Dubya

You're absolutely correct. If an applicant has decent GRE's/GPA then they're at least in the running...but on the other hand, some departments place more weight on numbers than others. For example, a professor in a decent (but certainly not top of the field) department told me that he had been fighting for me, but ultimately lost the battle because of my "low GRE scores." My GRE score was above 1300. The department website said that their average was in the 1200's. Goes to show just how unpredictable the system is.

Few universities (I only ever came across stats for Duke and Minnesota) publish stats (though plenty give a vague idea of averages on their web pages). I can't find the Minnesota stats page, but here are the links for Duke: http://gradschool.duke.edu/about/statistics/admitcanth.htm http://gradschool.duke.edu/about/statistics/admitbaa.htm As you can see from looking at past years, the stats of admitted students are quite variable. Cultural anth average GRE's have been as low as 1150 and as high as 1400...GPA's seem to be a bit more consistent, hovering around 3.5/3.6 Biological anth has slightly higher numbers most years with min/max GRE's of 1240/1425 and GPA's generally in the 3.6/3.7 range. ...so saying top programs have averages of 3.8 and 1400 may be stretching it a bit, but it's not implausible.

That information was not disclosed with the application results...I found out from a group of Toronto Anth. grad students. It was later unofficially confirmed by a professor with ties to Toronto Anth.

Are you Canadian? I'm an American and found out AFTER I applied to UofT last year that since funding is so tight they didn't accept any internationals. Evidently it was that the way the year before as well and I wouldn't be surprised if it's the same again.

Most people I know applied to between 6 and 10.

Don't get me started on U of T! I spent $90 to apply and was subsequently rejected. Ok...I can live with that, BUT...I later found out from people in the department that they did not have the funds to admit any non-Canadian students this year AND that they knew this months before applications were due. I would have turned down their offer in the end anyway, but it just pisses me off to flush money down the toilet...

When I took the GRE about a year ago I was told that which section was experimental as well...and I skipped it...didn't even bother to guess.

It certainly opens up more doors. I'm not in BME, but if I could go back in time I would apply to a few MD/PhD programs.

There are no magic numbers for grad school admissions, but you should shoot for above 650 on the verbal section to be competitive in History. To give you an idea of average numbers for a good program... http://gradschool.duke.edu/about/statis ... ithist.htm

60+ views and no more responses? I posted because I was curious about everyone else...don't be shy...

...and the anthro board comes back to life! My program (PM me if you want to know specifics) offers tuition, health, and a 20k stipend. It's not as much as some of the hard sciences, but I'm happy!

It really depends on the college. I can't speak for Oxford, but at Cam funding generally comes from outside sources or the university. Even wealthy colleges like Trinity don't fund *that* many students...at least not significantly. Also, at Cambridge I believe you're assigned a college after you accept an offer from the university...but don't hold me to that...I forget exactly how it all went down. Either way, good luck!

I don't know about you, but I'm going for the big city feel and aesthetics of Durham.

You say that, but have you lived away from CA for an extended period of time? I know that I couldn't wait to leave SD...now, after living in cities across the country and world, I can honestly say that San Diego and SoCal in general is my favorite region on the planet. There's a reason it's expensive! Many people want to live there.

Indubitably

$950! As in $2.60 per day? Was that a typo or was your friend living in a box and eating ramen?

As was I

What would you all say is a livable stipend for this area? $15k? $20k? More?

You're a wise person swr22...at least with regard to Cambridge being the far superior institution. To the OP: Always follow the money. I am currently finishing my MPhil at Cambridge and it has been one of the best experiences of my life, but long term funding is simply not available. Hence why I'm returning to the US for my PhD next year. So...if you do decide to go to Oxford you have to assume that you won't get any funding for your master's or DPhil...if you're okay with that then go for it.

Duke for me! A varied group we have on this board!

I'm guessing that I'll be waiting for a while still...waitlisted at two programs...ugh. I wanted this to be over. Now I'll have to cope for another month +

Honestly, no. If you have an MA and are working on a PhD then there's no need for an MPhil. They're mainly there for those that don't finish...kinda like a consolation prize.

Depends on the university. Some give MPhils (or at UCSD I think they have CPhils) and some give nothing. Furthermore, at some universities (like Oxford and Cambridge) an MPhil is a regular master's degree...equivalent to an MA or MS.

Were you interviewed by any chance?

Unfortunately it doesn't appear to be a good day for too many people in the grad cafe anth circle. The rejections are piling up on the results board!