Kaitri

March 12, 2014

Yes, I am waiting for Anthro results. I got an e-mail from my POI last night around 10pm (she has been surprisingly forthcoming and remained contact throughout this whole process without too much nudging from me) that "official" offers will go out by next Monday and the next few days. She said I am on the provisional recommend list, but nothing is 100% until Monday/Tuesday. So, we will know in less than a week's time!

Thanks for letting us know! I need to accept/reject a few offers by next week, so I'm happy that U of T is finally getting around to sending acceptances/rejections out.

EDIT: This isn't to say, of course, that waiting until Monday/Tuesday won't be next to impossible to do. I just can't deal with not knowing...

March 12, 2014

I want to thank everyone who gave me advice about my impending decision. You guys are amazing!

I hope that money won't be much of an issue, and I think that many of you are correct in pointing out that it will likely be more valuable for me to have a M.A. specifically in anthro if I want to pursue an anthro PhD (which I do). I've all but decided; I'm going to meet with my PoI again next week, and meet with some current students at the same time.

Does anyone have any suggestions for anthro-specific questions to ask the current students?

lackingpatience · March 10, 2014

Congrats lackingpatience!!

March 10, 2014

Ok everyone, I need your help. I'm going to assume for now that I'm not going to get in to any of the other programs I applied to, so right now my challenge is deciding between two programs at the same university.

Here's my issue:

Program 1:

- Traditional anthropology program (focusing on medical anthropology)

- Overall less funding

- No guaranteed TA position which means that the funding they would give me isn't tied to work, but I would also prefer to have TA experience as I apply to PhD programs this fall

- Guaranteed supervisor who has been amazing - she let me know when I was admitted (weeks before the offer itself arrived), has been communicative throughout the process, and is supposed to be a great professor in general. She's doing work in a field I'm very interested in.

- Average reputation (within Canada only) - the program is relatively well-known, but the school itself is best known for its medical school and sciences, not social sciences

- Relatively large cohort of graduate students (MA and PhD)

Program 2:

- Interdisciplinary program (globalization studies)

- More funding overall, most of which is tied to a TA position

- The program invites students to design their own program of study: they offer courses, but also let students take any course offered at the university (with permission from the other department)

- I would have to find my own supervisor, but I would be able to work with any willing professor currently working at the university

- Better than average reputation - the program is relatively new (10 years old), but it's one of the first of its kind, and there's regularly a series of visiting scholars who are excited to come and study/teach at the school

- Small cohort of MA students only (there is no PhD program)

Since both programs are at the same school, then none of the city-specific issues that often arise when making these decisions affect me. Right now, the only issues I'm struggling with are the nature of the program that I want to take, and the funding offered. Do any of you have any insight into interdisciplinary programs and PhD application prospects? I asked the program director about that and they said they have a lot of success placing graduates into well-regarded PhD programs (but he didn't offer any specifics).

I would feel really bad if I turned down either offer - the advisor I would be working with for Program 1 has been amazing, and the director of Program 2 took a lot of time to try to convince me that his program was right for me.

Anyway - I would love any insight all of you could provide! I will be cross-posting this in the "Interdisciplinary programs" section (FYI to all mods!)

March 10, 2014