aforman1

I used to work for a graduate admissions office when I was still in undergrad, and you're right in that this time of the year is especially busy and sometimes it takes a few days for materials to be matched, applications to be updated, and etc. We had folders upon folders of transcripts that we would receive before an applicant even completed their application, so suffice it to say things got a little confusing at times. We also had an automated system which would sent out reminder emails if information was missing; I wish that some of the schools I'm applying to right now did the same. I'm in a bit of the same boat as you, actually. One of the schools I'm applying to directed us to send our mailed materials (transcripts, LoR, writing sample, etc.) to the department rather than the graduate offices. But now all of those categories are listed as "incomplete" on my application, even though they were mailed in November. Just to make things even better, Temple doesn't resume operations until Jan. 17, which is two days after my program deadline. Awesome.

WOW, that's a long time off for them (I'm jealous!), but thanks for the info. I've been in contact with the graduate school, there's just the issue with my missing information (specifically, transcripts and letters of recommendation) that were sent directly to the department rather than the graduate school. I've emailed the grad school to make sure that, so long as the dept has that information, it won't negatively impact my application. Thanks for the information, that explains why I haven't had anyone getting back in touch, haha!

Has anyone else applied to Temple and/or is already in the program there? I'm having some difficulties getting in touch with the department to check and see whether or not my supplementary materials have arrived (contact person doesn't return calls/emails, administrative assistants won't respond, etc.) and I was wondering if anyone else was having this issue? Also, if someone could verify the mailing address for the supplementary materials, that would be great as well. According to the online system (through the Graduate College), there has been no connection between the department (where my LORs, writing sample, CV, and transcripts were sent) and the graduate college. I'm worried that my application will be listed as incomplete and won't be forwarded to the department for this reason. Is there anyone who can help ease my worries? Thanks!

HAHA, are you one of my students?! This was one of the more popular answers on exams to the question: "Anthropology is the study of ________" when they had no idea. (Which was sad, considering the course was titled "Introduction to Anthropology," but whether or not they attended class is neither here nor there.) I'd guess that everyone is in a SOP writing frenzy. So, what are you writing about? I'm working for Americorps this year, so I was able to get my SOP's written pretty early and customize them far more than I did for my MA applications, something that I'm really proud of. I've also focused a bit on methodology in my SOP rather than just my research focus, because methodology is strangely intriguing to me. The concept of "authorship" in ethnography has obviously been addressed over and over again, but I love the experimental forms that are starting to emerge. *is a geek* What are your research interests? Body modification, narratives on presentation and consumption in regards to the body, the application of moral characteristics to physical appearance in the contemporary (sub)urban United States. Geographic region? The largest city to wherever it is I end up going to school (to save money in case more grants get slashed in the upcoming years): Philly, DC, Chicago, or Denver. I'll make it work. (Or, if I do get an elusive grant, I can go multi-sited, hooray!) Where are you applying? Northwestern, Temple, American. Already accepted to the Colorado PhD program if all else fails. *crosses fingers*

I used to work for graduate admissions at my undergrad school, and usually GPA requirements are a standard of the graduate school, and not necessarily the program/department to which you are applying. I would follow the advice of several posters in this thread and contact some faculty members at the schools you are applying to and have a conversation with them about not only your circumstances, but also about the sort of research that you want to do and why their program is a good fit for you. You will need to conclusively demonstrate with your application that, despite your GPA, you would be a good match for their program. I agree with newleaf regarding a "safety" program with a MA, which sounds like the direction you're planning on taking. That's what I did; I opted out of a PhD program at a school that I was not really interested in attending for a MA/PhD transition program at UC-Boulder. I did have to pay for one semester, but was able to get the remaining three paid for through TA positions. I had a strong undergrad GPA but received my BA from a program that is not particularly strong and didn't have the scholarly backing to make me a strong candidate for PhD programs during my first round of applications. I was able to complete my MA in just two years, received distinction, and am now a far stronger (in my opinion) candidate for those fully-funded programs I'm now applying to. Also, if things don't work out as I had hoped, I still have the program at Colorado to go back to for my PhD. You can use your MA degree to strengthen yourself as an applicant down the road, and will probably only lose, at most, 1 year compared with entering straight into a PhD program (using course transfers).

If it makes anyone feel any better, I've never heard of a recommender actually missing a deadline so long as the applicant has kept up on reminding them and making sure that they had everything that they needed in the appropriate amount of time. Although I'm sure that it has happened before to someone, my guess is that 95% of the time, the professors are just very busy and/or on sabbatical (2/3 of my letter writers are on sabbatical this year, that's been fun) and simply haven't gotten to whenever they've had it scheduled to finish those LoR. Stay positive! Haha, the things you can (or, at least, that I can) worry about are whether or not things that I haven't physically sent myself (GRE scores, transcripts) get there on time. I accidentally sent all of my GRE scores to the wrong numbers, so I've had to reorder those (I've only applied to three programs though, so it's not the huge money buster it might sound like), and I requested my transcripts on Nov. 17 and so far it doesn't look like one of the schools have gotten them out yet. :/ And my first deadline is in two weeks! I thought submitting in October would mean that I wouldn't have to be rushing at the end!

A few of you have mentioned the "being told I was accepted, only to find out it was the wrong student" scenario, which actually did happen to me during my MA application round. I was applying to Tulane, and had contacted a professor in the department while I was applying ... I even drove down there to visit the school! (Oh, how young and naive I was!) I heard back from all of my other schools by spring break, but never heard back from Tulane. I emailed my contact in their department, and she responded quickly with an email saying that I had been accepted into their program, which was a PhD with full funding ... my top school! Cue my endless excitement, right? Then, I received a second email from her, and the subject header was, "My bad." Seriously. She told me that she had been looking at her notes from one of the first faculty meetings, where they had apparently decided to admit me, but then during a later meeting changed their minds. My bad. I had no idea what to do/say/think ... I'm not even really sure what the email I sent her back said. I know I didn't say anything mean, but I could not believe how unprofessional the entire situation was. To this day, I've still never received an official rejection notice from Tulane. Of course, I got it the other way around a couple of years later on a fellowship application, where it was addressed to me but had another student's name on it. Cue another frantic misadventure of calling, emailing, trying to figure out what happened (again, during spring break). But this time, luck was on my side: it was actually addressed to me. U of Boston accidentally sent out all of their fellowships to the same person, just different addresses. Fun clerical errors. I just want each of my applications to get in, on time and completed, with minimal issues with sending transcripts, scores, and recommendation letters. I just found out that I messed up in sending my GRE scores, and had to resend all of them today (my first deadline is Dec. 15, so there's still plenty of time for those to get there). I also still have a transcript that may not be there yet, but it was requested on Nov. 17, so I'll call tomorrow to see what the status is there. As much as I don't want to sit around and wait, I know I'll be really relieved once everything is in and completed and I don't have to worry about what I still have to do anymore!

Even if a grad student ends up in a few classes with undergrads, most of the courses that you'll take for your degree will be graduate-only. Where I got my MA, you were limited on the number of cross-listed classes you could take (no more than 3, I believe). I think that mostly it comes down to what the department is offering and how it relates to what you're interested in. If there is a course being offered that really falls in with your research, then you should consider taking it, even if it's cross listed. You can email the professor offering the course before registering to talk to them about the course contents and whether or not they believe the course will be useful; for example, I was advised by a prof. not to take a course that was cross-listed because she thought I'd actually be a better TA for it, and subsequently had the class changed to undergrad-only. Also, something to consider is the ratio of graduate to undergrad students. If you are the only grad student in the course (or if there is less than 3), then you might not get as much from the course as if it is a more equal mix of grad/undergrad. The style of the course can also make a difference; seminar or lecture, and what you hope to get from each format. I would really recommend meeting with professors before the course begins if you are concerned about this. Hope this helps.

I had that same problem with Northwestern. My original transcript scans were .pdfs, and I changed them into Word documents to reduce the file size. It made the resolution go down, but at least they were able to fit. Google "shrink .pdf" for more instructions. I wouldn't worry about this too much; you have to mail official copies anyways, so they'll have better quality images to go off of. I just submitted everything last week (Northwestern, American, and Temple). Now I'm just waiting on my letter writers; it'll be a huge relief once everything's in. That being said, March seems like an eternity from now!

It depends on the program, and what sort of TA/RA funding they have and how many graduate students qualify for those opportunities. Make sure you fill out the FAFSA as soon as possible after January 1; that will give you a good idea of how much aid you will qualify for. It's up to you to decide whether or not you want to take on additional debt to get your MA. I did not receive funding for a semester during my MA program, but was able to find funding for the remainder of my degree, so I think that it was more than worth it to take out some loans. When you receive an acceptance letter from an institution, typically there will be some form of notification if you can expect to receive funding/support. However, some programs send this information out later, even after the April decision deadline. Call the program and/or your assigned advisor if you have specific questions about funding and funding chances after you've received a letter; they might be able to give you more information. Also, at some schools (my program is an example of this), you may be able to TA outside of your department (sociology, women and gender studies, geography, etc.) based on what your educational/professional background is. There is less funding for MA students than PhD students, but most MA students I know were at least able to find partial funding. Good luck!

I went to UC-Boulder, which has a number of faculty who specialize in Southeast Asia.

I'm applying to Northwestern, and as a part of their application process there is a series of questions (with a 700-character limit) that ask: "What are your plans after the completion of your study?" "What honors have you received?" and "What awards/fellowships have you received?" I remember from my first time applying to graduate school that other programs/universities had these questions included as a part of their online application. How important are these questions to the overall application? Obviously, they are not to be skipped, but it seems to me that future plans are covered by the statement of purpose, and the last two would be covered by the CV. Should I have someone look over my answers to these questions before submitting them? I plan on asking faculty members at those schools how important these questions are, but I wanted to see if anyone on these forums had some suggestions. For those applying for Fall 2012, hope everything is going well!

Anthropologygeek is right; it depends on the school and its funding situation. Where I got my MA, most of the PhD students were funded through TA positions, but there were still instances where a TA was unavailable for a student for a particular semester and they had to scramble to find funding. Most department websites will have information about the type of funding the program provides for incoming/current students, and you can always contact the graduate secretary for more information about funding opportunities.

I'm applying to 3, but I already have a safety school secured (Colorado) so I don't have a lot to lose if I don't get into any of them. My first go around I applied to 6 though. I don't really think there are averages for this sort of thing, some people will only apply to one and others will apply to dozens. Some schools will include on their applications a section where you list the other programs you are applying to, but I don't know if this affects any admissions decisions (probably not). Is anyone here applying to a PhD program who already has their MA in anth? The process already feels to different than the first go around ...

I have the option to continue with cultural anth. at UC-Boulder, but I'm applying to UCSD, Temple, and Northwestern for next Fall. Dreading the personal statement more than a root canal at this point ...