rkg2012

This was nearly my situation last year, except I had an unfunded PhD offer (obviously out), a partially funded MA offer (tempting), and a name brand unfunded MA offer. I ended up choosing this unfunded UK school because the program was pretty much exactly what I wanted and it is only 1 year. For me, this was the only place I could do a degree like this, but it was certainly not an easy decision to become 50k more in debt. I had some (not much) in loans already and I am far from wealthy. In the end, this program hasn't totally lived up to my expectations, but I don't regret the choice. I think the important thing is to fully consider what you will get out of it and how it will get you where you want to be in life. I do think that it helped my PhD applications, especially since I have an awesome adviser who wrote glowing recommendations (or I assume so, since I have several offers and I know he thinks highly of me).

I wish Joukowsky would put us out of our misery already.

Congrats! I wish the Penn chopping block would come visit me. Actually, I wish for acceptance, but I doubt that's happening at this point. I still haven't heard from AAMW even though Ancient History and Classics have their rejections. Congrats!

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the UCLA's Cotsen interviews/visits are this coming weekend. Last year they sent out rejections by the beginning of February though, so who knows.

I don't know of any other Classics/Archaeology cases, and I certainly don't think it is normal to accept a MA applicant for a PhD, but I think I saw another case in a different forum here. Art History maybe? I know that AZ doesn't have a PhD in the Classics department to accept up a level, but I don't know anything about Missouri.

Bryn Mawr? I got that too. I appear to have a tuition waiver but no stipend. It looks like the GSAS fellowship is a 15k/year stipend. See: http://www.brynmawr.edu/gsas/Resources/financial_support.html Good luck!

I'm currently doing my MSc in London, where 70% is a high mark. Most schools will probably understand the conversion, but if you are worried, have your recommenders talk about it. I wouldn't advise mentioning it in your SOP. Also, I thought that transcripts usually include some sort of explanation on the back or on another page, but maybe that's mostly a US/UK thing.

Congrats!!

I hate to disappoint, but I am the BU archaeology admit. Last year they gave me an unfunded offer in March, so maybe they do multiple waves of admits? Or maybe I was considered separately because I counted as a deferred application? In that case, don't give up hope yet. Good luck! Pius Aeneas, I know of at least one person who applied to BU last year for an MA and was offered a PhD with no guaranteed funding, but could compete for TAships after the first year.

So who is everyone still waiting to hear from? I haven't heard anything from Brown (Joukowsky), UPenn (AAMW), or Bryn Mawr (Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology). Has anyone heard from them? I'm guessing that at least the first and probably second are both rejections, but I would still like to have it in writing.

I've heard from archaeology, but I don't know anything about the anthropology department.

I still don't think U of A has actually sent out official acceptances (unless someone wants to claim it). I was just asked to fill out a scholarship app by Friday if I hadn't already done it (that's my post on the results). At the very least, they have not figured out their funding. They don't normally notify until pretty late (second week of March last year), so don't start worrying yet. If I hear anything more about what is going on, I'll let you know. As for other schools, it took nearly 3 weeks for two of my rejections to come after interview invites were sent out. They will tell you...eventually. Sometimes I wonder if adcoms enjoy knowing how we suffer waiting for rejections.

I don't know about acceptances, but rejections are sent by snail-mail. Rumor was that interview invites were sent out some time back even though nothing appeared on the list : /

I keep thinking that, but the floodgates have yet to open. I know a couple of mine don't notify until March (which is absolutely painful), but at this point I would really like the rejections that I already know are on their way. Has anyone heard at all from AAMW?

Personally, I would give them a few days and then shoot them an email if you haven't heard from them. Perhaps find some questions to ask about the program or to arrange a visit. My potential advisers have contacted me quite quickly, although I had not spoken to many of them pre-application. (I don't believe in emailing without something intelligent to say, so I pretty much chickened out of emailing in the fall.)

Yep and professors read those lists of schools. A POI emailed me about just how his program was better than others on my list complete with gossip about potential POIs at those schools. I have not been strictly asked about my acceptances, but in emails I have explained that I am excited about x offer/interview, but I do not expect to make a decision until after I visit universities. They all know that this is a huge commitment. If I am asked, I would answer honestly though. My field is small and I am sure that they speak to one another.

If you are persistent, motivated, good at what you do, and know the right people, then yes, they will. I never said it would be easy. My professors have always done their best to make sure that no one applied with that delusion. Maybe I have been lucky and known the right people, but as difficult as it is, it is not a dismal prospect if it truly is your passion. Venturing down the PhD path is a risk that each person needs to decide whether s/he is willing to take. You simply don't go into Classics or archaeology if you want a high-paying job. Beelzebub makes some good points - there is a lot you have to consider. Since you already have the job commitment, you have plenty of time to really think about it and decide what is best for you.

Greenmonk, Arizona was the only American school I felt was worth it for me to apply to last year. I ended up turning it down to study in the UK, which has certainly been worth it. Depending on your interests (and financial situation), there are several excellent schools, not just Oxbridge. In the states, I know people who applied to FSU and Vanderbilt as well (both have funding), but I think that those programs are more geared towards ancient history. Tufts is rubbish. Some post-bacc programs allow you to take additional course - I took graduate level archaeology classes with my languages at Penn. ~$2,500 per class, but that's less than many places. On the other hand, if you have the strong archaeology background and you do take classes at Catholic, why applying to PhDs and MAs at the same time is not necessarily unthinkable. While you're taking classes at Catholic, see what those profs have to say on the matter. It might also be worth it to email your old profs. The road to a PhD and career is certainly a long and arduous one, but you sound motivated enough to make it work. I couldn't imagine doing it if I had been out of undergrad for 10+ years, but if it's what you're passionate about, then go for it. Get into good programs and impress the right people and everything will eventually work out. Don't let Arthur Evans discourage you. If he was applying for programs in 2011, he's not actually on the other end. He's right that you shouldn't be naive about it, but it's not all doom and gloom. Most of my old TAs had to do a postdoc/adjunct position or two, but to the best of my knowledge, they have all found tenure track positions. It is worth it to find out placement records when you investigate PhD programs. Good luck!

That wasn't me. I do have an unofficial admit from a POI, but I haven't posted it, since I didn't want to scare anyone (or jinx myself). The results seem to have come pretty late in past years, so now I'm confused too. Maybe it was unofficial? Anyone want to claim it?

Thanks! I'm [hoping to be] a classical archaeologist, so it's really weird to apply to an anthropology department. I had one professor who gushed over the program and several who discounted it as 'not having a PhD program,' because it's not in the Classics department.

I'm fairly certain that U of A has not sent out any official notices yet. I would guess that the person mixed up the two AZ schools. On the subject of U of A, what is its reputation in the anthropology world for its archaeology program?

I honestly wouldn't worry about it. Even if the lower scores appear on your GRE report, adcoms will see how old the scores are. Besides, most adcoms care much more about your personal statement and recommendations. Even if they have a minimum GER for admission/funding, the better score is usually what is considered.

For those you you visiting Brown, when is their interview weekend (aka, when should I expect my rejection)? Has anyone heard from AAMW at Penn or know when Classics/Ancient History are inviting accepted students?

Do you happen to know how many they invite versus accept?

I was honest and said that the program was certainly one of my top choices, but I was still waiting on offers/funding from other universities. They let me in. I think that they just wanted to know that I was serious about it. But Luciuslin is probably right that they won't ask. Most schools don't.