samjones

cool! what are interests in education/the anthro of education in the states?

i applied to NYU's american studies program. i'm interested in political economy, Latin america, neoliberalism, and intersubjective reciprocity. i'm really hoping i get in cuz i think i would have a blast! unfortunately, no one is looking at non-profits there and that's the particular thing that i mentioned in my SOP. i hope that doesn't matter since my broader interests fit so well within the departments i applied to (i also applied to two anthro programs).

According to a student (who posted two or three replies up in this thread under the name "rollinson"), this is inaccruate.

what about *drum roll* undereducated? i've seen this term used to describe folks that have not attained certain levels of education (i.e., those who only have a 6th grade education, those who haven't completed high school, those who haven't attained a postsecondary education). it's usually reserved for people with any level of education UNDER college- as long as they don't have a college degree, they can be described as undereducated and it could be because of obstacles (i.e., poverty) or it could be by choice.

i'd like to echo the opinion that mentioning that a prof's interests dovetails with your own is perfectly fine, even if you haven't been able to engage over email, in person, or any other way with the prof in questions. i think it's a really great idea to seamlessly work into your SOP the fact that you have engaged over email, in person, or any other way with a prof of interest/relevance. i think it's a good idea to seamlessly work into your SOP that you've taken advantage of relevant resources at the school of interest (profs and colloquiums included). i just got done reading some of the successful SOP's posted in another post in this section of the site, and many of them mention profs of interests, the fact that they've talked to profs of interest, and/or the fact that they've taken advantage or plan to take advantage of other resources in the program, department and/or institution.

i think it's difficult to judge and discuss the importance of GRE scores among a field-diverse group of (aspiring-)academics. as i read and skimmed through some of the responses just in this thread and considered the programs each poster is applying to, i realized how much each perspective and opinion on the admissions process and importance of the GRE could be affected by their intended/actual field. for example, someone going into a field where vocabulary will be an important/necessary tool might NEED to be judged on their verbal GRE score and/or analytical writing score and someone going into a field where math will be an important/necessary tool might NEED to be judged on their math GRE score. so those folks might actually see the relevance of the GRE and might understand why they are being asked to take it and submit to the judgement that follows. and then, there are others who are going into fields that may not require particular skills with vocabulary or math who don't see the point of the any part of the GRE, weren't required to take the GRE, and have been explicitly told that the GRE is not heavily weighed in the process within the intended fields. BUT among all those groups there may be those who question how accessible the standardization of the GRE is and whether there are problematic issues with the GRE in the same vein of the accessibility to the standardization of the SAT. i mean, who gets to decide what everyone should know/what kind of material everyone should be judged by?

yeah, you might to wait for the scores. the sheet they send you with all your scores will have other codes to enter that might help you find your record. good luck.

i think you can mention whatever you want to mention in your SOP. i think that whatever you mention should not be disparaging or off-topic, though. if going to relevant conferences and seminars fits into your discussion of your research interests, why you want to get a Ph.D. in anthropology, or why you chose to apply to a particular anthro program, then mention it. if you're just going to end up "throwing it out there," then i wouldn't waste the space.

what aspects of globalization? there's a lot that the term "globalization" could refer to and/or encapsulate.

i'm another applicant going into another field from what i studied in undergrad, and I agree with what has been said in terms of it not mattering what field the profs are from. the profs only have to be able to attest to your ability to do work at the graduate-level, which probably means that you should have some sort of past classroom and/or research experience with/under them.

well, you wouldn't have been able to see the letters until after you were enrolled in on of the schools that might accept you, so it doesn't matter that you waived your right to see them. but maybe they just wrote one for you awhile ago in anticipation of you asking formally later? i bet the letter was decent and they should had to put in a few tailored sentences for you! try not to worry.

well, using "he" as a default for general persons isn't happening within a vacuum (meaning societies are often patriarchal and let the masculine stand as the default, which notoriously leaves out everything other than "he"), and i think that's the problem with neglecting everyone else on the board with the "he" in question. another way one could make general statements could be to use "s/he" if brevity (on a board where you're wasting time) is valued.

you've already heard back from a school you've just applied to? and it was about an admissions decision? wow. when is/was the application deadline and do their other programs let admitted/rejected students know this early?

so far, i'm only applying to 3 schools. i've limited myself by geography (although there are a lot of schools that are relatively accessible from New York City) and obviously by fit. there are only three schools that i feel i have a fitting chance to get into and that i would actually attend. it's always crazy to see that others are applying to so many schools. a friend is applying to 15 (!) schools! 15! that's so much money, so many apps to keep track of, and so much tweaking of the statement of purpose to really demonstrate fit. the differences between the 3 schools, programs, and applications that i am applying to are demanding enough of my attention and concern that i commend people working on twice that number.

Unfortunately (for me), I'll have to submit my application for Rutgers than I'd like (and what i mean to say is that I'd like to submit any and all of my apps as late as I feel is possible because then I won't e kicking myself about something I wish I had written or done differently and could have had a chance to change but can't because i submitted it way ahead of the deadline). it seems Rutgers won't let my LOR writers see the forms they need to complete and submit until after I have completed and submitted my portion of the application. it's really frustrating and stress-inducing! so i can't believe there might be some who have submitted their apps super early because they just wanted to. that's some bravery!!

In the social sciences, humanities and some other areas, a writing sample is a written example of your ability to write about and examine a particular topic (or topics, i guess. as long as the whole piece is a cohesive work with a cohesive purpose). i'd say, you're usually making some sort of assertion or argument and/or developing a stepping stone for some original work that you may undertake at some other point of your academic life such as, for your dissertation or MA thesis. you could create something from scratch right now or you could revive some old work from your undergraduate career. a paper from your undergraduate career would probably benefit from being updated according to the changes that have taken places in terms of the topic over the last 13 years. remember, you just want to make sure that the writing shows that you can carry a thought, analytically examine a topic or topics, and make a cohesive point or have a cohesive purpose for writing on a topic. good luck!

i would express that the school in question is our top choice not by outright saying that it is but by showing that it is. you know, really highlighting your fit with the department, the program, that particular prof you mention you really want to work with, and any resources outside of the department/program that you know you would take advantage of if admitted. i think the effort it takes to know everything about the school demonstrates your deep interest and excitement for the school in question. paying it outright compliments is not going to do the trick, imo, and may just come off as fluff in place or something more substantial. edited to add: i guess i just echoed Febroni's opinion. and there ya go.

yeah, a prof who wrote for me last year and who i assumed would write for me this year wouldn't respond to my first email asking her to write for me again. at first, i thought it was because she no longer liked me or felt strongly about my ability to go to grad school. i was seriously scared she had lost all faith in me and i was just starting to lose all faith in her willingness to write for me but then she finally responded to a second letter request by email! i was elated, and it turned out that she had just been busy with teaching and all the other stuff she's involved in. i wrote that "cool story, bro" monologue for a reason to say, maybe they are just busy and another email or two will remind them that you are curious about their progress. calling could work, too! find out their office hours this term and drop by, even. it's okay to "pester" them about something they promised to do for you.

for my phd applications (and that's where fit really matters) i plan on making word and approach changes in order to demonstrate my fit to each program. not only am i applying to different schools but one of my programs is an american studies program as opposed to an anthropology program. i need to use terms and phrasing relevant to each program and the type of faculty they have at each school. but even between the anthro programs i'm going to make some small changes to how i express my research interests so as to tailor to better fit the program to which i'm applying. and of course for each program i'll include a fit paragraph that talks about what faculty and resources i'll probably want to take advantage of and/or work with.

yeah, you're probably just going to have to cut a paper down to size. i feel your pain though- i'm going to try to combine three papers in order to create a mega paper and i will probably have to condense that. ugh.

melusine, that totally sucks! ugh. its probably even harder to take because it totally could be the fault of bad telecommunications and not just the prof being a huge flake. although it could also be that they're a flake or an awful combination of both. ugh.

i'm waiting for a review of my latest draft, so i'll let you know if my reviewer liked my ending but: my fit paragraph is at the end of my SOP and then, as a separate paragraph, i simply say, "I am certain (school) is a great fit for my professional goals and academic purposes." yeah, it's not shakespeare but i didn't have much room for anything more than that! lol. we'll see what feedback i get for that.

i'm applying to social science programs (anthro and american studies) and i'm only mentioning faculty in my intended department and then just the name of other departments, institutions, centers that my intended departments/programs are affiliated with to demonstrate my interdisciplinary interests. but that's only because i want to make sure that they see that i really want to be in the anthro program and not in some other program while at the same time making sure they know that i do plan on continuing to examine my interests from interdisciplinary perspectives. but you know, if the faculty are listed as affiliated on the programs' website, it might not be distracting from your interest in the anthro program. i agree with those who said mentioning more than just the faculty you'd work with is a great demonstration of how well you researched the school(s) and department(s) you're applying to. i think i may even be inspired to look further into the schools i'm looking at now!

members on an admission committee will know what the right pertains to, which means they shouldn't be concerned that you have had any affect on what is said or not said in your LOR letters because you have retained your right. even if you waived your right, no one can be sure you didn't have a hand in the letter writing. the right only gives you the right to read the letter after you have been admitted and enrolled. an admissions committee will be aware of that.

you see, it doesn't matter how many people are ill-informed about what the law pertains to. it only matters what the law actually refers to, and i actually trust that professors know and/or are willing to be told what the law pertains to since they are professors in academia themselves. the right/law doesn't exist in order to trick people into choosing something that will jeopardize their chances. it's not my opinion but an actual interpretation of the right to say that the right only gives you a chance to see the letters after you've been enrolled at the school you've been accepted to. and since most people ONLY posted the reasons why one should waive their rights, the thread definitely had a fear-monger feel to it. personally, i'd rather be logical and base my choice on logic and in my experience, it didn't hurt my chances. i got into all three MA programs i applied to and none of my profs seemed to care/notice/fear that i hadn't waived my right. again, it doesn't matter to me if people waive their right or not. it's just that the reasons that had been given made no sense and seemed to be based on a small, tiny, rare chances that a prof wouldn't be able to read a law an figure out what it meant. i mean, honestly, the right (waived or not) is right there for the prof and adcomm members to read and discern themselves. and you can gain something from not wiaivng your right/retaining your right. you gain the ability to read the letters that got you in. if you hadn't gotten to read the letters before, you now will be able to know what was said that might have helped you get into your new program. you get to find out what kind of student you have been and how you can improve weaknesses or cultivate strengths.