Archaeo_Anon

death squad

Clearly I can't speak for all archaeology programs, since I'm only in the one that I'm in, and I only have direct knowledge of those experienced firsthand by my peers, but as far as I can tell, archaeology doesn't work exactly the same way as many other fields in which it's recommended that you cast as wide a net as possible and hope that any of a number of faculty will take you under their wing. Even the top tier programs only have a limited number of faculty working in a particular region or on a particular topic, and if you want admission as a PhD student, you are going to have to work specifically with a certain faculty member on that topic in that region. You don't get assigned to a lab which may be doing multiple things, you are essentially apprenticed to a faculty member or their pet project. Is there latitude for interests which may bridge the specializations of multiple faculty? Certainly, but you do have to be careful with it, and it is still absolutely essential that you target your POIs with specific information and interests that you can back up with specifically related experiences. Casting as wide a net as possible will not make one as attractive a candidate as being as specific as possible and as strong as possible in that one particular specialty. It may seem like putting all your eggs in one basket to have that kind of focus, and extremely nerve-wracking to be so reliant on a single professor to make or break your admissions chances, but that's the way it works. No two ways about it. If someone is admitted to my program (which is a top tier program) this year who wants to work in a certain part of the Americas, everyone knows exactly who their advisor is, because that's the only person who works there. If someone is admitted who wants to work in East Asia, again, the pickings for advisors are slim. Classical archaeo? Everyone knows. Archaeology is a small world. It's circumstances like these that make it such a competitive field for prospective students. I'd like to help, but I'm not sure how much more specific you want me to be short of linking everyone to their magical dream activity's website, which I cannot do since it is going to be so case-specific every time. On top of the common sense advice given to applicants in all fields, you need some combination of the things in the list I posted above. Which things are most relevant and achievable for you in your own circumstances are something only you can determine. Unfortunately if the one thing your application really needs to bolster it, for example, is more specific coursework (in languages, say), and you have too many other things going on in your life to realistically make time for that, you simply may not be able to reach that "top candidate" status. You may not always need to be the best of the best and the top of the top for admission depending on your focus and which programs you apply to, but it is something you would have to come to terms with. (Fortunately, in most cases shortcomings of one experiential type can be made up for with others; take a hard look at your application, figure out where it could be stronger, and figure out what specific tasks or activities from the list can fill that gap.) I really, really don't want to be a downer about it, but it's important to keep an honest eye on exactly how hard it is to make it in archaeology. Many extremely intelligent, hardworking people get stuck doing several Masters degrees in a row before they get in to a PhD program or give up. Several of my friends from undergrad are in this exact situation. I feel for them, but I can't wave a wand and give them that perfect combination of attributes that they would need to get into the program they want. They're the only ones who can make it happen, and even then they'll need all the luck they can get. I still have trouble comprehending how I managed to get in myself given how totally arbitrary some of the process seems, and a few grads who have been in the program much longer than me have told me that even after many years into the process they still have yet to figure out how they managed it. You do what you can, and the rest is out of your hands. If you have more specific questions, e.g. making nice with LoR writers, or where to look for info on field schools, I will certainly try to provide what advice I can.

I think this one will depend more on the atmosphere at your individual school. At some schools extreme casual dressing (like, roll out of bed and go) is the norm, or at least common enough to not attract comment. At others, dressing at least somewhat nicely or professionally is expected, and dressing casually will raise a few eyebrows. In either case, try to look at least moderately professional when it counts (conferences, presentations, if you're teaching, meetings with your advisor/potential advisor, etc), and err on the side of overdressing if you're really unsure. That said, even if your school is pretty casual, try not to go too overboard. I previously worked at a university where not even the staff had any particular dress code, and the one grad student who was extra greasy, never changed clothes, and occasionally walked around the department without shoes definitely attracted comment and derision behind the scenes.

big bird

love nest

honey bee

Mummies Alive

Ah, cool. I thought that might be the case, but your info didn't specify.

world map

ancient ruin

Out of curiosity, AG, are you on the sociocultural or archaeology side of anthro?

Fit with individual faculty probably matters more than fit with the overall program the vast majority of the time (you have to inspire someone to pull for you in those adcom meetings, and possibly offer up funding on your behalf; to do this you really have to sell yourself to the individual faculty member). Research your POIs at each program--read whatever they've published most recently, and check out their CVs and faculty profiles on the department website. Whatever they're doing or researching now may not directly reflect what they were working on earlier in their careers, so it would behoove you to make sure you still fit with what they're actually working on. Tailor your application to fit that individual faculty member. Esoteric but recently acquired interests by the faculty may be your best bet (and don't "fake" being interested in these just to better your chances--see point C, they'll see right through you--but be on the lookout for faculty who have suddenly become interested in the same thing you are, and apply to work with them), because they may want a grad student to work on that new interest with them, but haven't gotten one yet. In some cases it helps to directly contact your POI via email or--even better--in person. Not all of them are super welcoming to random emails from potential applicants, but most faculty are more than happy to chatter away about whatever they're working on, and tend to think well of people who show interest, provide a listening ear, and may be able to follow up with some insightful comments or thoughtful questions. This will also help you determine if your POI is even taking students this year, because if not, spend your energy elsewhere where you've actually got a chance. Only extremely well-funded rockstar faculty (and it's not always the people you think, so ask around...ask the current grads if the dept website offers up a few to field applicant questions) are able to take on a new grad or two every year. If you are in touch with your POI beforehand, definitely follow up and let them know when you've submitted your application. Be specific about your research interests. You don't have to have a precise written-out-in-words question that you intend to propose for your dissertation topic at the time you apply, but have a particular general topic and region in mind (e.g. state expansion in x, trade networks between a and b, issues of identity in n culture under colonial rule, etc), be sure to delineate rough time periods where applicable. Just saying you've been interested in archaeology/the Maya/whatever since you were a kid is not enough to qualify as a research interest. Pretty much every archaeologist and wannabe archaeologist has been into this stuff since they were kids too. This approach won't make you stand out at all. Be able to back up your stated interest with something concrete: coursework, a relevant undergrad or masters degree, some kind of research project (undergrad/masters thesis, research paper, poster presented at a conference, etc), some kind of extracurricular work or volunteer experience relevant to the topic (volunteering at a museum with an exhibit to do with your interest, be a shovel bum on a dig relevant to your interest, etc), and/or potentially field school in the region relevant to your interest. Don't settle for just any random archaeological experience regardless of its relevance to what you want to study. Target, target, target, target. Get your interests in mind as early as possible and get going. You absolutely do not have to have all or even most of these concrete experiences to qualify as a top candidate, but having multiple of them under your belt will show them that you're serious and that you have the chops to take action in pursuing your interest even without being affiliated with their (clearly best ever) program. I'll also second the common knowledge that GPA and GRE scores mainly help as a basic qualifier to get you into the candidate pool, and that generally the particular scores don't matter, but I will also throw out there that if you happen to have extremely good scores on both accounts, you may get an extra admit boost because the department may consider you a good bet as a nominee for various campus-wide or other fellowships, which are parceled out based mainly on scores. Fellowships and scholarships awarded to their students help departments look prestigious, and take the funding burden off of them, which makes them even more eager to have you. Basically, if you can't get the tippy tippy top scores for either GRE or GPA but you still have good, solid scores that meet or exceed their minimum, don't sweat it. But if your scores are already high enough that it's doable for you to work a little bit harder and study a little bit longer to reach that tippy tippy top, do it. In summary: Ask not what the department can do for you, ask what you can do for the department. Then prove that you've got the follow-through.

dream time

Incidentally, I found this website on About.com to be particularly helpful when I was first looking into applying to Archaeology graduate programs. It's fairly comprehensive, though with a few blind spots since it seems to focus more on programs worldwide than just in the U.S., but it's updated regularly, and although it doesn't let you sort programs by whether they offer terminal Masters degrees, it does let you sort them by other characteristics that may help you narrow things down (e.g. location, specialty, etc), and then lists the degree types offered in the actual list of programs. Just fyi the links to the actual list are above the list of external links under "GGSA by Name", "GGSA by Program Focus", etc. It's not the clearest layout ever.

I find it very worrisome that your advisor is against your thesis topic. Are you friendly enough with your other mentor to ask them to speak to your advisor on your behalf? It sounds like your advisor isn't very willing to work with you or compromise, and I'd be afraid that even if you finished your thesis on the topic you want to look into, they may flat out not accept it because they didn't want you to write on that topic in the first place, regardless of quality. This would leave you SOL in terms of getting your degree, and with another year gone by. My program had a student a few years ago not have his thesis accepted because he refused to make the changes requested by his committee, and when he raised a stink about it (and to be fair, he made some serious breaches in the process), he was kicked out without his Masters. Try to get other faculty to advocate for you. If that doesn't work, I'm not really sure what to say. If it were me, I would certainly consider compromising on my end in order to get out as quickly as possible, but that's just me. What you decide is up to you. Sounds like a no-win situation!