enfp

Hey Striped,
Not sure if this is helpful at this point, but I figured I'd shoot you a message anyway.
I'm a PhD student at UChicago. You had some questions about the MAPSS program, so here is what I've observed firsthand: MAPSS is kind of a crapshoot. It's a cash cow, I believe, in the sense that it's a very, very big program and students aren't offered a lot of guidance. A lot of the professors are at the top of their field, or are under a tremendous amount of pressure to move to the top of their field. They are busy with their own research, and they also have their PhD students whom they advise. This means that there is a lot of competition among MAPSS students to stand out. The program is INTENSE. I've heard many students complain about not being able to find a thesis advisor easily. That said, if you are willing and able to put in the work, MAPSS can be a fantastic opportunity. Basically, if you find a professor to work with, and the professor values your work, provides you with research opportunities and/or guidance, and is willing to write you a letter of recommendation at the end of the year when you're applying to PhD programs, you have yourself the golden ticket. You are also required to write a thesis, which provides you with a solid writing sample for your PhD apps. And you'll learn a lot and glean a lot of insight into what a PhD program will be like. But you've got to want it. The program is rough. A lot of people in the SS PhD programs had MA degrees coming into the programs, but not all. As far as I can tell, those who didn't have an MA had significant research experience. 

I have not been able to post for awhile, but I wanted to say that I got accepted into my dream school! I cried after reading the message. Apparently, I was waitlisted (no one told me), and so when I emailed to verify my status, (I was ready to be rejected and thinking of interning or volunteering or taking a class in the summer) it said that I was waitlisted, but there is a spot for me! I never thought I would get in. Can't wait for fall now!
To anyone who is struggling with the decision of either going for a master or thinking the program is too competitive, APPLY! You never know the ending result, be it bad or good, APPLY! I did! XD

Meeting professors comes through presenting at graduate student conferences - now that you're going to be at MAPSS, make sure you apply to at least two! I presented at one during my MA and it's the same one I'm going to be attending for a PhD this year.... when I got in touch with my POI, I made sure to mention that I had met her during the conference, and that she may remember me. She did! Not a guarantee of any kind, but definitely a boost. Also, everyone I know who has attended MAPSS accepted that it's a tough situation to be in; they also grudgingly admit that it played a huge role in getting them into grad school. MAPSS whole claim to fame IS getting their students into PhDs, if people pay through their nose to attend it's because they really do work on getting a funded PhD offer for you - that comes at the price of a lot of stress, but it seems you are set on getting a PhD and for that purpose, MAPSS will likely be worth it. 
Edit: Also; keep in mind, it's pretty easy to get funding for conferences from your department/school! 

I got in to UVA!  Looks like I'm bound for Charlottesville! 

Well keep in touch with me and I can maybe be a resource next cycle! Good luck friend!

I don't think you need to cite another offer to bargain with them. They already admitted you with at least some offer of funding, even if it's not as much as you hoped for. If a program offers you any money at all that means they definitely want you to accept and they're definitely interested in your research. Communicating your enthusiasm/interest for being a part of MAPSS while (politely) emphasizing that you would need a better funding offer to attend should make a pretty good argument, IMO.
Also (and this may be totally off, I don't know exactly how they determine funding) depending on how many people decline their offer in the coming weeks, there might be more funding available to you after that.
And yassss all of this. This was my first time applying too, and I consider myself EXTREMELY lucky that I got into an (as in just 1 out of the many I applied to) anthro program that I like--I'm pretty fresh out of undergrad so I thought I had a ~0% chance of getting in. After receiving the MAPSS offer yesterday, I'll admit I was kind of disappointed at first too since it wasn't what I had wanted, but then I took a step back and was like...wow what the heck is wrong with me? Am I seriously wasting time being disappointed about getting into a Masters program? 
The application process is INSANE. As @enfp said, we're competing with hundreds of very qualified, experienced people for, in most cases, less than 10 spots. I think it all comes down to the people who are in the room when admissions decisions are made. I saw a very wise post on this forum a while ago that said something along the lines of "rejection is a big part of academia" from applying to schools to trying to get research grants and other opportunities once you're in, to trying to find a job when you graduate. We all have to learn to brush it off and keep working hard.
The fact that most of us on here spent a lot of time and money applying and are willing to commit a solid chunk of our lives to grad school should indicate that we're pretty freakin' excited about anthropology and want to dedicate our lives to it. @ironshieldmaiden what I'm trying to say is just keep working hard if it's what you love. Something good will happen.
**ends long and emotional rant**

If there's anything this process tells you, it's that rejections are often a matter of politics, bad luck, and frankly statistics - i.e. apps are a crapshoot. If, for example, Columbia is taking 8 students out of approximately 200 applicants, I  for one refuse to believe that means there were only 8 qualified candidates! It's a matter of a very limited number of seats. There's lots of people on this forum who've been rejected in previous cycles and are now getting into several schools. For one @AnthropologyNRT (don't know why I'm not being able to tag them, but shoot them a PM in case they don't see this?) was accepted into all three programs they applied to this year after two failed cycles. And yeah, this isn't to say your app can't be improved - it always can. It was good enough to get an offer from MAPSS, which as mentioned above is actually a very competitive program and is definitely not a mere consolation prize. 
Edit: Just to add here: From everything I hear about Chicago, they're definitely not the kind to feel sorry for people lol. So there's that

If there's anything this process tells you, it's that rejections are often a matter of politics, bad luck, and frankly statistics - i.e. apps are a crapshoot. If, for example, Columbia is taking 8 students out of approximately 200 applicants, I  for one refuse to believe that means there were only 8 qualified candidates! It's a matter of a very limited number of seats. There's lots of people on this forum who've been rejected in previous cycles and are now getting into several schools. For one @AnthropologyNRT (don't know why I'm not being able to tag them, but shoot them a PM in case they don't see this?) was accepted into all three programs they applied to this year after two failed cycles. And yeah, this isn't to say your app can't be improved - it always can. It was good enough to get an offer from MAPSS, which as mentioned above is actually a very competitive program and is definitely not a mere consolation prize. 
Edit: Just to add here: From everything I hear about Chicago, they're definitely not the kind to feel sorry for people lol. So there's that

You should still feel awesome about getting into MAPSS! That's a really competitive program and there are plenty of people who were rejected from UChicago that didn't even receive an offer to do the Masters. They also have a really impressive placement rate for PhD programs their graduates apply to after completing that degree. If you make your case well, I think you could probably get additional funding. Hang in there!

^I second that. Every single grad student I've spoken to said that it's a really bad idea to take out loans for grad school (be it an MA or PhD) considering what the academic job market is like. I don't have an MA, but majored in my general field of interest so my scenario is admittedly different from those who want to switch from, say, archaeology to cultural. However, I have noticed the program that I am most likely going to attend has taken in a few people with BAs who haven't had field research and hell, haven't studied anthro either. It sounds like the most important aspect of the application is the statement of purpose. When I visited the aforementioned school last week, the prof who interviewed me told me point blank that he thought I would have quite a bit of work to do with respect to environmental anthro (my undergrad project was on labour, and I hadn't taken any envt anthro classes) but said that those things can be learned (i.e. you can read books and catch up). What they ultimately evaluate you on is your potential-- can you think creatively and critically? Do you have good ideas? This is where having an interesting project is key. I know some people disagree, but I thought the sample Duke SOPs were useful. What I drew from them was dedicating 80% of my SOP to fleshing out my project, and imbuing the rest of it with more personal info (e.g. why I appreciate anthro) to show that you have a personality. 

Admission offered from UT Austin today! After two years of rejection I have been admitted to all 3 programs I applied to. Keep on keeping on!

As someone who has an MA in anthropology, I have a few thoughts on this. I really, really benefited from getting an MA but I think those benefits apply in very specific circumstances. Firstly, my MA (health insurance and living stipend included) was fully paid for through an external scholarship (Fulbright).  Secondly, as an international student who had never studied in the US, it made me understand how American academia works, what it tends to reward/dismiss, and a better understanding of anthropology as a discipline at the grad school level. Thirdly, given my undergrad GPA was average at best, having a US MA degree from a 'big name' school, a solid grad school GPA, and recommendations from well-known academics in the discipline, all helped my case this PhD cycle. Most of the other people in my MA program consisted of either scholarship students like me, or those who didn't have to worry about money. Those who did have to worry about money had a tough time. So, to sum up: If you're going to have to pay through your nose and take out more loans, I would advise against it. Research/field experience in your intended area of interest is just a better way to go. PM me if you want more details! I understand I was very lucky and few people would get to do an MA in the same circumstances as I did. But from what you describe of your own situation, I just don't know if it's worth it. 

As someone who has an MA in anthropology, I have a few thoughts on this. I really, really benefited from getting an MA but I think those benefits apply in very specific circumstances. Firstly, my MA (health insurance and living stipend included) was fully paid for through an external scholarship (Fulbright).  Secondly, as an international student who had never studied in the US, it made me understand how American academia works, what it tends to reward/dismiss, and a better understanding of anthropology as a discipline at the grad school level. Thirdly, given my undergrad GPA was average at best, having a US MA degree from a 'big name' school, a solid grad school GPA, and recommendations from well-known academics in the discipline, all helped my case this PhD cycle. Most of the other people in my MA program consisted of either scholarship students like me, or those who didn't have to worry about money. Those who did have to worry about money had a tough time. So, to sum up: If you're going to have to pay through your nose and take out more loans, I would advise against it. Research/field experience in your intended area of interest is just a better way to go. PM me if you want more details! I understand I was very lucky and few people would get to do an MA in the same circumstances as I did. But from what you describe of your own situation, I just don't know if it's worth it. 

I had an interview with Hopkins on the 17th of Feb, (notified of interview on 15th) and was accepted on the 22nd. Good luck! Their admission process is confusing, I noticed on the results page that two people were admitted even before I had my interview. 

I had an interview with Hopkins on the 17th of Feb, (notified of interview on 15th) and was accepted on the 22nd. Good luck! Their admission process is confusing, I noticed on the results page that two people were admitted even before I had my interview. 

Where are you at on your list @museum_geek? Confession: Was following your extensive list of schools as I followed this thread and now I'm pretty invested 

Nice! That's a lot of acceptances, you're spoilt for choice! Glad we're being kept in the loop, and good luck with UVA! 

Nice! That's a lot of acceptances, you're spoilt for choice! Glad we're being kept in the loop, and good luck with UVA! 

Accepted at Syracuse, Wisconsin, and New Mexico.  Rejected at UCSD, Notre Dame, Princeton, and UT Austin, and assuming rejections from Hopkins and Rice.  I'm currently wrapping up my interview weekend at UVA which I've really enjoyed so far, so fingers crossed I get an offer there!

Heard back from my POI at Syracuse, funded for four years with a pretty good chance at getting a fifth year through the Maxwell School!  It feels so good to have a realistic (read: funded) PhD option!

This gif is me, I am this gif

No idea. I see acceptances coming in as late as April in past years. I'm out here like

 
 

@Konstantine Don't give up hope!  First (and most importantly) you still have 12 schools to hear from - this application season is far from over for you.  As a fellow sociocultural applicant whose entire (aside from 1 or 2 classes) undergrad focused on archaeology, and whose only field experience coming out of undergrad was a bioarch field school, I can sympathize with your position.  I ended up working at a small science museum for a couple years after undergrad and I'm now finishing up an interdisciplinary MA, during which I did an internship at a large anthropology museum which allowed me to work with ethnographic collections.  
In any case, even if you don't get an offer this season, you definitely have options - summer internship apps are just starting to open up and I'm sure you would be able to find something relevant.  AAA has some decent anthro internships listed on their website, and you can also go to this website to find more museum jobs/internships.  Hope this helps!

Thanks guys! Maybe Hopkins/Toronto are still options... @TP24 channel your anxiety into research and prep - maybe reach out to current students to get a feel of how Stanford interviews work. May the odds be in your favour.