anxiousanthro

To the Columbia acceptance: First and foremost, CONGRATS! Was the email personalized or perhaps for a group? I'm certain I'm rejected. I'd just like some finality!

wow- could he not develop a business in which he worked as a sort of independent contractor or something? surely that would be more flexible... it seems like a service that would be in demand (or would generate income at least) in any city. maybe there is a compromise to be made, not making only one career a priority? i agree with anthropologygeek though. its hard to envision a career in anthro which doesn't involve a fair amount of flexibility, even if your research itself is within the united states.

This seems a bit self-evident, but there are sociocultural, archaeological, and biological anthro research topics that are focused on the United States that wouldn't necessarily require traveling outside of the US (dumb example: if you are studying pottery in the American Southwest, you wouldn't leave the US... obviously haha). In terms of paleoanthropology, because there isn't the same sort of deep history that you find in Asia, Africa, the Middle East or Europe, it seems like it might be slightly more difficult to not leave the US. I honestly don't know enough about the subfield to say anything more useful than that, but perhaps you can take a look at the abstracts from past Paleoantho Society meetings to try to seek out profs that work in the US (perhaps on US based collections or something?)... Here is a link: http://www.paleoanthro.org/journal/contents_dynamic.asp

I've been hardcore emailing current graduate students and their responses have been enormously helpful in thinking through things... Its not just what they say, but the way they phrase it, their enthusiasm level, etc. that has been really telling.

They made 9 offers this year.

I obviously am no expert and am also struggling right now to make a similar decision (UC vs. east coast Ivy), but I would say you definitely shouldn't discount the fact that you seem to like the place you would be living in in UCLA and that you fit really well with current graduate students. 5+ years is a long time, and you definitely aren't going to make (ok, maybe you would, but would have more of a struggle) it if you aren't happy and don't have a meaningful/fulfilling social life! That being said, I've been told that there is some merit to not going to the same place you went for undergrad in terms of being exposed to different theories/methodologies/networks of scholars etc. Just my opinions though! Since we are in a similar spot I will ask you- what is your impression of how much "name brand" might matter in opening doors, as they say, in the future job hunt? I'm not inclined to care about that sort of thing, but I also don't want to disregard it if it is a genuine factor in what is, lets be honest, an appalling job market. congrats again on your offers!

Thank you so much for posting this! My choice is really riding on whether or not I get the NSF... if we hear back by March 23rd I will be SO happy! lol @ someone hacking the results haha...

Sorry about the rejection, but it sounds like you've still got apps in the mix! I contacted Northwestern to ask about their timeframe and was told that we should hear back from them in the first week in March (so I think next week!). I hope this is helpful to know.

ditto on this about berkeley. @pariahcarey- if you contact Ned he can tell you your admissions status.

I am sociocultural. Both departments are also sociocultural.

hello all! I've never been one to be place much value on the "name brand" of a school. However, I have been accepted to both a state school with a top-ranked anthropology department and an ivy. The ivy funding package is significantly larger, but the state school's offer would still be financially feasible for me to accept. Does anyone have opinions about how much an ivy league degree would matter in future job placement within academia? People I tell outside academia are surprised that I am struggling to decide between the two, but I believe that the state school has a better reputation within anthropology (though the ivy is more highly regarded when considering the uni as a whole)... Any perspectives would be very much appreciated! I hope everyone is managing to survive this terrible process!

This sounds super elitist and arrogant, so take it for what its worth, but I was really excited about Goldsmiths anthropology program and wanted to apply there for my PhD. However, I was warned by many academics that if you intend to live and work in the US, a foreign PhD will be looked down upon (I think largely because they are shorter). The caveat was that would likely be less true if you went to Oxford or Cambridge.

I would echo what leinlei said about having to do postdocs post a UK-PhD. Although they are quicker in the UK, you miss out on a lot of the professionalization that is key if you want to continue in academia (teaching, publishing, etc.) that you are able to achieve in a longer US degree. I feel like something that may be more important than the elite status of the uni is your fit with your advisor. You seemed to be hinting at an uneasy fit at LSE, whereas Northwestern sounds quite ideal (amiable, good fit with your research interests etc.). In the job hunt, at least what I've been told, is that your letter of rec from your advisor means everything. If you have a strong fit and feel positive about an advisor, then you might have a more productive working relationship with them and be better positioned in the job search because of that! Just a thought

What is the tenure track placement record for the department? For your adviser specifically? Average time to completion? (if you don't already know of course) Do they have funding for summer projects? What about funding for conference participation? For current students: What is something unexpected you've learned about the department that you didn't know when you applied? How much contact time do you have with your advisor? What are the TA responsibilities/time commitment like?

I got a similarly cryptic email about tuition and financial aid info prior to my acceptance somewhere as well... i would say i received it about 4 days before the dept actually contacted me. so i say, yes! seems positive!

club foot

I was similarly told that they wouldn't have decisions until "the end of next week"...

Instead of confessing that you haven't heard back from anywhere else, you could always just say something like "I applied to several other programs and I of course have to give them consideration as well, but MIT really is my top choice." If they ask you about other schools I don't think they will press you beyond that. GOOD LUCK!

I PM'd you.

not sure! :S i wasn't told that definitively, just told that they interviewed 30 and would be making more cuts from that group... sorry to not be more helpful

Chicago interviewed thirty and is making another cut from that group, then doing campus visits. They are supposed to notify as of today (!!).

im currently on the waitlist there... they made four offers on feb 12th... hope this helps! **i applied social/cultural

awesome! ok, thank you

Does anyone know how to change the "graduate program" portion of your application? Or if this is even possible? The offer I am probably going to accept is different from the school I put in my application...!

time to update your signature mp429 CONGRATS!