Looking Ahead, need some advice please

[ChazzR]

I'm at sophomore at UT studying anthro. My first long semester I did not know what I wanted to study and didn't try at all. I ended with a 2.2 GPA as of now. I declared anthro last semester after I fell in love with it, and made an A in my intro class. Considering I continue to do well in anthro classes and my cumulative GPA continues to show an upward trend, could I gain admission to some good programs for the phD?

[CultureOfIdeas]

Sure you can! you're still just a sophomore - everyone has ups and downs and ESPECIALLY before you find out what you want to do. PhD admissions is unlike professional school or college admissions in many ways and very often, you are given the benefit of flexibility in conveying your strengths. You can find a lot of information about what goes into graduate school admissions online - but again, you're still young and you still have time, make sure you explore lots of things, get your feet wet in different fields and see what you are passionate about. If you're going to commit to a long program like a PhD, I suggest you try out what it means to "do" anthropology as well. Talk to you advisor about some possibilities for exploring anthropology outside just your coursework. You will be fine I'm sure.

[samjones]

you could definitely work your way into some good anthro programs with a grades that push your GPA up over the next couple of years. definitely. even if you can't pull it up really high, there are students in this forum and beyond who earn admissions in to good programs (not just anthro programs) because despite their GPA they are able to demonstrate their fit and intellectual abilities through their statement of purpose and writing sample.

developing relationships with professors in ways that help them get to you know you beyond being "just another student" in one of their many classes would also be a good step. you'll want to have at least three professors who can write holistic letters about your intellectual and academic potential and abilities.

also, and this is especially true if you will try to apply to grad school in your senior year of college, you'll want to start developing your academic focus on a topic and region as soon as you are able to find something that you feel passionate about. note: you won't have to forever feel passionate about the topic and/or region but you will have something to write about in your statement of purpose that won't necessarily look like it comes out of nowhere. by the time you enter a grad program, you can change your focus depending on the resources in your new program but in order to gain admittance focus is the best way to go and working to demonstrate that now would be a good thing for you to do.

your writing sample should compliment your statement of purpose (SOP). some students gain admissions without having complimentary SOP's and writing samples but you have time to develop a writing sample that you can foresee as complimentary because you are thinking about the process so early.

GOOD LUCK!