lily_

Most professors on admissions committees I have spoken to don't really give a hoot about language acquisition unless you have it on a transcript or it pertains to a job, something solid and tangible that says, "I learned this." I doubt putting "I bought and taught myself THREE Rosetta Stone languages" would really help anyone. I never went to any university that offered "basket-weaving" as a major, and what of those of us who are actually applying to liberal arts departments? Many fields require degrees in liberal arts, it's not as flakey or useless as you imply. However, putting in a hobby of learning languages with an expensive computer program rather than pertinent fieldwork experience or project that would mesh well with the professors in the department you're applying to is a huge mistake. If you're trying to sell something on here, I suggest maybe you look into some kind of online sales tutorial next time.

I would e-mail both and arrange a visit which would include a face-to-face meeting with both. If that is not possible, try to have a phone meeting with each of them.

Hi regal. I am in a similar situation to you as far as non-matriculation is concerned, however I have a lot of field experience and have taken graduate level courses in my area, and was still given the "non-matriculated" option rather than acceptance, assumably because my UGPA was just under their requirements, and I mean just under. It has a lot to do with that this year, because of the bad economy, most programs, even those not "tier 1" were innundated with applicants - so if you had blemishes on your record you really didn't stand a chance anywhere. I don't mean to be harsh, this is just how it is as far as I see it. My "plan of attack" is, like you, to reapply for spring 2011 official admission. I think that focusing on working hard in all of your classes and reaching out to those professors is probably the most important thing at this point. Showing the institution that your UGPA is not representative of the type of work you are capable of is of the utmost importance. The writing sample, well I would work on it, bring it into one of those professors you become friendly with and ask them. If there is any coursework like an essay or even an essay question on an exam before that deadline, you could also think about expanding that into something polished for a new writing example. However, I have a strong feeling that as a non-matriculated student the most important thing is earning the highest grades possible and making a seriously positive impression on the school you wish to attend. Best of luck, and here's hoping for the spring of 2011.

I have a feeling you are right, because there is a lot more information on how to take the current version of the GRE, and nothing I have seen for the new version. In order to score the best possible score, I would try to take it now while there is plenty of solid study guides out there rather than waiting and trying your luck with the next version. I should probably do the same and retake it myself ugh.

Yeah, if anything I wouldn't assume that the GRE is being modified to be easier - it's probably being modified to become much much harder and become more indicative of applicant's abilities rather than "dumbed down."

I finally got my results. I was invited to be a non-matriculated student for a semester. I don't know if that is what they send to everyone who was rejected, but it read like a probationary acceptance. I'm not in a position to be picky, and since Hunter is affordable I'm going to try my luck, take classes, work hard, and then hopefully become matriculated in the spring. I just hope I can finish the degree in two years, but I feel like there is nothing else I can do to go on with a degree in anthropology unless I get an MA and raise my overall GPA. It's my life dream to get a PhD and my backup is law school, both of which require a more competitive record than the one I have now. Here's hoping for the future, and I am pressing on. Good luck to everyone else.

I definitely agree with the other posters at this point - although it's great that you are eager and looking ahead, there is still a lot of time before you're going to be starting the application process. However, there are a few things you CAN do now that will help should you still want to pursue grad school in three years. 1. Keep you GPA up, trust me there are tons of fun things to do at college that aren't academic, but keep you eyes on the prize. 2. Start reading tons of things and exposing yourself to words on the vocab section of the GRE. It's hard to cram in a lot of obscure words over the course of a few months, and if you start reading The Economist and a lot of 18th century literature and whatnot now you'll be in a good place when it comes time to take that test. 3. Forge a few close relationships with professors that you like. Go to their office hours, volunteer to help them, and get to know them well - they will sing your praises in letters of recommendation when the time comes. These relationships will continue throughout your academic and professional career - seek out these mentors, impress them, and befriend them. Give them a reason to have a vested interest in your success. 4. Take foreign languages. Look into the schools you're interested in studying at and figure out if there are any required languages. I'm assuming that German and French would be important depending on what type of military history you want. Even if you are up against a candidate that has better grades and test scores with you, if you have language proficiency in your specialty from undergrad, it will set you ahead. 5. Study abroad - especially if you're interested in international relations. Try to find summer programs so you won't have to worry about falling behind. It's a valuable experience and will help pad your application. Best of luck!

Still no word from Hunter for me...am starting to get depressed about it.

From my perspective, no sociology will not help you with anthropology, they have diverged a great deal in the past 50 years and approach the analysis of human societies with very different perspectives. I looked at University of Michigan's history/anth PhD, and it might be an ok fit for you - I would start contacting faculty members and maybe other graduate students there to get a better idea. You don't want to end up wasting the application fee if you are not a good fit for the department from the get-go. My best advice echoes so47's - relax, and maybe think outside the box. Some of the best advice I have heard about the graduate school process is that at the end of the day, yes the PhD from a top program is amazing, however it's the gunner, not the gun. You can do great things elsewhere - graduate school is a huge commitment and it might behoove you more to find a department with faculty members that fit your research interests well rather than focusing on the program that is the most prestigious - especially for the social sciences. As far as your letter writers are concerned, I would probably not advise to have them mention that you over-exerted yourself to explain your A-'s, as so47 said that shows immaturity, rather have them focus on what makes you the best possible candidate for PhD programs. Those letters should be singing your praises, not highlighting your pitfalls. However, unless there is some circumstance that forced you to overload your schedule (ie certain classes only offered once in a blue moon all happened to be offered this one term) maybe that is something they should mention, otherwise I would just want them to focus on the positives. It is also beneficial to start contacting faculty members at the universities you wish to attend, figuring out who you would like to be your adviser, and getting your name and face known around those departments. Although certainly not a guarantee, I feel as though personal connection to the department ahead of time means your application is more likely to get a second or third look.

I don't know about the other schools, however a lot of Near Eastern departments focus on Islamic studies from an ancient perspective - most of the ones I've looked into the most recent time period is Medieval. If you want to go that route - why not look into Chicago's NELC program and the OI? Also, Michigan might be difficult to get into without an anthropology background, as it's one of the top PhD programs for anthropology, so that's more of an issue concerning your application than your GPA. Your credentials sound fine to me, if you are concerned about your GPA perhaps consider taking less classes? Over-exerting yourself won't necessarily win you any favors from admissions committees, however I don't think that two A-'s are going to totally negate you from top programs. I'd focus more on developing an interesting research project and finding a way to show the departments you want to apply for that you're a good fit. I would try posting on the Interdisciplinary forum about Islamic Studies to get better feedback than on the general forum, or even on political science under the social sciences forum. I don't think you need to retake the GRE because the social sciences and liberal arts don't have the same stringent standards that say engineering or computer science does. At this point, I'd focus on what you can do about your application rather than worrying too much about a couple less than stellar grades. Make sure you have strong letters of recommendation, and work on a strong statement of purpose - try finding a professor at your current school who serves on the admissions committee to read it and tear it to shreds a few times.

My fiance graduated from a fourth-tier university and got full funding at NYU for his PhD. Just food for thought (he had a 3.9 UGPA though). Honestly, I'm not really sure about earning a second bachelor's degree. Is it possible in your field to do a terminal master's instead? I'm in a similar situation with my UGPA and all of the advice I have received from professors in my field is to do an MA, because a lot of admissions committees believe that the most significant factor in estimating someone's success as a graduate student is their undergraduate GPA. However, if you can show that you can perform well at the graduate level, then that negates a few rough years you may have had as an undergraduate. It might be a better investment to look around for a decent MA program that has a history of students in your situation (lower UGPA, but just bursting with potential) going onto the type of schools that you're interested in. And also, although those top level schools are amazing places that produce amazing minds, it's really the gunner and not the gun. You can still do great things at universities slightly out of that extreme elite range, it's not a question of the best v. the worst, but what's the best fit for you. Best of luck.

congrats ed! I'm still waiting sigh...