GreenEyedTrombonist

@Charlsa Just start talking about Foucault's panopticon and ask in which specific ways they lean either Hegelian or Kantian. When in doubt, answer "that's an interesting question, though it's not one I've really pondered at length yet. What's your take on it?" or something similar.

Congratulations @AnthropologyNRT Are you leaning towards any school yet or still considering all options?

Many programs for masters and doctorates actually have a higher average age for students. I was 25 when I started my MA and I was on the young side of my cohort.

Networking is definitely important inside and outside of academia. Through a mix of networking and careful decision making, I went from writing things for my own fancy to getting paid to write for companies I hold in high regard. Networking has opened multiple opportunities for me that I wouldn't have had otherwise and that I'm extremely grateful for (not mentioning most of them here, but there have been many). I consider networking to be an essential element to building a career (not to replace skill or qualifications, but to coincide with them).

@AnthropologyNRT Thank you! I definitely think this forum helped me identify ways to improve my application for next year. I hope that I've contributed to the same takeaway for others. I also got that final rejection a few hours after NYU, haha.

NYU rejections have started rolling out. Pretty much just waiting for one more rejection to finish off this season so I can start working towards applying next season.

-you start making a list of all the schools you found out about AFTER their deadlines that have programs that could be a good fit for you because you're convinced you won't get in anywhere -you start planning everything you need to do to "improve" your app for the next season just because -you're in school, but you're so busy stressing about admissions that you keep procrastinating on your homework, making you even more stressed -you start your day, every day, by checking the admission status sites for all the schools you have yet to hear back from Seriously, though, I have gone for a short drive in the middle of the night for the last 3 nights in a row to escape the stress, and am considering changing out a recommender for "next season" because I'm sure they secretly hate me. Also, absolutely love all the HP references happening in here.

I've actually never enjoyed the taste of alcohol, so my drinking has always been minor (once every few months on average). However, last year some liver damage showed up in my bloodwork (unrelated to drinking, obviously) and, until that clears up, I'm not allowed to drink at all. I still go to happy hour and the bars with my cohort though, because it's bonding time for the group. I just get water/soda/or something and no one questions it. The only time I felt left out from not drinking was at a conference and it was because it wasn't going out to drink, but hanging out and drinking so I felt like the odd one out for having a ginger ale while everyone else was drinking. Ultimately, it wasn't that bad though. I guess I'm glad that, overall, my department seems to have a good group of students that understand moderation. We're more the "drink while talking/hanging out" crew than the "let's have a party woohoo!" crew.

Living in New York can be very expensive, so I imagine on-campus housing is a better deal, unless you live further away and commute in (which I wouldn't do with a car; cars in NYC are not something you need/want). Plus side about budgeting in New York: you don't really need a car unless you need to visit upstate or something, so you don't have to worry about paying for gas/car payments/repairs/etc. Downsides are that the rent is astronomical. If you live on campus, I'm pretty sure you're getting a better deal. Plus, you won't have to figure out a commute plan, though you may still want a subway card for getting around the city. So, let's look at your funding in particular, taking TakeruK's advice about taxes. 35,000- 15% for taxes= 29,750 Now let's assume you go with the cheaper option and get a room instead of a studio and that you're there for 9 months (academic year) instead of the summer as well. 29,750-1200/month= 18,950 That leaves you with approximately 2,100 a month for food and other expenses. If you're living on campus you probably don't have to worry about utility bills or anything so that helps a lot and this shouldn't be that difficult (double check average cost of food and other expenses with a cost of living calculator). However, if you're staying for the entire year, that leaves you with around 1,279 a month for food and other expenses. If you aren't going out to eat every day and don't have that many other expenses, this is doable. Also check to see if the program includes healthcare or if you need to get this on your own because it will change your monthly budget.

Once the department submits who they want, the graduate school people check that you meet the minimum school requirements for admission and process the paperwork, thus the different admission statuses.

Another week done and still have 3 schools to officially hear from. I'll just take a nap. Wake me when the notifications are all sent out.

@Konstantine Have you considered doing an anthro MA that doesn't separate out by archaeo or anth. So, instead of an MA in Archeo or one in Socioculture, it's just an MA in anth. Doing something like this could give you access to the sociocultural classes you desire while still working on archaeo stuff as well. Maybe you could even do your thesis as an interdisciplinary approach, looking through archaeology at the material culture and history of a place and sociocultural for the contemporary culture. As for your questions, I'm currently doing my MA in Applied Anthro at SJSU. I didn't pay a cent in tuition this year because I got a job as a TA. Last year, I had a grant based on financial need that covered 75% of my tuition. I had to shell out just under 1k each semester, but that's a lot better than some places. I'm claiming all my books and supplies on taxes, so that'll be fine too. Our program is set up with the main grad courses happening 6:00-8:45 at night so that people who work can do both without much interference. There are some rules about financial assistance, but if you're enrolled in 2 grad level courses, you're considered full time. That should be pretty standard across the CSU's. As for more successful applicants, it sounds like the main problem is that you've been doing archaeo for a long time and want to switch tracks. Have you presented at conferences or tried to work with a sociocultural prof to get more experience on that side of things? These are also ways to show that, even though you do archaeo for your job, you are still very much involved and interested in sociocultural anthropology.

I'm glad it worked out @HiFiWiFi! It sounds like the culture at the school might be a great fit for you (just judging on the conversation you had with the student services manager).

I would reach out to professors to see if you can volunteer on a research project, or maybe do some exploratory research on your own and present at conferences. I don't think an ethnographic field school is necessarily better than working as a volunteer on ethnographic research, but presenting ethnographic research at conferences could help bridge that gap.

Ok, so I did look at the link you provided and noticed a couple things. You mentioned that summer support fellowship and health insurance will be covered by a separate amount. Is that a guaranteed amount that will be presented later? If so, it's only fair to take those costs out of the equation. You've cited the full year, with health insurance, estimate for living costs. Without summer or health insurance, the amount they estimate you need to cover is $25,389, so you should be ok on that fellowship. Some of these numbers are highly variable as well. Would you want to commute to school or live on campus? This changes how much you pay in rent and transportation (indirect relationship). You can also reduce how much you spend on books and expenses by buying used (unless it's one of those textbooks with a one-time use code in it-those suck) and could potentially reduce your food cost by getting a costco or similar wholesale card and buying bulk on non-perishables. You can also reduce your rent by sharing with roommates, but rent in the Bay Area is definitely high, so it will still be your largest fellowship eater.

@stereopticons Thanks. It sounds like things are shutting down so he'll start hospice within the next day or two and then it's a matter of time. They did remove the catheter though so no more tearing that out...

Yep, apply. It's not a contractual obligation saying you will go to that university, but it could lead to extra funding so why not?

Disclaimer: This vent involves gruesome stuff related to medical things. Don't read if you're easily squicked out. So today my grandpa was sent to the hospital emergency for the I-don't-know-how-many-times in about 2 weeks. At least 4, probably 5. He has a bunch of bladder things happening, had to stay in the hospital for a few days, then was released with a catheter. Well, he's pulled it out at least 3, probably 4, times since being released, going to the ER each time. He has dementia and late-onset Alzheimer's and lives in a facility that caters to people with these conditions. He still managed to tear it out several times and each time the hospital has just patched him up and sent him back. They've finally decided that he needs to have something more, and was sent to ER from his doctor this time, to stay or be remanded to hospice until the catheter is actually supposed to come out. I wish they hadn't released him from the hospital the first time. They had to put him in mittens to keep him from pulling out his IV there so I don't understand why they thought they could just send him home with something to pull out. The man's 94 years old, for f's sake. Long story short, I'm currently an hour early for school (carpooled because there's flooding all around my city today) and my parents are headed to the hospital. I might be taking the bus home (not that big a deal, except for the rain) and have no idea what's going to happen for my grandpa.

@Konstantine Yeah, it looks like last year they came mostly in mid-March, so I'm trying not to be too stressed about it until then. Still want to know. x]

I'm waiting on NYU. Anyone else?

I find it's easier if you just resign yourself to not getting in anywhere. I'm still checking incessantly, but I'm not actually nervous right now about the results.

@angesradieux have you considered getting them repaired? It might be because I'm watching The Cobbler in the background, but if they're your go-to you could always repair instead of replace.

Might I suggest happy ramen? Real ramen can be delicious and not nearly as bad for you as the packets you can get to make at home. Now I want to go to a ramen or noodle place.

@Bibica bah! Yeah, this is my last semester and I want to hand in 3 chapters (half my final report) on Monday. I still need to write 3k original words and edit all the material I have for 2 of those chapters. Plus 2 homework assignments, sending out my main deliverable, etc... There's not enough chocolate in the world to combat my stress at the moment, haha.