humankoko

Wanted to tell you fellow UCLA hopefuls: I called the dept. and talked to the secretary--she told me that notifications are NOT all sent out yet. Anyone care to claim UCLA notifications so far and subfield?

Their funding is indeed in shambles. Who did you apply to work with? Langlitz is great. Hirschfeld seems okay.

Anyone that heard from UCLA in the bio anth subfield?? Heard they were reviewing applications around the 30th, nothing sense then. This time last year was when they sent out email acceptances.

Thank you! Thus far I've had two pursuits: political psychology (likely to fall by the wayside given the fieldwork in small-scale societies aspect of the Anth PhD); and moral psychology. Anyone have any suggestions/resources for learning about the subfield? I did a stint in the Pacific Islands last summer doing economic game paradigms with natives, but I understand that Anth programs involve much longer fieldwork experiences and probably require learning the language, rather than using translators as we did.

Was accepted via email to the UCLA Biological Anthropology program, on Friday, to work with Dan Fessler. I am coming from psychology and would really welcome anyone who knows about the program to share input.

I got an acceptance email from the UCLA Biological Anthropology program on Friday. No official offer letter yet, waiting on official transcripts. Anyone else?

About UT-Austin, they already had their interview weekend?

Received personal email on Friday from POI at University of Illinois-Chicago inviting me to interview on 2/28.

Duke had interviews last week for Social Psych, so they are done. They are only taking one person this year, unfortunately.

Emailed my POI (Leidner) at U-Mass and he responded that they just finished reviewing applications and I will not be offered an interview. Good luck to everyone else!

Does anyone know if UBC is done sending invites?

No--UConn anthropology program.

Any news on UBC? I saw one (developmental) invitation for the 7th/8th weekend posted in the results....

Anyone heard anything from/about UBC? I'm guessing since the interview weekend is the 7th/8th, invites should be forthcoming this week?

Would the people who've heard from NYU and University of Illinois-Chicago mind sharing your POIs? And congratulations!!!

Anyone who's been invited to interview at Duke, would you mind sharing your POI here or via PM? Congratulations and thank you!

About Duke--someone posted assumed rejection. Would anyone mind sharing info about what's going on with Duke, if you know anything? Thank you!

Thank you for your input. I spoke to him today and he completely understands my concerns. When you do not receive funding from the department for your tuition waiver at this institution, you receive a stipend for working as an RA (only about $10k/year--but the cost of living in this town is very low), and must take out loans for tuition (about $7k/year) to remain enrolled in the program. I received a scholarship for undergraduate and TA/RA positions funded my master's degree, so I have been very lucky and am (perhaps unduly?) extremely against taking out student loans--particularly for a PhD program in social psychology. Because I feel stagnant, my inclination is to take the opportunity I have with him. I've just been working myself up trying to prognosticate the future (funding issues, job market, etc), but there is inherent value in making a decision and committing to a course, at the same time. I can also appreciate that while things seem hopeless now, new opportunities are out there--like this professor at Duke, or perhaps other schools I have not yet considered. I'm trying to take the long view of things, and evaluate how my fear of another application season and "wasting" another year might be leading me toward a decision I might later regret. The competition is so intense that any acceptance can feel like the only chance you'll get.

Thank you guys for your input. I spoke to him today and he completely understands my concerns. When you do not receive funding from the department for your tuition waiver at this institution, you receive a stipend for working as an RA (only about $10k/year--but the cost of living in this town is very low), and must take out loans for tuition (about $7k/year) to remain enrolled in the program. I received a scholarship for undergraduate and TA/RA positions funded my master's degree, so I have been very lucky and am (perhaps unduly?) extremely against taking out student loans--particularly for a PhD program in social psychology. Because I feel stagnant, my inclination is to take the opportunity I have with him. I've just been working myself up trying to prognosticate the future (funding issues, job market, etc), but there is inherent value in making a decision and committing to a course, at the same time. I can also appreciate that while things seem hopeless now, new opportunities are out there--like this professor at Duke, or perhaps other schools I have not yet considered. I'm trying to take the long view of things, and evaluate how my fear of another application season and "wasting" another year might be leading me toward a decision I might later regret. The competition is so intense that any acceptance can feel like the only chance you'll get.

Hey--my roommate went to Hamilton! As to the off ramps issue, perhaps, but I actually already have a master's degree. I spoke to my potential advisor today about the funding climate. He said it was a guarantee that I wouldn't get full funding for four years, so there would be at least one year where I would have to take out loans for tuition ($7k/year). Perhaps I have an undue bias against student loans? He is very understanding about my concerns, and shares them as it inhibits their ability to attract top students. I'm only having this dilemma because I have no other offers. I have opportunities where I am now for collaboration with professors at a couple local institutions, who have invited me to work on projects over the next year, which would give me something productive to do and provide an avenue for applying to work with them for Fall 2014. Both options come with ambiguities...

My one acceptance this round comes from a school where I have worked with my potential advisor before, and I very much want to attend in the fall. But, I have learned from him and other graduate students there that the funding situation is problematic. They do not guarantee support for five years-- it's year by year, and they are not merit based. They try to be "fair" which means TA positions are used to recruit new students or award funding to people who have not yet had it. My advisor got me a TA position for the first year, but told me not to count on receiving funding for all 4 years. Predictions for the future are cloudy. This has been a demoralizing year and application season for me, and part of me thinks it would be beneficial for me to go and badass the first year--run the lab, get several projects started, and work like hell. But is it madness to start something like this while either a) actively establishing a back up plan of applying to other places in case I lose my funding in year 2; having a looming point in the future where I'll lose the funding. Any input appreciated, I am second guessing myself at every juncture.

During my master's degree, I collaborated on a publication with a professor who since got a tenure track job at a different institution--the institution from which I received my sole acceptance this round. I know we would work together well, and we would have a close, collaborative advisor-mentee relationship. While he doesn't have the same alignment of interests as my other potential schools, I admire him as a scholar and he is totally supportive of my interests. The school is in a small, conservative town in a part of the country I love, but the town itself is total shit. Less important, but worth considering, I would be leaving my partner behind, as he just began his dream job. Other students at this school seemed frustrated about funding... Out of a total class of 10 students (new program), only 4 TA-ships were offered--one of which my adviser secured for me. He does not expect that I will receive funding for all 4-5 years (would be shorter there since they are very generous with awarding transfer credit). The DGS implied it was performance-based, but there's no guarantee--it's all year by year awards. Since last fall, I have been attending interdisciplinary lab meetings at a "public Ivy," where I interviewed two years ago during my first round. During the interview, I lost my voice, felt like death, and found out later I had had meningitis. Additionally, I found the place somewhat cold, sterile, and populated by (at least outwardly) very obsequious graduate students. Weeks later, I received a mass rejection email from the PI I had applied to work with, which was sent to all rejects as a one-sentence missive. That entire experience soured/biased me against this place, until I came to be in this lab. Last week, a psychology faculty member said he would love to have me as a student if I applied next year, and offered for me to work with him on several ongoing projects in the meantime, or design a project together. He noted I would need to identify other faculty, since he is not 100% sure he will not retire within the next 6-7 years. I've gotten personal emails with rejections and backhanded compliments. This process has been so demoralizing, and I have no idea what to do. Defer acceptance for a year and work the angle with this professor in the meantime? Take the bird in the hand and apply again for 2014 to other schools in case I lose my funding? This is all complicated by the fact that my potential advisor at the school I've been accepted to is someone I have a relationship with, and whatever I do, I want to be forthright about. I feel as if my life is dangling at the end of a string, and while I know it sounds overwrought, I've never felt so hopeless or worthless. My self doubt is at the point where I have no compass--when people tell me to trust my gut, I cannot generate a confident decision about what's "right for me."

During my master's degree, I collaborated on a publication with a professor who since got a tenure track job at a different institution--the institution from which I received my sole acceptance this round. I know we would work together well, and we would have a close, collaborative advisor-mentee relationship. While he doesn't have the same alignment of interests as my other potential schools, I admire him as a scholar and he is totally supportive of my interests. The school is in a small, conservative town in a part of the country I love, but the town itself is total shit. Less important, but worth considering, I would be leaving my partner behind, as he just began his dream job. Other students at this school seemed frustrated about funding... Out of a total class of 10 students (new program), only 4 TA-ships were offered--one of which my adviser secured for me. He does not expect that I will receive funding for all 4-5 years (would be shorter there since they are very generous with awarding transfer credit). The DGS implied it was performance-based, but there's no guarantee--it's all year by year awards. Since last fall, I have been attending interdisciplinary lab meetings at a "public Ivy," where I interviewed two years ago during my first round. During the interview, I lost my voice, felt like death, and found out later I had had meningitis. Additionally, I found the place somewhat cold, sterile, and populated by (at least outwardly) very obsequious graduate students. Weeks later, I received a mass rejection email from the PI I had applied to work with, which was sent to all rejects as a one-sentence missive. That entire experience soured/biased me against this place, until I came to be in this lab. Last week, a psychology faculty member said he would love to have me as a student if I applied next year, and offered for me to work with him on several ongoing projects in the meantime, or design a project together. He noted I would need to identify other faculty, since he is not 100% sure he will not retire within the next 6-7 years. I've gotten personal emails with rejections and backhanded compliments. This process has been so demoralizing, and I have no idea what to do. Defer acceptance for a year and work the angle with this professor in the meantime? Take the bird in the hand and apply again for 2014 to other schools in case I lose my funding? This is all complicated by the fact that my potential advisor at the school I've been accepted to is someone I have a relationship with, and whatever I do, I want to be forthright about. I feel as if my life is dangling at the end of a string, and while I know it sounds overwrought, I've never felt so hopeless or worthless. My self doubt is at the point where I have no compass--when people tell me to trust my gut, I cannot generate a confident decision about what's "right for me."

Check out Jennifer Freyd at the University of Oregon, and perhaps Holly Arrow at the same institution.

I'd be interested in info about: University of Kentucky (experimental--social) WashU UNC-Chapel Hill UBC Thanks!