Waw

I agree with Lexicon - you should go with people who know you well and are able to write about you in more than just a general complimentary sense. It's not at all terrible if they're not in anthropology, because the LoR are more about your skills, ability to think, attitudes and things like that, which anyone who has had a long academic relationship with you could testify to. And just as a word of reassurance about that, all of my LoR's were from people who aren't practising the disciplines I'm doing my PhD in (but who knew my work very well) - and I still got in.

I think that in many cases it can be very helpful. When I applied to American universities, a few of them asked me to list relevant courses which I've taken, and the amount of time spent studying each one. The British system often works in a different manner, so I called the different universities to get their opinion on what I should do. They all suggested writing a supplemental document that explains what was covered, what kind of work it entailed (number of essays/classes/lectures) and how much time was spent on it. All of them emphasized that supplemental material was seriously considered by the admissions board (a claim which you can take which a grain of salt, but which was revealed to clearly be true in one case when an interviewer asked me about information from that document). So I support Fuzzylogician's view - if you think it'll help elucidate the titles of courses, and there's room to provide this information, by all means do.

Something else to consider are the class/geography issues involved in a ban on firearms on university property (disregarding for the moment the problems in actually enforcing such a ban). Some people work in jobs that demand that they carry a firearm of some sort. They do so legally (according to local regulations). To ask them not to carry their firearms with them whenever they attend a class, visit a professor or go to a library, would be to limit their ability to partake in higher education. For some people, finding a place to leave their weapon after a shift and before attending class may not be an option. Of course, allowances could be made in any policy, but even the process of providing allowances adds a layer of bureaucracy which might distance some people who would otherwise pursue a degree. Geographically, and this is probably less true for the US (I hope?), some people live in areas where they really do need to carry a weapon for their own protection, and may have to travel with it whenever they leave the house. I grew up in a country that does have areas like this, and I think many people would find it unbelievable that anyone travelling through dangerous countryside to attend school could not carry a gun. These are just two considerations that come to my mind, and I'm sure they aren't relevant everywhere and everywhen, but they still seem relevant. Overall, I tend to feel that if firearms aren't restricted in number in the country in general, it's fairly pointless to decide that they can't be carried into campuses.

I have a friend who studies Japanese design at the Royal College of Art and swears that it's wonderful. I know their students have access to the V&A collections, which are awesome. I'm not sure how relevant that institution is to your specific interests, but it's probably worth a look if you're still investigating different places.

There's definitely room in anthropology for model-building and projection/fieldwork comparisons, especially in the more biologically inclined flavours of anthropology. I think if you find yourself truly fascinated by the field and think that it is worthwhile to pursue, it's definitely worthwhile for you to go for it and apply. You'll be required to justify your interest (as does everyone) so taking the available Anth classes, and any other way you could bulk up your knowledge of the field, would be important. Also, it's always good to think about which department you'll apply to in terms of research interest, but in this case, you might also want to consider the department's stance on accepting people without previous formal training in anthropology. Some departments are very keen on taking people from a wide variety of backgrounds, so long as they show a commitment to the subject and and a genuine curiosity. But I've also encountered some departments that are very strict in their intake, and generally don't take people who haven't completed a bachelors or masters in anthropology already. If you intend to apply, you'll be doing some research anyway, so this is just another thing to think about. It'll probably be less straightforward for you to get in to a program, but by no means impossible - I know several people who ended up in anthropology programs after training in Computer Science, Statistics, and other similar subjects.

Yeah, the moments just after sending a positive response are really strange. I kinda expected trumpets and confetti, and at the same time was terrified. But tea helps. I think one of the things that got me most weirded out, geographically, is that I'll no longer be in the same geographical neighbourhood I grew up in. I know the United Kingdom is an island, but it's in Europe, which is connected to Asia, and therefore somehow... alright, even if I do need to fly for several hours to see my family back home. But New York is even further away, and with an ocean in between, and on some strange level, that really scares me.

Cambridge can take a while to give a formal reply. I did my Masters there, and even though my application was in a while before the deadline, the letter didn't show up (in the UK!) until the middle of April. But I did just call BGS around this time of the year, and they were happy to tell me that I'd received an offer and they were just being slow with the official letters. So you might want to just ring them up.

Well, I'm officially rejected. Congrats if you got in!

I second that. I've had phone interviews both for my BA and for the one PhD program I got into, and I found it very useful to remember that even though the other person/people can't see you, you're still allowed to stop and think. The silence can be a bit strange at first, but they've probably encountered it in other phone interviews. It can help if you make it clear that you're thinking, by saying something like 'let me see...' or 'Hmm.' And good luck!

Sounds like they've contacted the accepted students, but are taking their time with the rejections, which would be unsurprising considering their overall slowness. Only two admitted sounds about right if the department's contracting a bit. Still, no telling until they actually go through with it and send out all notifications.

I haven't heard anything from them yet. I've encountered much the same when contacting them while applying - when they did answer, they often took a long time to do so. Maybe they're still figuring themselves out in the midst of restructuring the department and finding finances?

After I got accepted to my Masters program, I sent my recommenders really fancy cards, and offered to get them a pint the next time I was in town. I think a small gift, with some sort of link to the university or to the subject, would be really nice and would be welcomed.

I'm definitely going to take up my place at Columbia. Exciting! (But the prospect of living in New York still weirds me out. And watching CSI:NY doesn't help. )

Got an email with an unofficial acceptance about an hour ago! Very excited. Good luck to everyone else - they didn't say whether there were more decisions on their way (I just happened to time an inquiry very well).

I definitely recommend 'Nisa' as well - such a great book. I'll try and get the others! They're all excitingly out of the scope of what I would normally read.