vonham

hey! so far those are looking like some really good stats. I would of course recommend that you check out u of arizona's joing ling and anth program as well :P. One thing I'd say is that you're looking at a really wide range of programs and potential subfields. There's nothing particularly wrong with that, as a lot of people start out their phd with varied interests, or completely changing their interests. As someone who started out being interested in codeswitching I can definitely attest to that lol. The important thing, however, as I'm sure you know, is to have quite a focused SOP. Since you're applying to some really different programs your SOP will need to change from application to application, but there should be a central thread that connects them all. Another thing I would recommend, given your varied interests, is looking at departments that have varied subfields represented. University of Arizona's ling dept, for example, is quite large, and there is enough faculty from many different subfields, such that you could have the room to explore what you want to ultimately focus on. I'm sure there are other departments like this as well, so you might want to take that into consideration.

Let me know if you have any questions about U of A! I'm a grad student there currently. And for everyone else: good luck on your applications!

Two of my programs required phone/skype interviews. None of my programs required in person interviews prior to being accepted, but the program I'm in now did have a recruitment weekend for accepted students, that I went to.

In what field does your research interests lie; linguistic anthropology or sociocultural anthropology? For the SOP it might be a good idea to write a linguistic anthropology paper; that way it's more anthro-y, but also within your comfort zone of linguistics.

It does seem a bit quiet in here, but maybe try posting in the already existing (albeit dead) 2017 thread to get more responses? Anyways I'm happy to help with any questions you might have (I applied last year).

Good to see this thread getting some life. I don't know too much about comp ling, but I can highly recommend U of Arizona's department as a whole. That's where I am now, and everyone here is fantastic; it's a really great place to study. What's good too is we have a lot of people that are into comp ling, not just people who are in the HLT master's program. I don't think there's anything in your background that would be a red flag; plenty of people take breaks between degrees. Obviously it depends on your GPA and GRE scores and such. One thing to keep in mind is that it is not a funded program.

I'm not sure if I follow the question. What do you mean by "right". If you mean using native knowledge to judge a sentence as grammatical, then yeah that's totally fine and theoretical linguists use native judgements all the time. If you mean using native knowledge of a language to argue that a particular structure/rule/POS/etc exists in a language, well then I'd say you need to go beyond that knowledge as "proof". Like you'd need to make an argument based on real data, and ideally other native speakers' judgements as well. If you can't find data to corroborate your argument then maybe your initial judgement is incorrect, or mediated by prescriptivism or some sort of language ideology. If linguistics were based solely on native judgements then it wouldn't be much of a discipline.

I'm sort of in the same situation. All the classes in my undergrad that required independent research (and surprisingly there were many) I got really good grades. Anything that had an exam at the end I didn't get the best grades, especially if I wasn't "into" the topic. Because of this I'm slightly disappointed in my undergrad GPA, and definitely want to get better grades in my PhD program. However, in my program they basically give most people As, with a B being "you've done a pretty bad job and need to improve greatly". Anyway one of the first things I brought up when talking to my advisers is when should I start on a research project. They told me that it's not expected at all in this first year. I still might start something next semester, and especially just develop papers that I'll be writing for some of my classes. Anyway, I would say listen to whatever your advisers have to say about this. They know the program best, and what's expected of the students.

I used to love g. love & special sauce!! I totally forgot about them, though; thanks for reminding me!

I mean, it is pretty exciting when a program doesn't require the GRE

I'm such a planner junky. Honestly, though, I have a hard time always updating them. I dunno, it's like I write down these detailed to do lists. Like let's say I have a paper due, right? So I'll write down exactly what progress I should be making on what day, down to how many hours I should spend on it. And the second I deviate from that (which happens every time since I'm the worst procrastinator) I abandon the planner. And then go back to it again when I'm feeling really overwhelmed. I just really like the aesthetics of a planner. I'm thinking of doing that bullet journal-ing or whatever it's called. Problem is I'm so disorganized that I'll have a hard time actually making it structured. At least with a planner it's already structured, and I can fake organize my life, even if I don't carry through with it.

I'm going to be a part of two departments, and one of them is very small. I'm the only one in my cohort this year in this particular program, and I think the only one in the smaller department. They can't have a class if there's less than a certain amount of people registered for it, so I really need to keep that in mind when choosing courses between the two departments (since the other one is larger and doesn't have that issue at all). Also students from different cohorts take the same classes (like fuzzy said) so that helps. And not all courses are offered every year. I did wonder about it in the beginning, but I'm sure they know what they're doing.

PRAAT can't open m4a files. here's a list of files it can open: http://www.fon.hum.uva.nl/praat/manual/Sound_files_3__Files_that_Praat_can_read.html Your best bet is using a free online converter to convert the file to wav

As usual, Fuzzylogician gives excellent advice. To put things in perspective, I was applying with somewhere around an 85 average (which is somewhere between 3.0-3.3) and was seriously worried that my GPA was not high enough. Thankfully I got into my dream program, though it's worth noting that I was rejected from most of the programs I applied to. Also worth noting that I had excellent recommendations, some research experience, did a lot of research on appropriate programs, spent a hefty amount of time and thought on SOPs, and wrote a good writing sample. Even then I was getting a lot of feedback from people that I was aiming a bit high. All this to say that in the grand scheme of things the GPA doesn't matter as much as any of these other components, but there is a minimum under which it's unlikely they'll consider your application as seriously. Even if everything else is stellar the committee might question if you're ready for a grad school program, if you consistently have bad grades. On the other hand, if they see that you've been consistently getting good grades after a certain point, they're more likely to understand that something changed and you're serious. That being said, you say you have 3.5 semesters to improve your grades? That's great! That's a lot of time, and I don't know how your program is structured, but you could probably improve to a 3.0 given 3.5 semesters, no? In addition, I'd start thinking seriously about what sub fields in linguistics interest you. You mentioned that you are looking at either an MA in linguistics or applied linguistics....those are two very different program, and often time where one is given, the other isn't (ie applied ling MAs aren't always given in the ling department), so it's a decision you'll need to make. Then again, you could always apply for some ling, some applied ling programs. A ling program I can think of off the top of my head with a very strong applied focus is CUNY. It's a great program, and they have a terminal MA! In addition to thinking about what exactly you want to pursue, become more involved in your current department: engage in conversations with your profs, email them research related questions that you have. Sniff out research opportunities in the department. The more "known" you are to the people around the department (the profs, the TAs, etc) the easier it will be for you to identify these crucial opportunities and be considered for them. In addition, start thinking about your writing sample. Try and see what classes you can take that will give you the opportunity to write such a paper (like a seminar, or senior thesis, or however it works where you are) that way you don't have to do it in addition to all your class work. Ideally the person advising you in this paper will also write your letter of recommendation. Anyways that's all I can think of for now! Best of luck!

Thanks! I actually currently live in a really hot place (although Arizona is definitely hotter at some points!) so it won't be too much of an adjustment. It's actually the dryness that will probably be the roughest on me; I haven't lived in a desert since the army, and I didn't like it then lol.

I have 4 papers due that I must hand in by the 14th so I can get my grades in time (and like, you know, graduate my program so I can start grad school). I analyzed all my data for 3 of them, and just need to write them, and the other one I have no idea what I'm doing (whoops). Then the two following weeks I'll be busy throwing/giving things away, packing, and dealing with all sorts of bureaucracy involved with leaving. And saying goodbye to my best friends who are like family. Then I fly to Arizona and start my life anew. I think I'll relax a bit in the two weeks before orientation, since dealing with bureaucracy is A LOT easier in America. All in all it will be a sweltering hot summer.

Just a head's up: I was told by CUNY that they cannot offer funding to their master's students, because they don't have TA positions (PhD students get funding by being sole/joint instructors of undergrad courses) nor really any RA positions. The funding situation there is tough, but it's a really wonderful program! and based on your research interests that you stated sounds like it would be a good place for you. Living in NYC is very expensive, however CUNY tuition is pretty inexpensive.

Oh lordy, I've been way more formal with my emails (and I'm in linguistics). I really hope it didn't come off as weird . I usually start my addressing as Dear Dr/Professor Lastname, but then follow the lead with how the person signs off their name when they reply. If I've met the person and used their first name (because they've told me too; I always start my addressing formally) then I'll address them using their first name on all email correspondence

Yeah definitely. When I moved here alone from NY I had just graduated high school and it wasn't tough for me at all because I had no friends, no life. So for me it was like going to start my life. I definitely have a life here, and people who are very dear to me, and it'll be tough to just up and leave. Thankfully my best friend is getting married before I leave, so it'll gather all the girls together. I think they're also planning a goodbye party for me before I leave. I told them from now that I will be too busy to plan goodbyes, so they should do it. With the suitcases I'm more concerned about weight, rather than space. I'm donating/giving/throwing out most of my clothes because they don't fit me and I didn't have much to begin with. I'm planning on doing major shopping when I get to the US since clothing is so expensive here. My main concern is that I have some books and ornamental pieces that are very dear to me and I absolutely have to take. Now that my brother moved back to Israel I can give him some stuff that I can personally part with but would rather stay in the family, but the rest I have to take. It's not big stuff, just heavy. And easily broken. The most baggage fees come from the domestic flight. I might just move only my clothes to Tucson, and leave the rest with my parents to pick up the next time I go visit them. That way I only have to pay for one suitcase domestically. The more I think about it the more stressed I get. Especially thinking about all the stuff I need to do when I get there like opening a bank account, and the worst; learning how to drive. I'm terrified of driving. I've never needed to learn before, but the time has come.

Every time I see a picture of a cat I think of getting one. My childhood cat, who lives with my parents, is quite old and might not make it for even 2 months (so I might never see her again ). It's weird, though, because I've actually developed an allergy to cats since moving away from home and only being exposed to street cats. So obviously I'd really need to think if it's a good idea for me to get a cat. Maybe once I start living with one again the allergy will go away. Either way the first year I can't get any pet since I'll be living with roommates. Allergies aside I don't know if getting a pet is the best idea for me. My degree will (hopefully) require me to travel often, both for research (ie pre fieldwork and fieldwork) and for career stuff like conferences and summer workshops. What would I do with the cat? It's just not a good idea for me now, unfortunately. I need to befriend/date someone with a cat, and hopefully that'll be enough for now.

Just got word of funding for the first time! Apparently I'll be TAing next semester. A bit nervous about that, since I didn't expect to be TAing my first semester, but I'll take funding wherever it's given obviously. And I finally booked my flights! After buying round trip Israel --> NY tickets to visit my parents so many times, it was so weird getting a one way ticket. I'm stopping in NY to humor my parents for the weekend and then off to Tucson! I'm going to be so exhausted/jet-lagged! I really hope I manage to pack everything (literally my whole life) in 2 suitcases instead of 3; it'll really cut down on the cost. It's going to be a very long summer...I'm only really finishing my current degree about 2 weeks before I fly, so I'm on overdrive to get it all done. And then utilize those 2 weeks to wrap up my whole life, and say goodbye to my best friends, who're really more like family.

Anyone here attending U of A next year? I'm starting on the joint linguistics and anthropology PhD in the fall. Where are y'all moving from? And what program are you starting? I'm moving from Israel, so one hot place to another . I've always been a city rat though, so it'll be a big change for me.

Dunno if anyone here is on the waitlist, but I will be turning down my acceptance to Pittsburgh this week. I will also be turning down my acceptance to CUNY as well. Hope this helps someone!

what field of anthropology?

looks like we're from the same country :P. I had the same issue. I heard back from all of my schools, except for CUNY. I am flying next week to Arizona's recruitment weekend, but stopping in NY. So I just emailed the DGS and asked what the status of my application is. I explained, of course, that I am coming from abroad and would not have another chance to fly to the US to visit. She got back to me the 2 days later that I've been wait listed, and recommended that I do visit. Now I need to scramble to schedule meetings with professors in time for next week, and I hope I get to meet at least some of them. So I would recommend either emailing the DGS, or emailing your POI (if you have previously been in contact with them) and just explain the situation. At this point they should know more or less where your application stands, if not a final answer. Good luck!