I recently graduated from Columbia with my Master's in anthropology. I applied for the PhD program at Columbia alongside some other good schools, but I didn't get in, save for one school that accepted me without funding.
Looking back, I realized that I kind of screwed up my PhD applications. I was going through something a bit severe that left me a bit "out there." I was sick, and I was getting some help.
I totally think I'm ready to reapply for the Fall 2015 cycle. I'm reaching out to professors, honing my application, and really researching what the schools are looking for.
I have been wondering if I should defer my admission to my unfunded school. My dad says the best thing for me to do would be to attend Syracuse (my unfunded school) for my first year and try to reapply and transfer to a different PhD program next year. This way, I won't waste a year of my life. Of course, the courses at Syracuse won't necessarily transfer easily to another PhD program, so all I would be wasting is tuition money. Still, it's a LOT of money.
I feel so upset about going to Syracuse unfunded. At the same time, my interests have changed while I finished my research thesis at Columbia, so I feel that the department no longer suits my research interests as it had when I applied in the fall.
So, I guess my biggest questions are:
1- Should I defer admission to Syracuse so I don't turn them down right away?
2- Is it wrong to take a year off school to strengthen my application and get myself healthy?
3- What if I'm too old to start my PhD? I'll be 24 next month, but all my friends are already starting their PhD programs at 23. If I were to reapply and get accepted, I would start my PhD at 25.
Thanks for reading.
