strudelle

First time applicant as well, in the process of working on apps for fall 2014. Trying to stay within the San Diego area because that's where my fiance's work is and I have already lived far away from him during my undergrad. My primary focus is biological anthropology. I'm especially interested in paleoanthropology, paleopathology, and human osteology. Really want to work on some diet and lifestyle/health reconstruction of Pleistocene hominin populations. UCSD is the school I REALLY want to go to, but I'm very doubtful of my chances. I actually posted a separate thread with my credentials hoping to see what my chances were. I have no idea what I'm doing.

I really appreciate your response. I am stressing myself out thinking I don't have a chance at all. Thank you for the tip on the SOP, that is something I wasn't really sure how to approach. I think I can definitely frame it in a way where they can see it's relevant.

I am a senior graduating in the spring with my BA. I want to get into UCSD for biological anthropology. I know exactly who I want to work with and have a pretty clear idea of what I want to research. I am very doubtful that I will be accepted to UCSD, though it is my top choice. I do not have the greatest GPA - it's a 3.4, or a 3.6 if I include the time I spent at a community college before coming to a four year institution to complete my BA (have no idea if I am supposed to include that?) and have not participated in very many projects outside of my general schooling. It's my understanding that field experience and research are highly regarded in prospective anthropology graduate students, and I just haven't done that much in comparison with other undergrads I've spoken to. I have participated in two field schools (one in my home state during a weekend and one study abroad for two weeks) that were in forensic archaeology and biological archaeology respectively. I am also currently involved in an internship at a local museum in the archaeology department, but archaeology is not my primary field of focus so I don't know how much this will help me with a biological anthropology emphasis. I am working on a research project as well that is a review of existing literature - I am attempting to do a regional analysis of trauma and pathology within European Pleistocene populations based on existing site data since I can't collect my own data as an undergrad (at least not in the two semesters I have left). I am going to attempt to present this at a conference in the spring, but I won't have much to show for it for grad apps except maybe an abstract. I know I can secure at least one solid letter of recommendation, and am hoping to secure another from a top faculty member at my current institution (he has actually done work with this professor I want to work with at UCSD, so I am hoping a letter from him will improve my chances). I am still searching for a person to ask for my third letter. I haven't taken the actual GRE yet, but I took a practice GRE last night and got a 305 (159 verbal, 147 quant). Not great. I have two weeks until the GRE so I'm going to work as hard as I can to improve that. I don't know how important GRE scores are. I'm also working hard on my statement of purpose. I'm going to a SOP workshop this week and I have some faculty members helping me edit it. Their college admission site is also really focused on the importance of diversity within their student body and people who have experience with teaching and diversity. I teach citizenship and ESL classes to refugees (mostly from sub-Saharan Africa) and was planning on talking about that as well as my disadvantaged background. Will this help? What are my chances of getting accepted? Can I do anything at this stage to make myself more competitive? Applications are due in January.