trogdorburninator

you two both know my deal, and I mostly agree with you, nwnh. particularly at the programs regarded as 'top' in the discipline. one of the big questions I asked every program I reached out to before applying was "how does the *department* feel about US based projects?" because I knew that was a big problem for me. I was also very skeptical about my odds applying to straight antho programs (hence, only 2). but, I didn't even get to ask that to each place.  
 
I have also been incredibly surprised by both the number of prospectives still in or just out of undergrad at the interviews I've been too, and, honestly, impressed by how much a year or two of growth can do to nuance your project and perspective. So, that's a choice which often has me raising my eye brows at adcoms, and thinking that you shouldn't totally throw the pooch if you're not from the right background. 

you two both know my deal, and I mostly agree with you, nwnh. particularly at the programs regarded as 'top' in the discipline. one of the big questions I asked every program I reached out to before applying was "how does the *department* feel about US based projects?" because I knew that was a big problem for me. I was also very skeptical about my odds applying to straight antho programs (hence, only 2). but, I didn't even get to ask that to each place.  
 
I have also been incredibly surprised by both the number of prospectives still in or just out of undergrad at the interviews I've been too, and, honestly, impressed by how much a year or two of growth can do to nuance your project and perspective. So, that's a choice which often has me raising my eye brows at adcoms, and thinking that you shouldn't totally throw the pooch if you're not from the right background. 

you two both know my deal, and I mostly agree with you, nwnh. particularly at the programs regarded as 'top' in the discipline. one of the big questions I asked every program I reached out to before applying was "how does the *department* feel about US based projects?" because I knew that was a big problem for me. I was also very skeptical about my odds applying to straight antho programs (hence, only 2). but, I didn't even get to ask that to each place.  
 
I have also been incredibly surprised by both the number of prospectives still in or just out of undergrad at the interviews I've been too, and, honestly, impressed by how much a year or two of growth can do to nuance your project and perspective. So, that's a choice which often has me raising my eye brows at adcoms, and thinking that you shouldn't totally throw the pooch if you're not from the right background. 

NOWAYNOHOW I don't agree 100% with everything you said here but I'm 100% behind your decision to post your perspective.  Plus the comment on the white man in a pith helmet is pretty right on.  I know there is a handful of us who are proposing projects based in US. I am and a large part of that is due to Anthropology's sordid past.  I'm curious who else is proposing to do fieldwork in the US as a cultural anthropologist? 

I agree that fit is important, but after completing a second round of applications with only one offer, I feel like I also have learned a hard lesson about the application process and about the community of scholarship I am about to enter: anthropology is still holding onto certain ideas about disciplinarity, and what is and what is not anthropological. 
 
I've been in touch with a few POIs at places that rejected me (after interviews or in-person meetings) and I have gotten a lot of weird feedback that I feel isn't reflected very much on these boards. Fit IS important, and your SOP is largely the most important part of your application profile; however, multiple POIs have told me that committees have trouble warming to students without prior degrees in anthropology, and they are wary of (cultural) students with US-based projects. This obviously isn't a blanket statement, and I know for a fact some programs (like the one I will likely be attending) want students that work in the U.S. Similarly, plenty of places are willing to overlook a non-anthropology background for a fabulous project. 
 
But these are just two things to keep in mind. Do you want to work in the U.S.? I have been told I should have at least had an international comparative site in mind, if only to "make it more anthropological." Do you not hold a prior degree in anthropology? You better have some way to prove you're ready to do that work. And don't think a handful of courses and LORs from anthropologists (even big name ones) are enough to overcome an interdisciplinary background. You are still competing against a large pool of capable applicants who have those qualifications and more. It will take a Fulbright, considerable professional experience in your proposed project area, or a publication (or two, or three) in a major professional journal to make up for what is seen as a significant and glaring problem with your lack of training thus far. It is also why, if you look at many 'elite' cohorts, many students are right out of top-tier undergraduate programs. A BA or MA in anthropology from a brand name school is worth more than we like to admit here at TGC. 
 
Fit is important, but at the end of the day, most programs make their decisions collaboratively. Some departments can be described as being one way or the other, but that is not true of most departments. It is generally difficult to articulate one orientation or subject area that typifies an entire department. If you have a project that sits squarely in the area of interest of a few faculty, but pushes the envelope of what, say, a lot of the other faculty might see as 'anthropological,' you are taking a huge risk. If you are a student with a colorful background, but you don't have the proper institutional credentials of a 'real anthropologist,' plenty of professors can easily write you off as a dabbler or somehow less prepared than other applicants. 
 
Cultural anthropology is still tied to the figure of a white man in a pith helmet scribbling notes on a people he has already made his mind up about. That tradition and the training it inspired is still celebrated by many top programs. This historical archetype established the discipline, and haunts it still. I think this is something important to consider when pursuing this career.
 
I considered not even posting this, because I know it isn't what people want to hear, and I know a lot of awesome people right here on this forum have had very different experiences; however, I also think that multiple perspectives on the application process can only help future applicants. 

trying to spin yourself and your story so it fits a department can definitely be a struggle. I had a LOT of insecurity coming from interdisciplinary-gradeless undergrad followed by professional-not-specialized-in-what-I-wanna-study- program, and clearly a ton of it (for me) had to do with finding the right place! Don't know if this is round one for you, or if you're possibly going around again next year, but it can really be hard to find your intellectual home. 

not over until its over! hope good news comes your way soon. 

Thanks! The UN interview visit was great- students there are super chill, very approachable. Got my official berkeley rejection while I was there, but didn't cause too much heartbreak as I had already counted them out- got another acceptance this am, so feeling EXCEPTIONALLY good about my fun. feels good to have options!

Website won't let me quote! Trogdor Burninator, you're one of the Northwestern interviewees! Good luck! I was a UVA interviewee in January and I'm waiting on a decision. Duke and WashU were long shots, and Berkeley med anthro was a huge reach! I've got one offer in the bag though, but I'm hoping I get lucky.

Congrats on UMich!

It looks like I've been accepted into WUSTL's PhD program.  Nothing official yet just a friendly email from a POI.  I'm stoked.

Good to hear! TGC is a wonderfully supportive (and enlightening) place, especially when we compare our life trajectory to those of others.
 
That being said, as someone who has dealt with recurrent histories of depression in my immediate family, I would encourage you (not condescendingly or paternally but gently) to consider the assistance of professionals as you continue your journey. As I think we can all attest, life throws many setbacks our way and can send us on a real rollercoaster of triumphs and miseries. It's not a bad idea to have a professional at your back to be an ear or to help bolster coping mechanisms. 
 
Best of luck moving forward!

I just want to promote this post - thank for sharing your story and demonstrating that not every graduate applicant is an upper middle class graduate of a top tier research institution.
 
I also did my own time in community college, as well as going to a undergraduate school known for being home to stoners and radicals, have a professional MA (not in anthropology), and am doing pretty well this cycle. 
 
OP, you describe very real obstacles, but strive to get help and focus on the near goals, not the far ones? They will be here before you know it!

This is not entirely true.  I went to college when I was 18 years old (in 2001) and did horribly.  I was placed on academic probation because my GPA was so terrible and was not allowed to come back to the school for a year.  The only option that I saw was to join the military, which I did in 2003.  I was wounded in combat and almost killed in Afghanistan and ended up with PTSD from that.  After being discharged in 2007, I was a mess for a couple of years and enrolled in community college in January 2009.  I had a good first semester but the next few semesters were nightmarish.  Like you, I got help and there was a point where my life improved drastically.  When I finally graduated from community college, I had been there for three and a half years and was almost 30.  Though my GPA was mediocre and had some very bad grades on it, the improvement was obvious and consistent.  I transferred to a senior college and finished out there with almost straight A's and graduated Magna Cum Laude with distinction in anthropology.  During my time at the senior college, I was a very good student and conducted anthropology research like my life depended on it. 
 
One of the worst parts of applying to graduate school for me was knowing that I had the baggage that I did on my transcripts.  My only hope was that my improvement would count for something and the fact that my final four semesters were nearly perfect would off-set the bad grades that I made when I had not yet figured out how to work to my full potential.  I will be fully funded this fall when I begin working on my PhD, at the age of 32.  
 
Trauma and PTSD are research focuses of mine and I have lost a number of military colleagues to suicide.  As much as I have suffered, I admit that I have never felt compelled to hurt myself and I do not know what that feels like.  I urge you not to give up though.  Academia is a competitive world and I can't promise you that you will get accepted into graduate school.  I can say though that I have been stuck with an abysmal GPA in a community college hell-loop at a time when people I graduated from high school with were starting to become lawyers and get their doctorates and I do know what that feels like.  I took control of my life (which was not easy) and I will be starting a top-tier anthropology PhD program in a few months.  Your life is not over.     

Just got in! what the WHAT?!

me, post day of interviews........
 
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGrpsZ7BsQA
 
 
whuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut.

See...here's the thing about GRE scores.
 
This is my 3rd year applying. THIRD!!! And you wanna know what my GRE scores are? 167 Verbal, 162 Quantitative. So....kinda high. One of the POIs who rejected me last year said I had literally the highest GRE scores of all applicants to the program. Did it make a difference? No. No it did not. I have a feeling that unless your GRE scores are absolutely abysmal (as in, you typed in your social security number, mike-dropped, and then noped up outta there) you probably don't need to worry about the GRE.
 
Do any of the repeat offenders remember that poster from last year, who was a faculty member, who was ranting about how annoying it was when prospective students contacted them? It's buried in the archives somewhere, but they basically said that instead of telling applicants "you weren't good enough" or some other variation thereof, they would indicate that they were rejected because their applications were incomplete. I have a feeling that "your GRE score was too low" is just a different version of that. I don't want to deal with the responsibility of explaining why I rejected you, so I'm just going to say your GRE is too low, because you're gonna think that's some kind of auto-fail and it's easier for me that way.

Just got in! what the WHAT?!

There is a separate thread- but I got an acceptance phone call today!

Got my first IN in today.... the joint program in Social Work & Anthropology at U. Michigan!
yeeeehaw. phone call from the SW dgs. I kept trying to sit down to talk with her and then leaping up, because I got too excited! 
 
here's hoping for more good new, for all y'all! 

Got my first IN in today.... the joint program in Social Work & Anthropology at U. Michigan!
yeeeehaw. phone call from the SW dgs. I kept trying to sit down to talk with her and then leaping up, because I got too excited! 
 
here's hoping for more good new, for all y'all! 

Got my first IN in today.... the joint program in Social Work & Anthropology at U. Michigan!
yeeeehaw. phone call from the SW dgs. I kept trying to sit down to talk with her and then leaping up, because I got too excited! 
 
here's hoping for more good new, for all y'all! 

Has anybody else ever looked for their specific school in the results page, just to make sure they haven't notified yet this year, and then forgot that they'd done that, and then revisited the page and peed their f@^c&@ng pants for a minute before they realized they were looking at previous years?

hey i just saw this ! Thank you for all of your comments, new and old. Following these tips, i got my first acceptance yesterday! 

YES! 
 

Oooch. I meant that to show up in the text. Owell.

I also got an interview today, at u Chicago comparative human development. Whoop whoop!