palmyra

Hi Aanmona, My area is the Philippine Islands. Glad to hear you are planning to accept! I will email you very soon (hopefully by this weekend) about my first impressions of Pittsburgh. Looking forward to hearing more and MEETING you soon!

Big fan of the gap year, myself. It definitely helped me gain some perspective, really THINK about and refine your goals and the best way to go about achieving them, and prepare (reading the literature corresponding to your fields of interest, get to know who's out there doing the kind of work you hope to do, psychologically brace yourself, etc.) for the commitment you will be making. I know it's different for everyone, but I think the year I am currently taking off (between Master's and doctoral studies) to teach at a state university even made me more competetive. Good luck!

Hi Aanmona, Congratulations on your Pitt acceptance. I, too, have been accepted to begin doctoral studies in sociocultural anthropology this fall and have accepted the offer. I'm so excited. I am actually attending a conference in the area this weekend and so will be leaving to visit Pittsburgh and start getting to know the area/looking at neighborhoods and apartments tomorrow! So, I'll have more to say about it in a few days, but from what I have heard about Pittsburgh, it seems that you should be able to live quite comfortably in a nice area on that stipend. As far as whether or not Pittsburgh is a good school for sociocultural anthropology, I think it still depends on what you intend to focus on in terms of area and topic. They have a great southeast Asian/Pacific focus, for example, but they may not be the best place for studying other geographic areas. Hope to hear more from you soon!

I heard by email from department last Thursday (23rd) and then by mail a couple days later from graduate school/fellowship committee (February 25). My sense is that the full faculty have met and have sent the list off to the graduate school, so hopefully you all will be hearing very soon.

@rendonmana - I received official acceptance from Pitt over the weekend, after prior email correspondence with POI earlier in February, and am the overly excited lone Pittsburgh anthropology poster on the results page for 2012. Good luck to you!

I submitted for a predoctoral fellowship. No word yet.

Going crazy, too! Especially because I only applied to two places. But, I did hear from Buffalo earlier this month about forwarding my application to the university fellowship committee. So that's good news right? Trying not to worry about it all. I wonder if there are others, like me, trying not to get hopes too up or share too much info for fear of jinxing ourselves?

Have you thought about applying to AmeriCorps? You might want to check out their site for opportunities that may appeal to you. It's a pretty good way to get some real-world experience in a non-profit setting and, also, earn money that can be applied toward paying for further education, as well. I think a one-to-two year service commitment of this sort looks great on a CV. If that's not really your thing, I would suggest undertaking any local community research initiatives or service opportunities that will also benefit you in terms of experience while also bolstering your CV. Even if you have to wait tables during an off year, you should still find and take service opportunities to do the kinds of work you envision yourself delving into at the graduate level and beyond.

What about NYU's Certification in Culture and Media available to PhD students in Anthropology and Cinema Studies? Harvard has its Sensory Ethnography Lab, a collaboration between their Anthropology Department and the Department of Visual and Environmental Studies. Not really an anthropology program, but Brown's Modern Culture and Media PhD program looks interesting.

In the same boat here. I had two middle names in addition to my maiden name, which I decided to keep after marriage and publish under. My Master's thesis contains the two middle name initials. Now, because of family circumstances I am deciding to do away with middle initials altogether (still early on in career, here--have not started PhD, yet. And, I like the idea of my middle names being not so public, anyway.) and take my husband's last name. So now I will be publishing under: first maiden married. I'm pretty happy with the decision.

I can only speak for the school and interdisciplinary Master's program I attended, but most graduate courses were not cross-listed with undergraduate courses. I took one course that was, and definitely came out with mixed feelings about it. I think this is becoming more common, though, because of the severe budget cuts many schools are facing. (Or, it has become common at the school I attended, anyway.)

Submitted on Monday! First ever big fellowship application. Trying to keep my mind off of it so time doesn't crawl along until spring.

I would think that lots of experience in your research topic of interest would almost always be beneficial. I do think most of those type comments on past results surveys more than likely indicate a mismatch in terms of fit with departmental goals and faculty research interests. No matter what accomplishments you've managed to achieve, a department will be unwilling to accept you if they do not feel equipped to advise you or help you achieve your future career goals.

Definitely in statement of purpose writing frenzy here. My research interests: medical anthropology, particularly the relationship between aesthetics and healing practices, indigenous peoples, ritual and spirituality, cultural continuity and change, globalization. Geographic region: Southeast Asia, the Philippine islands Applying: NY and PA (Probably just two schools).

Just finished an Appalachian Studies M.A. program at Appalachian and couldn't be happier. My first impression of Boone was not a favorable one, but I have really warmed up to this place since arriving here two and a half years ago. The locals are friendly, as are the most of the faculty and staff I've come into contact with at ASU. Apartment rental prices are not bad compared to other places, but still overpriced for what you get. For the best deals, I suggest looking outside of the downtown area and areas immediately surrounding campus. Going west on 421 in the direction of Tennessee or north on 194 behind New Market Center will be your best bets for cheap rent. You might even be able to snag something right along the AppalCart bus route, which I highly suggest, especially if you are concerned about not having a vehicle and/or getting snowed in during the loooooong winters. Though small, Boone is a great, quiet place all in all. It is very walkable/bikeable. I would suggest alternative modes of transportation as the roads do get somewhat congested in the late afternoons and, especially, on football and heavy tourist weekends. Don't expect much in the way of nightlife. In general, people seem to like to keep to themselves and do most of their hanging out at home/in the woods, away from campus/Boone, in general. The town of Boone doesn't have a very friendly policy as far as noise and such. There are a few bars in the downtown area and music shows do happen. Unless you are looking for old-time and bluegrass music, you might have to look harder for your entertainment. If old-time and bluegrass is what you love, you've come to the right place. Also, if you love hiking, camping, attending crafts and music festivals, and adventuring outdoors, this is the place for you. As a graduate student, you will probably feel pretty old and outnumbered by the 21 and under crowd that make up the majority of this campus and town's population. If you can deal with that, this is a great place to spend a couple relatively stress-free years in your mid-late twenties. Just bring snow boots, a heavy jacket, and the ability to deal with roaring winds and ice.