PurpleZephyr

Hey Everyone! I will be attending UNC in the fall and I need roommates. I'm currently serving in the US Peace Corps, and do not have stable internet often (I can't Skype either). I won't be able to visit the university or the States before school starts. Anyone interested in roommates, please let me know. I want to live with incoming graduates. Thanks

Rejected at UVA after being waitlisted, but... I am attending the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill! Thanks for the support everyone, congratulations and good luck!

The number of anthropologists doing health services research is growing!

Congratulations annwyn! I'll see you at SFAA!

Ditto to all of that! The perspective on Brown's new school of public health is accurate. When I was a student, public health was just a program out of the school of medicine and didn't become a school until the year after I graduated. It was still one of the best programs in the country and was just as strong as the older more established "schools" of public health as well. Consider this when deciding on whether you should attend Notre Dame or not.

According to Council of Graduate Schools, the April 15 Resolution only applies to offers of financial support, not admission. This means that you can accept your offer on April 16, provided that your offer letter did not contain any funding committments. Since UMinn offered you funding, you must accept or decline by April 15 in lieu of an extension, so disregard the beginning of my previous post, as it was incorrect. Sorry about that. www.cgsnet.org/april-15-resolution Your choice comes down to whether or not you feel UMinn (with funding but little interest in your regional focus) or ND (a new program with funding to come later but the BOSS in your interest area) is better for your career prospects.

Hello! You made it this far with Notre Dame! Assuming you get the acceptance on April 15, you still dont have to decide on MN right away. From what I understand, April 15 is the deadline for sending admissions decisions from all the graduate schools (it's'a consortium of sorts) in the U.S., and that deadline does not mean students must submit offers by that date. How could you make an informed decision when funding might not come until May? Unless UMinn gave you a deadline by which to decide your offer, you can wait a bit. I finished my MPH a few years ago and I'm starting a PhD program in med anthro this fall. From taking med anthro coursework during my public health program (and having no prior anthropology experience), I know that preparation for the coursework was not an issue. Much of the courses in pub hlth (at Brown, the masters and phd students had much of the same courses) were quantitative with most students learning topics for the first time. Don't worry too much about being "behind" your peers at UMinn. Besides, you'll be a beast in your qualitative methods courses. UMinn should have that, and if you need to take some qual coursework in the anthro or sociology depts, I doubt that will be a problem (it's'a shame that you're an outlier for being interested in qualitative research at a public health institution). Notre Dame sounds like you'd'have the opportunity to build something new there, but I understand your hesitation in committing to that sort of undertaking. If you want an academic job, you are right to highly consider program prestige. If you are interested in a non-academic career path, your degree type will correspond to the type of career you want. You can pursue non-academic jobs with a PhD in pub hlth or anthro (NGOs, policy work, foundations, think tanks, news services, domestic and foreign govt, etc). Your training will differ between the two disciplines, but you can strengthen your focus in an area that will suit your intended career path from either discipline. I'm pursuing a non-academic career path with an anthro PhD and I am confident that I can succesfully compete with public health PhD-holders and Anthropology PhD-holders for jobs. It is true that there are traditional "anthropology jobs" and "public health jobs" but the parameters that comprise those traditional job-types do not include many of the non-academic jobs I highlighted earlier. Getting a PhD in anthropology will not hinder you in the job search, especially if it sets you apart from the rest. Congratulations on your acceptances thus far.

That sounds like good news. We're down to 12 days until the 15th, so we won't have to wait too long. Im actually happy to talk to a few more UVA applicants. I havent run into anyone on GC interested in the program. Im still trying to get more information on it. Do you have any?

Neither did I until I saw that posting on the results board asking about it. It's irrelevant, as its April 2 and UVA has decided to go "off the grid" for some ridiculous reason.

To the poster on the results board who asked about UVA: how did you know today was "the deadline?" I'm still waiting on a decision too.

I emailed the professor who interviewed me a few months ago, and he told me that my application had passed several rounds of elimination and that I am under serious consideration. He didn't say when the process would be complete or when the department would issue acceptances. I assume that since you have heard nothing, your application is also still under serious consideration.

Speaking of decisions, is anyone planning on attending UNC Chapel Hill?

Anyone applied to UVA? I've asked this question a few times, but I'm hoping to catch someone who's missed my previous posts.

I just got my decision email from UC Irvine; I didn't make it off the waitlist. My last program is the University of Virginia. MY FINGERS ARE CROSSED!

Nah, I'm waiting on UC Irvine and Virginia. Good luck with Duke.

It's my birthday and I'm on vacation, but I can't stop thinking about the two programs that have yet to give me a decision. I need a drink.

Emailing students is best. I'm working abroad and I still feel comfortable getting information from graduate students. Traveling is a lot of money and I doubt that you would accept and arrive in town only to find that you don't like the vibe. You'll get a good sense of what you need to know from the current students. They've all done this application-gauntlet before.

Thanks! I'm still waitlisted (no email stating otherwise) and it's good to know that Irvine is not struggling financially. Congrats on the admit. Does anyone have any UVA updates? Does anyone have any thoughts on the department there?

Thanks for your thoughts. Its nice to know that I'm not alone and that my reasoning is sound. I'm not too worried about being unsupported by faculty, even if my POI bolts for somewhere else. I'm confident that there are other faculty members inside the department that will provide guidance and support. Honestly the money is bugging me. I don't have an answer for the funding problem either; do you go for the sure thing (5 or 6 years funding) or go for the standout department with only 3 years? I'm still waiting on two decisions, but this isn't an easy choice. Congratulations to you, annwyn, and everyone else with acceptances and choices to make!

It is this aspect of application-mindset that I don't possess. I hardly considered the possibility of my POI departing for greener pastures and leaving me stranded (in Irvine, ouch). Redfield is a professor (not associate or assistant) and I know that he is comfy there at UNC. Any UVA issues? I've been impressed by UNC and swept off my feet by the department and I'm liking what I see (and read), but should I be concerned about the last two years of non-funding?

Let me explain! UNC is only providing 3 years of funding to its anthro students, not five years. Current anthro students have expressed some concern with the funding situation there, and I am a bit worried. I know that people find funding for their years in the field and dissertation writing (years 4-5), but the cushion and safety of 5 years sounds nice. That said, the UNC program sounds FANTASTIC! I didn't discuss how awesome the current students are and how collegial the department seems to be. UC Irvine was a chance to work with a professor (Peterson) doing specific research. I study pharmaceutical sectors in developing economies and she has similar research interests. However, Dr. Redfield at UNC is also interested in my stuff. Thanks for the info on Irvine. I knew little about it. My ranking was mostly displeasure with getting 3 years and not 5; I know that UNC is wondaful.

I'm still clinging to hope that my one acceptance may be accompanied by one (two?) more. I, along with many others, are awaiting a decision from the University of Virginia (January interview) and UC Irvine (waitlist). Irvine is my top choice and I am bullish on UVA, but if I don't get accepted, I will accept my offer at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. UVA should happen soon!