rbargiel
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Posts posted by rbargiel
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No offense taken, Im looking for these kinds of straight forward answers. Im applying to sociocultural programs, particularly those that have a historical/economic focus. I recognize and appreciate that I should probably both retake the GRE and shoot for less competitive programs. Do you have any suggestions?
Yeah, for sociocultural you'll definitely want to strengthen your writing score. All of the possible prompts are online; the best way to approach it in my opinion is to familiarize yourself with what they're looking for. I don't know what kind of writing background you have, but my undergrad institution had us writing constantly. When it came time for the GRE, the writing section was a piece of cake.
Historical/economic anthropology isn't my focus (I'm an environmental/landscape anthropologist). I'm at OSU and we do have one economic person on faculty (Jeffrey Cohen), so maybe take a look at him. Indiana University also has a few economic anthropologists. If you peek there I'd look at Ed Brondizio and Richard Wilk.
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I took the GRE in May and scored a 161 V and 154 Q, putting me at a 315 combined score. I'm not entirely enthused by these marks but if what you all are saying is true, I suppose they will suffice. However, I am still worried by my 3.5 in the writing section. I knew that I had botched the analyze an issue essay as soon as it ended (setting a terrible mood for the rest of the test). Is this enough reason to retake the GRE? I'm really not as poor a writer as my score suggests, and my SOP and writing sample should attest to the adequacy of my writing ability. Though my 3.56 GPA is nothing special (I goofed off a bit as a young undergraduate), I did manage a 4.0 my last two semesters. Additionally, I have 6 graduate level credit hours from a field school that I have just completed and for which I am fairly certain that I will receive an A. Nevertheless, I am applying to relatively elite programs: NYU, Goldsmith's University of London, and University of Michigan Ann Arbor. In your opinion, are these elements of my application adequate enough to nullify a non-representative writing score, or should I go ahead and invest my time and effort into a retake?
I would definitely recommend a retake. No offense meant, but a 3.5 is not a particularly good writing score, and it's pretty easy to improve your essays. Most programs want you to have at least a 4.0, but I would recommend going even higher.
Your verbal and quant scores are fine. I'm not sure about the elite schools, though, given your profile- you may want to look at some other high-ranking programs that aren't as competitive. I can't speak for you on this, and I say that if it's what you want to do you should definitely give it a try.. What subfield are you looking at?
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Oops! Yup, silly typo. And I agree that the higher the better, though the costs / benefits of studying for the GRE to inch it up a few more points will depend on the person. If you're looking at a low undergrad GPA, for example, I think the GRE takes on greater importance.
Definitely. If GRE scores are too low the first time around, retaking is beneficial.
My first GRE score was 306, mostly because I didn't study enough to brush up on my quant. The second score was a 315, which made me eligible for fellowship funding.
So, $185 now could be $20,000 or more down the road.
... That said, it's obviously best to do better the first time. haha
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It's all about fit. Select the programs that best suit your research/academic interests, and email professors with whom you'd be interested in working. My relationship with my advisor was established very early on, and that was what helped me get in to my top choice school.
It's not always a guarantee though- I had early contact with a professor at a school that didn't accept me, as well.
Figure out where you could best see yourself and put your resources there.
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Although Ohio State's anthropology program doesn't much cover this, there's a good comparative studies department here that works with a lot of your interests.
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GREs are definitely not the most important part of your application, but for tippy-top schools I think you'll want to aim for 160+ on the V section. For cultural anthropology, I doubt that the Q score is all that important. I would try for a score of 210 combined, as some schools have arbitrary cut-offs at the grad school division level in order for you to receive funding.
I presume that you meant 310 and not 210? haha
Regardless of typos, hj2012 is right. Verbal and writing is the most important, but quantitative does matter to an extent. For the best schools, you'll want to be at least a 310, if not 315 or 320, and your writing score should be at least a 5.0
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Hi Anthrosoul,
I'm a first year anthropology grad student specializing in environmental anthro. While I know virtually nothing about programs in California, here's a list of some of the schools I checked out/applied to:
- The Ohio State University
- University of Maine
- University of Hawaii at Manoa
- University of Georgia
- University of Texas at San Antonio
- Oregon State University
- Washington State University
- Colorado State University
Ohio State is where I'll be attending, and they're very strong with human ecology and evolution from a biological perspective. Georgia is widely regarded as the best, but they have difficult admissions. UTSA is sort of a rising star. Maine has limited admissions and has an applied policy approach. As for Hawaii, Colorado, Washington, and Oregon, each of those have at least one or two faculty members who work on environmental anthropology. Colorado State is currently MA only.
What subfield are you interested in? I assume sociocultural?
Hope this is helpful.
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A place like New York City is bound to be a bit of a skewed perception though, don't you think? I've heard that CUNY and NYU are among the worst abusers of adjunct labor.... though the trend is certainly not limited. My undergrad institution is facing threats of repealed accreditation at the moment because we currently have more than 50% of our classes being taught by adjuncts. Not a pretty situation.
I'm heading to Columbus in just a few hours to meet with the department. Hopefully they can provide me with some more answers in terms of funding. Wish me luck...
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True- hence why I mentioned the family member. My Grandpa cosigned my loans after my parent's bankruptcy. He's 83 and knows he won't live to see the time my loans are due in full 15 years from now, and so he's allocated enough so that I can pay the loans he's signed for me.
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anthropologygeek's comment reminded me- I should be honest and say that I chose an undergraduate institution that has left me with another kind of Ph.D- "piled high and deep"... in debt. I won't specify how much debt I'm in because it's a source of contention for me, but it's too much.
The good news is that I have plans to pay it back. I have a family member with a generous will that will assist with some of that repayment. Plus, also remember that academics are eligible for public employee loan forgiveness- tenure track or not, and this includes non-profit private schools as of 2009. Granted, you have to make 120 payments before the rest is washed away, but the point remains that it's not impossible.
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I suppose everyone might have different goals in getting a PhD. It's the same advice every professor and mentor has given me for the past 7 years of college through my BA and MA: "Don't get a PhD unless it's fully funded."
It's because they are on the front lines and see that there are literally no jobs anymore. All the tenure track jobs have been replaced with contingent and adjunct labor. 80% of the courses at schools like CUNY are now taught by students or PhDs who have temporary seasonal teaching jobs.
I'm not sure what I'm going to do with my PhD, but I'm turning down the offers that would require taking on more debt. I already have debt from undergrad and my MA, and having a PhD doesn't increase your chances of getting work, so going into debt for it would just make things worse for me.
My cousin who has a PhD in engineering was recently turned down for a job at a company who told her that they would have hired her with just an MA, but with the PhD they think she's overqualified. No teaching jobs and other jobs think you're too qualified. But, if you want to teach overseas, which I hope to do - it's perfect.
This does make me curious - what are everyone's plans with their PhDs? Do you have jobs in mind?
Canis, I've actually received some different advice from many of the professors with whom I've spoken. First off, keep in mind that I am technically funded- a tuition award is still more than what many PhD students get going into OSU, and I have a strong chance at another assistantship. The reality is that at a place like Ohio State, the big funding packages are university-wide competition. I wasn't eligible for this (Your GRE percentile average needs to be 75 percentile or greater; I missed this by a mere point) but I do know that I'm entering with more than a lot of people have, especially for this department.
One of the positives that I'll mention is with regards to the sciences: the department I'll be working in requires at least two courses each in the three major subfields (physical, archaeology, cultural). Though I'm specializing in cultural, I have research interests that are integrative to an extent, so this doesn't concern me as much. My goal is a combination of research, writing, and teaching, but I also want to be able to use my work to inform policy. There are plenty of job opportunities outside the Ivory Tower, especially for anthropologists. And to be frank, I'd be okay as an adjunct instructor at the right institution, though I genuinely think that I have what it takes to do something a little better for myself than that.
A plan helps, yes, but you can have the best plan and the most perfect everything and still not be able to find a job. I've made the assessments and for me personally I think that it's worth it. Will I have to take out a little bit of money in loans to live this year? Probably. But I'm okay with that, to an extent. Obviously I don't want to take out $20,000 to live, so I'm weighing options.
I'm not totally sure that such a cut-throat approach focusing on money as the driver is what academia should be about. While it's true that we're puppeteered by organizations like the U.S. government, it's also important to think outside the bank (my lame take on "think outside the box"). Maybe I'm too optimistic in believing it, but I think that academia should be more about what in_theory is referencing, and I HAVE done all of the research you describe and more.
The point being, academia should be about the benefit of human society as a whole. We research to advance the world, not to advance ourselves. Being foolishly altruistic and taking on massive debt to achieve this goal is a bad idea, but so is squeezing oneself into a tight little box in order to accommodate the string pullers. Let them tug you and they'll just keep on doing it. I'm sure my cultural ecology background is showing in that... :-)
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Read this: https://chronicle.com/article/Graduate-School-Is-a-Means-to/131316/
the whole thing is a good reality check (not that you can't deviate from it) especially this advice which can help when we're wowed by even getting into places, when in fact we should be glad we got in, but only going if we're just about 100% funded.
"Do not attend graduate school unless you are fully supported by—at minimum—a multiyear teaching assistantship that provides a tuition waiver, a stipend, and health insurance that covers most of the years of your program. The stipend needs to be generous enough to support your actual living expenses for the location. Do not take out new debt to attend graduate school. Because the tenure-track job market is so bleak, graduate school in the humanities and social sciences is, in most cases, not worth going into debt for."
Canis, I'll agree to disagree with you on most of this article. While well-intended, I disagree with the underlying philosophy of much of it. Thanks regardless for your insights. It's definitely something I've kept in mind throughout the process.
I ended up accepting Ohio State's offer and declining University of Kentucky's. My POI at OSU has been really great about everything throughout the process and so that really draws me in. We're going to hash out some funding things later this week when I have a chance to visit the department, but I'm confident. If not, I have a backup financial plan with minimal loans. I'm feeling a lot more confident now than I was a week ago.
- anthropologygeek and MissAnthro
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I'd give Kentucky until the OSU acceptance deadline. If UK doesn't get back to you by then, accept OSU with no regrets. Congrats, btw.
Thanks! UK's deadline is actually earlier though. They need to know by March 28th, and I have until April 15th for OSU.
I'll probably reject Kentucky, honestly, but I'm going to stretch out my acceptance from OSU until I either a) get more solid funding or
reach the deadline. -
Hi all:
So, I'm currently weighing my options in terms of funding, and want a little advice.
I was accepted to two universities for a Ph.D in cultural anthropology, OSU and UK. The prof with whom I'd like to work at OSU was very helpful during the application process in terms of answering questions, discussing interests, and even as far as providing some revisions to my personal statement. She called me personally back in January to congratulate me and notify me that I had been accepted and nominated for funding. When funding was announced a couple weeks ago, she also emailed me personally before I had even received official notice to tell me I had gotten the award. The university has also been great in terms of everything- I've been in contact with two other faculty members, they're hosting me for an official visit in a few days, and it overall seems like a perfect fit. (I'm especially happy with this kind of treatment, since I have zero formal background in anthropology.)
The problem is that the award I received is tuition and fees only. While this is a great opportunity and I'm super grateful for it, it leaves me worried about cost of living. I've been in contact with the department to express my concerns, and they're looking into the possibility of an RA position for me. The prof I'd be working with does research nearly identical to what my interests are, but that chance all comes down to a grant she's waiting to hear back on.
I have yet to receive any notice on funding from Kentucky, and they have not been nearly as helpful. (I tried to set up a visit with them, and never received a response to my email.) I've read elsewhere that an acceptance without funding is a polite rejection. In terms of OSU, it doesn't seem this is the case: I technically am funded, but only for tuition and fees. From what I've seen, this is normal for their first year students since it's such a big university and funding is extremely competitive. I'd really rather not seek out a part-time job or take out more student loans for living expenses, and the prospect of "soft money" is somewhat reassuring, but not fully.
I'll also add that while Kentucky would be a great opportunity, I'd much rather go to OSU. It's also concerning because there's that "what if"... what if Kentucky offers me full, guaranteed funding for my program and this is the best OSU can do?
So, fellow anthropologists: what would you do? They seem to be making an effort to recruit me, which makes me feel like I'm wanted. They also have a good track record of funding through RAships and TAships in the second year. It's this first year slump that I'm concerned about. Any advice?
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I hope you get a GOOD news tomorrow! Fingers and toes crossed!
congratulations!!! will you be attending ? I want to apply next year to this university- the program sounds amazing!!
I am still waiting to hear on our UCLA wait list....i know they met last week to cut some people off the list. now, the question is if the ones that were cut are already notified or is this good news still?
I am more than likely going to accept. Ohio State has a great anthropology program. Their major strength is human evolutionary anthropology, but they are solid all around. Since I'm interested in a historical perspective on cultural ecology, it was a good fit. What would you be interested in studying?
Thanks for the congratulations everyone- and congrats to all who have had good news recently, as well! It's very exciting to see where we'll all end up!
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I got into UK this past week, but it's the only school I've heard anything positive from. I got rejected from Indiana on Thursday. If they come through with funding, it'll look more solid for that.
That's great, congrats! What subfield? With which professor would you be working?
I wasn't surprised to be rejected from IU myself. Kentucky is a great school. It's between that and OSU for me now.
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Sorry about the rejections, but now that all of your results are in, we should celebrate for the acceptances! Congrats
Thank you! I was anticipating rejections from IU and UGa, but I honestly thought I would be accepted to UTSA. I think that the rejection stems from a funding concern... my proposal is based on shale exploration, and I think that the more conservative climate of Texas may have been unfavorable to such an activist position.
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Hey Everyone,
I was just curious to see if anyone else on this forum was admitted to Ohio State's anthropology program and will be attending the open house March 18-19?
If so, hit me up! I'd be interested to get to know a few other prospectives beforehand!
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Finally received the last of my letters today, so here are my results:
Accepted: Ohio State University (1/14), University of Kentucky (2/24)
Rejected: University of Georgia (2/20), University of Texas- San Antonio (2/27), Indiana University (2/28)
A little disappointing to received majority rejections, especially all in a one week period, but excited to know that I've been admitted to two great programs. Still waiting on funding.
Anyone else planning on attending OSU or UK in the fall?
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Haha thanks. I think I'm just freaking out over this more than is necessary. I'm prone to anxiety, and so I keep worrying that I won't be good enough.
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Hi All,
I'm entering my senior year of undergrad and I'm getting ready to apply to Ph.D programs in cultural anthropology with an emphasis on environmental anthropology. I recently took the GRE and scored 159 verbal, 147 quant, and 6.0 writing. I was wondering if these will generally be good enough to get me admitted?
I don't have any formal experience in anthropology from my undergrad; however, I have a lot of background in courses in biology, sociology, history, and other closely related fields. My course of study consists of a major in sustainability and minor in urban studies, so a lot of these courses have been focused on environmental issues, which I feel is a plus. I've also corresponded with one professor at the University of Texas who seems to really feel I am prepared based on this. My undergraduate GPA is 3.8 and I have done primary research of my own. I also anticipate pretty strong letters of recommendation, as I have great relationships with several faculty members, and I am confident in my ability to write an excellent personal statement, especially given my consultation with professors I'd like to work with.
My overall questions is whether or not these GRE scores, especially the quantitative, will help or hinder me in admission? I know that a lot of cultural anthropology programs say flat-out that they ignore the quantitative score, and I've had trouble finding this on a couple of program websites- specifically, University of Texas and University of Georgia do not have it anywhere (trust me, I've tried).
If anyone has some input or advice, I'd really appreciate it!
The GRE
in Anthropology Forum
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No problem!
Also, University of Kentucky is a good place. Lisa Cliggett comes to mind- I almost went there to work with her.