busybee

I'm in the same boat, LittleCritterB. From my understanding, anthropology programs like candidates to have real-world experience beyond straight-from-high-school-to-undergraduate-straight-to-graduate. The professors writing your recommendations I would suspect would likely comment on your "social maturity," although what this looks like I'm sure is very relative. It may not necessarily mean that you have so many years of "real-world" experience--maybe it came from working as the president of an organization on campus, or during a study abroad semester.

For anthropology, at least, it is the second most important item. From the anthropology department website: In judging applications, the Department is interested (in order of importance) in: Statement of purpose. Statement of personal history. Letters of recommendation. Grade point average. GRE or TOEFL scores. http://anthropology.berkeley.edu/graduate/application-graduate-program Next time I will be a bit more specific.

I am almost completed submitted and would love to help anyone with SOPs if they'd like. Send me a PM.

Berkeley stresses the personal history statement as the second most influential item in their decision making. I don't think that "no one gives a shit about" it. My Berkeley personal history statement is very personal, although I have received conflicting advice on it. My advisor and the director of my school's scholarship office both loved it, while a current grad student told me I am divulging too much information. However, my story is intimately tied to my anthropological goals and motivations. If that's a deal breaker for Berkeley, then that's a deal breaker for me, too. I submitted it and have no regrets.

Don't worry about it, anthrostudentcyn. We only have two overlapping programs, and Berkeley is one of the most competitive anthropology graduate programs in the country anyway (I have major doubts about my chances of getting accepted, but I really like the program, and it was my dream school for a long time so I went ahead and submitted the application). Did you apply for the cultural or medical program at Berkeley? I really like CUNY a lot--one of the few anthropologists in the States (the ONLY one I've found, actually) works in the country in which I'd love to work--but funding is a huge issue. If I get into CUNY as well as another school with a better funding offer, I would probably go to the school with better funding. (Unfortunately, funding will be one of my top factors in decision making.) That's in an ideal world, anyway--if I were to get multiple offers. I'm hoping to get at least one with funding. I love all my schools and currently have no top choice. Lately it has been switching from Emory to Brown to CUNY.

I have now applied to Berkeley, Brown, CUNY, and Emory. Working on my Chicago application still. If I add anymore, they would be MA programs, and I wouldn't apply until I return to the States. However, I'm not even sure where I would possibly apply--they would absolutely have to be funded programs. What about you, anthrostudentcyn?

Welcome, MedAnth077! Best of luck to you too! I am also applying for medical anthropology programs. I just finished submitting my 4th out of 5 applications! Time to get back to my school work. Good luck everyone. :-)

I'm also in my senior year (and also a non-traditional student), and I'm studying abroad this semester (which was a HORRIBLE decision in hindsight--do NOT study abroad and apply to graduate school at the same time! I'm lucky I made it work, but I have absolutely no social life right now). I feel the same way sometimes--that I have no realistic chance--but I've poured my heart and soul into my applications and essays and I am proud of the work I've done. I'm sure you all have as well. Even if I don't get in, I've learned a whole lot from this crazy process and I'm proud of myself (but of course I really really really hope I get in!). Still, I'm submitting 4/5 applications on Tuesday, and I'm terrified of letting go of the illusion that I have control over my fate. Soon we will all be at our most vulnerable and liminal states of this crazy emotional process.

Hi MastersHoping, Would you be willing to read over my FLAS statement? Congrats on winning!

As I am finalizing and specializing my statements of purpose for my particular schools, I have a couple of concerns regarding how to show myself as a good fit for the department without completely ingratiating myself. I'd love to hear the opinions and advice of this community, if people don't mind. How do you maintain a good balance between outright sycophancy and candid, direct clarity? Is a nuanced approach--inserting terms used by my POIs, for instance, through my SoP and citing them--better than directly discussing their theories and how I wish to use them within my own work? I have done my best to avoid all praise, "Dr. X's theory on Y is insightful and brilliant anthropology," when discussing professors with whom I'd like to work (my current advisor told me that I am in no position to say this kind of stuff anyway). Or is it enough to identify professors with overlapping interests, as well as departmental and college resources, when discussing your fit with the university in your SoP?

Are there any current graduate students here (particularly in cultural anthropology) that would be willing to look at my SoPs? I finally finished my first specific draft. It is terrifying. Thank you in advance.

Yes, I know there are plenty of medical anthropologists. I am just looking for ones that have interests that are similar to mine, and if possible, ones that work in my general region. I have found two of them, another who works in my specific country, and another who works on my interests in Japan. I'm starting to feel like I should approach the search in a much broader way one more time to see what I can find with everyone's great advice in mind. Also, should I talk about all of these ideas in my SOP? I will email more professors at the schools I like, and mention them of course in my SOP. But as for courses, should I write something like, "I believe the material of course X is particularly salient to my research trajectory and would contribute to my theoretical understanding in Y way because of Z and A." etc? And/or mention the specific work of a couple of different professors and how it has influenced my decision to apply to the department? Should I also describe why I feel their particular graduate trajectories are a good fit for me? Thanks again everyone for all the help. This has relieved SO MUCH anxiety.

I have not heard about these kinds of degrees! I have been considering applying to a master's program as well as a potential backup, but I don't want to spend any money at all on any anthropology degree. Are there other research degrees like this that you know of?

Thank you all so much for the advice! I have found one additional school with an anthropologist who studies medical anthropology, mental illness, and cultural and religious therapies in Japan--I am interested in the same subject but in a much different place--but whose theoretical approach I admire greatly. I think I finally am satisfied with my four schools. My advisor keeps telling me, and my anthropology department head, to apply to Michigan and Chicago, even though I have no desire to apply to either of them. They say that even though my interests do not match up, I would get such a phenomenal grounding in anthropological theory and method that it wouldn't make a difference who my advisor was. But then as I sit down to write emails to potential POIs, I come up completely blank and feel like I am wasting my time. Do you guys suggest emailing more than one professor at the schools in which I am interested? I haven't emailed graduate students yet, either. I think I will do this next weekend.

My graduate school search has been mostly about matching up my interests with POIs, theoretical approaches of departments, and whether or not there is funding. My interests are limited to an area of the world that is rarely studied in cultural anthropology (but my research is relevant and important work that needs to be done). Therefore, I only have three schools so far that I am very enthusiastic about. I know I am supposed to apply to at least 5 schools, but I am struggling to pick two more. How can I email POIs at schools that sort of fit my requirements about a potential project that does not totally match their interests? Should I simply pour all of my energy and resources into these three schools and the NSF? Or should I manipulate my project in emails to them (this is advice I received from my advisor) and make it seem closer to their interests? Two are top schools and two do not have automatic funding, although I would love to work with my POIs at all three schools. I admire all of their work and approaches greatly. It has been frustrating looking for the tenth time for new schools--especially when I have exhausted all resources in trying to find other schools; reverse google scholar searches of all the projects that even slightly relate to my interests, advanced google searches of faculty and .edu domains of various forms of my key words and interests, etc. I'm not sure what else to do at this point, and would love advice from anyone here. I feel like pouring all of my time and energy into three applications to schools that I am very interested in, rather than spending time trying to manipulate my apps and interest emails, would be better spent. But I'm new with all of this stuff and I honestly do not know. I feel like I'd rather wait and apply again if I do not get into my top choices than accept a position at a "safety" school. Thanks in advance for any advice. I am tired about stressing about simply finding enough schools at this point.

This is my first post on here! I'm thrilled to have found a like-minded community with which to share all my fears and aspirations! I'm applying this fall for a sociocultural PhD from Berkeley, Brown, CUNY, Michigan, and NYU. I will be graduating from a state school/research institution in the spring with two bachelors degrees in anthropology and classics. Interested in sociocultural in the Arab Gulf. I am terrified but also incredibly excited. Anyone else dreaming of Berkeley? All of my "celebrity" idols are there... Scheper-Hughes, Hircshkind, Mahmood, Schonberg. I also love Sherine Hamdy at Brown. I haven't contacted any professors yet, as I read a letter written by Saida Hodžić at Cornell suggesting that students hold off on writing emails to professors, "You may have been told to contact potential advisors and ask if they are interested in working with you. This is an impossible question that may make sense in some fields, but doesn’t in ours. The whole point of the application process is to make answering this question possible. It takes an entire file to get a picture of your work and interests. Furthermore, it is up to you to convince us that you are a good fit. We might see some linkages that you are not aware of, but the onus is on you to show that you have done the basic research about the department." I'm surprised to see people on the forum emailing professors so much. I did email a professor last fall in Cairo when I was drafting a potential Fulbright project, and luckily received a very positive response. However, I am not quite sure about emailing professors at my potential schools.