rising_star

I just want to jump in here to advocate for the importance of words like "intersectionality," especially in the case of "intersectionality." In fact, without intersectionality, concepts like feminism are not inclusive and actually isolate women of color, the LGBTQ+ community, etc. By making the move from just plain "feminism" to "intersectional feminism," these "certain types of people" are actually included in the conversation and welcomed into academic space rather than kept out. So, in some cases, what some might consider jargon is absolutely important and shouldn't be shrugged off as meaningless. 

You don't need to read recent articles of everyone you're meeting with. Have a general idea of their research area and be prepared to ask questions about the department, how they see grad students fitting into their research, etc. You aren't ever going to be expected to have a detailed knowledge of all the major areas of anthropology so this is a good time to start preparing to interact with anthropologists in fields vastly different from your own.

Working part-time is definitely feasible, especially when you consider that many assistantships are 15-20 hours a week. However, a part-time job likely won't pay enough to cover all of your expenses if you have pay tuition + living expenses out of pocket. One thing that some do is get an assistantship in another unit on campus (e.g., student union, residence life) so that they get a tuition waiver plus stipend. 

I would definitely think about placement but also the additional opportunities (graduate certificates, pedagogical training, summer research/funding, conference travel funds, etc.) available to you at each place. If you can, try to video chat with current students so that you can get a better sense of what it will be like at each place.

You can politely ask Carleton if there are any updates available on your application. You can also politely ask if they have a timetable for notifying applicants of their status.

There are so many things going on here. I'm going to try to separate them though.
1) Is finishing in 4 years realistic? Would doing so position you well for post-PhD career options or would you realistically need more time?
2) Is your research something that doesn't depend on outside factors (e.g., getting external funding to collect data)? 
3) With a three hour commute each way, will you realistically be able to graduate in 4 years? Is there sufficient scheduling of courses so that you wouldn't have to commute to campus every day?
4) Would it be possible for you to sublet a room or get a hotel room a few nights a week so that you aren't spending 6 hours commuting?
5) Would that commute be you driving or would you be able to take public transportation?
6) Would your partner be willing to move so that you have a somewhat shorter commute/
7) How important is this relationship to you? Are you truly willing to let your partner's desires (live together, stay in this city, move to Europe when they're done) determine what happens with you, your education, and your career?

There are so many things going on here. I'm going to try to separate them though.
1) Is finishing in 4 years realistic? Would doing so position you well for post-PhD career options or would you realistically need more time?
2) Is your research something that doesn't depend on outside factors (e.g., getting external funding to collect data)? 
3) With a three hour commute each way, will you realistically be able to graduate in 4 years? Is there sufficient scheduling of courses so that you wouldn't have to commute to campus every day?
4) Would it be possible for you to sublet a room or get a hotel room a few nights a week so that you aren't spending 6 hours commuting?
5) Would that commute be you driving or would you be able to take public transportation?
6) Would your partner be willing to move so that you have a somewhat shorter commute/
7) How important is this relationship to you? Are you truly willing to let your partner's desires (live together, stay in this city, move to Europe when they're done) determine what happens with you, your education, and your career?

There are so many things going on here. I'm going to try to separate them though.
1) Is finishing in 4 years realistic? Would doing so position you well for post-PhD career options or would you realistically need more time?
2) Is your research something that doesn't depend on outside factors (e.g., getting external funding to collect data)? 
3) With a three hour commute each way, will you realistically be able to graduate in 4 years? Is there sufficient scheduling of courses so that you wouldn't have to commute to campus every day?
4) Would it be possible for you to sublet a room or get a hotel room a few nights a week so that you aren't spending 6 hours commuting?
5) Would that commute be you driving or would you be able to take public transportation?
6) Would your partner be willing to move so that you have a somewhat shorter commute/
7) How important is this relationship to you? Are you truly willing to let your partner's desires (live together, stay in this city, move to Europe when they're done) determine what happens with you, your education, and your career?

There are so many things going on here. I'm going to try to separate them though.
1) Is finishing in 4 years realistic? Would doing so position you well for post-PhD career options or would you realistically need more time?
2) Is your research something that doesn't depend on outside factors (e.g., getting external funding to collect data)? 
3) With a three hour commute each way, will you realistically be able to graduate in 4 years? Is there sufficient scheduling of courses so that you wouldn't have to commute to campus every day?
4) Would it be possible for you to sublet a room or get a hotel room a few nights a week so that you aren't spending 6 hours commuting?
5) Would that commute be you driving or would you be able to take public transportation?
6) Would your partner be willing to move so that you have a somewhat shorter commute/
7) How important is this relationship to you? Are you truly willing to let your partner's desires (live together, stay in this city, move to Europe when they're done) determine what happens with you, your education, and your career?

Well, in the sense that it shows that the faculty aren't willing to invest in you, then not being offered funding is a bad thing. Your cousin may end up being treated as a second-class citizen in his department, which could certainly have long-term career effects.

It's the AHA (American History Association). Their jobs data is linked in various posts in the history subforum. American history is certainly an incredibly competitive field. But also, tenure-track jobs are disappearing all across the academy.

Summer funding should be on your list for sure.

Honestly, School 2. I say this as someone employed at a teaching-focused institution. When evaluating apps, we're not going to care that you TA'd 20 times. We're going to care that you have taught a few courses successfully, that you have ideas about how to teach our required courses, and have a clear sense of electives you could teach. We also want you to demonstrate that you understand and use high impact learning practices in your teaching. Beyond that, we need to know that you can do research, ideally involving undergrads in the future. 

NYU unless there are clear red flags when you visit.

NYU unless there are clear red flags when you visit.

NYU unless there are clear red flags when you visit.

NYU unless there are clear red flags when you visit.

NYU unless there are clear red flags when you visit.

For future reference, there is no "opposite" gender. That implies gender is binary when in reality there are over 60 of them. I hope you resolve your issue though!

A department with helpful admins is worth its weight in gold. Seriously. Talk to the admin one-on-one if you can as they're the ones who can save your behind when it comes to things like paperwork and TA scheduling. (Not that I'm speaking from experience or anything...)
Similarly, look for the unspoken. Is there a cohort that's totally AWOL in your visit? Is it clear that people are shying away from a particular professor? Are there rumors about 2+ dreadful but required courses? Do the faculty seem to get along with one another? (Ask grad students about who is on their committee and what setting that up was like if you want to get a sense of where some of the internal conflict in a department might be.)

This is definitely field-specific and also depends on where you're seeking employment. A number of TT jobs I applied for this year asked for a teaching portfolio, evidence of teaching excellence or effectiveness, or copies of teaching evaluations along with my application, before or after a phone interview, and prior to a campus interview. While it may not help a great deal, it can definitely hurt an applicant, especially if the evals you get aren't very good and there are other applicants with better evals you're being compared to.
 
As for actual advice, I'll start with the following:
- Figure out what resources are available to you as a TA or instructor in your department, in your college, and through the university's teaching center. And then take advantage of them. My PhD university's teaching center flat-out told me that I was one of three grad students from my department (90 grad students) they had ever met with or assisted. Now part of this was due to my department's culture where consulting the teaching center was seen as an admission of failure but that's BS and you should ignore that if people are saying it.
- When in doubt, consult the internet. By which I mean, if you have to create a syllabus, google around to see syllabi others have created for that course or a similar course. If you're looking for appropriate wording for a policy, again you can consult the internet (though you may want to consult your peers and department first because some stuff is university-specific and/or university mandated). Looking for an assignment idea? Google it. Sample rubric? Google for one. There's really no reason to reinvent the wheel.
- Accept that it will take you a while to gain your footing in the classroom. Be willing to change midway through the term and to do different things for different sections because not all students are the same.
- Take advantage of any courses/workshops/tutorials that will help you become a better teacher. Again, the teaching center will probably offer workshops or brownbags. These are awesome as a grad student because most of the attendees will be TT faculty so you can see what they're struggling with or what they're doing that works and use it in your teaching. Doing that early on will make you more effective in the long run, leading to better evals.
- Devise and administer a midterm evaluation of your students that's for you. Take their feedback seriously and incorporate it into the course. It almost always leads to improved semester evals, even if you don't change very much.
- Have someone else (an experienced teacher) observe your teaching. It will be painful and awkward and difficult. But, it will help you improve. It will also give you more material for your future teaching portfolio.
- Take the time to identify excellent teachers on campus (whether or not they're in your field) and observe them. You may need to ask them first, of course. If you're having trouble finding someone, ask the teaching center. Watching other people who are awesome, especially those who do it in totally different ways (like observing a lecture for 400 students vs a seminar for 30 students), will help you understand the variety of what works and identify some techniques that will work for you.
- Oh, and take the time to learn your students' names whenever possible. They appreciate it.
 
Okay, that was a lot of advice and probably more than you can do all in one semester. But, I hope it helps someone!

This is an old post, but amongst my age-similar friends, I am often called on to be the adultiest adult.  It may not apply to you anymore...but maybe it will apply to someone else looking here in the future.  Therefore, my Adulting advice. 
 
- Know how much you want to spend on things like rent.  Be sure to calculate in approximate costs for electric, water, Internet, etc.  For me, I worked backwards, and said that I wanted my household income to not be taken up by more than 50% of rent, bills, car payments, etc.
- For moving efficiently across country (or anywhere, for that matter), there are three factors: Time, Cost, and Ease/Quality.  If you have an infinite amount of money, you can pay someone to come and pack up all your stuff, move it for you, and unpack it.  It's extremely expensive, but it's easy and fast.  Most grad students are likely to prioritize low cost and low time.  So you're probably looking at getting rid of a lot of stuff (I'm looking at you, old sofa) and renting a Uhaul.  Don't forget that you can ask friends to help drive, but be willing to pay them for their time.  Don't be That guy.
- It's okay to move somewhere temporarily while you figure out the area.  Look for a sublet - generally, 3-6 months of someone who needed to get out of their lease.  That'll give you a good feel for the area.  It comes at the "cost" of having to move your stuff again, but depending on how much stuff you have, living out of boxes for a few months is generally okay.  You don't *really* need to unbox all your crafting, family photos, etc.
- Scan a lot of stuff in.  You probably don't need hard copies of your 2012 tax returns.  Scan it, then shred it.
- Keep the important stuff.  Know where your birth certificate is, your passport, etc.  Keep it in a fire-proof envelope or something if you can't afford a safe deposit box.
- Ask for help.  Be vulnerable.  Surprisingly, I've found people respect both of these things.  Or most people do.  The ones that don't aren't worth your time.
 
And, here's my #1 piece of advice:
 
Nobody has any idea what the hell they're doing.  Everyone is faking it.  All the time.
So when you think, "Whoa, I don't know what I'm doing, everyone else does, and I'm just a big Phony McFakester."  Take a step back and realize that nobody else has it figured out either.  Nope, not your parents, or that old Professor Emeritus everyone looks up to.  This is both terrifying (Abraham Lincoln had no idea what he was doing), and exhilirating (if Abe didn't know that freeing the slaves would turn out okay, it's okay if you don't know whether or not your career choice will turn out okay).  Everyone is making the best decisions they can with the information they have at the time.
 
Of course, this also means that I have no idea what I'm doing...so everything above might be wrong.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

Well of course it can affect your chances of getting a formal offer. However, if you truly need more time, you can politely say that you're prepared to decide by the official university deadline but are unable to make a decision any sooner without an official offer in hand. If you want, you can also reiterate your interest in the program/professor.

A department with helpful admins is worth its weight in gold. Seriously. Talk to the admin one-on-one if you can as they're the ones who can save your behind when it comes to things like paperwork and TA scheduling. (Not that I'm speaking from experience or anything...)
Similarly, look for the unspoken. Is there a cohort that's totally AWOL in your visit? Is it clear that people are shying away from a particular professor? Are there rumors about 2+ dreadful but required courses? Do the faculty seem to get along with one another? (Ask grad students about who is on their committee and what setting that up was like if you want to get a sense of where some of the internal conflict in a department might be.)

Short answer, no. Plenty of MA programs in geography are funded and few geography PhD programs accept applicants without a MA/MS (unless they have them earn it along the way). It won't matter so much where you got your MA but your research experience and thesis will matter if you decide to go on to a PhD.