mmmcheese

I'm in exactly the same boat! Happy to have a single, but really didn't want to end up in NGC and really REALLY didn't want to have to go on a meal plan as I've been cooking for myself for several years now. Would also be interested to hear current students' perspectives on NGC -- is it relatively calm, how big are the rooms, etc? As I wrote in an earlier post, I'm getting married during the academic year and so will have to move out of NGC at some point anyway, but if it's really as bad I've heard, I might as well just find something on the private market now and save myself the hassle of moving later on.

Not going to Hopkins but YES to the US v UK decision! I'll PM you rather than do a stream-of-consciousness post here. And congrats on your great choices!

Thanks, Bleep_Bloop! I ended up calling Graduate Housing and explaining my situation -- they didn't particularly seem to care! They told me to try for a studio or one-bedroom, but that I would probably end up in a shared flat with a random flatmate(s), and then have to file transfer paperwork later in the year. It does seem a bit complicated and inflexible, but on the other hand, they reassured me that my spouse and I would eventually have our own space (ie, they wouldn't just stick us in a two-bedroom with a stranger, which I imagine would be awkward for all parties involved). So moving to our own place would be a minor hassle, but it's better than the alternative, I think. If anyone else has partners joining them in the middle of the year and successfully snags a private space right off the bat, kindly PM me and explain how you worked your magic with Graduate Housing.

Is there any way to get in touch with potential flatmates ahead of time, ie to pre-select who you'd like to live with? I'd rather not live with somebody from my department just because of the whole work-life balance thing, but it'd be great to choose my flatmate myself. Also, I'm getting married in the middle of the 2015-2016 academic year, so that means I would have to apply for a graduate housing transfer, yes?

blue_inversions, Oxford is on Easter break until April 7 or 8, I believe. They are delayed due to some larger changes in Graduate Admissions (and also, uh, it's Oxford and nothing runs on time), so if you applied for the March deadline, I don't know when you can expect to hear back, but if you applied for the November or January deadlines, it is wholly reasonable to email the department directly, explain the other offers and deadlines you are working with, and ask for an update. They're well aware that their timetable is often at odds with those at other universities, particularly North American programs, so I can't imagine they'd be anything less than sympathetic.

homo_ignotus, this is my first time at this rodeo too, so keep that in mind, but I think your plan sounds very sensible and fair. One of my options still hadn't provided funding details, so I emailed them the other day to explain my situation, and they were very gracious and understanding. They weren't able to give me the exact information I needed that day, but they reassured me that it would come by no later than the end of March. I can live with that!

Thanks, smg! That's a really good point.

Thanks so much, everyone! Someone PMed me and suggested that I could try to bring an Africanist anthropologist from my current institution onto my committee at whichever program I end up choosing. I think that's a really promising idea, because it would give me the country-specific guidance I need (there are two people at my current program working in my particular country of focus) without having to necessarily compromise on the theoretical/topical stuff. So I'm going to see which of my options would be amenable to that arrangement. Just thought I'd post that here in case anyone else is in my shoes! If any current students at schools I'm considering are lurking here, please do get in touch! Like I said, I wasn't able to visit most of these programs, and I'd love to hear from people who are already there.

Sorry, I wasn't clear enough -- by regional fit, I don't mean the location of the school itself in the US, but its ethnographic research strengths (ie, I'm an aspiring Africanist anthropologist, and I think some of my options are definitely better than others for Africanist anthropology). Sorry for the confusion!

Thanks, smg! By this point, I've been able to Skype/email/trade phone calls with all of my potential supervisors, and while they've all been gracious and enthusiastic, I also think it's hard to really gauge personality over the course of a few interactions. I'm not in the US, so unfortunately I can't afford to visit most of these places in-person (only one program so far has been able to fly me out on their dime). So while I've been in contact with people of interest, current grad students, etc, almost every interaction I've had has been rosy and upbeat -- that's definitely better than the alternative, of course, but it also leaves me wondering to what extent this is a fair reflection of program dynamics, and to what extent this is just the nature of the post-admission sell. Would love to hear others' thoughts on topical v. regional fit! (though I definitely see how these things can change over the course of a PhD)

Hi, everyone! A friend recently referred me to this site, and I'm hoping you lovely people can shed some light on one particular aspect of the decision-making process. Specifically, do you think theoretical/topical fit or ethnographic/regional fit is more important when choosing a program? Ideally, you'd have both, but I think in my case I have to privilege one over the other given the project that I want to do and the options I've been given. My current supervisor (I'm finishing up a master's) told me to emphasize the former, but I'd be grateful for additional perspectives. trogdorburninator, I have no idea how to tag you in this, but I'd love to swap PMs -- I wasn't able to make the visiting weekend for Northwestern, so it'd be great to get your impressions. Thank you all so much for any thoughts you can spare!