umundergrad

A simple piece of advice: start early. I'm happy I started my applications early and my profs got to review all of my SOP drafts before I sent them in 

Hey all. So I’ve heard from multiple professors over the years that some universities are better than others for anthropology. I’m really clueless to rankings. I mean I hear things, like...Michigan, Arizona, Chicago, etc. Are top anthro programs. Idk what that’s based on. And I’ve only heard bad things about Chicago anth. 
 
For example, my professor said something about “Georgia not being top-tier, but Arizona...” or whatever. 
 
I applied to 6 PhD programs this year and I’ve been admitted to one. But Idk if it’s “top tier.” My acceptance letter says that they’re a top 15 program for anthro, but Idk where that number comes from. It’s the University of Illinois. I don’t know much about them. Are they good for anthro?

So, I've seen threads in other groups where people share their funding packages for MA/PhD as a useful resource for people who want to apply for schools, but aren't sure what the funding may be like. Or you know, just for sheer curiosity too. Anyways, the google sheet is editable by anyone, so feel free to add your school. Cheers!
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1qoEVD2hIshffv07L00z0pDS0M25cKCB7PcjXpk-v5X0/edit?usp=sharing

So April 15 has come and gone, hopefully we've all got some idea of where we're headed. For those of you who are still in the dark - good luck!
 
Anyway, the application process is so obscure and complicated, especially coming into this I know that I and a lot of people I met on the forums had very little clue as to what it was about, what to emphasise, how to prioritise different universities or different parts of the application.
 
SO, for the sake of future years, and I'm hoping there are enough people lurking around here to make it worthwhile, why don't we tell the world what we've learned going through this to make it clearer for future years? Just to lump our experiences into one thread for future generations.

Calling even 1/2 tuition on $60k without stipend "generous" stretches credulity. 

That is 100% valid! Something tells me that 2020 is going to be a benchmark for bad years for some time to come and it's going to be hard for 2021 to be worse (that is not a challenge, fates, please do not take it as one).
I know that in the event that I don't get in anywhere this cycle, once I'm able to get to the GRPL archives again, I'm going to be digging through their collections for information on how Grand Rapids handled the 1918 flu--that particular pandemic was something I was interested in before COVID-19 hit and has been something I've wanted to look into more deeply for a while.  I just haven't had much chance thus far.

To your first question, If your statement of purpose reflects an understanding of current literature in anthropology then you should be fine.  You should also demonstrate in concrete terms why you're making the transition.  If you have a published article that puts you ahead of many applicants anyway, so I wouldn't sweat it.