CarlieE

I agree. You're applying for a Master's program so you have to show that you're going to be a good student, not just a hard worker. While your supervisors and coworkers might know you better, they can't speak to your academic abilities. LORs for grad school aren't only about your personality or your moral character, they also are meant to give the school an indication of if you can do the academic workload, if you can finish the program, if you can write, if you can absorb theory and apply it and perhaps - this may not apply to you specifically since you're doing an MA - if you have a research goal/topic and good enough writing ability to get grants and funding. Your academic recommenders, being professors, have a certain kind of credibility with the admittance committee since they are professors too; being part of the same profession, if your professorial recommender says "Yes, this student was excellent!" then the committee can trust that your professor is speaking as an individual who has experienced BAD students. IMO having only one professor as a recommender might not be a good idea; can you have a fourth and make it 2 professors and 2 non-academic recommenders?

Catchy is sometimes good.... and sometimes really, really bad - especially if the committee doesn't get or share your sense of humor. The advice given to me about any SOP is to be straightforward and as clear and succinct as possible. You want to keep in mind that the committee has to read HUNDREDS of SOPS. Yours might be the first of the day or the 50th or the 234th. If yours isn't right to the point, or is questionable in any way, it's far to easy for a committee member to just say "Ugh... " and toss your application into the NO pile. That said, your personality should still shine through. It's a fine balance; you want to be yourself and if you are a humorous person, a catchy-one liner person then OK, but as mentioned above, don't over do it and let it happen in your writing organically.

Good luck hopeful80!

I agree it should be OK to take her up on her offer for a LOR even if it isn't as recent as one might prefer, but - just for perspective - she might be telling you to find someone else because she might not remember your performance as well as she would like (to write you a stellar LOR). 2010 was a few years ago, and in the meantime she probably has had a lot of students. Unless you were especially memorable, perhaps she doesn't feel she "knows" you as well to recommend you strongly. It's like this: if you went to a restaurant once, a few years ago, you might remember it, but you can't say very much about the exact dish you ate or exactly how good the service was. You might be able to say you liked it, and that you'd go again, but that's about it. It's the same thing for professors: they can't - and we shouldn't expect them to - remember fine details about us when we only had a small amount of contact with them. Perhaps you might help jog her memory by sending her a copy of the paper you wrote for her - especially if it earned a A grade or good comments. If you have another professor, I think you should try asking them as well - even if it's not in your field or department as they might provide a strong LOR which indicates your drive and ability as a student in general. I know most applications ask for 3 LORs but often leave room for 1 or 2 more; I say fill up ALL the slots for LORs if you can. Unless one is a negative LOR, more can't hurt you (but do order them appropriately, in order of importance or relevance.)

For Emory, I believe that some of the internationals, depending on where they are, will be asked to Skype in interviews rather than come for the full recruitment weekend. If you offered the option of coming for the interview though, I would recommend it.

I wear the same thing I've always worn: whatever the hell I feel like that morning. I wore red lipstick and did my hair up in victory rolls today. With a pencil skirt and heels. I've also worn bowling shirts and slacks. Or jeans and a whatever-top. As fuzzylogician mentioned it all depends too on what's going on that day.

After the applications were completed and the deadlines all passed, I waited. When I got an interview I emailed all my recommenders a personalized email and told them the good news. (After the interview I sent thank you note to my interviewers.) When I got accepted, I went to see my recommenders in person and told them the good news. (I had 6 recommenders; some for specific programs/institutions.) Since I was still in my last semester of UG, I waited until the semester was over to give a small gift. I got them all the same book: "F in Exams: The Very Best Totally Wrong Test Answers" which I found HILARIOUS (and they did too). It's a small, cheap book ($9.99 new) and it's very light hearted so there's no (or less) weirdness about it. And since they all got the same thing too, there was no weirdness on my part.

So taking into account that there are disciplinary differences (as already pointed out by others), I found that the work load was definitely more than UG but not unmanageable. Thought the OP might find this useful since sociology and anthropology share a lot of similar theory/philosophy from the 19th/early 20th centuries... In Europe cultural anthro and sociology are often the same dept. or considered the same discipline. I averaged about 1000 pages a week of reading for three courses, all of which were theory heavy. The readings were denser, and much longer. Whole books were assigned that were a couple of hundred pages a piece so sometimes digestion was a bit rough. We were expected to present and lead discussions and to really get involved in class and in our own work. This wasn't hard for me since I'm not shy but it was tough for those who were. It pays to get a head start on the theory, if you haven't got a strong background it in already: Durkheim, Giddens, Bourdieu, Foucault, Saussure (and the others mentioned already). There was a good deal more writing involved, not only in terms of the final papers but also on a week-to-week basis. Reaction papers were common. You will most likely have your MA comps include core theory and your PhD quals be more focused on your research. You'll have core classes - a proseminar of some kind, methods of another and a theory course. All of them are essentially theory courses but with slightly different focal issues. And yes, probably a compulsory advanced stats too. If you plan on being able to party once a week, even on Fridays only or whatever, then it might be a bit tough. I found that my weekdays and weekends blurred, and EVERY day was spent, at least in some portion, reading and note taking. And that was the case for everyone in my cohort and in the past 2 years' cohorts. We worked socializing into the coffee shop scene; come read together and have chats in between chapters. The overwhelming part was the Imposter Syndrome and the worry about being "good enough", about meeting the faculty's expectations, about finding a place - academically and socially - to fit in. Everyone in my cohort came from a different academic and social background so it's also a matter of expressing yourself so you aren't misunderstood in class discussions, or using jargon that is regional or culturally specific (maybe not so much an issue in your field, but certainly in mine). I got into a top tier school and the pressure is intense, not from the faculty directly, but from ourselves - amongst the cohort and within ourselves as ambitious students. Not one of us escaped Imposter Syndrome and there moments of frustrated tears. THAT was what made the workload difficult, more so than the actual workload itself. And note, I thought that I would and could be strong enough not to succumb to feeling inadequate (I was a 4.0 UG nearly all the way through, did a double major in history and anth which have high reading loads in UG, had a strong academic CV etc), but it still hit me. I'm not trying to scare you, rather I'm just trying to let you know that there is an emotional, affective component to this. Just be prepared for it and you'll pull through ok

Yes, they will. Unfair as it is, it means your application is incomplete. With that said, I have been told that schools actually give the recommenders a few extra days to get in LORs. I've never "let" it get that far. I'm not willing to risk it. You mentioned that LORs are favors... I would have to disagree to a certain degree. While professors are not obligated to write you an LOR, they are ethically bound to treat you with professionalism and if one has agreed to write you an LOR and fails to do so despite being provided ample time and all necessary documents, then he/she has behaved unprofessionally and you can be legitimately upset about it. Professors need LORs from each other too for fellowships/grants etc that they need to do research so this is not something they do just for students. Writing LORs (good and bad) is part of the profession and so they aren't wholly social "favors"... I'm not advocating going off on some temper tantrum or being demanding, but you can be persistent without being insistent.

If it's any consolation, I started out at CC too and I had an F on my transcript there... AND in an Anthropology course no less. HAH! It did come up with one of my interviewers (I had 8 interviews at one school). He asked me what was up with the F in Anth 101? He was just curious because it's kind of odd to be applying for an Anthro PhD when I clearly flunked the first time I did the very first and most basic anth course. I did retake Anth 101 and got an A which was also on the transcript. I told the truth. I was being stalked by an ex and I dropped out of college entirely without formally withdrawing. When I decided to go back to school a few years later, there is was, on my permanent record. Oh well. I still got accepted. The fact that you finished your UG with nearly a 4.0 shows that you have perseverance and integrity AND you have the discipline it takes to improve yourself and notice your own mistakes. Thumbs Up!

My (sub)discipline actually has a lot of options for non-traditional ie. non-academic careers. A lot of us go into NGOs overseas or domestically, join the State Dept and other government positions (though that can be criticized as unethical, depending on what sort of career path you're talking about) such as CIA, FBI etc. Others work for corporations in advertising, marketing and R&D, or as consultants for Human Resources... Others get into public health or teaching language, or as translators etc. I'm on the academic track so far, but it's really nice to know that I'll have the ability to switch it around if I decide I want to. After a post-doc (hopefully) I'm toying with the idea of moving to Southeast Asia to teach there or work with an NGO for a bit. For most anthropologists the world really is our oyster....

My experience with Open Houses is that we/you (the applicant) are responsible for the travel expenses entirely and its much more informal. However, that might not be the case with you. IMO I think it would be OK to politely ask if they can give you any advice on travel or hotel deals (perhaps there is a hotel nearby they can recommend?) I think that's a nice way of finding out if they offer any financial assistance. Sometimes they might have hardship reimbursements for travel...

you could try getting an airline credit card and you could get a free flight or two from the mileage accrual benefits. About the conference travel, your school may (or may not) have a discount/travel network deal-thing already. My school does and we get better deals (I think it's linked to travelocity) if we use our school code.

Just my 2 cents: LORs always take awhile and generally, there's always one you have to "chase". I had one professor tell me up front that I WILL have to NAG him for it, not because he doesn't want to do it but because he's really scatter-brained. So I did. And I got my LOR. It's a process that's frustrating but we just have to get used to it. If you plan on staying in academia, count on going through this frustration again... and again... and again.. Also, one month is OK.. but I usually give 2 or 3 months notice - once I know the deadline for what I'm applying for and then I make sure I get ALL the necessary documents to the professors. When it gets closer to the date, say a month before I send an email to check in, make sure they still have everything and I'm not adverse to popping into their office the week before to leave a visual reminder.

Your cousin/relative and family have been... misled. Online PhDs or online degrees in general aren't accredited or considered academically legitimate. When was the last time you saw an article cite "...a study done by the online university-of-some-mythical-bird..." or go to a conference where a professor was from an online university? As you've mentioned the workload and format of online universities is significantly different and much less demanding. I empathize with you about getting your family to understand how it works. My SO is the first one going to grad school and he has a hard time even explaining why it's something worth doing. I'm also the first in my family to do a PhD and my parents have NO CLUE how the system works. My dad recently asked me "what's "objective" mean?" (They don't speak english very well.) Sometimes you just have to say, "hey, this is the way I'm doing it." and let what they say roll off your back. The may come around to "getting it" or maybe they won't. Chances are, when you get in somewhere good and get a stipend, your family might question this online-uni-going relative and ask "hey, so where's YOUR stipend? So-and-so gets a monthly check for GOING to school. How come you have to get loans?" I don't think you have to say very much about getting your family to see the difference. Time will show that you've got the "better" deal.

I'm glad it helped. You're going through a rough time and it can be really easy to let you bring yourself down. Try not to let it get to you and keep positive! On that note - and this is just my 2 cents - you might want to consider applying to more than 1 place. That's a lot of eggs in one basket. I'm not saying you should apply to other places, just for the sake of applying BUT it can be risky... According to the Chronicle of HIgher Ed, the past 3 years have shown increasing numbers of graduate applicants, with significant increases each year... It's very competitive and even if you ARE qualified, there are only just so many spots.. Most Phd programs have single-digit cohorts, but of course, this may be different in your field. In mine most of the schools I applied to took in 5-7 people. And my cohort was 9. Good Luck!

I think it might matter if you are planning on teaching. Say, you did a Gender studies concentration and got your PhD in History.. And University X is hiring. They're looking for a historian and you're era is just a little off, or your region is just a little to the west or whatever... BUT their Gender studies dept or their regional dept is also hiring, or that school is well known for their Gender studies program, then you might be a pretty contender for the spot, even if your History is off by a century or one or two longitudes. With universities getting budget cuts, dual appointments in different depts might become more and more common. Sometimes, they are looking for people who can teach specific courses ie. Theory X or Y. And if you did take a few courses in your concentration on that subject, it might help you - not to get the position - but to get the hiring committee to NOTICE your application and put you in the "YES, let's interview him/her" pile. Just a possible scenario I've been given by others...

Our interview weekend included one FULL DAY of interviews back to back with ALL the professors in our subfield. I had 4 interviews in the morning, then broke for lunch and had another 4 in the afternoon. They were about a half hour each. When we arrived we were given a packet with our interview schedule and a quick tour of the 2 floors where the profs offices were so we could figure where to go. So... while this isn't quite the same "back to back" you were thinking of... If we could do this, then having to fly cross country and getting a break in between should be OK. Good Luck!

I think you're reading the email rather negatively; it's actually very positive. The POI basically told you what she wants you to say and what to focus on. She gave you a road map of what to say and how to phrase it. If she were politely telling you you have no chance she would not have bothered to write such a long and detailed email. It can be very exhausting writing SOPs and proposals. We have to get used to it; I wrote one for a grant the first semester of my PhD and it was just as tough. Maybe MORE so since I couldn't email the committee and ask them anything at all. The piece of advice consistently given to me by Profs was this: Keep it positive, succinct and just answer the question they're asking. In your case, the POI gave some very instructions; if you answer the questions she's put to you, your proposal will be super. Look at it this way. The POI is asking you: WHAT - what is your research topic? WHAT is it on? WHO are you studying? WHY are you studying them? WHERE will you do this? (and WHY did you pick this WHERE?) [this should be up front so that when someone reads your SOP they can immediately place you in their mind as to what sort of scholar you are or what region you are studying or sub-field etc.] WHO - Who are YOU? WHAT have you done that makes you suited for this? You can "read" someone (to a degree) from the theories they tend to like. In my field, you can tell if someone is more post-modern than someone else and that's an indication of who they might be as a personality. HOW - How are you going to do the research? This is clear in her methodology query? Even if you have no clue HOW really, put down your favorite theory or a method you THINK will be suited for this research. You aren't expected to KNOW the answers, but you are expected to show that you know how to THINK about HOW to GET TO the answers. Show that you can think intelligently through the process. She seems to focus A LOT on this so you might want to really show your stuff here. She also seems to say that she wants you to honest and to be humble. In my SOP I said I was going to do my field work like this-n-this-n-this way but I also said that I expected to come across obstacles such as this-this-this-n-this. WHEN - Why is this research pertinent to us NOW? Why NOW? Is there some larger global issue? Some human need for it? WHY - Linked to the WHEN, but WHY is this research important to YOU and important to US and to THEM? Hope this helps. I went to a couple of proposal/SOP writing workshops and this "formula" really worked for a lot of people. I'm still waiting to heard back on my grant. Good Luck.

Skimming can be tough - for me it's the absorption part, getting things to stick... So, if it's a whole book and I'm having a hard time skimming, I write 1 or 2 sentences next to each paragraph (in the margins) which summarizes the gist of that paragraph. At the end of the section I give a short few sentences (in the margins) about the argument of that section (or chapter) and the evidence pointed to; and then at the end of the whole book I can look back at my quick notes in the margins and mentally summarize the larger argument of the whole piece. If it's a particularly difficult topic to digest I use a fly page and write in a short paragraph summarizing the whole thing. I also use color pencils to make certain key sentences in each paragraph pop out. Usually at the beginning or end of each paragraph is The Thing that the writer wants us to "get". Of course, I buy and keep all my books - they always seem to come back in some way. Just a note though: the style of older scholarship ie. 18th-19th century stuff can be harder to break down this way; the style of writing does not always lend itself well to my method.

That really kinda sucks, considering that your MA is (I assume) 2 years? My advisor is also on sabbatical - for a year and half actually - but since I'm in a PhD program it's really not bad. He's also kept in touch and has gone out of his way to meet up with me and keep in contact etc. Perhaps, if your advisor is really not reachable, you might find a "temporary" mentor in someone else in your dept. I assume you will have to have 3 committee members, so perhaps one of the other 2 can give you some guidance. OR, perhaps if no one else in the dept has similar academic interests then a faculty member in a related dept who has a regional or theoretical commonality? OR, have you tried talking to your chair about the issue?

Just my 2 cents: It took me 10 years to get my BA (community college took 7 years to finish!) so I graduated from college at 30, and then applied for and got into a PhD program. I turned 31 just as I entered the first semester! There are several other members of my cohort in our 30s, one guy is in his 40s. Our ages range from 22 to 40+ (and it's a small group, less than 10 of us). But we all get along and have had get togethers, hung out etc. And as others have said, we've learnt from each other regardless of age or experience(s). Also, one of the questions put to me during the interview weekend was this: "So you're coming straight out of undergrad, do you think that might be a problem?" The interviewer went on to clarify that sometimes students get burnt out going from one directly into the other. I do look young for my age and it's hard for a lot of people to tell how old I actually am. My age saved me on this one! I answered (something along these lines): "I'll be up front about my age. I'm 30 and I've been working towards this for a really long time. I've taken that time to really think about whether I want a PhD, what I want to do with my life and so on. And, so, while I understand your concern, I don't think that's one you'll have to worry about with me. I'm basically old enough to know that THIS is IT." AND It worked!

languages-etc, I do use a stylus for the highlighting and writing of notes. But for the longer notes (the stickies) I use the keyboard. I do use dropbox and because I'm on a Mac and use Pages (not MS Word) I also use icloud. So generally, my process is this: I download the PDF of the reading from blackboard (via its ipad app) directly into dropbox (so I have the original), then open it in notability. I read, make my notes (handwritten and typed), highlight etc and then save/export it as a PDF back into drop box (I add "notes" to the file name to differentiate it from the unmarked original). This way I have my notes in both notability AND dropbox, should either app get funky on me. If I take notes during discussion, I may use notability to record parts of the lecture and type/handwrite notes and then save/export those notes to drop box. OR more commonly, since I don't use the audio record function as much, I open Pages on my iPad during class discussion and use the keyboard to take silent notes. I think the professors appreciate that I'm not "behind" a laptop screen since the iPad lays almost flat on the desk (I prop it up using my pencil case for an one inch lift) and the keyboard is silent (no tapping of keys as I type since it's just the dull sound of my finger tips). After class I file the Pages doc in icloud OR, if someone would like a copy of it, I export it as a PDF or Word doc to them in email. During the semester I use dropbox and icloud for "temporary" storage. At the end of each semester I remove it all from those clouds and file them into course named folders in my external HD. I have 5GB in dropbox and icloud each so I never really run out of space.. PLUS I never have to worry about losing my flash drive (though I still keep one in my pencil case so I can get stuff from others in a pinch). This definitely helps me with what I have to carry around to school and to coffee shops, library etc. I generally just have my iPad on reading days and if needed, my macbook air (super light!) as well, plus one or two books if no electronic version is available.

Just to add to Datatape's post... I don't know how it is in your field but in mine most professors travel over the winter break (internationally) and so emailing and keeping in contact can be pretty tough depending on where they go. Just something to keep in mind...

I use my iPad and Notability for readings that are in PDF or electronic form. I add notes in the margins or add stickies for longer notes. For books I use colored pencils: reds and purples for the things that are more important and green and blue for things noteworthy but not essential.