EvelynD

If only we were in the exact sciences,... I read somewhere on this messageborard that a Fullbright Scholarship comes with a different, more inconveniant visa. I'm going to look this up because I think its a good tip to already have some money with you!

I'm interested in Michigan with their HAS and environmental specialization, so that would be a reach? My other interest is UC Santa Barbara, this would be a good fit? It seems like a bit of a gamble, and very variable? What if less or more people apply, or the funding changes? But I understand the strategy! Pff, the stress, I have been living on adrenaline and sigarets ever since I decided to go stateside 3 weeks ago

Then I will probably try to find a couple of schools that have both an environmental focus in their anthro program, and a Latin American research center or something similar so that I am in the right area and focus! Perhaps I will also look for researchers that use the same theories (like social construction) that I see myself using for my research. Could you explain to me the difference between a reach and a good fit? Me no understand

I have to do both the GRE and TOEFL this summer, I'm really nervous because of the math part. I'll figure out how to improve my English, but its been 12 years since I finished high school and its a small miracle that I'm even able to count to 10. I think I will post a sign at our math faculty that I'm looking for a tutor, because I don't think I can pass the math section without any type of lessons.

Smart, I hope I can find a school or 5, perhaps after doing some more reading I will better know where to look! Like I said I have found 5 scholars that are involved in HAS, but I didn't feel that connection right away. I think I have watched to many romantic comedies!

Also, is it weird to not feel enthesiastic about researchers, or not get that 'aha moment' feeling? As of right now there are 2 universities I am very interested in, and I have found 4 others that have at least one person who is interested in HAS. However, non of them gave me that gut feeling that I had with the first two (this is gonna sound super gross if you take it out of context, isn't it?). Is this a normal way of narrowing down the search, or should I just keep them on my list and maybe contact them?

Museum Geek, so many schools? I have two right now, and I'd be surprised if I find more than five! Rising_Star, thanks for the advice! Isn't it commom that during your first year you have coursework and then when the second year start you develop your real proposal? That will make things a lot easier for me, I was getting super stressed because I couldn't figure out what I wanted exactly! In The Netherlands you do need a ready to go proposal, just imagine how difficult that can be! Or you find a PhD position online two weeks before the closing date and you have to come up with a proposal in two weeks,..urg...

Thank you, where are you applying?

Well the reason I do it is because I am so new to HAS and the American system and I still feel super clueless. What I put in an email is a short introduction of me and my preliminary research interests, and then I ask if they have advice regarding developing my research topic and if they see me as a fit for their program with my preliminary ideas in mind. This is out of genuine interest; I really feel clueless and I really appreciate all the help everybody (this forum included) offers me. In my replies I have asked both POI’s if its ok if I continue with my reading for a while and contact them again later in the year when my ideas are more developed. I like doing it this way because it calms me and it helps my orientation. The last person I contacted wrote in his reply that he was looking for new students for 2017. It wasn't my attention at all to ask this; I just wanted some help with my process. But it feels really good when someone is enthusiastic. There were some tears involved and then I called my mom. Just because I never would have thought that studying in the USA could be a possibility for me, let alone that people are so enthusiastic and nice. I can't imagine doing this when being so busy!! I am between jobs right now and spend about 8 hours a day woring on my PhD stuff. Champagne problems: I am on wellfare for 3 months and now I have so much time to work on fun stuff which makes me tired, boohoo

Thanks guys! Those were the things I was doing, so I guess I was on the right path. Are you also overwhelmed sometimes? Whenever I am in the library working on the above I get this shot of adrenaline and I feel like I need to know everything at once. It's really difficult for me to relax and let go of stuff, so sometimes I just need to go for a walk or do some embroidery (yes, in the library) just to let go of the obsession. Edit: just seconds after submitting my reply I received a reply for a prof that I mailed this afternoon. He was enthusiastic about my research idea's and wanted to keep in touch as I develop them! Stuff like this feels like a reward after a stressful day!

Hey guys! I’m here with another question, this time about the process of finding/locating schools and programs! For context; I have a research master degree in archaeology and anthropology of Native American cultures (specifically Mexico) and I am looking for a PhD program in the United States (or Canada / Australia). I came across human-animal relation studies (HAS) on this forum, and I am about 95% sure I want to obtain a PhD in this. however, there are two 'problems' I have trouble figuring out; Although I have several research interest I don’t know what I want to do exáctly. I don’t have a clear cut research idea, methodology , theoretical preference or let alone a fully developed proposal, and I have a hard time figuring out how defined your idea’s must be before contacting POI’s. I just know I want to focus on HAS, with a specialization in horses, most probably from an anthropology/sociologic perspective (hence this subforum). Do I keep reading until I could write an actual proposal, or it is enough to stay in broader terms like ‘human-horse dynamics, social relations, welfare issues’ etc. I hear so many people talking about ‘their project’, and I don’t have that of course. Question two would be what the ‘strategy’ is for finding schools and programs that you would have a good fit with. HAS + anthropology / sociology + equines is a bit of a challenge, because there is only one school that offers HAS as a grad program: MSU. I am really enthusiastic about this school, but I want to broaden my search. I don’t think other graduate programs in HAS exist, so... Do I google for lists of anthropology programs and do I check out every single researcher to see if they focus on animals/ horses? Or do I look through e-journals and look for individual researchers focusing on this subject, and see where they work? Or is this way to specific and should I focus on broader topics and let go of the horses during the search? Bottom line is that I am super overwhelmed, this system is so different from what I am used to! Any advice will be very much appreciated!

I was wondering if it is normal for international students to visit universities in the States before they apply to a program. I am very interested in one specific uni, and since you commit for such a long period of time I would just hop on a plane and visit this school if it was ubicated in Europe. Since it would be very costly to fly to the States to check out schools I would máybe be able to do this once, but is this a normal thing? Or do you profile yourself enough by just contacting POI's and current students? Thanks!

I'm sorry if this is in the wrong sub-forum. I am in my orientation process and just began looking at different schools and what they have to offer. I'm also taking some time to figure out what exactly it is I want to do for my PhD. The very early stages I guess! One thing that worries me is that I néed a scholarship (tuitionfee, healthcare, and a stipend, but then again, who doesn't). Websites aren't always super clear about this subject; they will link you to another page, then another page, then a reader, then a pdf file..pffff. It just isn't always clear for me, especially being an international student and not always understanding the american system. So my question is; who can you contact about funding-related questions, and when do you do it? Can your POI answer this, or is that inappropriate? Or is there a department secretary you need to contact?

Thank you Homo_Ignotus, I never felt like a 'top-student', eventhough I am one of the only ones in my department that went abroad. But there are always people with better grades, who suck up more, etc, and that made me insecure. This website has already helped me so much, I am sure that there is enough info on here to totally rock the application proces! I have even already emailed an Australian prof to ask her for advice! James, feel free to do so!

I am a 28 year old Dutch anthropologist, graduated about 6 months ago. My dream has always been to spend some time in the United States for a PhD but I believed it would be impossible due to various reasons (not smart enouh, to much competition, not rich enough, etc). After doing some internet research I became very motivated and the more I read, the more I feel like I could do this! My goal is to do a PhD in cultural anthropology, probably focussed on indigenous peoples of the Americas and their position in contemporary society, or in human-animal relations from a cultural-anthro perspective (like the role of the horse in Latin America or in Native American culture, for example). I strongly lean towards these subjects but I am still in the first phase of orientation, so it could still go in any direction Could you guys give me an indication as to what my chances would be? I have: - A BA in international tourism, thesis about tourism and poverty reduction - A BA in archaeology - A RMA in Archaeoloy and anthropology of indigenous peoples, thesis about traditional clothing in contemporary society - Spend a semester at a Mexican university - Done fieldschools and internships, both in the Netherlands and in Mexico - Won several grants and scholarships for the semester and research abroad - Presented my thesis research in Canada - Worked as a TA (this is mandatory for RMA students, but who needs to know that - Worked in a student committee - Taught Spanish classes But..I have no publications, no honours degree, and my grade average is a 7,5 (out of 10). And anthropology is a competetive field, and getting scholarships will probably not be easy. What are my chances, and are there things I could improve? Thanks in advance!!