PMJ

This was definitely me a year ago. My advisor also told me NOT to apply to Masters programs since rarely do they ever offer any form of financial support. While isn't required to have a masters if you're applying to a Ph.D. program, I have noticed that many admitted students tend to already have their masters once they applied for Ph.D. I was able to get into a Ph.D. program without a masters degree but we tend to be very rare in doctoral programs. Seek out those fee waivers to avoid application fees. Some programs require that you send them proof that you need a fee waiver. Once you're approved, the only expenses you should have are for sending off GRE results to schools or transcripts once you are recommended for admission. I say speak directly with your advisor about putting together a possible project for the statement of purpose. The interesting thing about writing a convincing SOP is that most programs don't tie you down to that project. It is more or less a way to show that you are able to think analytically and make sound observations and connections to concepts/theories. While you may not have any publications, your research experience is very helpful. It more or less pads your CV. I would also recommend that you apply for Berkeley and the University of Michigan. While you're at it, contact some medical anthropologists, epidemiologists...whose research is somewhat related to yours. Believe it or not, they are more than willing to assist you with those types of concerns. Good luck!

Hello all! I just recently got accepted into a doctoral program (w/ funding *thank god*) and I am endlessly thinking about what I should do for a project. I have been forcing myself not to think about projects and the stuff that comes with that, but I can't help but want to plan stuff out way ahead of time. I originally wanted to focus on doing work in Spanish-speaking countries thus I took Spanish courses as an undergrad, but I find myself drawn more towards Japan. I've always had a strong appreciation for Japanese culture, but I have no exposure to the language. Is it typical to learn an entirely different foreign language during the first 2 or 3 years of a doctoral program? From what I hear is that I should be able to do so through coursework, workshops, etc but I also hear that Japanese is incredibly difficult for native English speakers. Plus, my program expects me to have at least an intermediate proficiency in a foreign language before the end of my third year. Any info you can offer definitely helps.