coffeeandmilk

look up where the people that you read on those topics are located and then research said schools and programs.

a note on something socanth brought up: regarding finding programs, I would be wary of using rankings or published "admissions rates" as an indicator of one's chances because those statistics mix all programs -- sociocultural gets mixed with bio or archaeology -- so some times they can be misleading. for example the 17% columbia statistic includes the freestanding MA program, though if you are aiming for the PhD the stat is actually a lot lower.

I know it depends on the grant... and I can't be of much help because as an international I was not elegible for a lot of the grants that were out there, but I know for example that if you are international, you can apply to the Fullbright or the OAS fellowship first (in spring). then you apply to schools with their backing (in the fall). Others happen right about the same time. I applied to one fellowship that was due in December, right when I was also sending PhD applications, and they asked me to send my letter of acceptance when I had it in march. they announced winners in april, but several schools asked if I had applied for external funding and I could say "yes". I think that the funding thing is an advantage particularly if you are applying to public universities. Anyone else has insight about applying to funds before/during the application process?

I vouch for everything that Platysaurus mentions and wanted to add a few more things. These are in no particular order. 1- If during the interview phase a school asks you directly whether you would attend their program, and it is one of your favorites, say yes. Don't hesitate about other options, or try to make yourself sound hard to get. Nothing you say is binding at all, but sometimes schools need to hear that in order to offer you a spot. I was rejected after a fantastic interview where they asked me straight up and I said I would consider (I really think I did not sound to enthusiastic) -- and was accepted to the program where I clearly said, yes. both top ranked places. By the way, schools are not really supposed to ask this but sometimes they do. 2- Also, a lot of people say you won't get in if you are straight from undergrad. In my experience this was not true either. I know plenty of people who did, but it does seem that there are programs that are more prone than others to take people that already have a masters. That said you need to have an amazing life / research experience in order to compensate. 3- GRE's are not important, but they can get you more money at some places through fellowship nominations. 4- Think of the SOP as a research proposal. What you want to do, why it's important, and why you are qualified to do it. don't list qualifications for the heck of it... they need to be directly relevant to your proposal. 5- Fit is a very fuzzy thing. I ended up being admitted (and signing on to!) a program where I was not sure my research fit was good. Sometimes it works out that X and Y are doing exactly what you want to do and they will admit you to work with them. Other times it is a much less direct relationship between your work and theirs... and you have no idea the broad range of things that might interest a professor that are not listed on their webpage. But just think about YOU. In all seriousness, why is this school actually a great place for you? Research the school well. Then tell them. 6- Apply only to programs you would attend. Don't apply to schools only because you think you have a chance of getting in. 7- Apply for external grants if you are elegible. If you get any this will make you a very desirable candidate at many places.

Has anyone heard yet or know where we can log in to check?

I think the main thing is that you need a research project, and you need to be able to explain how your unique background makes you a very qualified person to do research in that specific field / thing. The catch is that you also need to do this while demonstrating that you are open and flexible to learn new things etc. I wrote a quite specific proposal and things turned out quite well for me... GRE is not that important for anthro, but it doesn't hurt to have a great score. study for it.

I am getting ready to visit a few programs next week and have been thinking about what I should keep in mind during my visit. Does anyone have suggestions of things that are important to consider? I thought of: -- placement of recent PhD's -- How easy it is to get summer and research funding -- How well one gets along with advisor -- Student culture -- How often people meet with professors / advisors -- structure of the program -- Reputation? (how would one go about finding this out??) -- Other resources and centers at the university -- Location / how good the stipend is relative to the cost of living any other factors that you are considering?

I just got in fpr sociocultural!

What do you guys think about those of us who are waiting to hear from harvard? Should we assume that everyone that got in has already been notified?

perhaps there's a special reason why one person would be informally notified via email... it looks like they have called / emailed acceptances in the past.

Hey guys, I was just wondering whether anyone here has experience keeping in touch with POI's at schools they didn't attend. I am waging my options and feel crushed about having to saying no to people that I admire and respect so much. Has anyone been succesful at establishing good communication with professors at other schools they were interested in attending but didn't?

Thankyou! I feel like I am floating on clouds :)Super excited!

I received an official acceptance to NYU (email from prof). I am cultural -- with certificate in culture and media. They are taking 8 ppl. but I dont know if they finished making decision or are done notifying.

Guys I know from an informal source that Berkeley made its list of 12 acceptances a while ago... I don't know what the deal is with how they are notifying, but I think they keep people on their wait list without telling them, and send rejections late in the game.