aptitude

Hi Shreeeema! I finished a masters in Social Anthropology at Oxford last year, but had also been accepted to SOAS, UCL, LSE, and St. Andrew's. From my experience applying to UK masters programs isn't very different from applying to NA programs except that there isn't an expectation of a doctoral level research proposal, so in that sense it can more general (but still do show some focus). The UK anthropology masters is often used as a conversion course for students from different backgrounds who want to do a doctorate in anthropology, so there is the expectation of you being a novice but also showing drive. A word of caution however; funding is extremely hard to come by for UK masters, especially for internationals (and especially in anthropology). Make sure you explore every funding option early. It's fairly common for NA students to do a UK masters and then go back to the US or Canada for doctoral study. In fact I'm starting my PhD at Berkeley this Fall (and two others of my cohort started at Chicago and Stanford), so it's possible. You'll have to check the school but some American programs allow you to reduce the number of required credits if you already have a masters degree. Anthropology doctorates in the UK are very quick (3-4 years), so you better know what you want to do and be confident in you field research. I've heard good things about the Oxford Migration studies masters (my supervisor at Oxford went through that program, as did a friend of mine this year and both said the academic cohort is a tight community). Good luck with your applications!

Hey mmmcheese, I see Oxford is on your list of acceptances. I did a postgraduate degree there (MSc), and while I'm sure funding is a major concern, it is a good department for Africanists, as there are quite a few of them there. In any case, PM me if you want to chat about the department/university in more detail!

I can speak to the U of T strike a bit (I've been accepted to U of T, live in Toronto, and work as a TA at a different university here). It's unlikely the strike will significantly reduce the funding offered right now, even though the initial offer by the University, which led to the strike, under a pretence of increased wages, would have reduced hours and thus resulted in an $800 reduction in funding. If anything, people are hopeful these protests may finally initiate some real progress, in spite of the reactionary administration. That being said, it does expose some major problems with the way funding packages are built and how TA-ships work, especially given the fact that the guaranteed funding is below the poverty line (15K p.a). If anyone wants more information on this please feel free to PM me.

I'm in the same situation and I second your frustration. It is clearly a rejection but it is rather odd that they would let some people know more than a week apart from others that they have been unsuccessful.

My first guess is trolling. Though it may be that this person doesn't have a bachelors degree yet, i.e. they're in their final year.

I think day-of follow-ups are good; I did precisely that when I had a PhD program interview this cycle. However, I'm not sure about follow-ups beyond that. If you have something to actually inform them of (i.e. upcoming deadlines or new offers) that you think they should be made aware of, and subsequently use that opportunity to reiterate your interest, I think that's appropriate. However, if they gave you a definite timeline for hearing back and there is nothing new to say, I think it might come across as unprofessional.

Absolutely agree. I don't think we're going to like what we hear, but it will be nice to have it settled.

I know someone who had an interview with Rutgers; it also seems like they are only accepting one student this year due to a lack of funding.

I received an email from Michigan anthropology directing me to the Rackham website, which of course directs me back to the department. Brilliant. In any case, I called and the department told me all the notifications are going out over the next couple of days.

I checked my Michigan online account, it says 'A decision has been made. Your program will inform you of the decision' but I haven't received anything yet.

Also when did Michigan interviews go out?

Yikes, sorry to hear about that brandnewshoes, that's terrible. Just to let you and aaannnthroling know, I'm of of the Toronto admits and while I'm considering it quite seriously, there are a couple of other places I may go instead (depending on offers). So if you like, just PM me and I can keep you updated on my plans if you want to coordinate.

Saw a Berkeley admit go up. Anyone want to claim it?

Well it's difficult to say which is the best flat out. There are many things to consider; available classes, teacher to student ratio, size of classes, and overall reputation of the school. Most important though is what type of anthropology you are interested in (which of the four sub-fields? i.e. socio-cultural, linguistic, biological, or archaeology), and those interests within those particular streams. Even though these schools will all offer excellent comprehensive courses, it would help to align yourself early with faculty who study and teach subjects you are interested in (post-socialism, Arctic archaeology, altaic language ect). It's probably difficult to know what your interests are this early on, but maybe do a little exploration; look at the courses offered and previous years and see what interests you. Also to finally answer your question, both Penn State Michigan are excellent schools. Michigan I have always regarded as having one of the best doctoral degrees programs for anthropology, and I would assume the size of their department, which is quite substantial, would expose you to a wide range of the discipline. I don't know as much about Penn State anthropology, but I would assume it's rigorous as well.

That's good to hear about the community! I expected it to be large (as a 4 field program). Ah that is good to hear; I was a little worried about travelling to Scarborough to meet Lambek but I was hoping most of the activity in the department occurs at St. George. I'll definitely give him a shout (I checked the website and saw that he only has three other students). I did a Canadian undergrad in anthro (U of A) and then finished an MSc at Oxford in Social Anthropology last fall. Right now I'm taking a year off, teaching anthropology and working on applications. I haven't thought of Toronto as being my top choice (though Lambek is a very desirable supervisor, as his theory of ordinary ethics is a major part of my research). I'm wary of the kind of access to top tier British and American departments a doctorate from U of T would allow, as I haven't known of many researchers from U of T in other major Anthro departments (though I may just be poorly informed). In any case, both US and UK top programs that I have applied to appeal to me quite strongly, so it really depends on what offers I get (if any). I've been taking my year off in Toronto, so I've gotten to know the city a fair bit (haven't lived here previously). It certainly is a great town so that would be a very positive aspect of doing the degree here.

Hey Kaitri, like Oceanus I was accepted into the PhD for Toronto in the socio-cultural stream! My POI is Michael Lambek. A couple of questions about the program/department; how does the tri-campus system work out? Does most of the department's work occur at SGC? What's the graduate community like in Toronto? Also, if you don't mind me asking, did you apply anywhere else? is Toronto your top choice?

I called the department, not admissions. When I called I just said I knew other people had received notification and was wondering if they had any information on my application. The person at Chicago was surprisingly pleasant!

Wow, bravo! Way to beat the odds, they were obviously impressed. Well, clearly Archaeology and Socio-cultural anthro departments have slightly different prestige maps, but that's really why I'm asking- Toronto has always been a little bit of an odd-ball for me. It's clearly an excellent school (top 20 by THE I believe) with a great academic reputation (but lacking that popular name-brand recognition). However, I'm not sure about the kind of access a PhD from there would allow for jobs in top-tier departments in the US and UK (the alumni list only has a few people, but they have gone on to places like Columbia and Stanford). U of T has a great reputation in Canada, but I'm not sure if that translates outside of the country, especially within anthropology. Toronto is a great town! I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Definitely can relate- had a similar occurrence last year. Preparation is key.

I just called Chicago- doesn't look like I made the shortlist either, but they were quite friendly. Anyone else waiting I would suggest you call!

Ha, no you got it! UK still holds sway; all depends on funding though. What about you? Any word from Duke? (That's your top outside of ISCA correct?)

Hey MissAnthropology! good to see some internationals are getting into Toronto (not just us dull Canadians). If you don't mind me asking, what's your focus/POI? Is Toronto one of your top choices? What do you think of Toronto Anthropology's reputation? (as compared to some of the top UK/US programs)

I am quite pleased! My POI is Michael Lambek, his work is very similar to mine and he's well known so he's a good fit, not sure if I'm totally sold on Toronto though (even if I am Canadian). Ah, you have my sympathies. When I first contacted Lambek I mentioned that I had just finished a Masters at Oxford and he, thinking I was an international, flat-out warned me that there is very little funding for non-Canadians. I hope you're one of the lucky few!

brandnewshoes; I was one of the Toronto acceptances (there were two posted). Like smg I was 'recommended' but the email stated who my supervisor was going to be (the POI I wanted thankfully) and that the full admissions package would arrive next week. On a different note I too would like to here about Chicago!