shockwave

I would absolutely recommend you contact some people you want to work with at potential schools.  Explain your situation, send out dozens, if not hundreds of emails of people you want to work with in some caliber and get their feedback.  Maybe you will be surprised that some of them or incredibly supportive of your work ad give you some excellent advice.

Interesting thread,
 
I am very sorry to hear of your very negative experiences.  I for one would not push him for an LoR.  I would actually go to your second reader for their advice.  You can go to tell them your situation honestly (if you trust them) and get their feedback on what your future should entail.  IF you are truly motivated to become a PhD student, then I think they will recommend that you build up your CV.  Perhaps another MA program attached to a PhD program at a prestigious university?  A year off working, presenting at conferences, and preparing for the next application cycle?  I am really not sure.  I would speak with a faculty member you absolutely trust.
 
I also think there is a problem somewhere else.  Several people here have mentioned that their advisors had told them they were too "ambitious" or that they were getting in for too much, saw someone else say that they were told they didn't know how to write an introduction.  This is concerning (but not surprising) because it seems to speak to a declining quality of education academy entirely.  If a person can't write something like an introduction they probably shouldn't be in a PhD program.  This shows that their undergraduate and/or MA program have failed to address the basics of academic writing.  I remember when my classmate and I were meeting with our advisor and he suggested that my classmate 'learn how to write' from me.  I was shocked that as a second year graduate student my classmate wasn't able to write a quality paper - he was my senior!  It is possible that it this time you don't possess some of the skills needed to get in and if you do get into a program, there is no guarantee you will be a solid candidate for a job when you are done.  I remember when I was applying and speaking with faculty about not getting in anywhere they provided me with a number of alternatives of things I could do to better myself for reapply the following year.   
 
Also, ask what you have done wrong and have the explicitly explain how you can learn from it.  What you could have done better.  What you need to work on.  Are you approaching your topic too subjectively?  I suspect a great many graduate students approach a topic with an agenda rather than going into a project open minded and when this happens, the results and quality of the writing suck.  Do you have a sound understanding of the theories you are referencing?  Are these literatures important and relevant?  These are thins I would ask.
 
Most importantly, don't give up (if this is really your dream)!  Don't be discouraged and just keep at it.  

I would absolutely recommend you contact some people you want to work with at potential schools.  Explain your situation, send out dozens, if not hundreds of emails of people you want to work with in some caliber and get their feedback.  Maybe you will be surprised that some of them or incredibly supportive of your work ad give you some excellent advice.

I would absolutely recommend you contact some people you want to work with at potential schools.  Explain your situation, send out dozens, if not hundreds of emails of people you want to work with in some caliber and get their feedback.  Maybe you will be surprised that some of them or incredibly supportive of your work ad give you some excellent advice.

As someone who has lived in NYC for most of my life I'd like those outsiders looking in to get a clear picture of the good and the bad.

NYC is a great place for restaurants, clubbing, nightlife, museaums, etc. New York is RELATIVELY safe. However, the city has seen a rise in gun violence over recent years and keeping the city safe is becoming increasingly difficult. Manhattan is one of the safest boroughs due to the massive number of people and high class restaurants, shopping, etc. However, at night time some areas get a bit dangerous, and areas NEAR to Columbia(not directly around) get very dangerous at night. The massive influx of people has also brought a spike in prices of housing, so you will likely be paying quite a lot for a litte apartment or even a room. If you want something cheaper as in most other college towns, you will likely be living in a less than prime location in terms of transit and/or safety.

NYC is becoming very UNDRIVABLE. If you own a car and intend to drive be prepared for obscene amounts of traffic. While the city's highways are generally tolerable, during rush hour it can take you 2 hours to go 3 or 4 miles in some areas. Furthermore, parking at meters is becoming ridiculously expesnive at $1.00/15 minutes in some places. The public transportation system works, but not great. The subways are quite dirty, can be dangerous, and run very inefficiently. You need to leave yourself time to be late when plannig your schedule.

All being said, NYC is a massive city and variations in neighborhoods vary greatly within just a few minutes. There is a lot to be experienced in New York but it comes at a price(both literally and figuratively). Many people come to the city and love it. Others come and hate it. Since I have been traveling I hear that people say NYC is a great place to visit or be young but not a good place to live. It is really up to you and what you like.

Ughh!!! When are Anthro and Sociology programs going to send out decisions?  Looking back in my e-mails at my MA school decisions I saw it took anywhere between a month - two months.  For some of the earliest deadlines it has been close to two months now.  Every day feels like a year!

Same with me. I applied about three weeks ago and got a confirmation letter maybe 6 days later. Btw, I absolutely HATED the Apply Texas interface!

jmbrown88, is this your experience? I see that the questions also seem a bit more difficult than the actual test. Not difficult but actually more tricky, where the slightest subtle difference in a definition will be the correct answer Magoosh suggests.

I think it is good practice though I have a few qualms. As others have mentioned, the math section is incredibly difficult to udnerstand and goes through ridiculously roundabout ways to find simple concepts. Find 50% of 40. Rather than just plugging in 40 * .5 to the calculator it took me on a path that did nothing but confuse my incredibly unmathematical mind. The verbal section is often very ticky as I mention above. I caught it on sale for $100 (right after a pay check), so I don't mind this, plus its for a year. I definitely wouldn't pick this up at the actual retail price or anything more than $100.

I was wondering if anyone who has used Magoosh seen an increase in their scores? I will be a test of this next month when I retake it, but what have others thought?

Hi everyone. Just a quick question. I hear a lot of people who are very anti-PhD slam the prospect of getting one because of the lack of jobs.

For me, I am certainly not doing it for the job prospects and am doing it for my passion and interest in the discipline. Money is certainly not the main priority. Moreover, I am not particularly set on living anywhere, state, country, continent, I am very open. I was wondering with someone with this kind of outlook what was the reality of the situation in the opinion of others in the same boat. It is easy to be discouraged by people who don't really want a PhD but what about from those who are actively engaged and interested in the field.


Thanks.

As someone who has lived in NYC for most of my life I'd like those outsiders looking in to get a clear picture of the good and the bad.

NYC is a great place for restaurants, clubbing, nightlife, museaums, etc. New York is RELATIVELY safe. However, the city has seen a rise in gun violence over recent years and keeping the city safe is becoming increasingly difficult. Manhattan is one of the safest boroughs due to the massive number of people and high class restaurants, shopping, etc. However, at night time some areas get a bit dangerous, and areas NEAR to Columbia(not directly around) get very dangerous at night. The massive influx of people has also brought a spike in prices of housing, so you will likely be paying quite a lot for a litte apartment or even a room. If you want something cheaper as in most other college towns, you will likely be living in a less than prime location in terms of transit and/or safety.

NYC is becoming very UNDRIVABLE. If you own a car and intend to drive be prepared for obscene amounts of traffic. While the city's highways are generally tolerable, during rush hour it can take you 2 hours to go 3 or 4 miles in some areas. Furthermore, parking at meters is becoming ridiculously expesnive at $1.00/15 minutes in some places. The public transportation system works, but not great. The subways are quite dirty, can be dangerous, and run very inefficiently. You need to leave yourself time to be late when plannig your schedule.

All being said, NYC is a massive city and variations in neighborhoods vary greatly within just a few minutes. There is a lot to be experienced in New York but it comes at a price(both literally and figuratively). Many people come to the city and love it. Others come and hate it. Since I have been traveling I hear that people say NYC is a great place to visit or be young but not a good place to live. It is really up to you and what you like.