bioarch_fan

I'll be applying to grad school this coming fall and have found quite a few schools that I'm interested in. However, I have the problem that my area of interest isn't exactly a large field. I am wanting to do Roman bioarchaeology, but I'm also interested in studying human remains from the medieval, especially the Black Death. I have found the schools that have faculty members with specialization in these fields, but I wanted to cast my net wide with applying to schools. When choosing schools, how important is it to find a POI that has the same regional area of interest? For instance, I have found schools that have faculty interested in bioarchaeology, but they are interested in Asian or Near Eastern bioarchaeology. Is it important to have the same region as your POI? Thanks for any help you all can give me!!!

If I could give you a word of advice, expand on your interests. This is the same thing that my advisor told me when I started at my current university. I'll be graduating Spring 2015 and I am applying to grad schools this Fall. My advisor asked me what I was wanting to do with my future and I told her forensic anthropology. She told me the downright truth about academia and the job market for forensic anthropology. There just isn't enough jobs for all of the people that want to do it. That's why I'm doing bioarchaeology AND forensic anthropology. It gives you more experience and makes your CV look better for future job markets. Plus, there aren't that many schools that offer a degree in forensic anthropology, and the few that do are extremely competitive to get into and if you do get in the funding is limited. So expanding on your interests to include bioarchaeology (if you don't know what that is, it is the same thing as forensic anthropology, but looking at human remains in an archaeological context) would be a good interest. On another note, there are many Summer field options that you can do to get the experience that you are looking for. The Mercyhurst courses are good for anyone, but it might be ideal to have the osteology experience since they are extremely short. You might also look at University of West Florida because they have a forensic anthropology field school and osteology isn't a prereq for it, it is just recommended. So that means you'll more than likely be learning osteology in the field as well. If you have any other questions about what to do to prepare for grad school message and ask away. I have been planning for grad school for the past year and a half. So I'm pretty prepared for whatever comes my way in that department.

There's actually a VERY good forensic anthropology field school that is offered through Ohio State. I'm not sure when the deadline is but I'm sure it might have already passed since the field school is coming up quickly. So if you do want to do it then I would suggest looking into doing it next summer. I was thinking of either doing it or going overseas and doing a dig at an ancient Roman site. But seriously, look into OSU's field school.

Yay. I'll be going too!!! While I agree with anthropologygeek, there are still some very good physical anthropology sessions dealing with bioarchaeology and forensic anthropology. Plus I get to meet two of my POIs for sure. Getting so excited. My friends and I will be there Thursday morning...we're leaving at 1am Thursday morning and driving from Ohio to Chicago.

Strudelle...it is very important to visit the school before you even apply because then you will know if you really like the campus or the department. If you can't visit until December then it would still be beneficial for you to go visit the campus before you even get accepted so then you can weed out the ones that you aren't interested in anymore. I'm not applying until next Fall but I plan on visiting the campuses of schools that I'm interested in probably in March just so I don't waste my time applying to a school that I just don't fall in love with. So yes, going to visit the campus is a smart idea and if you can meet with a POI then it is even better so then you can see if there's a good relationship there.

There are plenty of historical archaeology and anthropology programs out there. I'm sure you can find one that has professors that do research in your specific area of interest. All it takes is time to sit down and do a little research. That's why I've been doing research on grad schools for the past 8 months, and I don't apply until next Fall. I just want to make sure I have my schools picked out ahead of time and early enough to talk to professors. Best thing you can do is when you find a school that interests you, write the professors about your research interests and see what they say. If that's not what they're interested in they might be able to direct you to another professor that is interested in it.

Yeah...if you just emailed him back recently, like during the weekend, he might not respond right away. Most of my professors say that they won't respond during holiday weekends, and I don't expect them to because I know they will want to spend time with family. So after 2 business days of not hearing back then I would try again just to make sure your email was actually sent. But a word of advice, don't be too upset with a professor if they miss an appointment. It doesn't show well on your personality to that professor because it shows that you have a short fuse when it comes to things. That's just what I would see if I was in their position. Though as a student, I completely understand why you'd jump to the worst case scenario because I've done that on occasions as well. Just keep the conversation friendly no matter what because even if you don't get to attend that school then keeping contact with the professor is always a good idea since you'll be colleagues in a few short years and might need to contact him again for assistance with something or to just talk to.

I'd say give him a small break. He could have been extremely busy and didn't know that he would be busy when he made the appointment to call you. If he said that he could reschedule it or you could call him that same day then you should have gotten to him ASAP or scheduled to do it the following week. We should all understand, especially if any of us want to be professors, that things can happen. He could get called to a meeting unexpectedly. It happens to my advisor all the time. Don't give up on that university just because of one missed appointment that could have been out of his hands. To their bosses, their appointments are always more important than those of potential students (and sometimes of current students).

Good luck then. I hope it works out for you

Well, if she told you to apply that means that she is taking students, if she wasn't taking students on then she would have told you not to apply. And also, if she said that she encourages you to apply, it could mean that she likes what you have to say and your chances are good. If you told her all about your undergrad career, including but not limited to overall GPA, major GPA, GRE score, any research you did for a professor, an honors thesis, and any potential research that you are interested in doing, then that means that you might have a chance. I would say having a reach school or 2 on your list isn't a bad idea. I'm planning on applying to approximately 10 schools, so having a reach school would be nice to see where you stand at least.

I think this is the table that radiomars is talking about. I found it and it does help break down your score a little better. And it gives you the score as it would have been on the old GRE as well because I know some schools still have the old GRE score up as what they are looking at. Though as people have pointed out, it's not the biggest thing that they'll look at. Talk to professors at those schools and see what they say. I know a professor that I know said that when she was on the admissions committee they usually used those if they were trying to decide between two people and they usually use those scores to give out any aid that is available. So the best bet is if you want to get any type of GA position then I would suggest asking the professors what score they usually suggest for students that are applying for assistantships and fellowships. If it's not at a specific score or percentage then I would suggest taking it again, but only if you really think it will help. Taking it more than twice looks just as bad to the admissions committee, again that's what I was told by that same professor. http://www.ets.org/s/gre/pdf/concordance_information.pdf

Lol. Ok...good. Glad that it didn't send a bad opinion to the professor.

Yeah, I might say that it was a little too eager. I personally would let the professor do all of the details. Take it slowly and let them choose when, how, and who would call whom. Keep the ball in their court because then it doesn't sound too pushy. That's just my opinion though.

I would agree with DerpTastic with an emphasis on staying a little longer in undergrad. Maybe take a year or so and take a few more Anthropology classes, or retake classes that you did not do well in. This could drastically change your GPA easily. While a 2.5 isn't the best GPA, it's still decent considering I know people that had much worse. I would say get it up to a 3.0 and try applying to grad programs then. If you could get your major GPA up to a 3.5 that would be good because well, they really want someone that has a good major GPA. Also, on the note of GPA's, they usually only look at your last 2 years when accepting students. I have heard that from MANY professors who served on the acceptance committee. So if you have other strong aspects of your graduate school application, i.e. research skills, internships, writing samples, letters of recommendation, and the most important thing is your statement of purpose, then you should do well. It couldn't hurt to apply to graduate programs and see where it goes, or you could email professors at schools you're interested in working with and get their take on how well they think you'd do and if it's not good then don't fret about it...just take another year in undergrad and raise your GPA. But whatever you do, DO NOT slack in the final year if you do take more time because that will just be worse for you. But suicide is never the answer and many college students, both undergrad and grad alike, become extremely stressed out about their grades and the prospects for the future. Hell, I'm 25 years old. I'll be 27 when I get my BA and approximately 33 (as a minimum) when I get my PhD. Do you think that makes me depressed? Definitely. But I know what I am working for and that's what keeps me motivated. I am passionate about the field and working with skeletal remains to learn about past and present peoples. Something to take your mind off of your problems could be to just leisure read...or go running and burn off some steam. It'll help you clear your head and let you think straight.

You could also add in the passion of teaching in the field as well. I would state it sort of like, "My passion for teaching will help others understand the important facts of cultural anthropology" or state your specific area of interest in cultural anthropology and say why it will be important to help other people become more knowledgeable about that specific topic. It's adding in the research aspect that most schools are looking for since it'll be almost impossible to find a good job post-graduation without having that research topic, and more research topics, on your CV and on your teaching application. That will let the schools know that you are not only serious about teaching, but also with research.

Looks like we're in the same boat. I'm starting my third year of undergrad this year and I've been preparing for grad school for the past, at least, 6 months. There's no sure fire way to know what to do to get accepted into grad school. The best thing that you can do is have a good GPA and do well on the GRE. I'm going to start studying for the GRE this month so I can take it in the Spring. Also, contrary to what you may think, if you don't have an amazing GRE score you can still get accepted to some schools. Just as long as you have a strong academic background: GPA, letters of recommendation, statement of intent, writing samples, etc. I have talked to a professor readily about this because I'm not the best with taking tests so I'm afraid that I won't do well on it and will ruin my chances of getting into good grad programs. They do however look at EVERYTHING in your application to award financial aid. Something else you might think about is if your university offers it, to start doing an honors thesis. I'm starting mine this year/next summer and that will enhance your application a lot because it will show your dedication to your specific area of interest and will show how well you can do research, which is what grad school is mostly about. If you can do internships I would also suggest those. I'm going to start an internship at our local historical society and I'm hoping that will increase my chances. Since you're doing Archaeology, I would definitely suggest doing at least one field school if you haven't yet. While it's not important to have that done, it would look very good on your application because that's one less thing you have to learn about in grad school. Hope that helped a little. Feel free to message me if you want to talk more.

This is exactly the same thing that I was thinking when I was reading his comments. I was kind of baffled by the improper use of the English language on a thread ABOUT proper writing. We are grown-ups now, time to start writing in proper English, or whatever your native language is. Thank you for saying it before me. )

Yes, but do they pay you for the visit if you don't have to interview? I was thinking I would visit before I applied so then I wouldn't waste the money on a school, and town, that I didn't feel a connection with. Well, I sadly can't take both languages since I only have 2 years left and they will be packed with my major classes. That's kind of why I was wondering which one I should take during undergrad and which would look better for grad school apps.

Yeah, I'm actually planning on going to the AAPA and AAA conferences for the 2013-14 school year. Yeah, I know I could pick up the language in the field but I didn't know what would look better on my grad school apps, having the minor or learning the language that is important for my future career so they can see that I am committed to my goals.

I agree completely with pears. It really depends on where your interests are. Durham is one of the schools that I am interested in attending because of the paleopathology MSc program. I think it will look great for when I start applying for PhD programs. I would suggest talking to a professor about it, if you haven't decided already on which one to go to. I have a friend that is attending GSU in the Fall for bioarchaeology and that is the only school that she applied to and was accepted. So if you go there then I could find a way to let you all contact each other early enough to talk about what will happen once you get there. But again, pick the school that has your interests first and foremost. That is the most important thing that you can do.

Hi everyone. I am just starting my junior year of undergrad (I know I'm starting to prepare for grad school very early...I've actually been preparing for 6 months) but I have a few serious questions that I need answered as soon as possible. One of them is about a class that will is important to start taking this Fall. Questions: 1. I am wanting to specialize in physical anthropology with a concentration on forensic anthropology, Near and Middle Eastern bioarchaeology (specifically Egypt, Sudan, Israel, and Jordan), paleopathology, and paleoepidemiology. I was debating on minoring in German since I figured it would look good on my grad school applications, as well as on my transcripts in general, but I was just thinking that maybe I should just take Arabic classes instead of German since Arabic is directly related to my future career goals. I have had different responses from people on what I should do but I want more people's opinions as well. Do you all think it would look better for grad school apps to have my minor in German or to have it shown on my transcripts that I have already started to learn Arabic? 2. What is the earliest that I should contact potential professors that I am interested in working with? I have a total of 39 schools listed that I am looking at, but only 15 that I am REALLY interested in going to that have professors that do all of my interests or that have more than one professor in these interests. 3. I am planning on starting to visit potential grad schools next Spring, either during Spring break or during other days that we don't have class since some of the schools (like University of South Carolina, North Carolina State, Purdue, and Michigan State) are only 9 hours away from where I live. Do you think that is too early to start visiting grad schools? 4. I plan on finishing my senior thesis before I start applying to grad schools, I am doing the research this Summer and in the Fall and writing it up during the Fall, Spring, and finish it up by next Summer. Plus I plan on interning with our local historic society and museum to have some type of experience under my belt. And I also plan on applying for internships and bioarchaeology field schools next summer. Based on these facts, and also that I am planning on presenting my findings and publishing my thesis, I plan on maintaining my 4.0 GPA for as long as I possibly can, and I will be studying for the GRE during most of my free time so I can get the best score that I can (I'm not THAT great with math so I'll be studying a lot), how do you think my chances will be for grad school? Thank you everyone for your help. I look forward to talking to you all more. If you want to know the top 15 schools that I am interested in let me know. I'm not sure if those schools might affect my chances of being accepted with funding.