NoSleepTilBreuckelen

I don't think you need to tell your recommenders. You'll already be telling the schools that ask on their applications and I think that's all you need to do. Schools are looking to recommenders to speak to your ability to do research/think creatively/etc., not to go into all the details of your application.

Thanks AP! Yes, I was trying to be vague in many aspects of my post (just so the situation wouldn't be too identifiable) and I think it just got confusing. I was referring to my advisor as 'they'. I happen to use gender-neutral pronouns all the time, but saying 'she/he' would have made my post a lot more clear, especially since I also once referred to my committee. Your advice is very helpful and I'm going to do another post which (I hope) will be a little clearer

I'm two years into a PhD program, and I've been working on a project that isn't producing any of the type of data that I work with. I thought it would, my advisor thought it would, but it just hasn't worked out. My advisor is on sabbatical and told me if I had any issue to talk to the faculty who are around. I did and more and more people started encouraging me change or expand my project so that I could do work that aligns with my research interest. It sounded great to me, and I tried to ask for a meeting to get my advisor's advice on whether to switch my project and decide how to move forward, but since sending them that email they've been avoiding me (they're on campus), ignoring my emails, and at one point they pasted their out-of-office auto reply into the body of an email and sent it to me. It's surprising and a bit hurtful. I really didn't bring any interesting skills to their project, since the type of data I work with isn't there, and they'd previously said they'd still be happy to advise me if I was working on a project other than theirs. So how do I move forward with this? Do I stick with them? Does this mean I find a new advisor? Do I keep them on my committee so as not to ruffle any more feathers? I haven't gotten a response from them in nearly a month, other than the aforementioned not-auto auto reply and a quick note saying they're not available until June. I know one student was able to get a meeting today. I realize they may be unhappy that I sought advice from others on my committee, but I didn't feel that was out of line, especially in light of their sabbatical. If this factors into the decision, even before their sabbatical they were only available to meet about once a semester and they often asked for my help with administrative tasks (sorting out flights for their colleagues, delivering and picking up material across campus, pet care, cleaning and rehousing their research collection, ordering food for events) which took several hours each week. I guess I thought I had done enough to be in their good graces, even if our research directions diverged a little. I've also been cut out of those responsibilities (which I'm fine with) since sending the email requesting to talk about the directions of my research. The department is wonderful and I feel very supported in general, so I don't feel changing advisors would be too difficult. If I do change advisors, I want to create as little drama as possible. Any suggestions?

I was going to suggest UChicago as well! Check out Kathleen Morrison's work (she has done some work on vegetarian diets in India). If you want to look at it from a historical (or prehistorical) perspective, there are lots of zooarchaeologists studying human-animals relations in the past.

You mentioned 'transferring credits' - does this mean you would want to start your BA in an online setting and then do the rest in-residence at a university? I don't know too much about your situation, but you might want to also consider starting your degree at a 2-year college near you and then transfer those credits to finish your BA at a 4-year college or university. I know several people who've done that with anthropology BA degrees. Just wanted to throw another option out there!

Going well! Classes have been interesting, my cohort is a ton of fun and I feel really at-home in the department (both personally and theoretically). Since everything is just getting started I still have that "I can do all the things" attitude and I've been signing up for a bunch of professional development and extracurricular activities, but I need to keep in mind not to over-commit, because the coursework is going to start adding up and I definitely need to make that my priority for right now... How are things going for you sarab?!

Also think about Skying with your professors in NY! Or try consolidating all your meetings with profs into a single day of the week, so you're only making that trip once a week. I went through the application process last year and it's strange because you get so busy putting the applications together and once you've submitted them, there's nothing to do but wait for a couple months. At that point having a job is great, it certainly helped me keep my mind off wondering where all the schools were in the review process.

Don't let the odds deter you from applying! Talk to a professor or advisor about how to put together a strong application for this and look for other funding opportunities while you're applying to this one since you'll already be preparing a statement of purpose and gathering letters of rec for this application.

So jealous you all have started! I move in two weeks and the program starts three weeks from now (we're on the quarter system) and I'm looking forward to getting there and getting started

Also, think about funding. I can tell you from personal experience that at least one of those state school systems that you mentioned is going through a very hard financial time and some schools in that system are only able to offer admitted students funding for their first year. Not having to worry about funding all the time is key to being able to focus on your studies, so make sure to apply to external funding sources (like the NSF GRFP) and rather than looking at the percent accepted, look at the percent funded. I had a discussion with a POI where they told me because of their financial situation they'd only be able to accept me if I could get outside funding. Apply to external sources will make you more competitive for the positions you apply to (because you can list the external funding you apply to on your application) and if you get external funding you'll be able to pick where to go based completely on fit and not on the support a school can or can't offer right now. Is there a reason you're only apply to state schools? Those are all very excellent schools, but you might want to consider some non-state school as well, since funding at private schools is not tied to the state budget, and some (but certainly not all) private schools may be in a better position to offer a more comprehensive and longer funding package.

I agree with a lot of the feedback here - your SOP, your letters of rec, and how well your interests fit into the program are the most important aspects of your application. The great thing about the SOP being so important is that it's the part of the application that you have the most control over. So put your time and effort there and into contacting departments to find out if your interests fit, if the prof you're interested in working with is taking students, and to start a conversation with that person.

I'll be heading to Stanford for a PhD in Archaeology in the fall! I'll be living in Escondido Village. Anyone else there? Hope I get to meet some of you bio folks - my project will be focused on using DNA in archaeology, and I know some of the faculty I'll be working with cross over between anth and bio

Hi AK - I think a lot of schools are looking for some sort of fieldwork experience (because it shows you've developed those skills and it speaks to your interests) and field schools are a great way to gain that experience. There are also others ways to build your fieldwork experience, like doing CRM work, volunteering, and as an educator. I never had an official field school, but did fieldwork through a lab I worked in as an undergrad and by working as an educator on an excavation that hosted groups of high school students. You mentioned doing more than one field school - don't feel like the only experience that 'counts' on an application or that you're ready for as a student is a field school. Especially if you have already done one field school, if you find another great opportunity, apply for it! That's how you'll build your resume and gain new skills.

I'm confused about your situation. Are you planning to finish a Masters at School A and then go to School B for your PhD? Or are you planning on leaving part-way through the Masters at School A? Or are you planning on not starting at School A at all after you accepted their offer? If you're in a Masters at School A and you would have to reapply to continue in the PhD program there, that's a terminal masters degree and it would be fine (and expected) that you would apply to other schools for your PhD after finishing your Masters. From your signature it looks like you haven't started at the program yet. If that's the case, it's a bit different. If you start, you should go into it with the intention of completing the Masters program, but it sounds like you might be thinking of not starting. I have some thoughts on these situations, but I'll save you my rambling until I know what's relevant. Let us know a little more about your situation and we'll be able to give better advice!

I think it's really important to have a good fit with your advisor, but that doesn't necessarily mean regionally. I think shared interest in infectious disease in archaeology, for example, would be a strong fit. In fact, many of the bioarchaeologists I know seem to have either multiple regional specialities or none at all, but rather their specialty is a technique (e.g. growth and nutrition from tooth enamel). Definitely contact POI's you're interested in working with, if they think your interests and their don't align, they'll let you know and they may even point you towards POIs whose interests do align with yours!