yuyuuu

UC Davis

Professors are usually given leeway for submitting LoR’s. So long as it’s within a week or so you should be fine.

Not great. I think coming off as Unknowledgeable about the department can be to your detriment. It makes them wonder if you just applied to this school on a whim or because of the name. Especially if they asked repeatedly. Not naming POI’s might seem strange to them, but they may have understood you were nervous. All depends on who was interviewing you.

Hi, I'm looking to expand my list of programs and scholars within my field. Put broadly, my interests are in formations of race in the late 19th/early 20th century colonial hunting and wildlife preservation movements in colonial Africa, particularly British East Africa. I situate my analytical frame within the fields of Black Studies, Post-Humanism, and Animal Studies. Are there any scholars/programs that immediately come to mind that you think I should check out?

Hi, I'm looking to expand my list of programs and scholars within my field. Put broadly, my interests are in formations of race in the late 19th/early 20th century colonial hunting and wildlife preservation movements in colonial Africa, particularly British East Africa. I situate my analytical frame within the fields of Black Studies, Post-Humanism, and Animal Studies. Are there any scholars/programs that immediately come to mind that you think I should check out?

I graduated in Spring 2018 and just recently submitted my applications for the 2020 cycle. Now that I’ve had some down time from the constant grind, I’m trying to come up with a backup plan in case things dont go well. I have some strong points in my application, but I’m a little all over the place. For example: For undergrad I went to a public institution. I majored in Anthropology, minored in Philosophy. I had a good undergrad. Two prestigious fellowships, various scholarships and honors, a few research grants, presented at multiple conferences, took a graduate course. BUT my letter writers are all over the place. They’re in Antho, Philosophy, and Comp Lit. But they’re all strong letters. I’ve taken courses and conducted research with all the professors. They’re all tenured faculty. Each of them are pretty well known in their fields. One of them (Philosophy) is very well known. So maybe that's in my favor? So, this year, I applied mostly to interdisciplinary PhD programs (American Studies, Ethnic Studies, etc) and a few history programs, as I know that I want to work with primary sources and historical methods. I finished up my Anthro major because by the time I realized It wasn't what I wanted to do long term I was already almost done with undergrad. While my letter writers and disciplinary orientation is a mess, my research topic is focused. I am interested in the wildlife preservation and hunting movement of British East Africa from 1890-1920, looking at it through the lens of Black Studies and critical race theory. I recently submitted my applications for the 2020 cycle. I felt like I didnt have ample time to prepare and adequately research programs and think long term strategically. Like checking out funded MA programs or Post Bac programs. Finding departments that really fit my interests. I’m anticipating that Im going to be rejected from the history programs since I dont have formal training. I'll see how the interdiscplinary programs go. If things don’t go well, I’m wondering what I can do to make myself a stronger applicant for the next cycle. Should I apply to post bac programs or MA programs for the spring deadline? Is the multiple disciplines of my letter writers a problem that needs to be addressed? Should I situate myself more strongly into a traditional discipline? If so, how do I figure out which one is best for me? And how would I make the convincing case that even though I did not major in it - I could still be a competitive applicant? Thanks so much for reading! Any feedback would be much appreciated.