DigDeep(inactive)

I am doing a three-article dissertation at Boston University, and have colleagues doing the same at Texas A&M University. This is a newer trend and will not always be on the websites. You can e-mail the DGS (Director of Graduate Studies) at various departments of interest - their job is to answer questions like this. Also, it is something you can potentially negotiate with your committee when it comes to defending your PhD Proposal.

No offense, but please do not offer advice about an Masters degree when you have not even acquired one. Any hopeful MA/MS etc. applicants would be wise to ignore this paragraph. A Master's degree is not "almost always out of your pocket", nor is it "a big gamble worth avoiding". It may not be right for you, but your experience certainly does not warrant a normal distribution. To imply that you can "become exceptionally well read" on your own, and that it would equate to the benefit of a Master's degree, straddles the fine line between optimistic naivety and ignorance.

Ouch. Yep, never thought I'd say this, but anthropologygeek is right.

Note the first sentence - Archaeology is a total different ball game. Your advice is stems from your bailiwick, and is warranted to archaeology applicants whom do need to have particular skills. I stand by my statement that it is very common for students to get into MA programs in Cultural Anthropology without a Bachelor's Degree in Anthropology (I know plenty). However, it appears that the OP is looking for PhD programs, and in this case I agree with you, it will be more of an arduous task that perhaps I initially made it seem. OP: To that end, a post-bac is a definite option. I would also suggest using your M.Ed degree to try to get a job at a Community College teaching Anthropology; it's worth a shot. PhD programs in the US are not looking for full-research proposal style applications, so you do not have to worry about having a whole research-design laid out. However, as AKCarlton put it, you will be competing with other applicants that probably do have it figured out. So, you need to figure out a way to bring something to the table your self. Other than a post-bac, or teaching at a CC, look for local non-profits to volunteer/work for. You also have the summer before applications, I would suggest trying to nail an internship this Summer in related research - that is the course I would take.

Whether it be about research, life, or landing a job - have you ever been given such sound advice that it served as a catalyst for your success? Perhaps a bit more prosaic, is there something in particular that an advisor has told you that has helped you be a better student? The best advice I have ever received was this: During your first year as an MA student, do not shy away from the power of collaboration. Ultimately, it is not uncommon for graduate students to take a "renegade" approach, and attempt to do everything by themselves. However, by embracing your new cohort and building projects together, you can achieve so much more during your graduate studies. This is particularly true for Master's students, as they have a short window of time. Start a journal club, collaborate on poster/paper ideas for conferences, and do your best to foster a professional atmosphere of collaboration within your cohort by including as many as possible who are willing to contribute. Following this advice, I was able to accomplish much during my graduate studies and through the process I have gained friends and colleagues and learned with them and from them in the process; something I have learned and will take with me for doctoral studies. Hopefully contributions to this thread will be a benefit to us all.

Although the first part of that sentence may be true, the second is not. It is very common for individuals to be accepted into MA programs without a Bachelor's in Anthropology. To OP: You asked, " 1) What I'm wondering is, do people usually have some sort of research experience in anthropology in undergrad to be able to get accepted in Anthro for admissions?; and 2) If research is needed or helps, do you have any ideas how an individual who is no longer a college student can get research experience in the area? 1). Research is very common as an undergraduate, however it is not needed to get into an MA program if your research interests are aligned with that a particular professor's research well (i.e., fit). It sounds like you have figured out what your research interests are, and your background in Political Theory and Sociology thrive in the same realm that Anthropology does (I would look into Political Ecology, if you already haven't). Therefore, you would not need a second degree, nor a post-bac in Anthropology. What is a more likely scenario is that you will get accepted and have to take some undergraduate courses your first year - this happens a lot and is no big deal. I know many individuals who come from a wide-range of degrees including Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Biology, and Business. One could argue that you might even have a better shot at MA programs given your background, because the mere fact you're making such a change speaks to the fact that you have thought about what you want to do. Sadly, this is not always the case and students applying to graduate school just say what they should say in order to get into programs (not recommended). In sum, yes anthropology undergraduates do research, however given your background, your lack of research will be understood. When you begin e-mailing persons of interest (POI) at your prospective graduate programs, make sure you discuss your potential research extensively enough to be able to mention it in your Statement of Purpose (SOP). This will show the admissions committee (Adcomm) that you are not "scared" of research, but in fact eager for it - and have already lined it up with Dr. [professor]. 2) If you wanted to try to get some kind of independent research in order to stand out, keep in mind that it should be quite related to what you would like to do. That will make it a worthy endeavor. Since you're not an archaeologist, volunteering at museums does show initiative, but I'm not sure how much that would really matter given your interests. If it were me, I would focus on independent research (reading Anthropology Journals in my research interest), further lining out my research interests through these readings, and identifying potential advisors that truly are a good fit. As you will find from a simple perusal of the forums, the most important thing in graduate school applications, hands down, is fit. If you find the right professor that does exactly what you want to do - you will get in, regardless of past research. In regards to this, I would suggest the following journals: Current Anthropology Human Nature American Anthropologist Journal of Political Ecology Human Ecology Political Geography and check out the Center for Political Ecology Peruse through those, and if you can't get access just copy and paste titles into Google Scholar and you may see that it's free. Also, look in ResearchGate and Academia.edu. Don't shy away from applying to programs due to lack of research. Follow your interests and the passion that drives them and you will be just fine. Best of luck to you.

Grats, Sarab! San Diego is so awesome.

UC Davis Statistics, Masters (F14) Rejected via E-mail on 4 Apr 2014 A 4 Apr 2014 I received two rejection emails from this program, one of them stating that I had not been admitted for the 2013 year. I wonder if I discovered time travel? Purdue University Electrical And Computer Engineering, PhD (F14) Rejected via E-mail on 3 Apr 2014 I 4 Apr 2014 Purdue you f***ing a**holes. My POI told me he was impressed with my resume and now this sh*t. I f**ing can't believe it. You ruined my life Purdue. Go to hell. hahahaha nerd rage

This. The part where you laughed heartily in his/her face and made me choke on my coffee.

Touché. In that case, I would bring up the wind map! http://hint.fm/wind/

Agreed. In the end, you can't go wrong with either route. Since you already have foreign language experience, I'm not sure how how much the other language would help. I think deep down you're trying to convince yourself that it would, because you know that an honors thesis would be much more work . Think on that one. I would, however, suggest the honors thesis. The thesis gives you your first opportunity to actually delve into something more intense than a simple class paper. If you tailor your thesis to your interests it could also help you figure out how soon you want to go to grad school, and even what exactly you would like to do. When you do apply, this thesis plus your work experience will serve as catalysts into great programs. I think you will get that internship with or without another language, as well. Plus, you can take up foreign languages as independent studies - you cannot do the same with a thesis. I also suggest a thesis because I was involved in an Education Science research program that investigated the success of students who chose undergraduate honors theses versus those that did not. Although an honors thesis is not a single identifier for success as a student (most, including my self, would agree with this) the success of honors students was clear: An overwhelming majority of students (I have been trying to find the paper, but alas, cannot) of that chose the honors thesis route succeeded with high GPAs and went on to grad school. They were also more likely to score higher on the GRE and attain independent research. Although, eventually we figured out that those students who chose undergraduate theses were also incoming with high GPAs already, which spoke to the work-ethic of students that chose that route. But, that speaks to the qualitative aspect of having an honors thesis - it makes you stand out as an ambitious, serious, and driven student among a sea of other applicants, whom are probably just as qualified as you. Regardless, what's more important is what will set you up most to succeed (i.e., make you happy). Education is a marathon, not a sprint. And as long as you are happy doing what you're doing, then you're doing it right!

Start with a friendly compliment. Everyone likes compliments! The type of compliment depends on the situation, of course (i.e., conference = research compliment; date or new friend = clothing, music, or jewelry compliment). Regardless, flattery always seems to work. Small talk kind of sucks. Conversation is an art, and talking about weather, travel, or movies (sorry above guy/gal) is like my 3 year old nephew's finger paintings - they suck. You might as well just say: "Hey! I'm boring and I have nothing interesting to say! Nice to meet you!". Honestly, I always use a compliment and then judge their reaction (i.e., body language or facial expressions). You can tell if someones not in the mood to talk. Usually it follows up with, so what do you do? (If it's a friend you want, you'll probably ask; if it's at a conference, the prof is bound to ask). True, this usually always lead you to talk about your research, but hey this is the best practice to get your "elevator talk" down. Besides, if you meet someone who is truly interested in your research you have definitely made a new friend/colleague! I mean...people that actually care about your research? It's a miracle! (at least, that's how it feels sometimes..heh). But, as St. Andrews Lynx says, it should morph to dialogue after that. In my experience, confidence and a smile seems to take you far regardless of the situation.

If by affiliated you mean enrolled and not taking courses, yes. It varies per grant. For example, some grants ask for transcripts showing current enrollment. That is, some are merit based and require transcripts only and some are research based that require proposals be written. Most undergraduate to graduate school grants are the former, and most graduate grants, the latter. However, it's not always so black and white. They all require lots of research, time, and work..That's why most do not apply for them. I think the easiest grants (smaller pool of applicants, easier access, general familiarity with process, etc.) are those that are inter-departmental. Whilst in grad school, travel grants are usually given without even an application as long as you are presenting something. However, there are also larger research grants that require proposals, and these should always be applied for, in my opinion.

Yes

hahaha, was definitely me over the winter when I lived solo. I love listening to Snap Judgement when I cook.