Bluesprite

Definitely going to pick up that book. I'm a first-gen student, the oldest (at 30) in my new cohort, and the only one who didn't go to a top-tier Ivy League or equivalent school for their BA. I had the benefit of a self-educated mother who took me to museums, read to us every night, and who pushed education from day one, so I consider myself lucky, but I've started feeling that divide between me and my family for the first time as no one in the family has any idea of what goes on at the grad school level. When I tell anyone back home what I'm doing (PhD in archaeology), the inevitable next questions are "So what are you going to do with that? How are you going to make any money?" I'm not so worried about being able to keep up, I'm more concerned about not being able to relate to anyone in my program, and now, not being able to relate to anyone back home either... At the recruitment event, when I told other students in my program that I'm from a small rural town, that I went to a state university they've never heard of, they act almost embarrassed for me. I feel like they're all wondering how in the hell I got into our top-tier program. I'm proud of my background, the women in my family were all smart, independent, tough-as-nails Dustbowl refugees who went through hell to see me do this, but it doesn't leave me a lot of common ground with my upper middle class 24yo classmates. I'm afraid the next 5-7 years are going to be painfully lonely at this rate.

I'll be there, I was accepted to the PhD program in archaeological anthropology, yay! Anyone coming from the west coast?

I already accumulated $52,000 in debt with my UG because I decided taking loans out was preferable to working two jobs and going to school with time for nothing else and I don't regret it. It gave the free time to volunteer in my department's lab and devote every waking hour to my studies, my McNair thesis, and extra research, which led to being accepted to an incredibly prestigious program with a full 5 year fellowship. If it's an option for grad school, I'd personally recommend doing the same there, as higher grades and extra work can lead to future fellowships and awards that'll pay for later years (one of those times when grad school grades really do matter...) Just my opinion of course. And they say the number one reason for academic probation from poor grades is when people work too much. I know it's not always an option, it wasn't when I first started my degree, but you can get a lot more out of school when you have more time to focus on it. And hell, how many of us are actually going into this for the money? I do it cuz I love it and can't imagine doing anything else, so if I'm a little poorer for it, so be it.

I sympathize. I got the same email, waitlisted for the second year in a row. And I got the exact same email, word for word, from them last year with the exception of it saying 12 positions last year. So it doesn't sound like things are all that different this year, they've always had a very small number of admissions. I'm not worried about it much, I'm accepting an offer from Chicago, but frustrating all the same since I waited a whole year to start grad school so I could try for them again. Que sera!

I think there are three of us on the list now, but yes, I got an acceptance letter from Chicago! What info would you like me to share?

I'm really hoping for NYU's anthropology department. Last year, I was one of two alternates in my subdivision, archaeology, but neither of the originally accepted students turned the places down. Hopefully that means this year I'll be accepted. They're the perfect fit as there's only two archaeologists on earth that research exactly what I want to where I want to and my potential advisor there is the only one of the two in the States. I flew across the country twice to meet her, she really wants me in the program, and even her current grad students are rooting for me, but the decision isn't entirely hers. Crossing my fingers! Chicago's my second choice, but I haven't built the same relationship with the prof there, so it's a lot less likely.