phyanth

Have you looked at Texas State University? They just started a PhD program in anthropology. Texas State not only has a body farm, but also has a fair amount of researchers in Mesoamerica. Most of the schools in Texas have researchers that do work in Belize on the Maya, if that is something that interests you. You can always PM me if you have questions!

She said "about", so I'm sure there's leeway with that. Especially since I'm sure they're conscious of the April 15th deadline and how they factor into those decisions

Hey y'all, I was just at a conference with the NSF head of my academic field, and she said that they were implementing a new computer system, so the application processing this year is running almost a month behind. Hope this helps!

After many years of being on here, I've noticed iterations of this question every season! For those of you starting your search, you may find this helpful https://anthroacademic.wordpress.com/2019/03/14/__trashed/

This is saying that 5.5% of TT positions came from foreign institutions in general meaning, multiple universities. 21% of American graduates land a TT job, but they also make up 94.5% of TT positions. So actually, odds are very slim for foreign PhDs, unless you are coming from an high ranking foreign university (e.g. Oxford, Cambridge, Kyoto, etc.). 5.6% of PhD hired came from Chicago alone. That's one university whose graduates make up 5.6% of all PhD's hired versus 5.5% of a bunch of foreign universities. That's insanely good because only a few people are graduating each year with their PhD from Chicago, so most of them are landing TT positions upon graduation (theoretically). That being said, I don't know what the statistics are for how many graduates from foreign countries are trying to land a TT job in the U.S. (and what percentage of applicants for each position are graduates from foreign universities), so obviously that will affect how to look at this. I'm not trying to be discouraging at all, but just am being pragmatic so nobody is surprised if they go to a foreign university and find it extremely difficult to land a position stateside. Also for those of you who are worried about going to a "lower ranked" school, look at biological anthropology (my subdiscipline). If you add up the percentages of the top 8 (including foreign) universities, they make up 32.1% of the market. That means 67.9% of the rest of TT positions are occupied from other U.S. universities! Other schools that aren't in the 90% percentile and above are likely not graduating as many PhDs annually, so that actually makes sense to me. I'm at a smaller program, but almost everyone who has graduated has landed teaching positions, and most in TT positions. That being said, we're trained so we can also get positions at medical schools (anatomists), so we have more options. At the end of the day, if TT is what you want, just work hard on doing well in your program, keep applying and see what happens! You never know. I think it's just abysmal in general because people in academia don't leave until they're very old, and universities (apart from the top institutions) just aren't funding anthropology programs well. It's a bit of a crazy at the end of the day, because hiring programs are looking for such a specific fit.

Has anyone successfully applied for this? If so, did you receive a notification from your host scientist or JSPS first, and when did you hear back? Thanks!

What do you mean by this? Does that mean that they offer you a TA/RA-ship each year? Because that is pretty standard for a PhD program. Unless you have a fellowship, there is no such thing as a straight up stipend, no strings attached. But, that being said, it's really up to you. If they aren't offering any funding, then you risk having to take out an exorbitant amount of student loans for the program, which in our field, is not worth it because the pay afterwards isn't great. If you really want to pursue this and you are okay with taking on a financial burden, then go for it! Another thing to consider is fit. You mentioned that there isn't a geographical overlap. Well, is the program willing to support you doing research in that area? If not, are you okay with switching your focus? If they are, are you willing to put in extra legwork to make the connections you need to work in those areas? You can make it work, but it's just a matter of how much extra work you're willing to put in, and if you think that it is worth it. You mentioned that you're older, and for what it's worth, there is a PhD student in my program who is 42! Going for a third round of applications sounds awful and daunting, but if that means that you end up getting accepted to a school with funding, it may be worth considering. If you do decide to go for a third round, I would reach out to the POIs at the schools you were rejected from, and see if any are willing to give you constructive feedback on how to improve your application. I hope this helps, and good luck with your decision

Hi there @Sawdust&&Diamonds! It looks like you've gotten some great feedback. I actually just wrote a post about how to choose a graduate school, and though most of the stuff has been covered by the comments, you might find it helpful to look at! https://anthroacademic.wordpress.com/2019/03/01/how-to-choose-between-graduate-schools/

Congrats on your amazing acceptance! Michigan is awesome. FWIW, Ann Arbor is one of the best cities you could be in for school (but I’m biased, it’s my alma mater). It has so many great restaurants, lots of events going on at any given time, and just a great energy from students that’s inspiring. If you have any questions about Ann Arbor, or the university itself, feel free to pm me

Thank you for your insight, I just had no idea! I figure it's worth trying, otherwise I'll always wonder.

So, I realized that I'm eligible to apply for GRFP (Woohoo!). However, I had a few questions, and hopefully someone in here can help! As far as intellectual merit goes, do they ask for your undergraduate and graduate transcripts? (I completed an MA, but it has been more than 2 years and I just started my PhD program last semester.) Would they weigh graduate GPA more heavily than the undergraduate GPA? My graduate GPA is excellent, but undergraduate... not so much. I just want to make sure they have a holistic review and don't immediately throw it out because of my old undergraduate GPA from literally 7 years ago. My academic record has been excellent since graduate school, and I'm tired of my undergraduate performance coming back to bite me. For what it's worth, I did get A's in all my undergrad anthropology classes. Maybe that can save me.

Hi! They don't do interviews, but they do invites for a campus tour. Also, they take longer than some of the other schools. So I wouldn't stress too much right now You'll probably hear in the next week or so

Hi all, Just a quick note: I keep seeing users that end up deleting all of the data except around 5 universities. Please refrain from doing this, so everyone is able to see all of the data. If you want to add to the spreadsheet, please feel free to do so. Just don't delete existing data! Thank you

Really??? I would have thought our packages would have been lower!

FYI, Kent State also interviews. If you're not invited, you won't be admitted.

I think y'all will really start hearing back next week, based on how decision filtered in last season. Wishing the best for everyone, I hope everyone is admitted somewhere! Also, if anyone applied to Kent State, I think interview invites should go out later this week or next week.

@manicape Hey there! I’m currently at Kent State in the PhD program; feel free to reach out if you have any questions or just want to chat!

You could fill out the FAFSA, and take out a small loan, if you feel that you could not work any extra outside of your assistantship

Nvm, I was able to restore an old version

whoaaa, who deleted everything?? That's super frustrating..

Does going to a R1 vs R2 school for a PhD really matter? I just figured deciding meant looking more at the department and the research coming out of the department itself, rather than looking at the university as a whole. I turned down a PhD program at an R1 to go to a R2 because the R2 has a proven record of high output/opportunities for research in quality journals with TT placement for about 95% of graduates, while the R1 is a newish program that doesn't have any record research-wise or placement-wise.

So, I just sent off rejection e-mails this morning. It was honestly one of the hardest things I have had to do in a LONG time. I loved this school, but practically speaking, the other school had more to offer. It's just that the POI I had been in touch with was so kind and excited for me to possibly attend. I told them that I wanted to collaborate with them in the future as we have extremely similar research foci, but who knows if they would actually want to do that. Bleh. Anyone else feel the same way?

Echoing what @rising_star said. If all that matters to you is getting a tenure-track position in your subfield, in anthropology, at an R1 school, you're going to have a very difficult time. However, if you're open to more interdisciplinary positions, or willing to try and find some sort of teaching position at other great schools, then you will have many options. The best you can do at this point, is to be open-minded about work in academia, or try to find work outside of academia. Make sure to be active, publish, make connections with colleagues at conferences. Emphasis on the networking. Seriously. It's not your one-way ticket to a job, but it will at least get you more consideration for a position! For what it's worth, I just decided on what school I am attending for a PhD program. While I loved the other school, the program I will be attending happens to be housed within the biomedical sciences department, with a huge push to become a proficient anatomist. I chose the program because it offers a more marketable skill set. While it's not traditional anthropology, I would still have a fulfilling career doing the research I want to do. But, it all depends on what subfield you're in. I can only really speak to physical/biological anthropology.

Bumping this, as I will be starting school in the fall. Any intel on housing for married couples that are dog friendly?

Hey! I currently live in Lubbock and have been here for the past 5.5 years. I'm very liberal and I will say that your department will be a great resource for you. The city has gotten a little better as it's grown/changed a lot (even in the 5 years I have been here). I haven't heard of any hate crimes happening in the time that I've been here. It's definitely racist and homophobic, but people are so fake nice that they wouldn't say anything to your face... It's all for the most part, subtle. If you have any questions about the area, where to live, etc, feel free to ask!