Rzilch

So... Standardized applications, and zero application fee. What would this do? Probably double the number of schools you applied to, right? This effectively doubles the work if the admissions committees, and makes it less likely for them to find the applicants who really want to be there to admit on the first round. If the grad school is funding you (I.e.its selective), they want a 'difficult' app to weed out the non-serious folks. FYI. That said, the application cost is mainly a small barrier to ensure serious applicants.

I think the idea is that you will win external fellowships to complete your research. My sister is in an anthropology program and this seems to be standard. When comparing schools you should ask about success rate for grants among the senior grad students.... Does the department have any infrastructure to help you with grant writing ... Etc. Also 16k... Is the right ballpark.