kphd

thank you telkanuru! Alianka We have had a lot of bomb blasts in New Delhi over the past few years. If we get scared and let it affect our lives too much, then the terrorists win. telkanuru The housing outside (graduate commons) and the rent ranges discussed throughout this thread seem very high compared to the residence halls. a room in the residence halls is in the range of $6300-8,000 for the academic year. As low as $700. and yes i would like to be close otherwise there is the danger that i may not make it to the classes/school in winters! I will PM the rest. Thanks a lot!!

I am myself an international and don't know a great deal. But I don't thik an MA from Oxford would reduce your chances of a phd in US at all. Both are excellent univesities with amazing reputation. in fact a masters from outside the US seems like a plus and Oxford is very impressive. Also Columbia has a very theoretical approach to anthro..some would say hyper-theoretical.

Hi! I will be going harvard this fall. Can anyone weigh in on the advantages and disadvantages of opting for the GSAS residence halls. They seems like the only affordable option on my stipend. However, the housing (single small room with shared bathrroms and kitchens) it comes with the condition that one has to enroll in the dudley cafe meal plan @ $2,268 per year (for only 164 meals). The meal plan seems really costly. Also please suggest any other options. Cronkhite center housing may not be available in time as it closed for maintenance.. Thanks

Somebody else who got an offer from penn told me that she was told by her PoI that they would take 5-6 in socio-cultural

not bio... socio-cultural

I declined my penn offer..yesterday. Yes was on harvard waitlist myself...sorry! Harvard informed me only yesterday.

I am happy to hear the buzz here again! These last few days were hopelessly quiet. Congrats to sweetpearl! and Congrats amerianthro! Platysaurus, harvard is to me what Berkeley is to you! I don't know how many are on the wait list or where I stand.. why did harvard have to be my top choice?!!.....this is so cliched!!

Got a rejection from Columbia..Finally!!! kind of happy about it!!

I'm still on wait list and I don't know if they will contact me by email this time at least! The last time it was by post and it reached a good twenty days after postmarked date.. But it is not very bad for me, I have an excellent acceptance. But it is a little frustrating for me too and I can only imagine what some of you guys are going through. All the best,

A friend who applied two years ago had the same experience. He was kept waiting until the end of the month and then rejected. Apparently they do this year. It raises serious doubts about the whole process....they charge $105, the least we deserve is a proper review of the app!!

Thanks for sharing! if you are going to decline I don't think you can be identified. even for the others, the departments do not reveal who got in via waitlists and who the first picks were!

Hi! I must admit I know very little about the whole applications thing, but here are a few thoughts. I would evaluate MA applications and PhD applications very differently. I would say the most important thing for phd application is show capability to do original work. Raise new questions, find a new area of research, prpose a new way of looking at it...of course not just for the heck of it but...only where required. I have very poor grades and ok recos, and no background in the subject at all.....but I was told that my SoP was original. I am not talking about well crafted sentences and perfect grammar etc..the thoughts expressed. Sorry to state the obvious, but these things are overlooked sometimes. So the one constructive suggestion that I can give is: have your SoP read by as many people as possible! The second important thing is targeting you apps correctly...I know because many of mine were mistargeted. Please be sure that the people reading your proposal are interested in the topic and area ou propose to work on.....and btw did you get god responses from the people PoIs?? An excellent SoP would be a waste if it does not meet the right people. Thirdly, some schools and profs are willing to give feedback on applications..please make use of this. By all means do an MA and get published or just get published! Publications are usually a good indication that you can undertake quality research...though I have none! they are an impressive adition to any CV. Also after an MA you will be judged as someone who has an MA...you are expected to show more familiarity with the subject and your MA grades will matter more. But is also shows you committment to the discipline. All the best! Regards,

Hi! Until yesterday my columbia app status said GRE/toefl scores not received! Only today the status has changed to received...did they finally get around to reviewing my app or does it mean they are finally going to inform me of a decision.

Same situation here..don't know what to make of it! I would be really surprised if they don't tell me something before leaving for the weekend. I am assuming that I am on a unofficial wait list! This may not be relevant here...but I wonder what is taking Syracuse so long!!

Got rejection from NYU.... Would have preferred UPenn anyways. But what do they mean "We know that many students to whom we are not able to offer admission are accepted into other excellent programs and we trust you have received positive responses from other schools to which you applied." could they possibly be saying that to everyone! or did they find out from other universities? Anyways congrats to the guys who made it!