kateow

I don't know the numbers at Columbia, but the program probably has them online. At Chicago, where I did my MA, there were about 40 MA students interested in anthropology. Despite this, it was fairly easy to prove yourself and stand out--if you are motivated and, in fact, PhD material. If you're not, that might be more challenging--and might help to reconsider/revise your future plans. In my year, there were about 7 or so of us who stood out, only 4 of us (out of 6 that I know of) applied, and 3 got in, and 1 was waitlisted. Just as a case study...

What is STS?

I went with replying with a short note, to most of the schools. For one school I didn't reply and I got the message forwarded to me again a couple of days later. So definitely reply in some way; thanking them for the offer should be sufficient (and, as has been said, telling them you'll let them know as soon as you do what you've decided). As for the "reply all", I don't know what is generally considered appropriate, but my personal vote would be that a "reply all" would be fine.

Ok, so I feel bad taking up topic space with yet another individual problem... but, as with others, maybe this will be generalizable for others out there: School A has been my dream school for years, I completed my MA there and really loved it. I'm really excited about the coursework they offer, and there is a strong feeling of comraderie among the students. The atmosphere is one of strict intellectual challenge, which I love. My SO is doing his doctoral work in the same program I was admitted to, and he will need to be back on campus to teach for at least 3 months out of the year. It is one of the best programs in the country for what I do, and there are several professors that I would be excited to work with, though none that do exactly what I want to do... anymore... because... School B has just snatched up my dream POI. I was fortunate to have been forewarned, applied to the program, and accepted. However, this program is working on some revitalization (meaning, presumably, that it needed it) and it's unclear where they'll be heading once they finish their spate of new hires. At this school, there are only a couple of professors (beyond my POI) that I would be interested in working with, and these not as much as those at school A. Additionally, I've heard negative things about the seriousness of the grad student body, and I'm not sure that it is likely to be as challenging as at school A. But, my dream POI is the scholar whose work got me interested in what I'm doing, I know that I respond well to his pedagogical style, and that having him as both a mentor and a future LOR writer will be very beneficial. Also, my SO is perfectly willing to move with me here, so it would really only be 3 months apart. Any advice?

Sorry about UCLA and Chicago, but congrats on Michigan and BU!

Generally, the MA theses are not fieldwork based. In most cases, this meant utilizing existing data or critiquing previous research. Some students finish their theses after 9 months (so in June), but I think most ended up finishing in August (I didn't graduate until December, but I had fieldwork that kept me busy over the summer). You don't have to go in with a thesis proposal, but they do recommend that you start drafting one just after your first quarter (so, in December). Ideally, if you've developed a research project for your statement of purpose, applying to PhD programs, it shouldn't be too hard to start thinking about what the first step of that research might look like, and make that your MA topic. If anyone has questions about MAPSS (or my experience doing an MA before the PhD), I'm perfectly willing to discuss it--feel free to PM me.

I think I've probably said this elsewhere, but I'm accepted at Chicago--archaeology subfield. I haven't decided yet, so there's approximately a 40/60 chance I'll be declining... but I would much rather be there than my other option, so don't cross your fingers! I would second the MAPSS likelihood--the year I got accepted to MAPSS, it was at the very last minute. I had been sure I was rejected everywhere and then the package came in the mail.

And I suspect that this also does apply to grad admissions. I'm guessing a university is more likely to accept someone who did very well in their MA work at Chicago or Michigan than GW. Agreed with newleaf: this isn't fair, but I'm pretty sure it's reality.

As a MAPSS alumna, I'd second the assessment that it's worth more than the sticker price. In large part, the professional network that you have the opportunity to create, and the access to widely respected writers of letters of recommendation, are (IMHO) worth many times the amount that MAPSS charges. If you are motivated enough to make it work for you that way. I have no illusions--it got me into 5 doctoral programs this year (four with funding). As for funding being proportionate to your closeness to getting in, I guess that's sort of true, in that a small number of people don't get any funding, which means they weren't highly ranked. However, the vast majority of students receive a 1/3 tuition scholarship (and I mean VAST). I only knew 2 people (out of 175) who had full tuition scholarships and one of them had applied directly to MAPSS.

SC = search committee

I would second two pieces of advice already offered: 1) ask the professors you applied to work with, how you could strengthen your application, and 2) consider applying to a wider range of students. Regarding point #2, and responding to your desire to move over or up, rather than down, keep in mind that the top schools in your subdiscipline may not be the same as the top schools in the broader discipline. Including a broader geographic range may help you find these very good schools that may not be where you expected them to be. (If that makes sense!) I have heard that your 3rd application to any given school is likely your last chance. Which means that you *do* have one more shot, but it may be your last. I don't know if this is true across the board, or if it is just a rumor to start with (the process is a black box, after all...). But this brings me back to point #1, which is to ask the professors you want to work with if there is a good chance that next year would be a good year for them to get a student. If it isn't, consider waiting another cycle to apply to that particular school. Regarding GRE and GPA--probably not a huge deal. Your GRE scores look great (though it might be strange for social scientists to see a quantitative score that's higher than the verbal!), and the GPA scores are perfectly within the normal range for acceptances. These things aren't the deal breakers. What makes a difference are the letters (which sounds like you're good on), the SOP, and the fit (which includes the random chance that your POI wants and gets a student that year).

I'm accepted at the Anthro department, and they're reimbursing my trip, too. :-)

Not to say it isn't true, but I think grad students offering up couch space for visiting prospies is pretty normal. I wouldn't make any assumptions about the competitiveness (or politics) of the department based on that. Questions about funding can reveal competitiveness among students, as can asking for the other students' opinions of faculty members who *aren't* their advisors.

Congrats on Purdue, Ivanov!

I just have to say this, because I feel like it needs to be said... A lot of people keep going with graduate work long after they should, even though they are miserable and hate it, because they feel like they can't quit once they've started the process and they can't imagine any alternative future for themselves. (Actually, this also sounds like a couple of marriages I've seen...) This isn't to say that you aren't really excited about the process, too. But if you're not, if the anxiety and uncertainty are overwhelming the excitement and joy... you might want to consider putting it off for another year, until you know it's what you want. The metaphor here continues to hold... there would be a lot fewer unhappy marriages if some couples listened to their cold feet and cancelled the wedding before it was "too late." Graduate school does demand a lot; it takes a lot out of you and it does change you. If you think this might not be what you want, maybe you're right? If you are trying to talk yourself into it, take a step back and ask why... If you decide it's just nerves, then fantastic! Enjoy the experience. But don't be afraid of discovering that it's not for you.

Me too! What a day!

I also know of an offer being rescinded because of behavior at the visit weekend--one of the students complained about not being sure they wanted to go to grad school at all, and was talking about changing their project, and they were told that "perhaps it's a better idea for you to accept one of your other offers."

I'm an archaeologist, so in my SOP, I laid out a detailed project with a plan for addressing the research question, including: the culture I would be studying (which includes the specific geographic location, and the temporal range of study), how I plan to investigate my research question (survey, in this case--with heavy GIS work), described the dominant theories that are generally applied to this subject (primarily discussions of complexity and centralization), and explained why I didn't think they worked and what I wanted to look for instead (expanded notions of complexity/heterarchy, etc). Much of my SOP came directly from my NSF GRFP proposal, which was MUCH more detailed and specific about the time frame, specific research methodologies and strategies. Some of what I cut out for the SOP was the specificity (and certainty) that was necessary for the NSF proposal, but I did leave in enough for the project to be considered clearly defined. Frankly, I think that graduate programs are looking for this more and more nowadays. They want to know not only that you know how to put a research question/project/plan together, but that you have a chance of completing it before all of the tenure-track jobs in the country have disappeared. ;-) Too much specificity is unlikely to be a problem, unless it sounds like you have the answer to your question already, or like you don't have anything to learn. In my case, I made clear that, though I have experience with GIS analysis, I do not have a lot of familiarity with survey techniques, and I'm still looking for a theory of complexity that would encompass this archaeological example. I hope that helps. I also hope that this hashing over of your SOP is completely unnecessary because you just haven't received that fantastic acceptance you'll be getting this round! Good luck!

I've been accepted to the PhD program. I think that the MA announcements usually come later than the PhD ones, so don't despair yet! It just happened on Monday...

I have no knowledge at all about your field specifically, but I do believe that generally it is easier to get a job in the States, if your degree is from a US institution.

I posted an early acceptance of the last kind. If I remember correctly, I posted it as an "Other," to reflect the strangeness of the situation. I did wonder about the ethical considerations of posting it... Not sure if my POI would have appreciated it. But I felt like it was giving others looking for info from that school a heads-up that decisions were in the works... Right choice? Wrong choice?

I'll throw in that for anthropology, it is convention that, at the very least, your tuition will be covered by your graduate institution. I am also not familiar with other disciplines, so perhaps it is different in the humanities than the social sciences... but I have been advised (correctly, as far as I can tell) to not consider acceptance without funding a "real" acceptance. I also side with the argument that it is unreasonable to expect a working person to be able to complete a doctoral degree, while working and without aid. However, to be accepted, even without funding, certainly *is* something to be proud of. This is a very competitive process and that acceptance sure beats a rejection. So, I think it's fair to say that one can be both proud and disappointed, at the same time, given this situation.

Actually, in my experience, field experience in the geographic area of interest is less than essential. I still haven't been to "my" field, and I've been accepted into some top schools. (Though I'll be going this summer, with one of my POIs.) Getting field experience at all should be your first priority, and there are a lot of local opportunities to accomplish this without getting into serious debt.

I don't know how to compare them, but UCB is probably offering less because the UC system is in a major funding crisis. I'm surprised they're able to offer any funding. At Chicago the packages, as far as I understand, are 2 years of tuition + 3 years of tuition and stipend OR 5 years of tuition and stipend. I think the stipend this year is $21,000.

Where do you hope to work after graduation?