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Fall 2015 Applicants


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blue_inversions, Oxford is on Easter break until April 7 or 8, I believe. They are delayed due to some larger changes in Graduate Admissions (and also, uh, it's Oxford and nothing runs on time), so if you applied for the March deadline, I don't know when you can expect to hear back, but if you applied for the November or January deadlines, it is wholly reasonable to email the department directly, explain the other offers and deadlines you are working with, and ask for an update. They're well aware that their timetable is often at odds with those at other universities, particularly North American programs, so I can't imagine they'd be anything less than sympathetic. 

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Oh, and most importantly: keeping fingers crossed for you, whatever happens, solala!!

Thanks blue_inversions! I'm glad to hear that you've heard positive things about the program. The fact that they are trying to offer funding all new PhD students is also a good sign (particularly in light of a TAship shortage in a time of gov austerity). I also had a good first impression of the program when a prof really encouraged me to apply. While it doesn't look like the strikes are impacting the anthro department (at least not yet), the delay could be caused by many other factors (new faculty hires, etc), so I'm trying to be more patient. I heard some applicants to the English program speculating that they might be waiting for SSHRC to announce results of the doctoral competition before finalizing decisions for canadian/permanent-resident applicants. I hope this is not the case in anthro (I'm a canadian applicant, and SSHRC won't announce results for weeks). Anyways, enjoy the program! If you can, I highly recommend moving to Montreal a month or two in advance: summers in montreal are amazing. Take care 

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I'm considering actually gnawing off my own leg with anxiety. Anyone heard from W&M? It seems nobody really got rejected, and nobody seems to be talking about a waitlist, or acceptances either, barring one acceptance announced here. They told me they're only accepting 3 this year. Can someone confirm or deny my assumption/suspicion/hope that the waitlist can't be all that long for such a tiny cohort?

 

I emailed the DGS Monday, but I gather it's their Spring Break right now so I don't expect to hear until next week.

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Congrats nananiemand!!!! I'm still waiting to hear about my UCLA waitlist position. 

 

Off the waitlist at UCLA/Cotsen! Just got my offer letter! POI at Berkeley has also let me know a letter is on the way.

 

So much to decide... I want to pull the trigger, but I should be patient... But yay!

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After so many rejections I can't believe I actually made it to NYU!!!! I was on the wait list, and got an e-mail form my POI in the middle of the night, couldn't sleep after, I was so excited!

Altough I mostly was a quiet lurker here, I wouldn't made it through this awfull process without this awesome forum, thank you so much!

Hope you can also find your perfect place  :D

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After so many rejections I can't believe I actually made it to NYU!!!! I was on the wait list, and got an e-mail form my POI in the middle of the night, couldn't sleep after, I was so excited!

Altough I mostly was a quiet lurker here, I wouldn't made it through this awfull process without this awesome forum, thank you so much!

Hope you can also find your perfect place  :D

Wow that sound great. So happy for you! Congratulations!!

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Congrats everyone! 

 

One question: were any of you admitted to the MA in socio-cultural anthro in lieu of Ph.D. at Columbia? Are any of you at all familiar with the MA program? Is it a bad idea? Too much debt for nothing?

 

Thank you:)

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Congrats everyone! 

 

One question: were any of you admitted to the MA in socio-cultural anthro in lieu of Ph.D. at Columbia? Are any of you at all familiar with the MA program? Is it a bad idea? Too much debt for nothing?

 

Thank you:)

 

As someone who went into debt for an MS, I have to comment on this.  DO NOT DO IT.  THERE IS ANOTHER WAY.  FIND IT.  Student loan debt on that level will take over your life, regardless of whether it ends up being useful to you in some other way or not.  WAIT.  Do a master's IF AND ONLY IF it is FULLY funded (including living expenses) --- or if you can pay cash for everything it will entail.  It doesn't matter how good the program is.  Ask all the people who went to top tier medical, law, and business schools.   This particular risk is absolutely not worth it, especially in the humanities and/or social sciences.

Edited by RPCV Cameroon
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As someone who went into debt for an MS, I have to comment on this.  DO NOT DO IT.  THERE IS ANOTHER WAY.  FIND IT.  Student loan debt on that level will take over your life, regardless of whether it ends up being useful to you in some other way or not.  WAIT.  Do a master's IF AND ONLY IF it is FULLY funded (including living expenses) --- or if you can pay cash for everything it will entail.  It doesn't matter how good the program is.  Ask all the people who went to top tier medical, law, and business schools.   This particular risk is absolutely not worth it, especially in the humanities and/or social sciences.

 

I totally agree! I guess I just don't foresee myself getting into a Ph.D. without an MA because I've no anthro background and kind of have a sub par undergrad record. I graduated 3 years ago and so if I apply again next year, all my application materials will be quite dated. 

I have a question especially for those who took a long break between undergrad and Ph.D.-- what did you use as your writing sample? Research you subsequently worked on after finishing school? Or just a revised paper from undergrad?

 

All the help/advice would be much appreciated because I'm epically lost and need to make a decision soon!

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I totally agree! I guess I just don't foresee myself getting into a Ph.D. without an MA because I've no anthro background and kind of have a sub par undergrad record. I graduated 3 years ago and so if I apply again next year, all my application materials will be quite dated. 

I have a question especially for those who took a long break between undergrad and Ph.D.-- what did you use as your writing sample? Research you subsequently worked on after finishing school? Or just a revised paper from undergrad?

 

All the help/advice would be much appreciated because I'm epically lost and need to make a decision soon!

 

This round of apps I used a writing sample from 2006 or 2007. I wrote it before dropping out of an MA program. I edited it a lot. It isn't related to my current research at all but it seems to have done the trick.  I got into two schools.  One with a full ride. I also used it for a fellowship app and once again things seemed to work out in my favor.  All this being said I'm glad I'll never have to read that paper ever again.

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I totally agree! I guess I just don't foresee myself getting into a Ph.D. without an MA because I've no anthro background and kind of have a sub par undergrad record. I graduated 3 years ago and so if I apply again next year, all my application materials will be quite dated. 

I have a question especially for those who took a long break between undergrad and Ph.D.-- what did you use as your writing sample? Research you subsequently worked on after finishing school? Or just a revised paper from undergrad?

 

All the help/advice would be much appreciated because I'm epically lost and need to make a decision soon!

 

I used parts of my MA dissertation from 2011. I didn't have to do too much with it as there have been very few changes to the situation I was discussing (fortunate for me, very unfortunate for the people concerned...) and just made sure content, structure, grammar, spelling and style are sound. It must have been decent as I'll be going to my number 1 choice. So I wouldn't worry about dated material - 3 years seem to be very reasonable. 

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This round of apps I used a writing sample from 2006 or 2007. I wrote it before dropping out of an MA program. I edited it a lot. It isn't related to my current research at all but it seems to have done the trick.  I got into two schools.  One with a full ride. I also used it for a fellowship app and once again things seemed to work out in my favor.  All this being said I'm glad I'll never have to read that paper ever again.

 

 

I used parts of my MA dissertation from 2011. I didn't have to do too much with it as there have been very few changes to the situation I was discussing (fortunate for me, very unfortunate for the people concerned...) and just made sure content, structure, grammar, spelling and style are sound. It must have been decent as I'll be going to my number 1 choice. So I wouldn't worry about dated material - 3 years seem to be very reasonable. 

 

 

Thanks guys that makes feel so much better! There are certainly alternative ways for me to sharpen my application for the next around without going into crippling debt for an MA.

 

 Come back to let us know how that first year of grad life is like--as brutal as people say it usually is? All the best to you both with everything!

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