anthrostudentcyn

This is so messed up. They promised admissions decisions by the end of February. 

I'm surprised so many schools still haven't given notifications. I just hate the fact that you could potentially have to make a major life decision in such a short time. 

Just thought I'd share some positivity.. Thank you all for helping me through this whole process. I'm just waiting on UCLA now and appreciate so much all the forum messages, results posts, and inbox messages that you all have contributed. It really felt nice to be supported throughout this process. I hope we all receive good news in these upcoming days...it seems like these are some of the most stressful, given that most folks are already done with their notifications. I encourage us to repeat that its not over til its over (to myself first). We could all be waitlists, for all you know...which, at this point, is great lol. I'll post updates as they come, but for now, THANK YOU!!!

just wanted to update everyone as an applicant last year who didn't do well. last year i applied right out of undergrad and only got one unfunded offer. i decided to work abroad and it was an amazing experience! also, i got interviews at the (only) 2 PhD programs I applied to for this round. 
some lessons: not going straight to a PhD isn't the end of the world-it can actually help a ton in terms of personal growth
a year can make a huge difference in terms of acceptances! and keep in touch with POIs always
 

does anyone know anything about NYU's process? I interviewed but am waiting for next steps

just wanted to update everyone as an applicant last year who didn't do well. last year i applied right out of undergrad and only got one unfunded offer. i decided to work abroad and it was an amazing experience! also, i got interviews at the (only) 2 PhD programs I applied to for this round. 
some lessons: not going straight to a PhD isn't the end of the world-it can actually help a ton in terms of personal growth
a year can make a huge difference in terms of acceptances! and keep in touch with POIs always
 

just wanted to update everyone as an applicant last year who didn't do well. last year i applied right out of undergrad and only got one unfunded offer. i decided to work abroad and it was an amazing experience! also, i got interviews at the (only) 2 PhD programs I applied to for this round. 
some lessons: not going straight to a PhD isn't the end of the world-it can actually help a ton in terms of personal growth
a year can make a huge difference in terms of acceptances! and keep in touch with POIs always
 

My two cents as someone in the field of anthropology, what you do before you come to the program does really matter, because anthropology is a human centered discipline. It requires 1-2 years of fieldwork, so programs like to know that you can be working with different types of people and will be successful in fieldwork. If this was a discipline that didn't involve fieldwork, I might agree with you, but I think doing something that proves you can interact with people, and know the realities of working with whatever group you propose is beneficial, either in a thematic sense or a regional one. For example, I'm in medical anthropology and if I don't go to grad school next year I'll try to pursue research opportunities thinking about the same types of populations I want to study or using the same methodologies I want to use. I think whatever is most comfortable, @Peanut is what you should do. 
I would caution, however, if you're thinking of applying next year, that might be difficult if you're in China, due to being busy,having a job, and most likely, culture shock. Your decision also depends on your timeline for reapplying.

My two cents as someone in the field of anthropology, what you do before you come to the program does really matter, because anthropology is a human centered discipline. It requires 1-2 years of fieldwork, so programs like to know that you can be working with different types of people and will be successful in fieldwork. If this was a discipline that didn't involve fieldwork, I might agree with you, but I think doing something that proves you can interact with people, and know the realities of working with whatever group you propose is beneficial, either in a thematic sense or a regional one. For example, I'm in medical anthropology and if I don't go to grad school next year I'll try to pursue research opportunities thinking about the same types of populations I want to study or using the same methodologies I want to use. I think whatever is most comfortable, @Peanut is what you should do. 
I would caution, however, if you're thinking of applying next year, that might be difficult if you're in China, due to being busy,having a job, and most likely, culture shock. Your decision also depends on your timeline for reapplying.

I'm waiting on funding! Even more stressful than acceptances.

There are a lot of academics out there who don't have the best social skills. There are plenty professors who can diplomatically tell a prospective student that they don't have funding/space* and think you should join another research group. But to me this sounds like a professor who doesn't really want you to join their group but isn't managing to give you an outright rejection. He's stalling for time ("go away and think about this"), bringing up multiple concerns (funding, hobbies, do you know what you're getting in to). I mean, accepting someone into a research group isn't difficult ("You want to join our lab? Great! Let's meet next week to talk about projects."). 
It's like when someone is trying to dump you: "I don't know if I want a serious relationship," is a face-saving way of saying "I don't want a serious relationship with you." Except in this case "Are you sure you want to do a PhD in my lab?" could well be a way of saying "I'm not sure that I want you to do a PhD in my lab."
 
 
* Sometimes academics use a concern about funding as a way of rejecting someone they feel would be a bad fit personality for their group. Because you can't argue with a lack of funding in the same way you could argue about "motivation" and "fit", and it avoids hurting the grad student. 

Can anyone give insight on typical funding packages in public health? I'm trying to evaluate my offer against the standard. Feel free to PM!

But I think some schools really don't notify until March (I'm thinking Canadian ones). So if nothing has been posted on the board I wouldn't lose hope yet. 

@Neist so happy for you! I'm in a similar waitlist funding situation..what did they tell you originally about how likely getting off the waitlist was?

Sometimes I think that professors and departments are actually watching these grad cafe forums and they periodically send out messages like that tweet because they enjoy watching us squirm.
I know that sounds like paranoid hogwash...but it doesn't mean I'm wrong...
 

Anybody heard back from Canadian universities? 

"What a competition!"

You are in the history thread, bro

@nevermind Same situation for me, I'm terrified they won't be able to find funding or something like that. 

@confusedgradapplicant130   I think I have a good idea, perhaps unconventional and circular: A History/Philosophy of Science program. I've seen people do stuff on epistemology and history of the social sciences, and this would fit right in. Also, anthropology is heavy on theory sometimes, and looks at things like "historical memory", so there could be something there. 

This is literally one of the best feelings I've ever had (I got into a top choice after being rejected by four other programs). Thanks to everyone for being supportive and amazing!

This is literally one of the best feelings I've ever had (I got into a top choice after being rejected by four other programs). Thanks to everyone for being supportive and amazing!

This is literally one of the best feelings I've ever had (I got into a top choice after being rejected by four other programs). Thanks to everyone for being supportive and amazing!

This is literally one of the best feelings I've ever had (I got into a top choice after being rejected by four other programs). Thanks to everyone for being supportive and amazing!

@Logik That's so interesting! I've actually become super interested in Canadian history (i'm history of medicine though) even though I'm American. I'm crossing my fingers for IHPST!