NOWAYNOHOW

I struck out this round due to having a bad proposal -- bad meaning it wasn't a sexy topic, and I had no hands-on experience in the geographic area of study I was proposing to work in. It was a huge mess, and I've learned my lesson. This time around, I'm going to propose what I know and work toward extending my MA research. I think a proven record of success in the specific niche you want to work in is crucial. I also have a 'sexy' topic this time, and that can't hurt. The SOP is the most important document in your application. Apply for the Ford/Fulbright/NSFGRFP if you can. I have heard having one of these is a big deal. I also believe, after seeing the process in my department this year, that after they get down to the top 50 or top 20, it becomes a question of semantics and comes down to chance. All the students after a certain point are fantastic, so there's little you can really do. Professor B might be owed a favor from Professors C and D, so they throw their weight behind a student Professor B really wants. Then again, Professor D might hate Professor B, so D votes against any students B suggests. Professor C might have a cold and miss the crucial meeting where the voting even happens, so Professor C's choices don't get the attention they deserve. Some faculty in the department might be eying grants coming from a certain area, so they push for students who they feel can add weight to that push...etc. etc. If you can, try and find out who the committee is and see how you can tailor your statement to catch their interests. This is even more true for the DGS. This information is oftentimes on the department site if you look hard enough. Another thing is to try and have 3 of the 4 big things for promising grad students in a time of ever-increasing professionalization: teaching, scholarly presentations (at a professional level), peer-reviewed publications and research experience. If you can knock out 3/4, then you're pretty much in a good place.

Yup -- medical anthro, but it'd be my 2nd MA, which I am a little weary about. It has a practicum component, so I'd be able to do fieldwork in my AOI starting from my first term (it's one year) -- it's looking really good as an option, but I worry about having too many degrees!

DGS at Rutgers told me it's not gonna happen via wait list, so my season is officially over! I am technically waiting on a decision from a 1-year accelerated MA in Bioethics, but that's a whole different ball game. Thanks everyone for your support and hopefully next season will go better. Congrats to all with such fabulous offers!

A lot of this is great advice, and I think there's one thing to add: before trying again, give yourself a break. You don't have to start hustling right now, and it's OK to take some time to mourn, regroup, and gather your energy for what will hopefully be a much better season. I'm trying very hard not to think about PhD admissions until June -- I think I need some time to clear my head. It would probably do us all some good!

Hi Dr. Nakamura! Thanks for the info on Yale -- I'm a big fan of your work, so having you stop by is really special.

Bushwick is, in most areas, just as shiny and safe as Williamsburg. It's getting expensive, and most realtors call it "East Williamsburg" anyway. Crown Heights is actually lovely and many people in their 20s and early 30s are moving out there from places like Williamsburg and the East Village. We live in Prospect Heights, but this neighborhood is getting very expensive (we lucked out on a stabilized unit) and it is very close to Crown Heights anyway. Lots of bars and restaurants, the main branch of the Brooklyn Public Library, the Brooklyn Museum, the green market at Grand Army Plaza...all perks of these neighborhoods. Very doable for NYU and CUNY. I'm also confused to hear people hating on the Bronx! Mount Vernon, for example, is easy for Columbia students to get to and very affordable. I'm also not hearing anything about Greenpoint or Clinton Hill in Brooklyn -- parts are still affordable. Bedstuy (the parts that border Clinton Hill) has loads of students from NYU, New School and Pratt.

Hm...at least as far as I know (only the STS people in Draper, I don't know any of the other subject groups) nobody applied to anthro. Across what I can remember there were applications to rhetoric, sociology, history of science, history and philosophy. On the other hand, I know someone in the 2013 anthro cohort at NYU that came out of the NYU Latin American/Caribbean MA, so make of that what you will. Draper is technically headed by an anthropologist (Nagle) so that is a plus, but I think an area studies degree will probably go further for you.

As much as I love Draper, you're right regarding expenses. Living in NYC is hugely expensive and there's no way around that fact. I'd take the year at Chicago for half off. There are way less opportunities for Draper students to fund their own studies (no TA/RA, for example) and some of the areas of study are larger and thus students have to fight harder for resources. You can always apply to be in NY for the PhD after your MA from Chicago.

Draper is widely thought of as a cash-cow program, but after taking one of their courses and befriending many of their students, I have to say I was hugely impressed by the rigor of the classes and the quality of their cohort. The Draper people I know are a lot smarter than most in my program, and generally they do a lot to help people with PhD applications and whatnot. It is very similar to the program at Chicago, but a bit longer, so it is up to you. If you have more questions feel free to PM me or I can try and connect you to one of my friends in the program.

I am still on the Rutgers wait list, though I'm not holding out a lot of hope. I've been interviewing for jobs to start after I finish my MA and applied for a 1-year MA in Bioethics in case I don't have a full time option come the end of July...I want to move forward, but the outstanding wait list possibility, even one so small, is making it hard! Anyone else on the wait list at Rutgers? I think it's a pretty big list. I was told not to expect any news until around April 15.

Any movement on Rutgers? I have a feeling they put everyone (aside from their 5 alternates) on an unranked wait list and sort of let us float through space until April 15th, when we'll get our rejections. Bah! I would like this to be over! Congrats to everyone else though! So impressed.

I am an MA student at MCC, but I've taken a few doctoral courses and work closely with faculty. Feel free to reach out with questions via PM. But, honestly, I think HASTS is of a completely different caliber. It is a much more competitive program, MIT is a better school, and the faculty is better than both MCC and McGill, so....

Very good point, though I think media studies degrees are usually at home or subfields within comm departments, so it's v. different than, say, histcon or sts. almost every university has a comm department!

Rejected from Columbia! Checked the website and there was an update. I am so over 2014.

I've heard HistCon is on its last legs. I had to make this choice too. It's hard, but it's a good discussion to have. I have been warned away time and time again from interdisciplinary programs. A professor I had refuses to write any recommendations for students applying to these programs (he graduated from social thought at Chicago!) because he says he knows firsthand how difficult life is once you are on the market. I think the wisdom is that you can always get hired at an interdisciplinary department with a disciplinary PhD, but the odds of having an interdisciplinary PhD and getting hired into a disciplinary department are quite slim. I will be taking a chance next year and applying to a mix of both (STS as the interdisciplinary degree, media studies and anthro as disciplinary degrees) so it could work out either way for me. Good luck!

Kait, I have to echo Anthropologygeek. I didn't get in anywhere this cycle, and from the feedback I've gotten, a lot of the resistance I got has to do with having an interdisciplinary background (BA and MA). I'm not saying interdisciplinarity is bad, per say, but that an anthro MA might get your further when you apply for the PhD.

Yay Canis!

Yikes! Besides being kind of nasty in terms of tone (and dismissive of applicants in general), I think this is more about unqualified students who try to appeal, or who simply ask the wrong (see: rude) questions. As I hear back, I'm trying to find out how I can improve, not why I was rejected -- and despite the fact that these two questions might yield the same answer, they are certainly questions with two very different implications.

Officially? Columbia, UPenn and Yale; however, I know without an interview I'm just waiting for a rejection from Yale. I have similar expectations for the other two.

Columbia admit, reveal yourself! Or at least take pity on us and tell us your subfield.

From Helena Pettersson (helena.pettersson@kultmed.umu.se) 25 salaried PhD positions in the Faculty of Arts. The Ph.D student can for example be connected with Umeå Center for Studies in Science, Technology & Environment and in digital humanties at HumLab. The Faculty of Arts at Umeå University is looking to explore new topics in the arts and humanities by investing in strong research areas for the future. We are therefore looking to employ 25 PhD students as part of this strategy of strengthening research in the arts and humanities in Umeå. The positions are fully-funded (salaried) for four years and accompanied by a fixed annual expenses package that can be used, for example, to contribute towards conference participation, data collection, international summer and winter schools or other activities. Successful PhD candidates will be integrated into either the Faculty of Arts Doctoral College or the Postgraduate School within the field of the Educational Sciences. Both offer a variety of courses aimed at refining professional, transferable and inter-personal skills, as well as comprehensive research training. Supervision of thesis work and other training within the discipline takes place in the respective department. Studies commence in Umeå on September 1, 2014. Deadline for applications: 31 March 2014 Open the following link below and scroll down to read the English version http://www8.umu.se/umu/aktuellt/arkiv/lediga_tjanster/5-246--264-14.html#eng

Anyone want to claim Columbia rejection? I'd be curious to know how that went down.

For those sociocultural/cultural people who proposed medical or STS topics and were successful, would you be interested in sharing your SOP with me over email? I am looking for structure, not content, and I swear not to pass it around or use it. PM if you are interested! Thanks and congrats!

They interviewed 16 and will be choosing their cohort from there. I mean, anything is possible, but without an interview it is unlikely. This is their first year doing interviews.

HA! I was freaking out over it. Maybe it just changed for everybody? OY, parsing the littlest details