring the campus and wandering around between classes I ended up limping around with two blisters that were the size of 6th and 7th toes. Never again. One of the guys on my visit only brought suit with him, and wore it across three days. Not ideal in the California "winter" we were stuck in. It was tidy, but noticeable. I wore dark black jeans and shirts on two of the days, and opted for a top/cardigan/scarf ensemble (hahaha) on the third day. After the first day you see what the other folks are wearing and know what you can get away with for the second, but it's harder if it's just a one day visit. In the end, you don't want to wear something in which you're visibly uncomfortable, right? That'll just make you feel a bit off, and you want to be as comfortable with yourself as you can be.

ASU seems to have a pretty rad evo program (I looked at it but ultimately decided against applying, for other reasons), but if the POIs are both on equal footing, I would go for Harvard. The name on your degree is going to matter a lot, and if your prospects are just as good at either, take the more prestigious. Of course, I imagine this will be contingent on other things like time to degree, funding/stipend, teaching opportunities, so there are a few more things to weigh up!