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Waltzfordebby

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  1. Like
    Waltzfordebby reacted to DanJackson in Good PhD programs for food studies, human-animal relations?   
    Look for people doing multi-species ethnograpy. That's the ticket.
     
    Read this: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1548-1360.2010.01069.x/full
    And check out the resources here: http://www.culanth.org/fieldsights/277-the-emergence-of-multispecies-ethnography
    And look at this approach also: http://www.culanth.org/articles/745-witness-humans-animals-and-the-politics-of
     
    All of those will give you a sense of where, in my opinion, the most interesting work is going on in human/non-human relations. You can definitely find a place for your interest in ethics in there. Social movement studies isn't a bad idea, there's someone doing a PhD at the CUNY Graduate Center now who works on animal rights movements, but it depends on how you want to approach it. Do you want to do it with a political economy and Marxist approach? Then the Graduate Center would be good.
     
    I think you actually need to have very specific interests, not necessarily in exactly which topic you're going to do, but in how you want to approach that topic. Each department has their own flavor, and you need to know what you're getting into. It's kind of like a theoretical framework that the department tends to have - one way to find out about this is to email students in the department who are currently studying and ask them what it's like there. We did this when they applied and when they looked for schools, and we expect to hear from others when they're going through the process.
     
    Also check this message out, it was recently sent out on the Environmental Anthropology email list and might be an interesting place to start looking for novel ways to approach this topic. And it wouldn't hurt to get on that list serve as a way to start scoping out possible schools, supervisors, and topics (http://www.aaanet.org/sections/ae/index.php/listserv/).

     
  2. Upvote
    Waltzfordebby reacted to AbrasaxEos in Final results 2011-12   
    I can share some here. My results were as follows:

    Applied: UNC Chapel Hill, Yale University, Princeton University, Rice University, Fordham University, Boston University
    Accepted: UNC Chapel Hill, Fordham, Boston University
    Waitlisted: Yale
    Declined Further Consideration: Rice (they wanted me to do an interview, but I had already heard from others that I was more interested in)
    Rejected: Princeton

    I ended up deciding on BU.

    My field is Ancient Christianity, and I decided that I really wanted a program that would allow me to gain ability in both my field as well as the larger, theoretical questions that go into the study of Religion. With jobs often wanting folks to have ability in teaching general courses in Religion, I saw a real chance in BU's more comprehensive look at religious phenomenon to be able to confidently say that I could teach an introductory course in Christianity as comfortably as I could in Eastern religious traditions, or even sociology/anthropology of religion.

    Suggestions:

    - Statement of Purpose: This is your most important tool. Your GPA, GRE, language preparation, etc. are components, but if you SOP is poorly suited to the place you are applying, all of that is meaningless, and a chasing after the wind. I spent an enormous amount of time tweaking and being sure my SOP was truly tailored for each school, even re-writing some of bits that were similar between them all. In this vein, I also didn't apply anywhere to which I couldn't make a strong case for going (i.e. I didn't waste money or time with schools that were prestigious/had good funding 'just to see'). Keep it within word limits if they post them, if they don't keep it to one or two pages. If you can't communicate exactly why you are perfect for that school in that space, spend some time thinking about whether it is the right place for you, or edit the hell out of it. If it isn't clear yet, I think that there is no part of your application that is more important (other than the fee so that it actually gets read).

    - Languages: I did not have a voluminous catalog of languages under my belt. I had the those I needed for my concentration, I knew them well and could demonstrate that. I had neither modern research language, I was able to do French this summer, and will do German at some point this year. Languages are helpful, and may be a notch that allows you to climb just a bit over another candidate though.

    - GRE: Do well. I consider the GRE a kind of gatekeeper, that is, something that lets you in. You don't need an 800/800 (or whatever the new standard is), but you should strive to break 700 on verbal, and show some basic aptitude for math. By 'lets you in' I mean that many programs get a couple hundred applications, and they need some way to weed out substantial portion of these without reading through every one; GRE scores are a good way to do this.

    - Misc: I have a Bachelor's and Master's, both in Hebrew Bible. I decided to change my field (you can do this!), and am happy I did. My M.A. is from an Ivy league Divinity School. I would suggest for those heading for a M.A./M.Div prior to a PhD to consider an Ivy or at least something comparable (Duke, Emory) if you would also like to try for a good (read: fully funded) PhD program. The truth of the matter is that there are a lot of folks applying from these places (I happen to know that from my alma mater, we had a nice sweep of many spots at the bigger name schools this past application season, with about 7 people applying just in AC/NT), with LORs from profs who everyone has heard of and likely knows. If you are going to spend money on your Master's, at least do it somewhere worthwhile. At least try to apply to some, as they may not be as difficult to get into as some might think.

    -Final Words: First, don't pay for a PhD. Especially not in RS. You'll enjoy your job if you can find one, but you'll make 40k per year. This was the best advice I got from one of my mentors. He knew of 4 people in the past 10 years who had, despite his and others' warnings, gone into substantial debt to get their PhD. 1 of 4 has a job, and 4 of 4 have 100k+ of debt that will take them 40 years to pay off. If you only get into one program and they don't fund, don't go. Spend a year bolstering applications and try again. If you still don't get in, consider a career change, as this should tell you something about your perceived vs. actual abilities. Second, have support as you apply. Try to find others who are doing the same thing, even if it is not in the same subfield. People you can really meet with and complain to, get really honest criticism about your SOP/writing sample, and people you can grab a celebratory drink with after you get in. It makes what can be a lonely process far more bearable.

    Hope this helps, and please PM or ask here if you have other questions, I'd be glad to answer.
  3. Upvote
    Waltzfordebby reacted to AnthroScopic in Fall 2019 Applicants   
    If you are interested in hiring practices in anthropology consult these recent publications:
    Market share and recent hiring trends in anthropology faculty positions (2018)
    https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0202528#pone-0202528-g001
    or
    The Social Network of US Academic Anthropology and Its Inequalities (2018)
    https://doi.org/10.1111/aman.13158
    Below, sociocultural placement data:

  4. Upvote
    Waltzfordebby reacted to Jenny01 in Choosing a school   
    Congrats to everyone!!! Especially for being accepted into multiple programs, job well done!
    I spent about a year researching programs and got in contact with prospective advisers as soon as a program made it on my list. I have been ranking programs based off my interactions with POI, interests, funding package, department size and region. 
    For me personally fit was more important than research interests (I feel comfortable saying this because I spent so much time selecting each program I could not go wrong with any of my POIs).  Based of my past research experience I have learned that I have a pretty big umbrella of interests (my interests even within my concentration are so niche having a big umbrella does not necessarily mean much). I hate the idea of being stuck with an adviser that I cannot get along with. It is something I had to deal with as an undergrad, academia is so difficult and stressful as it is I don't want to be in a situation where I am constantly second guessing every interaction. Under fit I would also include age. I spoke to a handful of grad students whose advisors were retirement age or close to and they felt like the advisor was a bit checked out and not as invested. I did not apply to work with anyone that was within a few years of retirement age.
    Department size is probably the next thing I am most concerned about. I was able to interact with a decent amount of grad students leading up to applications. Some of these students were from big schools with big departments (I can tell you that these are schools a lot of people in the Anthropology forum have applied to) and most of them felt like they were on their own in the process. Advisers just do not have the time or head-space to prioritize students at any point in the year. The nice (kinda) thing about it is that students tend to band together and really help each other make it through but this also made the departments sound very clique-ish, a lot more room for politics. 
    As I am typing this I realize politics is not something I have considered but may be important for others to think about. If you know anyone that may have insight they feel comfortable sharing you may be able to avoid an uncomfortable, drama riddle department.
    I considered funding packages and region about equally. Because my interests are so specific I knew I would have less options than I already did if I spent a lot of time worrying about being in a "cool" city or town. I was more concerned about the funding package being enough to cover my expenses without having 3 roommates. I have struggled a lot  financially through out undergrad (and life in general), I wanted to make sure I did not need a part time job or to take on more of a teaching load than required to survive. I know I am a grad student and I will be broke anyways but I have a good idea of what level of broke I am okay with. 
    If you have been accepted into multiple programs it means something. I know its a crapshoot but that it makes it more meaningful. Regardless of politics and funding constraints multiple programs chose you, do not be afraid to negotiate your funding package, you are worth it. 
    @sawdust&diamonds aside from what I have mentioned lab resources are extremely important to me, departments that did not have access to the kind of resources I want and will need for my dissertation did not even make it on my list. I don't know exactly what you mean by strength of the department but I did look into what previous students of  POIs were doing. I did not look at the placement rates of the department as whole. Depending on your research interest a particular POI may have a lot of successful students because the POI has a lot of access to resources and a big network, this may not be reflected in the overall placement rate of the department. I did not consider faculty members that were not in my stream even if the department was great as a whole. I did not care if it was four field program, I actually prefer if it isn't (again because of the niche). I hope to have my mind made up two to three weeks before April 15th, I think that maybe just enough time for the department to offer my slot to someone else. Even if department does not have an official waitlist, I know some put aside applicants they won't reject until the last minute. I have been encouraged by both POIs of the institutions I have been accepted to and by one that has not made their decision but it is looking good to take as much time as I need. All three have encouraged me to visit other campuses, ask a lot of questions and take my time making my decision. Do not let anyone pressure you into making your decision earlier than you have to (https://cgsnet.org/april-15-resolution) from my conversations with POIs there are some programs that are notorious for pressuring students and it is highly frowned upon and seen as unethical. 
  5. Upvote
    Waltzfordebby reacted to cotterw in Arizona PhD funding for 4 years only..so what happens for year 5?   
    Hi all,
    I thought I'd chime in because I'm currently a phd student at AZ in both the linguistics and anthropology departments. PhD students in linguistics are a "priority" for funding for 4 years, and then they are a lower priority for the 5th year. I can say that our department has a fantastic record of students getting good external fellowships for the last year. I have also seen students who are further along in the program getting teaching assignments still. We also do have a lot of people powering through the program at a pretty quick pace. So I think the answer I would give is pretty much the same as fuzzylogician, if you're making good progress through the program and they can still find you a teaching appointment for the 5th year they will probably do whatever they can to help you. I don't know if the situation is different at all for international students though. 
    Either way, you'll still be on the hook for the mandatory fees, which are university mandated and the dept can't pay. It comes out to ~$500 a semester, and all the students in the dept pay them regardless of their teaching appointment/funding situation. I had a fellowship my first year and I still had to put up the money for the fees so they're unavoidable. Hopefully that's helpful and if anyone who is applying wants to reach out to me and ask more questions about the program feel free. My email is in my profile. 
  6. Like
    Waltzfordebby reacted to pmcol in Fall 2019 Applicants   
    Hey @UmairrasheedI think for Berkeley 4 - 5 for each stream (Anthropology and Medical Anthropology) may be correct. According to Peterson's, 247 applied last year and 11 enrolled. Regarding the other universities mentioned, UMichigan (181 applied, 21 accepted, 11 enrolled) and Chicago (260 applied, 19 accepted, 11 enrolled). 
    If you mean each concentration (Archaeology, Biology, Sociocultural, and Medical) having 4 - 5 applicants, I do not think that is the case. As for the number directly admitted per stream, this may be dependent on the faculty accepting graduate students per year. I would not assume that there is a hard acceptance rate per sub-discipline as some years may see a good number of sociocultural applicants admitted, others may see a greater number of archaeology applicants admitted.
    In regards to interviews, it really depends on the department. Duke definitely interviews its shortlisted candidates. In such a case, I do believe they create a shortlist of applicants in whom they are interested and the interview is to assess fit, personality, interests, etc.
    I hope that helps in some regard.
  7. Like
    Waltzfordebby reacted to RepatMan in Fall 2019 Applicants   
    @pmcol and @bonesandbakes, Penn doesn't require formal interviews, but usually does them when they need someone to be interested in something like a secondary adviser role (like someone that would be interested in advising the studying if the primary faculty member left) or when they're bringing people in off their informal wait-list. Not getting an interview doesn't mean much at this point, but I believe the department had the goal to make initial offers in the first week of February.
  8. Like
    Waltzfordebby reacted to perpetualalligator in Fall 2019 Applicants   
    @bonesandbakesWelcome to hell! I did not apply to Penn or know any Penn people but I looked at the Penn results for past years and I don't really have a concrete answer for you. I did notice that the person who did specify what area they were interested in said they were BioAnth and others have mentioned  being on a (long?) shortlist. Based on previous years it doesn't seem like they're formal interviews but maybe potential supervisors reaching out to applicants that really stood out? Also the Penn Anthro Website doesn't say anything about interviews as part of the process, so I wouldn't think that not getting an interview request implies a rejection. I think that very few schools do formal interviews as part of the application process. Off the top of my head I can only think of CUNY, Berkeley, Duke, Notre Dame, and maybe Harvard (the website does say that you don't necessarily need to be interviewed to be accepted but previous years' results kind of say otherwise)?
    Also when did you Skype with your potential supervisor? Did you reach out to them? If they reached out to you that could count as an interview.
    I think it would be useful to have a thread where we make a list of schools that formally interview and like what it means to get an interview for schools that do not usually interview? What do you all think? Is there already a thread like that? Idk.
  9. Like
    Waltzfordebby reacted to busybee in Fall 2017 Applicants   
    I applied to CUNY last year and was in a similar position. CUNY was originally my top choice; I had a skype interview with my POI, and then flew out to NYC (on my own dime) to attend the colloquium where I met a couple of faculty members, not on the admissions committee, with whom I had informal chats. Afterwards, I emailed my POI and told her that I loved the university and that it was my top choice. Unfortunately, I didn't hear anything for more than a month, even from my POI. By the time I received an email telling me my position on their wait-list, and asking me if I would come with a tuition-only fellowship, I had received a phenomenal, fully-funded offer elsewhere at a much higher ranked department with a much better fit.
    Others who had been in the same position as me before told me that CUNY often makes last-minute, April 14th or 15th offers, and that if I really wanted to get in, I should wait until then. However, I was pretty disillusioned, and knew I didn't want to spend potentially up to 10 years (I know a few people who attended CUNY for anthropology who took ten years to finish, including a then-current grad student with whom I skyped) in a department with such poor communication. It was clear that the other offer was from a department that really wanted me: I interviewed with multiple professors there who were incredibly excited by my proposal and ideas; faculty responded to my emails, and one even offered to read my statement of purpose. They also have a quicker completion rate of 6 years, and an incredible job placement percentage. So when I finally received the wait-list email from CUNY, I had already made my decision. I wrote them an email back and requested they remove me from the wait-list; I was tired of being dragged through the mud.
    I'm sure others have had better experiences with CUNY, and I know that every single candidate is different etc.--but from what you described it seems that you too may be in a muddy position.
    Good luck with your visit and in making your decision! This is only my experience, so take it with a grain of salt. 
  10. Like
    Waltzfordebby reacted to GreenEyedTrombonist in How much do rankings matter?   
    Instead of focusing on rank as much (although it can be important in anthro), focus on the opportunities the school gives you and placement of recent grads. Do recent grads land more teaching or industry positions? They should also list their percentages (grads with jobs in the field, grads with jobs overall, etc). Does the program pay for you to attend national or international conferences? Are they set up so that you can get multiple publications out while attending? Do they invite visiting scholars and arrange some kind of time for students to mingle with these scholars? Do they have you TA? Are TAs mainly graders or could you become an Instructor of Record after a year or two? 

    Networking is an important aspect of landing a job in the future (as are publications, conference presentations, and other things to beef up your CV) so programs that incorporate these opportunities may be better for your career interests (which you can then back up with their job placement data).
  11. Like
    Waltzfordebby reacted to phyanth in How much do rankings matter?   
    Well, it depends on if you're trying to go into academia, or the private sector. Also, are you trying to get a tenure track position at a high ranked school post doc? If that's the case, then ranking does matter for us, unfortunately. That's not to say you can't do it, but having a degree from a high ranked school will make the search much easier. 
    Honestly, focus on finding the school with the best fit for you, and be outstanding. That's going to look much more favorably in the long run than doing mediocre at a better ranked school. 
  12. Like
    Waltzfordebby got a reaction from masthana in Fall 2020 Interview Tips/Experiences!   
    Thank you @masthana, your tips helped a lot!
    I also want to share some questions from the interview with UCSC anthro.  
    1. Why PhD in anthropology?
    2. How did your research interest shift from your past research?
    3. What are some big questions that can be drawn from your research?
    4. Why UCSC?
    Then I was asked about the scholarship I'm receiving and also to ask them questions. 
  13. Like
    Waltzfordebby reacted to pmcol in WTF Do Interviews Mean?   
    Hey @Nisaba your post is very helpful, thank you!
    If I may ask one more question, how did you prepare yourself for your interview to ensure you were ready?
    Congratulations and I hope you make it into Duke!
  14. Like
    Waltzfordebby reacted to truc in Jobs after getting a PhD   
    This is written by an anthropologist and provides a healthy discussion of strategy if academic work is what you hope to do (http://chronicle.com/article/Graduate-School-Is-a-Means-to/131316). It's kind of mechanical and elitist, but she makes some good points. 
  15. Like
    Waltzfordebby reacted to catcatcatdog in A few questions about Princeton and other things   
    Why, hello! I'm a current PhD student in anthropology at Princeton, and I'd be happy to exchange PMs about my experiences here so far. To answer your initial questions:
    1) Like you, I also saw Princeton's spot on the NRC anthropology rankings and was a bit concerned as to whether I should apply -- but the NRC rankings aren't really official rankings like you might have for economics PhD programs; they're more a range of various assessments -- and so they carry considerably less weight. I think at this level, especially in anthropology, it's less about department rankings and institutional prestige (though these things obviously still matter), and more about who is on your committee, if you are working with the top people in your particular areas of anthropological interest, etc -- they will link you into the circles you want/need to be in, regardless of institutional affiliation. For what it's worth, all of my other PhD offers were NRC top 10 schools, and I have no regrets about turning them down for Princeton, because it was such a good fit for my interests and had such productive scholars working on things I was curious about (also, I don't think a four-field program is more prestigious than a school with a strictly sociocultural program -- I have actually heard the opposite from several people [but everyone's got their opinion...])!). Also, Princeton stipends are one of, if not the best, funding packages in anthropology. Unfortunately, I don't know anything about the inner workings of the admissions process, so I can't speak to how many applicants they get, but recent incoming cohorts have ranged from 5-10 people.
    2) I think it's very rare to have 6 people on a committee, but the more faculty members you can mention in your SOP, the better (as long as the connection between your interests and theirs is substantial rather than superficial)! I mentioned four in mine, and also reached out to them during the admissions process -- feel free to do the same. Any fit you can demonstrate -- theoretical, ethnographic, methodological -- should help your case.
    3) From what I've seen, a master's is by no means necessary, so no sweat about "just" a BA, but I think most students here had some sort of fieldwork experience before applying, often in a less structured environment than a field school (I can share my academic/research background with you via PM). Princeton is the sort of department that seems open to students switching fieldwork locations, but it's nice to show admissions committees, if you can, that you've done more than armchair anthropology in class.
    Hope that's somewhat helpful -- feel free to PM!
  16. Like
    Waltzfordebby reacted to FingersCrossed_2020 in Fall 2020 Interview Tips/Experiences!   
    @masthana I think it went... ok... hahaha. These are the questions they asked:
    1. Tell us more about your project? (then they had a few follow up questions) 
    2. What theorists do you find helpful/have you engaged with?
    3. What do you read (or watch) outside of your main areas of interest?
    4. Do you have any questions for us?
    I mostly found that the questions were used just as a starting point for a longer conversation because most of the interview was based on their follow up questions to my responses and also some questions about the SOP itself. Hope this helps, and good luck to all! 
  17. Like
    Waltzfordebby reacted to masthana in Fall 2020 Interview Tips/Experiences!   
    Hi all,
    Since January has started...interview season is about to commence! I thought it'd be nice to have an easy place to see interview tips for Anthropology students specifically (especially since there are so many threads about interview tips to read through on GradCafe).
    Feel free to post questions/tips/your upcoming interviews!
    Best of luck to all of us! ❤️
    --
    Here are the questions I got from my POI from UCSD Anthro. She asked a few questions I didn't anticipate so I thought this would make a great heads-up for folks!
    1. Tell me about yourself and your work. How did you become interested in this topic?
    2. I can see the continuities between your last research work and your current proposed research, but they're still different. Can you explain your shift and why? 
    3. Your work reminded me of X author. How does your work relate to them? How does it contribute to the broader __ studies? 
    4. Does this X current event happening in your region of interest change your project? (in my case, intense protests that suddenly erupted in my country of interest.)
    5. Why Anthropology? (It seems like you could do well in different fields.) 
    6. What's the most inspiring piece of ethnography/anthropology you've ever read?
  18. Like
    Waltzfordebby reacted to RyanHGSE17 in Anthropology Interviews   
    Hi all,
    I wanted to start a thread for folks to post interview invites to Anthropology programs. I saw a post in results from someone invited to interview for UC Santa Cruz's Anthropology program- yet previously there seem not to be interviews. Thought this would be a good place to share our knowledge of interview notifications.
    Here are the two I know:
    Columbia - Expected Interview Invite Week of January 27th
    Northwestern - Expected Interview Invite Week of Jan. 27th
    Curious if anyone else received invites to UC Santa Cruz, or other schools you know will extend interview invites.
    - R
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