ecopolitiq

Another perspective: I'm starting at USF this fall, but opted not to do an MPH. When I visited, I met several students there who are doing it and they basically told me that it's a waste of time/their public health advisors made life more difficult than necessary.

Oh, I should also be clear that I'm finishing up my MA at OSU, not my BA. I was accepted here two years ago for MA/PhD, but decided that the program isn't the best fit and so I am likely getting the PhD elsewhere.

Do you know a grad student here? I definitely agree, plus USF has a stronger cultural program. I want a job after, lol.

Got the good news that I've been accepted to the University of South Florida to work with Rebecca Zarger! I saw at least two others on the results page, so if you would like PM me and we can get to know one another? Now the decision will be whether to abandon ship and head to USF or continue on at Ohio State...

No- I'm finishing my MA here and was approved to continue for Ph.D. study.

I got the same email, unfortunately, but congrats on the acceptance! Likewise, I've been accepted to continue here at OSU, so it looks like we are safe!

Any news out of UC-Irvine? They said we could expect to hear back in February, but the "application pending" status is starting to induce anxieties...

Also applied to Boulder and South Florida!

What is this about someone hearing about Colorado? Do you mean Boulder? I'm going nuts waiting to hear myself! Eee I hope so! I am not super optimistic personally, because I know that they were going to be really competitive for cultural spots this year after all the new people they brought in last year, but some good news for both of us would be nice.

What is this about someone hearing about Colorado? Do you mean Boulder? I'm going nuts waiting to hear myself!

Thanks! Valerie Olson is my prospective advisor there. She and I talked via Skype the other day and it seems like it would be a really good fit.

At present, I am enrolled in a combined MA/PhD program with six years of guaranteed funding. I just finished my first year of the MA and am on track to finish that portion by the end of next spring semester. However, as I develop my research interests, I am finding that the institution I am at is not as good of a fit as it was initially, and so I am thinking about applying elsewhere. After reviewing some schools and talking with my partner, I decided that UC Irvine is really the only other department I would be interested in. I was wondering if anyone on this forum either attends UC Irvine or has applied, and what that experience has been like? I am particularly interested in learning more about the department's intellectual environment and the competitiveness of their application process. Thanks! PS- if it matters at all, I am a cultural anthropologist studying environmental health discourse. So, broadly, the anthropology of scientific knowledge is my "niche," which is what UC Irvine's program is well-known for.

I agree with most of the other posts here. I entered an anthropology MA/PhD program without ever taking a single anthropology course. My background was interdisciplinary environmental and urban studies, so I had plenty of related coursework in biology, economics, sociology, political science, history... etc. If you want a good overview, I recommend Erickson & Murphy's book "A History of Anthropological Theory." The most recent edition would be best (I think it's on its fourth?) The book is relatively short, well-written, and gives a good overview of what the discipline is about. I obtained and read the book last summer and it turned out to be a good choice.

It really depends on your research interests. Choose based on courses offered, faculty, funding, and program strengths rather than arbitrary, fluctuating, and highly subjective ratings.