Medinari

Has anyone heard back for University of Texas at San Antonio yet? I've seen a number of UT Austin, but not other UT campuses.

I was waitlisted last year, so I can lend some insight to at least my experience. I was very lucky in that my prospective advisor kept an open line of communication with me all throughout my application process, so I had a realistic idea of my chances of moving off the waitlist. She told me up front that she thought wanted to work with me, but that department received not only a record number of applications but an incredibly high quality pool of candidates (many of which were already connected to their prospective advisor's research) and that other profs had priority for new students. As a result they (accurately) predicted that the waitlist would not see much movement, but in practice this can vary A LOT based on the program. (Think of those all-stars who are accepted to multiple top-schools). I was notified that I was waitlisted in early March (emergency conditions in the state delayed application review last year, so this was concurrent with acceptances going out), and notified that the waitlist was closed in early April. If you already have rapport with your prospective advisor, or if you are accepted elsewhere and it becomes a more time-sensitive situation to know, I think it's reasonable to ask their thoughts about your chances. I'm currently waiting for the result of my second round application to this program and goodness is my anxiety higher this year.

I live Seattle-adjacent, and I find having a car helpful. If you are in the city proper, parking can be problematic and expensive (companies have learned they can charge you out the nose for garage spots in apartments), so it may depend on the area you actually settle down in. The places where having a car is more expensive happen to be the places with great public transportation. It's no NYC subway level, but it's pretty good.

Thank you so much! I'm a little less anxious and deeply appreciate the additional information. Also: Congratulations!!!!

Is the person with UTSA acceptance from today in this thread? Could I trouble you for more info (offical letter vs. informal notification from PI, subfield, etc)? They are my top choice but I've not heard anything since my interview so I'm on massive pins and needles. TYIA!

I got good and bad news today: An interview invitation to UTSA, and a rejection from CUNY (physical). I didn't get an email about CUNY as a heads up for anyone else waiting, just saw the update on the portal.

@behavioral_ecology For sure! We are a small but mighty interdisciplinary field. ? My expectations of possible acceptance were pretty low for the AB UC-Davis program since it was the only one I applied to where I never heard back from the PI I want to work with when I reached out. The hope is of course still there until I hear otherwise! My personal goal it is to wait until 2/12 before I start following up with any programs, so we'll see if I can maintain my patience. I'll let you know what I hear back it I reach out, or if I can any other updates! All of the other programs I applied to this cycle were for biological anthropology (I'm mostly but not exclusively primate focused) and even the ones where I had some good back-and-forth correspondence prior to applying have been radio silent and it's driving me batty.

Anyone with a CUNY invite who was physical anthropology? (I know most were cultural but a few were unlabeled and figured I'd ask). I have not had any interview invites yet, but UC Davis (I applied animal behavior, not anth) did send out an email stating "We write to inform you that we expect that instruction and research operations will return to pre-pandemic, in-person delivery at the start of the next academic year in September 2021. " I think that's a pretty big stretch for them to call this early though. The email was labeled "UC Davis Graduate Admissions: Planning for Fall 2021" and my heart skipped a beat thinking it was an decision. Alas, just a general update.

I have not heard a peep from Davis Animal Behavior myself.

Hello Everyone! Did anyone here take a significant break between earning a Master's and applying to PhD programs, or who can offer advice/perspective that might be helpful? I am thirsty for mentorship! I wondering how strong of a barrier this gap could be towards acceptance, and suggestions in terms of 'brushing up' on an education from a past life. Backstory: I started college full-time very young (14), and completed my M.S. in Primate Behavior in 2010 directly after earning my bachelor's degrees at the same university. I applied and was not accepted to some Anthropology PhD programs at the time (2009), and took a zookeeping job right after graduation while I re-evaluated my options. I ended up hating it and promptly quitting (small public zoo with ethical concerns, now private due to mismanagement), and found myself in a pretty defeated place and essentially floated around for a bit. Long story short, I was severely burnt out and needed some time to be a person outside of academia and mature. I eventually joined the AmeriCorps and discovered through my placement that I loved academic advising, and have been working in student affairs for the last ~6 years. I am currently in a leadership level position that also involves teaching and data analysis, so I am still stretching some of the same muscles at least. I enjoy this position, but now that my partner has finished their own graduate education, I have more stability in my life, and I have been able to reflect more clearly on my goals I feel I'm ready to return to my prior field. I feel like this 8 year gap has absolutely been beneficial in building my resilience and perspective, but I am absolutely terrified that all of that domain-specific knowledge has atrophied in my brain without an application, or that it's too late for me to shift back into what I'm most passionate about. I am hoping to spend the next year exploring programs, retaking the GREs, and brushing up on all of the subjects I once had a fresh grasp on. I'm also considering taking classes at local institutions to rekindle some of that information I know, but can't quite name anymore. I did publish a paper in 2013 (from my 2009 research; took longer than I am happy to admit during my burnout period), and was lucky to have an abundance of varied lab/field research during both undergrad and grad (primate behavior, biodiversity sampling, molecular anthropology, zooarchaeology, international and domestic field schools, etc.) so my C.V. does have some content, but all of my recent work is in student affairs. Thank you for your time, advice, and perspectives!