miratrix

Yeah...not going into details, I would see why they might think that, but it would be a great fit anyway. It just makes me nervous about how to evaluate my options if I'm accepted at multiple places...is the opinion of a random sampling of people with PhDs in anthro something I should be paying attention to?

Congrats! You are definitely going to grad school!

Oh yeah, it's awful. Worse than grad school apps, in terms of effort if not cost. I applied to what I thought of as one backup school, although a lot of people with PhDs who I've talked to lately assume one of my top 3 is a backup :/

I'm not at a computer all at work (normally not at a desk either), so I can't really procrastinate or not be present. I guess that's good as far as waiting for grad school notices, but sometimes I'd really like a nice intellectually challenging, emotionally and physically easy desk job

I think it depends on your field, too. Probably easier to bear 14 rejections from psych programs than MSW ones, for instance.

Yeah, I know...I'd love to know EXACTLY when I'd hear! Congrats!

Guys, it's a very personal and difficult choice, I'm sure someone leaving a long-term SO feels sad enough about it without strangers on the internet yelling at them.

If you're admitted but there's no visiting weekend, what exactly do you ask about arranging a visit? "Hi, I'd like to visit, when should I come and where should I stay and what should I do"? Really, I have no idea how to approach this email....

I wonder how many total votes this represents, since you can choose more than one.

Whoa, this poll shows that the current forum population has a bit higher grades than the one a couple months ago, if I remember accurately.

I've been told that if you want an academic job, it's best to finish your PhD by about 30. 30!! That basically means if you take a year or two off after undergrad, you'd better finish fast! You may join me in pretending that I never heard this, because of the number of people it shuts out. I don't think the admissions committees are really thinking ahead to whether people will be viable candidates on the job market, though - if they were, we wouldn't have this glut of PhDs for a tiny number of tenure-track jobs. So it shouldn't be a factor at this point.

Straight vodka is my "not girly" drink. I love that I've trained my roommate to say, "Hey, want to have a Russian shot?" (meaning that we have a short toast and drink at the same time, I hate when people just pour and unceremoniously gulp it down).

This does not make me nervous at all. I was told that I should get a letter detailing funding about a week after I got the phone call, and that the official admissions letter should take another month or so to catch up (because they still haven't finished with decisions, and the grad school has to process acceptances), but it's nothing to worry about. I've never heard of a school taking BACK an informal admission.

That is pretty stupid. And really annoying. The MA rules kill me, too, because I will have been a resident for 11 months next September and to qualify for in-state, you have to have been a resident for 12 (I was abroad until October last year). Seems a bit unfair given that I've served for freaking jury duty in this state! You do have hope in that some fellowships and assistantships automatically give you in-state rates no matter where you're from (I guess since they're paying for tuition anyway), so it would be good if you got offered one of those.

I have a great work ethic and an attention span that can't match it, unfortunately - I try to start projects early and rewrite papers heavily before turning them in, but I waste much more time procrastinating than when I'm on a deadline. I realized senior year that I'd probably have a better life in general if I didn't try so hard to start papers early and scheduled in all-nighters close to deadlines instead (regular Wednesdays fall semester, Sundays and Thursdays in the spring). It only sort of worked, because I do really need to rewrite a lot, which you can't do if you start the night before. And I'm really good about doing class readings and researching for papers well in advance, but I also need to work on completing the class readings more...selectively...in order to have more time for research and writing. The goal in grad school is to actually work when I plan to work and spend the rest of my time having a life (instead of spending planned work-time watching TV on the internet).

I applied to one of your anthropology departments, too! Good luck

I think that's quite competitive for humanities at most schools. Congrats!

You could definitely still get acceptances, but a little positive reinforcement as soon as possible would be a good thing. Hang in there!

I'd probably agree with engguy on this - it looks like there's no wrong choice here, but moving is a pretty big deal, and if you're going to have to do it in another year or two anyway, it might make sense to stay somewhere you already have roots for now.

That's a lot to hit you, I think financial worries are much worse than grad school worries (for me, at least). I was applying for jobs at the same time as for grad schools, and jobs took FAR more time and psychological energy. Even now that I am employed and got into one school, I'm actually more worried about asking for time off from work for grad school visits than I am about the visits themselves, even though the visits will have more of a long-term impact on my life. Figuring out how to feed and shelter yourself is much more immediate and basic than intellectual questions and challenges, and that part of graduation from college and grad school is pretty intimidating. But it sounds like you're on the way to finding those answers, even though it will be a big upheaval....

And the calls might not be that coordinated - I got two calls from the one school I've heard from because the POI (is this "person of interest," or am I using it wrong) didn't realize the department coordinator had already called me. This is so much better than not hearing from either of them, but still shows that they hadn't totally figured out who was doing what and when.

News that one other person got notified is not the same as a rejection, though. I think taking it as a rejection is definitely premature given all the what-ifs we can think of (for instance, only one advisor made the calls this early, or they haven't finished making decisions). Doesn't mean it's not understandable to cry in frustration, though :/

I was actually going to make a thread like this, titled "cold feet" or "self-doubt" or something along those lines. I got my first acceptance at a school far away, and I could still end up going somewhere closer to home, but I think I'm already subconsciously starting the mourning process for my current home and life. When I think about moving and meeting new people and doing interesting work in grad school, it's directly opposed in my mind to my current location, my local friends, and my 9-5 job. It makes me ask, "is this what I really want?" Basically, do I value my studies and career as much as I think I do, to the point that it's worth it to give up what I like about my life now for the sake of having a job I like? Or is a job that generally bores you just the price you pay for having an otherwise decent life? Then I think about fieldwork and get excited again. But the anxiety is still there. Glad I'm not alone.

And if you live in Somerville, you may have to walk all the way to Porter for the supermarket anyway Porter may not be exciting but it is incredibly convenient.

I got my first notification this week, and it was an acceptance! I am pretty excited. This also basically knocks one of my backups off the list, because now that I'm into this school I'm probably not interested in that one, so two down, five to go! In vaguely unrelated news, the director of a dig I volunteered on last summer just emailed me and said they're putting together the list of people, so I should let him know whether I want to return. It's only February! I don't know if and when and where I'm moving this summer! AAAAAH! How long do you think I can put off deciding?