hippocampus

I did my Masters at MCC. Even as a current student, it was often challenging to get responses to email from particular professors. Some were great and responded quickly, but there were a few that I only had about a 33% response rate--and that was while I was in that professor's class. Just part of the culture in that program.

I first applied to doctoral programs in 2010 for a 2011 start. I was finishing my masters from NYU (which I hadn't really stressed about getting into), I only applied to four schools, interviewed at one of them. Denied from all of them. Now, I had worked for 4 years before doing my masters, so I was already on a career path that I could return to, but I think the answer is the same. You do something else. You intern. You volunteer. You get a job. I believe the statistic is that under 2% of people in the US get PhDs. That's a lot of people doing something else. The first point would be if you are still in school, go talk to your career center. Every school has one. Just go and talk with an open mind about what's out there. Anthropology and Environmental Public Health? You could look at government jobs or corporate jobs that have an environmental component. Or non-profits that work in environmental policy. Or any job that requires a clear and cogent writer. You have experience with children and tutoring? Look at the 826's in various cities. Rather than a specific field, ask yourself what you like to do during the day. Is it writing? Is it working with a team? Is it a job that you spend 8 hours doing and then leave or do you want to have a job that has flexible hours? Those answers will guide you as you look at options. Me? I connected my career with my interest in education and worked as staff in academia for three years before applying for PhDs again.

One thing you don't mention is what your goals are by getting the degree. Is it to go into a specific industry afterwards? Then look at which choice will help you build those connections. Is it to be an academic? Then look at what the placement rates are of graduates from each program (and strongly consider reputation.) Is it for pure intellectual enrichment and enjoyment? Then look at which choice will (or seems like it will be) most fulfilling. A comment about the commute--part of going into a program like this is to build a community and use the resources of the school. A 90-minute commute sounds like it would be a deterrent to things like going to a talk or event on campus just because you want to or running over to the library to grab a source you just came across. Have you looked into the on-campus resources for family housing? Many universities have some options.

First time posting--Does anyone have any information about UCSB Film and Media Studies? I see a couple of acceptances posted, but I haven't heard anything. The historical listings seem all over the place in terms of timing.