mini monkey

Thank you very much for your response! I figured as much. I hope to hear back soon, either way. The thought of having only a month and a half to move after receiving a response (whether good or bad) is scary!

Hey everyone! Biological anthropology major here; created this account 2 years ago during the MA season and now back for PhD season! Quick question: in your opinions, is having a scheduled interview with a POI prior to the application deadline a good sign? Or is a neutral sign (meaning they frequently do this sort of thing and it means nothing special)? Thanks! I had two interviews prior to the deadline, and I saw that one school sent out a few interviews, so I'm not sure what to think. I wonder if it's a bad sign that I wasn't contacted again after submitting my application. I also applied to NYU (to work with Dr. Higham) and have heard nothing; saw that some people have obtained interviews. I am assuming rejected at this point, unfortunately.

Hello James! I have a cohort friend who is in a similar position as you, but their degree is not in psychology; rather, it is in a dramatically different field (think 'hard sciences'). So this may be a bit of a stretch, so take this with a pinch of salt. I think my friend's biggest struggle was the theoretical aspects of the coursework. For me, I already had training in a lot of anthropological theory and methods. A lot of terms that I considered basic were hard for my friend to understand because they were never exposed to them. I recommend the book "Anthropological Theory: An Introductory History" by McGee and Warms if you aren't familiar with the basics of ethnography and the history of ethnographic fieldwork. I've used this book at least 3x during my undergrad years, and a lot of the material is repetitive in graduate school. It may be worth investing in and reading over. But it does sound like your coursework in equity studies may have you well prepared, so it honestly depends on your comfort level. Also try to become familiar with the type of theoretical background that the professors you will be working with have. See how they put that into their own research. This has been difficult for not just my friend but a lot of other cohorts as well. It is possible that you can collect data abroad, but that has to be with you and your committee. Do they think it's a good idea for you to go abroad? Will going abroad be able to match your study questions? Etc. I think only you and your committee can truly answer that question. I have two friends who are traveling abroad to do field research this summer, and I also have friends who are staying in-state to do research. So there is variation on how research is conducted. Sorry this is kind of vague. I hope it is somewhat helpful!

GCool has a point, but also note that grad schools look at other factors other than the GRE. They look at your SOP, POIs, your experience, etc. It honestly depends on the program! Some programs take the GRE very seriously, while others don't even require it. Your teaching and language experience sounds pretty helpful, though!

I recommend giving it some time. I was constantly second-guessing myself when I first started, and things were a little awkward between my advisor and I because I'm socially awkward! There were lots of awkward jokes and pauses. But now, after meeting with him once a week for my research project and seeing him 5 days a week almost for classes, everything's great. Show your advisor what kind of research you're capable of! It wasn't until I really started talking about my research and producing results where things started to become more comfortable. It's just going to take time to get used to this arrangement for the both of you! Don't feel too bad just yet.

Hello again, everyone. Sorry I haven't been on in a while; things have been very busy. Today I received an update from two universities. Here are the final results for all the ones I applied to: 1. Purdue- Rejected. 2. SIUC- Accepted. Will be attending. 3. CWU- Accepted. Appears I got off the waitlist. 4. California State University at Northridge- Accepted. I'll be sending out emails to CWU and CSUN to let them know that I am declining their offers. Hope this helps someone!

That's good! Congrats! I'm doing the same with CWU in hopes of using it to procure funding from the university I have already accepted. Are you planning on doing this, and if so how will you be wording it? All my professors told me I should try it if I am offered funding, but I feel so strange doing it...

I feel like I'm the odd one out, haha! I have four pet dogs and two pet turtles, but the dogs technically belong to my parents. Instead of spending money on room and board, I decided to live with my parents during my undergraduate years. The turtles are all mine. I've been on my own before (studying abroad in Australia), but I feel like this time around with a greater coursework load in grad school and relocating to the middle of nowhere I need some sort of social support. I can't take any of the dogs because my parents are really attached to them; I'd feel guilty taking them away from this nice environment. They'll be better off here with such a nice yard and warm weather! I currently live in a nice warm area and my turtles love to sun bask on hot days, but I'm now moving to a cold state. I was originally thinking of re-homing my turtles, but I decided against it because I would like some sort of pet to distract me / keep my stress levels down when times get tough. I plan on purchasing a larger tank, a high-quality heater, and a nice basking rock to make them comfortable. I'm also going to buy turtle food in bulk just in case I can't find a pet store around me. I'll order the rest online if need be. Turtles are much less of a commitment in my opinion because yes I do need to feed them, monitor their health, etc. but don't require the amount of play as a dog would. That and my schedule might be irregular. It's comforting knowing that if I can't make it home in time that my turtles will be fine and will be warm, fed (auto feeder), etc. I would love to own a dog, but I don't feel comfortable doing so until I see what my schedule is like. For now, I'm happy with my turtles.

I have also become slightly lazy, but I feel like most (if not all) undergraduates suffer from "senioritis" at some point just because you're that much close to the next step in life. I'll try to embrace both the lazy and the determined parts of me.

Hello everyone! I don't want to start a new topic yet, but can anyone give me some advice on Carbondale, IL?

Unfortunately this happens from time to time. Could be due to problems getting staff meetings organized, getting paperwork organized, had trouble making a decision, etc. I contacted one school and they told me that they were unable to meet on their scheduled decision day due to weather problems. I would give it a few days before contacting them.

I was at work, and was feeling down because I heard two weeks before that I was rejected from my top choice. Decided to send a spontaneous last-second application to another program of interest. I loved their staff and curriculum much more than my top choice, but assumed I wouldn't be accepted because the deadline was so close and they already accepted a few applicants (that posted their results here). But I got an email with a .pdf attached saying they accepted me! I ran around hugging all my coworkers and managers, called and emailed my professors and parents, and then hugged everyone again because I wasn't sure what to do with all my energy!

I wish you the best of luck Forsaken! Sending good vibes your way! You got this!!! I am also not fond of the "unofficial" waitlists. I was put on one as well for one of the schools I applied to. I was told that they would eventually contact me during the 'second wave' of acceptances to see how the "official" waitlist is. I would also like to know what the differences are between the official and unofficial.

Congrats, Ecologaia! That is awesome news

Thank you and it is nice to meet you Forsaken! I saw another Primatologist lurking around... maybe they will show up again.

I was denied admissions for my first choice (MA), and accepted for my second choice (MA). First Choice POI: This person conducts research with my current professor. My current professor also obtained their MA and Ph.D. from my POI. I sent a few emails back and forth, and they seemed interested in my research topic. At the time, I really wanted to work with this person because my current professor is my idol and a huge inspiration to me, and I thought that following their exact same footsteps would be good. It appears that funding issues were the problem, but at the same time I'm happy because my POI here is changing research topics and it would not be a good fit for me. This was an important life lesson: It's best if I follow my own foot steps instead of trying to mimic someone else's achievements. Second Choice POI: Now here's where it gets funny. After realizing that I was rejected from my first choice university, I had two back-up universities, but I wasn't really interested in those. I thought I had a shoe-in at my first choice so I didn't have a solid back-up plan. I did some research and found this university and saw that they had not one, not two, but FOUR professors who were interested in my research topics. I applied (and the application was actually a little late, heh...) thinking that this was a lost cause but was worth a shot. I didn't talk to the professors at all before submitting my application. Apparently they were interested because I was accepted! As for your situation, try to steer clear of assuming too much. Stay hopeful, but don't throw all your eggs in one basket like I did. Think about your other options just in case. Other issues that are out of your control (such as funding issues) can occur. I wish you the best and I hope that you are given admissions! Good luck!

Good morning everyone! I've been lurking for some time but finally decided to make an account. In response to ecologaia: I have visited Chapel Hill many times. It's a beautiful area! I actually live ~3 hours away from there, but it's the go-to area for the college students in NC for vacationing. You're going to love it. As for admissions status: I haven't read this entire thread yet, so maybe someone already posted my results from these universities. But for my MA: 1. Purdue University: Admissions Denied. It looks like there was funding complications that prevented them from taking too many students in. I see that one lucky Ph.D. student got in, though! Congrats! 2. SIU Carbondale: Admissions Accepted! I've already accepted their admissions offer. I will be studying Biological Anthropology and focusing on Primatology there. 3. CWU: It appears that I have been waitlisted... but seeing that many have already accepted admissions here, it's assumed that it will be a no. This was a back-up university. 4. California State University Northridge: This was another back-up school and they take applications late (deadline is today, actually). I'm not worried about the results of this or CWU. If I do get an offer from CWU or CSUN I will be declining. Hopefully if that's the case it will help someone out. My focus is Primatology, specifically the great apes (gorillas > orangs > chimpanzees > bonobos > gibbons/siamangs). It's nice to meet all of you!