museum_geek

After finalizing a shortlist of about 30 programs by the end of the summer, I ended up applying to 12 schools. I'm happy with my list but I still have to occasionally ignore that little voice in the back of my head that tells me to apply to just one more school!

UCI has a couple faculty members who do visual anthropology, but I don't think they have a program specifically dedicated to it.

I would check to see if she's on academia.edu - that's where I found some articles written by my POIs. Failing that, JSTOR, Ebscohost, ProQuest, Google Scholar, etc may all prove useful.

I think Wyatt means that he's sure Caien is talking about relevant courses in her SOP, as you suggested!

I did! I submitted all my apps with December deadline over Thanksgiving, and sent in the January deadlines (Vandy, Rice, New Mexico, UCSD) over the past few days. I didn't want to go into winter break with any unfinished applications. Now I just have to make sure all my letters get submitted - my letter writers have a tendency to wait until a day or two before my deadlines to turn their letters in, which is kinda stressing me out.

Just submitted the last of my applications. Simultaneously relieved and terrified!

@EvelynD Glad you figured it out! I can't speak to their propensity for human-animal relationships or environmental anthropology, but if you're looking for more programs with a focus on Latin American you should check out Vanderbilt, Syracuse, University of Florida, and University of Arizona, for starters. If you're interested in Mesoamerica in particular, SUNY Albany should definitely be on your list. It might also be worth asking POIs if they know of anyone else who is doing quality work in their specialty. I got some good recommendations on people to contact that way.

Have you tried changing browsers? I had a similar problem with my UCSD app but it worked fine after I switched to Google Chrome.

I would recommend doing some research on the U of T Anthropology website: http://anthropology.utoronto.ca/apply-now/prospective-graduate-students/applications/ 8. Do I need to submit my Graduate Record Examination (GRE) results? The Department of Anthropology, UofT, does not require GRE scores to be submitted with your application. These results will not be considered with your Master’s or Doctoral application.

Knowing that definitely makes me feel better. Two of my letter writers are on my thesis committee and the other supervised a semester long ethnographic research project, so I know they will all write strong LORs, but it still drives me crazy how nonchalant they seem to be about deadlines!

I feel like I cycle through all these emotions on a daily basis. It definitely feels good to submit applications but I'll feel better once my recommenders actually submit their letters!

I don't think the SOP should necessarily be a formal proposal along the same lines as a dissertation proposal, but you should discuss your geographic area of interest, research interests, potential project, etc. I do think there is a bit of a narrative element to the SOP though, and there's certainly room for flexibility/balance. In my SOP I talked about my research interests in the context of my current MA project and how that work might serve as an interpretive training ground and springboard for a PhD project. I also included a brief narrative about my shift from archaeology to sociocultural anthropology as a way of explaining why I want to study my particular topic. I think it's tough to flesh out a research proposal in a document that's generally supposed to be 750-1000 words, so it's important to maintain a balance between narrative and theory/research/goals.

ice hockey

Oh okay, that makes sense. I was thinking of "official" interviews with the adcomm. Best of luck - I've had a couple phone calls and a Skype session with POIs and they all proved helpful/productive!

@Bschaefer That's awesome, congrats! I'm surprised interview requests are being sent out this early - I thought that didn't happen until after application deadlines had passed.

It definitely helps that I'm using the same GRE from when I applied to MA programs, plus no TOEFL or travel expenses. I imagine applying as an international student is quite expensive!

I'm applying to 10 schools, which is about the most I can manage.

@EvelynD Thanks! I'm pretty happy with my applications. I went through five drafts of my SoP with my advisor before I finally settled on a document we were both satisfied with, so I feel like I prepared as best I could. I have 6-7 more apps to turn in but I wanted to get the ones with December 1 deadlines submitted ASAP. As for including a bibliography with your SoP, I don't think it's really necessary. I had one POI request a draft of my SoP and she didn't say anything about including a bibliography in her feedback. I guess this could vary from school to school, but based on what I've seen I don't think it's necessary. On another note, I'd be happy to swap SoP's with anyone who wants an extra set of eyes on theirs.

Submitted my first batch of applications today! Now the waiting begins...

You are definitely not out of the race just because a POI doesn't get back to you. Professors are generally pretty busy and a lot of them aren't great at responding to emails. I would focus on polishing up your SoP/writing sample/personal history and get your other documents in order. At this point in the application process I think it's important to hone in on factors that you can control - stressing over things that are out of your hands is only going to serve as a detriment.

POI = potential advisor/faculty mentor. Not sure where the acronym originated - person of interest? Professor of interest?

It's definitely not too late to get in touch with POIs, but at this point you really need to focus on writing your personal statement, which will probably take a few drafts to polish. Are you applying to MAs or PhDs?

I don't have any specific advice for you but I looked these up and they seem pretty cool, especially Clark's International Community Development program! On another note, I finally got a reply from a professor I want to work with 6 weeks after I emailed her...turns out he was in the field and didn't have internet access. Just goes to show that you shouldn't get discouraged if you don't immediately hear back from a POI!

I can barely manage applying to PhD programs, can't imagine trying to go the MD/PhD route!

I would focus on the language sections of the GRE. From everything I've read, most departments tend to weigh your verbal/writing scores more heavily than the math. At least that's how things are for cultural - it might be different for other subfields. In any case I think it's important to remember that the GRE is only one part of your application, and low scores don't necessarily preclude you from succeeding at the doctoral level. You can do it!