Kaitri

I'd definitely want to take potions, transfiguration (who wouldn't want to be an animagus??) and herbology. Being good at charms and DADA seems like a smart call, but I'd rather specialize in another area and let other people be the aurors. Oh, and Ravenclaw for sure. I'm afraid of snakes so screw Slytheryn.
 
(In honour of this thread, I pulled my copy of The Goblet of Fire down from the bookshelf and started rereading it. I'm already 200 pages in.... )

This thread is making the prospect of rejection a little easier to handle. At the very least, I can make the rest of you laugh if/when I get rejected.

This thread is making the prospect of rejection a little easier to handle. At the very least, I can make the rest of you laugh if/when I get rejected.

This thread is making the prospect of rejection a little easier to handle. At the very least, I can make the rest of you laugh if/when I get rejected.

You posted that Beauxbatons result, didn't you?
 
As a fantasy genre-lover, I freely admit that I would also appreciate it if this thread devolved into a Harry Potter discussion hole. It's gotta be better than dealing with the stress of waiting for acceptance/rejection letters.
 
Actually, screw just talking about it. I'm going to take a few hours and reread one of the books. That's gotta be the best way to get my mind off things.

+1
 
This comment wins the intenet. At least for today anyway.

Quote
 
 
We don't use it in Canada and we get along juuuuust fine. Down with standardized testing!

This thread is making the prospect of rejection a little easier to handle. At the very least, I can make the rest of you laugh if/when I get rejected.

Quote
 
 
We don't use it in Canada and we get along juuuuust fine. Down with standardized testing!

So.... there are acceptances, waitlists, and rejections posted for UCLA. But I got nothin.
 
 
I think someone needs to teach graduate programs what the phrase 'process of elimination' entails...... if you didn't waitlist me or accept me SET ME FREE 

This needs to be on a motivational poster, or better yet, a pair of promotional sweatpants and a bottle of whiskey sent by ETS after you give them all your money. Matching set.
 
As for UMass, if I check Spire one more time I think it might take out a restraining order against me. 
 
Historically Yale results come in over the next couple of days, so keep your fingers crossed! 

While we're all riding the (entirely deserved) high associated with offers of admission, I'm wondering if any of you are interested in meeting at the AAA conference in November (or at the conference in 2016).
 
I remember using this forum as a haven last year while I was waiting with bated breath to discover whether I would be able to quit my terrible job and return to university, but I stopped checking the site in the summer. I only returned after submitting my applications for PhD programs this year. My guess would be that many of us will do the same, and few of us will check the forums very often in the future. However, after going through the trials of admission season two years in a row with many of you, I think it would be amazing if we could organize something (coffee? a drink?) at the AAAs this year. After all, we're supposed to be building our academic networks, and since we've already started making connections here, we might as well work with what we have, right?
 
Feel free to reply here, or PM me if you want to exchange emails. I may also post a separate thread if there's interest here. I would love to have the chance to meet up with some of you, especially those of you (i.e. NOWAYNOHOW) who are med anthro students.

That's the BEST news, NOWAYNOHOW. I remember going through the frightening and disappointing admissions process with you last year, and I'm so glad you made it in this time around.

/highfive

Accepted at UConn! Medical subfield. Over the moon! 
 
As a 'repeat offender' (nicely coined, Faulty) this means the world to me. Funding, etc. Nice emails from DGS + potential advisor. 
 
Hope this means lots of good news to come for everyone! 

A post-doc can help, in that you have more time to develop your research and your application materials.  Some of the better post docs are multi year and might allow you to start the process of turning your book into a dissertation (if you're cultural or linguistic) or apply for major research funding; either of those accomplishments can make you attractive to a job search committee.  But there's also some departments that are looking for someone who have not taken two or more postdocs, because academia has weird stereotypes about those who take too long to find a permanent position.  Though multiple postdocs have a better reputation than someone with multiple adjunct positions.
 
A post doc can also help because it will increase your network.  One of the most important skills to learn is how to effectively network.  Networking doesn't come easily to most people but the more people you meet in your discipline and beyond, the more of a chance that someone will remember your name, which just might get your application off the tall pile and under serious consideration. Meet as many people as you can at annual meetings.  Introduce yourself and ask questions to any guest speakers in your department.  Look for summer school opportunities or internships in your early years or when you're writing up. Take advantage of your advisor's networks as well.  That's one of the reasons having a well-known advisor, at least in their particular field, is so helpful.  If they are on top of things, they should know how you are positioned for your career and be making introductions to important people in your field.  This is why it's useful to have an advisor that has some interests in common with you, be that area, theoretical, or topic.
 
Another thing you can do to prepare is think about the type of school you'd ultimately like to land.  If you're primarily interested in teaching and advising, work on developing those skills and getting as much experience as you can (without interrupting your progress to degree).  Having a well polished teaching statement and a really thoughtful cover letter that emphasizes your desire to teach for undergrad centered schools could give you an edge.  If you want to end up at a R1 university, your research is the most important part of your package.  It's often difficult to think beyond the dissertation when you're in the thick of it, but schools will want to know where you're going to go next and what your next research project will add to their department.
 
Finally, don't be hesitant to look beyond anthro departments.  There are opportunities in research centers, hospitals, overseas, etc., if you're willing to look and put in the work to make your application applicable.  If you're interested in community colleges, sometimes having taught courses outside of anthro can be very attractive.  Can you teach freshman composition or a geology course?  At a smaller community college, that can be a big plus.
 
I'm in my fifth year and will be looking for jobs next year, but I've got many friends on the market right now.  I spend a lot of time thinking about my next step, but doing what I can to get the experience I need and do high quality research.

Don't go there. Just don't. It'll consume your life.

I just wanted to chime in and say congrats to everyone who has received an offer from one of their top choices this year. This particular thread is definitely more positive than last year's, which is fantastic. I'm sure many of you will continue to get good news in the coming weeks too.

I TOLD YOU.
 
GUYS, DIDN'T I TELL HIM/HER????
 
Welcome to our hell.

Don't go there. Just don't. It'll consume your life.

Don't go there. Just don't. It'll consume your life.

I TOLD YOU.
 
GUYS, DIDN'T I TELL HIM/HER????
 
Welcome to our hell.

Don't go there. Just don't. It'll consume your life.

Don't go there. Just don't. It'll consume your life.

Don't go there. Just don't. It'll consume your life.

Sorry to hear about the Toronto mix-up - that's seriously lame. I had a somewhat similar experience with UT and decided against them anyway because of all the schools I was looking at (including 3 Canadian schools), they were offering the least money. For some reason that I can't understand their stipend is $3-4k lower than other schools. Moving anywhere is a big expense. Moving across a border is even bigger.

But on the question of Canadian PhDs - they are just as good and sometimes better. I know it's hard to believe based on what they tell you, but there are a few reasons. First, they almost all require you have an MA before you start your PhD. This means the students are all starting at a more advanced stage - all the coursework, all the cohort relations, all the engagements are just more advanced because of this. Second, they grade much harder in Canada than they do in the US. No one gets above 90%, well very few. Most people get Bs. Grade inflation is so bad in the US that they have to use GREs to figure out who to admit because almost everyone applying for grad school has a 3.9 or higher. Most Canadian anthropology PhD programs don't ask for GREs.

Where Canadian programs fall short is what you might call professionalization. Canadian students in grad programs are often treated, but not always, like students. US PhD programs often treat students like colleagues. They have to because they make them teach over 50% of the courses. But the double-edged sword is that you end up in the US spending all your energy on teaching, whereas in Canada you're free to spend it on research and publishing (the things that actually get you jobs later). However, the flip side is that Canadian grad students are always told to publish in student journals and go to student conferences which is silly. US students are encouraged to publish in the same journals as everyone else (although there are a few student journals) and present at conferences alongside the faculty. So, on the one hand the US students get treated like professionals from the beginning, without being given time and space to develop that work. On the other hand Canadian grad students are given time and space to develop their work, but often treated as students. Of course there are exceptions and this will vary by department and advisor - but it's an overall trend I've noticed among my 'cohort' across US and Canadian PhD programs.

There is a world out there, beyond the borders of the US - there are teaching jobs in Europe, UK, and Canada - and elsewhere - on every continent. And there are barely any at all in the US. So this idea about US PhDs being the only one you can use to get a job is about 20 years old and no longer valid - mostly because there aren't any jobs in the US, because the university system is being dismantled. What do you expect when you spend most of your resources on the military...

I hope Toronto does admit you, and gives you an offer. If they give you 15k for 4 years, I would take it, as long as you feel OK about taking out a small amount of US Federal Loans to supplement it (which you can do while you're there, so file your FAFSA!).

But if they don't - I would recommend looking again all over Canada for your next round of applications - there are many incredible schools and programs - and there's lots of full-funding spots in Canada. Many US students are going to Canada for MAs (full funded) and PhDs now - no one wants 8 years of study and huge debt with no job prospect. If you're going to get a PhD in a world without a guarantee of a job, you might as well get it without much debt.