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Dexter.Morgan.Freeman

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  • Application Season
    2014 Fall
  • Program
    Physical / Forensic Anthropology

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  1. I actually didn't finish this post before posting it and then waited too long to edit it. (I have a toddler). I meant to add that I actually ended up putting some "relevant" coursework on my CV (relevancy determined by me I guess) because as a non-anthro major I started to get nervous that admissions committee types might initially scoff at at application from someone without an anthropology major. I wanted to make sure they knew I had a buttload of physical anthro and archaeology coursework as well as research experience. It was probably completely unnecessary. I also meant to add that with the time you have left before you apply, I would agree that practical experience is probably going to give you "more bang for your buck" on your application. I hadn't taken any courses for a couple of years prior to applying. It was all about getting into the lab as much as I could, short-courses, etc. Anything I could get involved on.
  2. I distinctly recall speaking to Dr. Dirkmaat, Dr. Nawrocki, and Dr. Latham and them telling me that a strong background in the sciences was essential. Speak with a few physical/forensic anthropology professors and see what they say about what you can do to make your application the best it can be for next year. As far as actually putting courses on the CV...probably not essential. They'll show up on your transcript if you do take them and I'm not even sure anyone reads them anyway.
  3. Makes sense for Indy, since they are technically a human biology program.
  4. Oh ok. I would think that the more science background you can get, the better. One thing I was told by one of the now-graduated PhD students at MSU was that the broader your knowledge and skill-set, the better. Obviously, you want to prioritize and get ready for the next application season, so if anything, for now I would maybe think about things like gross anatomy, osteology & forensic anthropology. While I do think that the other courses you mentioned might be helpful, I'm not sure the effort in taking them would give you that much of an advantage for you applications. That's just my take.
  5. If you're thinking that you need more biology and chemistry because you read the CV I sent you, I should tell you that I only had those courses because I was pre-med and then in medical school. My interest in physical and forensic anthropology came during medical school. While I did position my broad science background as a strength and as something to make me stand out from the standard anthropology major applicant, I'm not sure if you necessarily need to take all those courses. I think the biggest thing might be getting experience in a bioarchaeological or skeletal laboratory of some kind, and also getting to know the people at the programs you are thinking of going to.
  6. I've known him for a few years and he'll be my advisor next year. I can think of 6-7 PhD students and 2 came from Mercyhurst. I'm thinking off the top of my head here so I could be wrong but I think some of the others have come from the University of Arizona, Occidental College, Washington University in St. Louis, California State-Chico. There's someone coming next year from NYU. I'm not sure how many came with just a BA/BS vs MA/MS, but there are certainly people here from places other than Mercyhurst. That being said, that may have just been his way of strongly suggesting Mercyhurst's program, who knows? There are also students under Dr. Sauer, who has recently retired, though I'm not sure where their backgrounds are.
  7. I have to admit that I'm a little jealous. Mercyhurst was my top choice until MSU became an option (they've never taken students who've already taken courses at MSU, but I made my case and got in.) MSU is sort of huge and while I was at Mercyhurst this past summer I really enjoyed the smaller campus feel. They have a really nice lab and the students are great. Also, drinking microbrews and eating in Dr. Symes' back yard was pretty fun too.
  8. It's a regional meeting called FLAG (Forests, Lakes, & Grasslands Forensic Anthropologists). Not really a conference with poster sessions and that sort of thing, just a small, informal meeting of the faculty and students of the three schools (MSU, Mercyhurst, and UIndy as of right now) where everyone sort of presents their research and casework. One of the things it does is that It gives students a chance to present something in front of a smaller audience before they go on to something bigger like the AAFS or AAPAs or whatever. As you can tell from the Facebook photos, there is also some kind of costume contest, which I missed the year I went. It is a very informal event, nothing like an academic conference, and I believe it was 2-3 days. https://www.facebook.com/FLAG.forensic.anthropologists By the way, I will try to get to your PM after I get my kid to bed.
  9. Here is a link to the program. http://cj.msu.edu/programs/forensicscience/ They are currently making some curricular changes to comply with some new FEPAC requirements. Nothing is set in stone yet, but I believe that a crime scene processing course and a course in legal proceedings and court testimony will be added and that Gross Anatomy and Biocultural Evolution will no longer be required (although they will still be required of forensic anthropology PhD students), allowing more forensic anthropology elective courses to be taken. The department of anthropology is also in the process of hiring an additional forensic anthropologist. They just finished four on-campus talks with the candidates, and I'm guessing (hoping?) we'll know who they've hired sometime this summer.
  10. Michigan State, Mercyhurst, and Indianapolis actually host a small meeting every Fall at Higgins Lake. You should contact Todd Fenton at MSU in the beginning of September and see about going, if there is room. It'd be a good opportunity to meet students and professors from the three schools and see some of the research that they are working on. It's pretty fun. If you have any other questions, I'd be happy to try to answer them.
  11. I'll be in the Forensic Anthropology MS program at Michigan State University in the Fall. Hopefully, from there I will go on to the PhD program there or possible somewhere else.
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