longsuede

All I was told when I spoke to their program officer was "September". I want to believe that means any day now, but I'm just operating under the assumption that it'll be the end of the month.

I'm wondering where on my CV I might be able to list grants that I received as part of an organization. I was executive director of a non-profit for several years, and during that time we received several large foundation grants. I co-wrote most of them along with my team, but for whatever reason (usually legal) I didn't normally have my name on the submitted application. Is it impossible for me to list these on my CV? Or is there a way I can do it that correctly represents this context?

That's pretty much what I anticipated. Thanks for the help!

I'm just wondering if there's any value in connecting with a POI who is an adjunct faculty member? I understand that speaking with anyone at the university is useful, but I'm speaking more about impact on the selection process. It's my understanding that adjunct professors do not normally take on advisees, is that correct? In which case, would meeting with one and then mentioning them in my application even be worthwhile?

Awesome advice, thank you. I like the "and/and" approach, and the puree. It's the most difficult option of the three, which in my experience tends to be the right one. But I guess combining together different topics and areas that you previously thought to be unconnected is what this kind of work is all about. I'll start thinking about that.

Hi everyone. Just as a preface, I’m aware that this isn’t an incredibly unique problem. I’ve already read some topics talking about the same general issue, and have gotten some really great ideas, but I’m still feeling like I need some guidance. So here we are. I’m looking into PhD programs in cultural anthropology for Fall 2015. Even though I'm coming in without an anthropology background and am still a little rough in my ideas, I'm pretty certain that after a couple years of coursework I'll be more than ready. Which is why I'm considering entering directly into a PhD. For some background: I’m coming from several years experience “in the field”, so to speak, working for non-profits and as a journalist in my region of interest (Southeast Asia). So I feel like I have a lot to draw on to demonstrate my skills and temperament for research. I haven’t had any one particular “thrust” during this time, but I’ve spent a lot of time looking at political speech, land rights, and development. And I believe I could write a pretty impressive SOP that would leverage those experiences into a compelling and achievable project. The problem is, when I really ask myself that essential question, “what am I really interested in”, it takes me all the way back to my undergrad, which focused on Film/Media Studies. I’m deeply fascinated with popular culture, mass media, and advertising. But I really left that work behind, and never did anything related to it in all the years since college. I know I feel it in my bones though, and all the professors that I’m currently obsessed with are working in media and popular/public culture. Herein lies my dilemma. The programs I’m looking at all have professors working both in the areas I’m more experienced in, as well as the areas I'm more interested in. Do I write a SOP geared towards the former, plotting out an impressive and viable plan of study that draws on my experience, knowing full well that I have little interest in following through with that topic? Or do I write about what I really, inwardly, passionately want to research, even though I have way less experience (other than undergrad) and specificity to back it up, and risk not being impressive enough to get accepted? In short, is it still “faking a fit” if I know that the program in question is the right one for me, just not in the way that I’m applying to it? Sorry if this was overly verbose. I am a future academic, after all. (Hopefully, anyway) Thanks for any and all help!