museum_geek

Looks like you have a pretty solid CV lined up, and writing an undergrad honor's thesis will certainly strengthen your profile. With that being said, it's tough to say which programs you should be applying for without more information on your geographic and research interests, as your personal statement and "fit" with faculty at PhD programs will go a long way in determining whether or not you are accepted, even at the "top tier" schools (Chicago, Ivies, Berkeley, etc). I'm not familiar with maritime archaeology, but off the top of my head I know Texas A&M has a good program in that area. I don't do bioarch though, so perhaps some other folks could give better or more in-depth recommendations.

A reach is a program that is especially competitive. It's a school that - even if I am a slam dunk research fit - I might not get into because they are so selective/prestigious. For me, that's programs like Chicago, UC Berkeley, UCLA, Michigan, Harvard, Brown, etc. A good fit is a school that is both a good research fit and somewhere that is more likely to accept you based on your credentials. The problem with applying to grad school is that even a lot of "good fit" schools can turn into "reaches" given the nature of the application process. There's really no such thing as a sure bet at this level.

@EvelynD My research interests are broad enough that I've found a fairly large pool of scholars that I'd feel comfortable working with. Right now I'm aiming to apply to about a dozen schools, with a 3-4 reaches, 5-6 solid fits, and a couple "back-up" schools (though at this stage of the game I don't know if that applies). I'm fortunate in that my interests and methods of inquiry cross-cut cultural anthropology and archaeology, so I haven't had much trouble finding programs. @pastthesarcophagi Good idea! I wish I had known about Binghamton's Public Archaeology MA when I was applying to Master's programs last year...regardless, their PhD program is now on the list!

I have 25-30 schools on my radar right now which will probably get whittled down to about a dozen by the time Fall rolls around. Some of the programs I'm interested in at the moment are UVA, WUSTL, UCLA, Wisconsin, Indiana, Brown, UPenn, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Arizona.

Yeah, it's definitely good to get in touch with a professor, especially to find out if they are taking on new students. If you are looking into programs for HAS you might want to check out Washington University in St. Louis and UC Santa Barbara. This thread might also be helpful:

Yes, the whole process cannot feel overwhelming at times, especially since I'm trying to get ready for the upcoming application season while juggling MA coursework, thesis research, and logistics for the summer internship that's required by my MA program. It's definitely good to be able to let go sometimes - that's why I make sure I'm always reading some sort of non-academic (usually sci-fi) book to give my brain a rest. Congrats on hearing back from a POI so soon! I have a preliminary list of professors I'd like to work with but I don't plan on getting in touch with any of them until July/August. Should I be contacting them earlier?

pastthesarcophagi pretty much hit the nail on the head - at least, that's how I've gone about researching potential programs. I would also suggest checking out the AAA institutional search if you'd like to look up specific programs.

Congrats meg! I'm absolutely thrilled to see a fellow poster from last year's application cycle get a well deserved acceptance

@Need Coffee in an IV You definitely still have time to apply to VT! I would recommend speaking with Bailey Van Hook or Aaron Ansell, the co-directors of the program. They're both super friendly and I'm sure they'd be happy to hear from a potential applicant. One of the other students in my cohort actually graduated from Radford this spring, so the program already has some connections to Radford!

If you're still looking for programs I would recommend the MA in Material Culture and Public Humanities at Virginia Tech. It offers significant experience with museum work and offer opportunities for funding. Full disclosure, I'm a bit biased as I am currently a student in the program, but it really does offer some great opportunities for professional experience and interdisciplinary study. They offered me an incredibly generous stipend and an assistantship which allows me to work for the lead curator at the VT Center for the Arts. The MS in Museum and Field Studies at CU Boulder is another good program to check out, although it is more focused on preparing students for careers in collections management instead of education.

Like AKCarlton said, it really depends on what you're looking to do and where you're looking to work. I interned at a small, lesser known local museum and it was a fantastic experience. I really got into the nitty-gritty of museum work - learning the ins and outs of Past Perfect, working the front desk, setting up for the big yearly fundraiser (and several smaller ones), and even some grant writing. The great thing about interning at this smaller, "less prestigious" museum was that I got to a bit of everything rather than being one small cog filling a niche role in a monolithic institution. This internship led me to a full time job at a different small, local museum where I have spent the last couple years doing everything: writing Tier 2 grants, teaching elementary schoolers on field trips, planning fundraisers, taking care of the till and daily/monthly P&L reports, etc. When I applied to grad school this cycle I received several generous offers, including a fully funded offer with a graduate curatorial assistantship at a large cultural institution affiliated with the university I'll be attending. One of the things I consistently heard from POIs and admissions people was how attractive my experience was - these people absolutely loved the fact that I had spent the past few years in the trenches getting my hands dirty at community museums. It's certainly not the only good way to gain experience in the field and open doors and of course your mileage may vary, but in my experience working at a smaller, community focused museum is a hugely rewarding experience - provided you're willing to work your ass off for long hours and low pay. Best of luck!

Yay!!!!

When I accepted my offer I sent a quick email to the DGS explaining that I had accepted the offer, that I was looking forward to joining the program, and if there was anything else they needed from me to officially confirm the acceptance. The DGS said that they would be sending a GTA contract for me to sign at some point in the next few weeks to finalize my funding. So if you got a funding/assistantship from your program I would guess that would be the next step. Also, don't be afraid to shoot the DGS or a POI some questions. They won't revoke your acceptance for asking!

Has anyone else been watching Better Call Saul? Between Bob Odenkirk's dialogue (and Matlock suit), Jonathan Banks' fascinating backstory, and Michael McKean running around in a space blanket stealing newspapers, I'm hooked. The show has far surpassed my expectations, especially for a spin-off.

It's harder to tell when you go back and binge watch, but season 2 was super boring and easy to lose interest in when it first came out. Waiting a week in between each episode and spending that whole week thinking "maybe they'll finally leave the farm" or "maybe the sophia storyline will play out now" was awful. Season 3 is pretty good, season 4 gets even better, and season 5 has been absolutely bonkers. The show has gotten so much stronger since season 2 - writing, characterization, sets, pacing, everything. I'm so excited for the last three episodes of season 5!

Yay! See you in 2017!

Just accepted my offer at Virginia Tech. Of course, when I went back to read the acceptance email I sent I found a typo...it's too late for them to rescind the offer now, right?

Thanks for the advice! I know for sure that at least one school has a questionnaire to fill out if you decline the offer, so I'm all set there. It's the other schools I wasn't sure about. It sucks because they are all great fits and I'd be happy at any of these schools, but I just can't turn down VT's research opportunities, not to mention the fact that it is fully funded. In the end I guess it's better to be the one sending out rejection emails, rather than receiving them

I plan on formally accepting my offer at VT tomorrow! I'm stoked to be moving on from this seemingly interminable application season - the next few months of planning my cross country move, apartment hunting, getting to know Blacksburg, etc will probably be less stressful than the past few months of anxious waiting. There is one last bit of app season stuff I'm unsure about: declining offers of admission. I have four offers to decline, and I plan on sending an email to my POI at each school (in addition to the online accept/decline button on each website). What kind of information is typically included in one of these emails? Do I let them know where I am going and why I chose VT over their programs, or am I supposed to keep it general and along the lines of "sorry it didn't work out, hopefully we will get the chance to work together in the future/see each other at conferences/etc?" If anyone has experience with this I would appreciate some advice! I don't want to ruffle any feathers, especially since some of these MA programs I'm turning down have associated faculty at PhD programs I'll be looking at in 2017.

This is spot on. I finished my undergrad in 2013 and I've spent the last two years interning (and later working full time) in the museum field. It's low paying and not in my preferred field of museum work, but it's been a fantastic experience and has helped me mature and figure out how to be a "real adult." This job has thrust me into situations where I have to constantly make my own decisions and manage my own time - no professors to tell me which chapters to read or which theories to study. I feel like working in this environment, "the real world," so to speak, has prepared me for advanced academic study better than any master's program or post-bacc could have done. In fact, the only reason I'm going into a master's program first is because I slacked off during undergrad and have no research and pubs, and because I want to have a professional MA in my back pocket when I hit the job market post-PhD. To be perfectly honest, after two years of slogging through a 9 to 5 for 40 hours a week I am more excited about going back to school than I have ever been in my entire life. Taking time off from has refocused and re-energized me - I honestly can't imagine how people go straight from undergrad to a PhD program without totally burning themselves out.

It means that the director is currently unsure about scholarships and teaching opportunities, but will probably have an answer for you in June.

I'm not sure but I've always gotten the impression that US based projects, for whatever reason, get categorized under the umbrella of sociology or american studies.

Just got my rejection letter from Brown. I figured I wouldn't get in since I hadn't heard from them at all so it's nice to get some confirmation. Really just waiting on one more notification before I can accept this VT offer.

I would be working with Sandra Olsen at KU. I'll probably decline their offer as they can't offer much in the way of funding, but I would have enjoyed working with her at KUMNH.

Yes, your writing sample and SOP/personal statement are infinitely more important than your AW score. No one cares about the AW score because it's indicative of your ability to follow a simple writing formula rather than a barometer of your actual writing skill. As for your scores, it really depends on how far below average they were. A lot of places won't consider your application if you hit at least 150 on both quant and verbal. If you hit the 150/150 mark then it's possible that your writing sample, CV, LoRs, research, work/internship experience, etc can overcome low scores. I think NOWAYNOHOW has a good target, though. 150 on quant and 160 on verbal is pretty much what you should aim for. I hit the 92nd percentile in verbal and 40th percentile in quant and got some good offers, so the 150/160 mark seems about right.