anthaspirant

I can confirm that Duke cultural anthro is done selecting finalists.

You're right of course. It just seems to me that if someone was able to get a solid number (21 finalists), which I assume is a genuine post, then there's no reason why all the finalists wouldn't have been notified today. I e-mailed the grad coordinator, so I'll probably know sometime after 5 AM my time. The grad school wait has so enveloped my life that I have Gmail automatically texting me when I get e-mails from certain domains (duke.edu for example)... so I'm probably going to get a wake-up text, then I'll get to sleep off the bad news! The only possibility I'm considering is if they left the possible advisers to contact their potential advisees, and some haven't followed through yet. I assume it was a mass e-mail though... But if they're doing "finalists"--meaning, this is everyone who even has a shot, then they filter down to acceptances, and the rest of the finalists go the waitlist--shouldn't they send out rejections at the same time? They don't have to wait to see who matriculates because all the runner-ups will be pulled from the finalists anyway. Anyway, to clear things up: Was your e-mail from Holly Francis or from someone on faculty? And yes, she has been really prompt and helpful, ESPECIALLY compared to some other programs...

Hey Duke finalists: Congratulations! Care to share any more info? Should we assume that all the finalists have been e-mailed already? I guess calling is the only way to get final confirmation, but I'd rather not, and I'm curious if no e-mail means no admit at this point.

It's absolutely ethical to cancel. In fact, if you interview at a school you KNOW you won't go to, you're just wasting their time and money (assuming it's on their dime). You might feel bad turning down professors you've built some semblance of a relationship with (e-mails, SOP mentions) but it's not really in anyone's interest for you to go out of some weird sense of obligation.

Hey guys, I can give a bit more info about the Duke thing (my post). This was an e-mail from the grad coordinator... not cause I'm special, in reply to an ongoing exchange about an issue with my application: "Our faculty are reviewing files now and will be meeting next Monday, Feb. 1, to choose our finalists, so watch for an email about that. If you don't get one, you probably didn't make that cut. Here's hoping you do!" So no need to worry yet. At 12:01 AM on Tuesday you can start hanging your head. As for the UT-Austin thing. I have a feeling that person didn't know there was an "other" option and just clicked "accepted" for no reason in order to put out that information.

Still barely started my Dec. 1st deadline apps! That's how I roll-- hopefully I won't get dinged by the "technically-not-rolling" admissions policies. The hell of corralling LOR writers has been much more than I expected (despite wonderful enthusiasm and generosity). I've been giving myself excuses not to work on my SoP (how can you work on it until you have the meeting with adviser x?) and, well, I figure the actual applications will only take a couple hours each. I also figure once I've submitted all my Dec. 1 apps, the rest will be easy because the LoR is in, the SoP needs only slight modification, and the GRE scores are all set. The only thing I'm concerned about is the schools that have a separate "Personal Statement" and "Statement of Purpose/Research Proposal." Oh well, I've scraped by for 24 years doing stuff last minute, and it's gotten me this far...

Have you not seen this? http://www.stat.tamu.edu/~jnewton/nrc_rankings/area35.html The NRC rankings are 15 years old, and they're not specific within the "4 fields," but it's certainly a decent guide to overall reputations.

From what I understand, New School doesn't accept students directly into its PhD program, and doesn't offer much funding to MA students... if you haven't looked into that, you should. As for your interest--check out University of Chicago... they seem to be strong in that area.

Welp, took it today. 800v 690q. Just pretend you didn't see my GPA, adcoms!

Please let us know what school that is. I haven't submitted any applications yet, and I'd love to save the effort and money if you can give a heads up.

Yeah, I should clarify that. I don't mean like "This will affect my decision, so YOU BETTER REPLY!!!!!" More like, "The reason I'm asking you about whether you're taking on new students is not so you'll guarantee me a spot, but rather because it doesn't make sense for me to apply if there's no chance I'll work with you." Of course it's hard to convey that tactfully, but apparently I did...

Just to add to the data set, I sent out one e-mail Monday afternoon, and got a reply Tuesday (yesterday) morning. It was very enthusiastic, with detailed responses to my questions, and expressed a desire to work with me. So I can't necessarily pinpoint what part of the equation led to such a positive response, but it at least means that people aren't automatically going to respond coldly. Maybe she's just really nice... maybe she had extra time on her hands... maybe I wrote a really good e-mail... I'm not sure. Here's a few things I made sure to do (this is for anthro, by the way): 1.) I did a cursosry job of checking out her work, but didn't pretend to be more familiar with her than I really am (admitted I hadn't read her articles, but expressed desire to). 2.) I told her exactly where I think our interests intersect, while leaving it an open question as to whether she agrees on this "fit" and whether she's still doing this kind of work... 3.) I asked in a very straightforward way if she is taking students, expressed my interest in applying, and told her that her response will affect my decision whether to reply... 4.) I made clear that I understand her time is valuable, etc., and that she should feel free to reply at her leisure, time permitting, etc. I dunno. I assume these are the things most people are doing, so it could very well come down to personalities. I think the main thing is to come off as though you're sort of deciding whether or not to apply based on information you get from this contact, not that you think this contact will help you get in. In the end, this may not be true, but I think it's best to at least try to take seriously the idea that this is an important step in information-gathering, not just networking.

Yep, Fall 2010, and thanks. You're right-- best to focus on the things I can control.

Thanks for the reply! I maybe wasn't clear about the GPA calculation issue. My CC transcript will show 3.7 cumulative, and my other transcript (the one from the school which granted my B.A.) will show a 3.22. The latter school did not factor my CC grades into the cumulative GPA, even though they accepted those units for transfer. So, I'm just wondering if the AdComs are going to ignore the 3.7, even though for someone who went to the same school for 4 years, with the same grades as me, their cumulative GPA would be 3.5.

I've read some of the topics on similar issues, but I'm hoping for something a bit more specific to my case. So I understand the importance of research experience, LoRs, SoPs, and fit in general. But as far as the numbers go, I have a couple related questions. I graduated from a top public university, after transferring from a community college. I got a 3.7 overall at my CC, and a 3.22 overall at the school that gave me my BA. When I actually add up all the units from both schools and do the math, my 4-year GPA comes out just about 3.5 exactly. I'm applying to Ph.D programs in Cultural Anthropology. 1st Question: Will admissions committees "see" only the 3.22, consider the 4-year GPA, or really only look at major courses? To further complicate things, I did a "design-your-own-focus" interdisciplinary major, so it is not really evident to the observer which classes on my transcript are "major courses." And how much does the relative prestige of my school help make my GPA look better? In addition to all that, I am taking the GRE on Friday, and based on my performance on practice tests, I'm expecting 760-800 Verbal, 640-680 Quant, and 5-6 AWA. 2ndQuestion: Will these scores "make up" for my lackluster GPA? I understand both answers will vary among departments, but is there a general sense? I'm just a bit worried about being written off because of my middling undergrad coursework.