MissAnthropology

Hi all - I have some questions about the Vanier and I'd appreciate your thoughts on my situation. I am an American with a BA who has received two offers of admission into Canadian universities. School A has accepted me directly into their PhD program and School B is offering to "fast-track" me into the PhD stream after one year of MA work (they do not offer direct entry from the BA to the PhD for Int'l applicants). My POI at School B has said that they are prepared to nominate me for the Vanier when the time comes (so after moving into the PhD stream, sometime in 2016-17). I am surprised that this potential nomination is even being discussed as it seems a bit early! Okay now for my onslaught of questions. How do schools choose who to nominate? Do some schools have a better chance at getting these scholarships than others (e.g. does something vague like prestige or some other quality factor in?) Are schools only allowed to nominate one student? Really what I'm trying to assess is: How much weight should I afford this nomination offer, especially since it will be awhile before I am eligible? For reference, both programs are giving me full funding though the stipends differ. Feel free to message me if you'd like more specifics. Or go ahead and tell me to, "Google it your damn self!" lol Thanks

I contacted Max Friesen back in the fall about coming to Toronto for graduate studies in arctic archaeology. He was very personable over email and even gave me some articles to read. He did warn me, however, about the near impossibility of getting accepted as an international applicant. To add to it, I was applying to the PhD program as direct-entry (just finished my BA this spring). Basically I had two marks against me already, but I applied anyway. There aren't many arctic archaeology programs out there and Toronto/Friesen really seem like a good fit for me. And from what I've been told by my referees and colleagues in the field, Toronto is a reputable school whose name carries some cachet (which I'm hoping will help later on when I enter the job market). Maybe this judgement on reputation is different from a Canadian perspective? I also like the idea of getting out of Illinois. P.S. This is my second time around applying to schools. Last year, I kind of winged it and was met with across the board rejections. I was shortlisted at WashU, and after I drove down for interviews, it was clear that my interests didn't line up with those of the faculty as well as I had thought. This time I started earlier, did more research, and made sure to contact faculty well ahead of time. Honestly, this unexpected time off has been great. I've been able to get more job experience and I have the time to work on getting an article ready for publication. So for those still waiting, don't despair if you aren't successful this round! Keep your head up and use your time off to build up your CV.

Hiya, brandnewshoes! I am an international applicant (hailing from Illinois) that was just accepted to Toronto's PhD program. The email came directly from the Anthropology Admissions Committee via Wendy Peters. Hopefully that means you'll hear something soon! It really caught me off guard; I wasn't expecting a decision so soon. I read the email probably a dozen times because I couldn't believe it was real (let the imposter syndrome begin...). Putting out good thoughts for you and all of the other Anthros here! P.S. Greetings to the other Toronto admit(s)!