smg

A 10 shot stove top espresso maker does the trick for me. I've been know to drink cowboy coffee if need be.

I dropped out of an MA program 7 or 8 years ago. It was the right move. I have never regretted it. I don't imagine I ever will. But...I'm also a screw up without a future. If you know what you would rather be doing make that happen and walk away don't waste any more time.

I dream of not working. I dream of not working but also I'll settle for part time prof/gentleman farmer.

32, greying (only in my beard) and working on applications. I never thought I'd live this long.

Anyone interested in doing an SOP swap in the next week or two?

I think your region of interest doesnt have to match up exactly if your other interests are spot on. Two of my POI's are Latin Americanists I'm not but they are both interested in human-cattle relations which is what is key for my proposed project.

Once you've piqued someones interest how do you sustain it or how to make sure someone I emailed with over the summer remembers me the next spring?

I lived in Canada for over a decade when I came back stateside all they did was flip through my passport. I was terrified that I was going to be harassed and detained for having all kinds of pinko propaganda with me. It didnt happen and the whole process was painless. I do miss poutine and toques though.

I'm stoked to hear that. The GREs are my biggest concern. The rest I'm not worried about. I have a 3.8 GPA. I have a bunch of research experience-- dozens of hours of interviewing. Good LORs. A descent writing sample that I'll update. POI's who seem positive. There is just something so god damn terrible about a 4 hour multiple choice test that has nothing to do with my research annihilating the integrity of my applications. Its weighs on my mind day and night. I'm f'ing indignant about the whole damn thing.

That sounds like what I'm doing. I think I'v settled on UCDavis, UC Santa Barbara and Washington University in St. Louis and I'm looking for one more school and one or two more POI. Then I can just focus on the SOP, GRE, GRFP, LOR and work full time. Easy. Hopefully they toss applications that don't fit before they toss applications with shitty GRE scores. I don't really want to go through the application process a third time. I ain't getting any younger.

Based on my gut and what folks on gradcafe are saying I might not even bother applying to anywhere I haven't successfully dialogued with a POI or 2. It seems like a waste of money, time and energy to send off applications to schools that don't fit and don't write back. Plus I'm going to need someone in my corner to overlook a patchy past.

Anyone else doing some extra reading and research for their upcoming applications? I just ordered some books and am working my way through a PhD thesis this afternoon--Consuming Flesh: The Biopolitics of Beef Consumption. I've been out of school for 7 years so I need to play catch up.

That makes sense. I will probably shoot for four programs. The more I articulate what I want to do the more schools get crossed off my list.

I was told to apply for NSF funding today by one of my POI. Anyone else thinking about applying? Has anyone applied before? Any tips, suggestions, etc., would be dope.

I just heard back from another potential POI. I only emailed her this morning. It was posi and not too professional. I think it's all about finding that sweet sweet esoteric interest that no one in their right mind would care about.

It better not be important for Anthro cause I'm gonna F it up no matter how hard I hit the books. I hate math and I hate tests.

I shoot an email to anyone and everyone who looks interesting. I've gotten back formulaic responses but I've also received personal and encouraging ones. So far this has lead to one phone call with a POI. He explained the school culture, put me in email contact with a grad student and offered to look over my application. Another one has sent me some unpublished work and mentioned an upcoming project I may be interested in. Both of these folks where better fits than most others I contacted; we shared esoteric interests. Is it worth it? I'm not sure but I suspect it is when most folks applying are good students with a whole wack of work/research experience. And for those of us who are unusual students with a patchy past it might be even more valuable. I didn't go to a prestigious school, my grades aren't perfect, I'm pathetically monolingual and I'm a terrible test taker so I'm hoping networking with POI's, a solid SOP and LOR's will do the trick.

I'd just work on making your SOP stronger even if that's just refining the writing a bit here and a bit there. I can give feedback on an SOP. I'm working on mine right now and would appreciate seeing what others are throwing out into the world.

It always comes down to funding. shit.

I know I'm going to bomb the math. I might survive the verbal. I've already started studying but standardized tests and me have a long bad history. Anyone got any ideas regarding damage control?

I'm interested in food studies, human-animal relations and critical theory. I am applying this year and looking at UC Santa Barbara, UC Davis, Washington University in St. Louis, University of Illinois Chicago, Rice, Columbia and for my Canadian school I choose Simon Fraiser. I'd apply to all of them and not worry too much about the acceptance rates. Do they work for you? Only you can answer that question.

Can you post a link to the SOP? Don't worry too much applications aren't due for months. You have plenty of time to ruminate on a project.

Throw it all in the blender and hit puree. For example, your SOP could be about wanting to do ethnography on a particular Southeast Asian advertising firm, newspaper, ngo or the political campaign of a local politician focusing on their media team. I wouldn't propose a project that you are not passionate about. You can't fake the funk. You also cannot get yourself into a PhD program if you have rough ideas about what you want to do you need a concrete and particular plan of action. For my own SOP I am trying to combine seemingly disparate interests and experiences into a single project--livestock based agriculture and critical theory/continental philosophy.

My academic profile is far from exceptional too. I expect rejection. Any acceptances will be a pleasant surprise. Last time in 2012 I got one outright rejection and wait-listed then rejected. I just started hacking away at my SOP but I'd be up for helping each other out once I have something coherent and cohesive. Right now its mostly fragments and fuzzy thinking. I am definitely going to try to include references to theory and anthro history in my SOP. However, I am also VERY interested in theory. I'm pursuing sociocultural anthro and cultural studies.

If you don't mind telling where did you apply, where did you get in, what kind of funding packages did you receive and what does your undergrad background look like? It's helpful to know what a successful applicant looks like in the digital flesh.