Profile of Successful Anth PhD Applicants 2010

[Siad]

In this, the possibly most competitive year in the history of graduate school admission, I wonder who the bright young men and women are that made the race. It seemed to me that those who got into one of the top schools, seemed to get into others. Thus, what kind of background, GPAs, GREs, references and life-experiences do these applicants hold? And what do they consider to be their strengths and weaknesses.

Congratulations to those of you who made it, good luck to those who'll try again next year.

[anthropo2010]

In this, the possibly most competitive year in the history of graduate school admission, I wonder who the bright young men and women are that made the race. It seemed to me that those who got into one of the top schools, seemed to get into others. Thus, what kind of background, GPAs, GREs, references and life-experiences do these applicants hold? And what do they consider to be their strengths and weaknesses.

Congratulations to those of you who made it, good luck to those who'll try again next year.

great initiative!

im so interested in reading your answers!

[hogmommy]

great initiative!

im so interested in reading your answers!

I was accepted into a fairly new and middle-ranked program, but my future advisor is extremely well-respected.

UGPA: 3.2 (oh, those years wasted as a biochem major), 4.0 in anth

GRE: 680V/740Q/4.5AW

[a fragrant plant]

I was accepted into a fairly new and middle-ranked program, but my future advisor is extremely well-respected.

UGPA: 3.2 (oh, those years wasted as a biochem major), 4.0 in anth

GRE: 680V/740Q/4.5AW

First of all congratulations! Just want some clarification: when you said a middle-ranked program do you mean a R1 university that is ranked 50-60 (according to US News and World Report)?

[ANP]

Hey peanuttheanthro,

I am interested in viewing this ranking business you speak of. Is there any way to access the list online? I tried to search for US News and World Report rankings for anthropology, and got zilch.

As far as my own results, I was admitted to my top choice program (although I clearly don't know its exact ranking). I have a 4.0 graduate GPA and very mediocre, dare I say low, GRE scores. I do, however, have a diverse background with all sorts of field experience. If it helps, my advisor informed me that my selling point was my statement of purpose, demonstrating that I was "A perfect fit for [his] laboratory". He mentioned that my SOP, along with my varied research background and interdisciplinary training (I have three seemingly unrelated degrees that I somehow managed to tie into my current research), got me the admit. I had fine LORs, but it wasn't like Louis Leakey and Charles Darwin came back from the grave to write them or anything.

As an addendum, I was personally looking for a department that focused on collaboration and highly interdisciplinary research. i highlighted this in my SOP, and it worked out pretty well for me. Other universities might not have taken to this so much. Basically, be specific, really delve into what kind of research you want to do and how it meshes with your potential advisor, and get crackin' on that SOP!

I hope this helps! Good luck, everybody!

[samjones]

Hey peanuttheanthro,

I am interested in viewing this ranking business you speak of. Is there any way to access the list online? I tried to search for US News and World Report rankings for anthropology, and got zilch.

re ranking:

the us news and world report does not make all of their ranking lists available for free to the public. you can buy the book of the recent rankings or become a member on their website to gain Internet access their rankings.

otherwise, there is a way that you can plug in criteria important to you in order to rank programs based on that criteria here: http://graduate-school.phds.org/rankings/anthropology

i also found this: http://www.stat.tamu.edu/~jnewton/nrc_rankings/area35.html (nrc stands for National Research Council)

[AKJen]

Thus, what kind of background, GPAs, GREs, references and life-experiences do these applicants hold? And what do they consider to be their strengths and weaknesses.

Well, I got into one top school for anthro, but I'd imagine my cv is pretty different from most others. GRE: 640 V, 770 Q, 4.5 AW. UGPA 3.71 with a 3.63 in anthro major. With three different schools attended over 9 years to finally receive the degree. So, definitely not a traditional academic background. I did two internships during undergrad, one with a federal health agency and one at UPenn's museum of archaeology and anthropology. So I am super familiar with the faculty and resources available at Penn and I think that is what really helped me. My references are from my undergrad degree school which is a tiny public liberal arts college with almost no name recognition. But one of my references is also good friends with some UPenn people, so that may have helped.

Probably my most unique attribute is that I've spent the last three years working in research for a Tribal health organization in Alaska with my community of interest. So, I think it's just a case of right experiences at the right time.

[lordcromer]

Please excuse my hope of preserving some degree of anonymity. I don't mean to be too evasive, and can answer private messages if it would be of assistance.

I was accepted to two schools for sociocultural, one in the top three departments (as specified by the 1994 NRC report) and to an ivy. Rejected at another ivy and another in the top three, and have a high position on the waitlist at another ivy. So. I have an area-studies BA (from a USNWR top ten), but minimal coursework in anthropology (albeit a considerable amount in philosophy and "theory"). GPA 3.8+, GRE: 800v/690m/6. Research abroad, but no ethnographic fieldwork, so to speak. I applied as a possible political anthropologist and STS scholar. I didn't contact any faculty in advance.

disclaimer: I don't have much faith in the rankings, but I thought they might help readers to gauge selectivity.

[medanthrograd]

NB: I know that most of the people in this discussion thread do not give a lot of weight to these rankings, but I just wanted to make things clear: the NRC rankings are the result of a survey performed in 1993. A new survey has been conduced in 2006 but the publication of the results has been delayed many times...

Not only do I not believe in the idea of ranking, but I also think that these results are totally obsolete! The field of anthropology has changed a lot in the last 15+ years, I'm pretty sure the next ranking is going to look very different...

I would advise to talk with people in the field (and in your specialty) rather that rely on this kind of information!

To answer to the question about "successful aps," I'd say that it really comes down to the SOP and the match of interest with faculty.

I got into 3 schools that I am very excited about, including two with comprehensive financial packages. One is in the curent alleged "top three" and another one in the "top ten," altought I'm pretty sure that the third one that is not on the map in these past results will be very well placed when the news ones are published (I know, this is pretty funny to say after the comments I just made...) I believe that I got in these 3 schools because they are the best match for my research and have the most faculty working on my area of focus, over the 4 other schools to which I applied.

I had poor GRE results from a few years back (didn't take it again because I don't think it matters too much in anthro), kick-ass TOEFL ones, a very good international graduate GPA and an average undergrad. international GPA. A few grants and honors, plus research and applied experience that relate to my subfield. I had two LORs from Prs. in Europe that no american scholar had probably heard of, and one from an up and coming professors in anthro from the US.

My SOP talked at lenght about my projected research and showed how I got there by tying together many of my previous interests (school, jobs and life experience). It concluded by a lenghty explanation of why each school was a perfect match, refering to precise work of certain professors working there. My research project was supported by my writing sample in a close subject, but from a different angle and disciplinary stand point. It was an extract from a masters' thesis, showing that I had graduate experience but also demonstrated that I could bring into the picture my training from an other related discipline...

I had extended contact whith one school, but no contact with the two others, a few professors didn't respond to my emails a few months ago and I thought I was out for that reason! They just were very busy but noted my email, I've heard afterward.

Hope that helps!

re ranking:

the us news and world report does not make all of their ranking lists available for free to the public. you can buy the book of the recent rankings or become a member on their website to gain Internet access their rankings.

otherwise, there is a way that you can plug in criteria important to you in order to rank programs based on that criteria here: http://graduate-school.phds.org/rankings/anthropology

i also found this: http://www.stat.tamu.edu/~jnewton/nrc_rankings/area35.html (nrc stands for National Research Council)

[ANP]

NB: I know that most of the people in this discussion thread do not give a lot of weight to these rankings, but I just wanted to make things clear: the NRC rankings are the result of a survey performed in 1993. A new survey has been conduced in 2006 but the publication of the results has been delayed many times...

Not only do I not believe in the idea of ranking, but I also think that these results are totally obsolete! The field of anthropology has changed a lot in the last 15+ years, I'm pretty sure the next ranking is going to look very different...

I would advise to talk with people in the field (and in your specialty) rather that rely on this kind of information!

I agree with you completely. I was asking merely out of curiosity as to the nature of these rankings that are supposedly guiding us along the decision making process...

That being said, that was all sound advice. Oh, and CONGRATULATIONS! I wonder which one you will choose... ??

[lily_]

Thanks for your post medanthro, definitely gives me a lot to think about the next round of applications and writing my SOPs. Great advice!

[medanthrograd]

Thanks!-)

I'm agonizing and cannot seem to reach a decision right now... It felt great to be accepted in different places, but is really hard to know wich one will be the best for my development... I've had weird dreams lately!

Good luck to you both for the next round, I'm sure next year will bring you many choices!

[All About The Bones]

I spend most of my time genuinely having no idea why the program I got into decided to take a chance on me, and feeling massively, ecstatically, giddily grateful that they did.

In my more critical lucid moments however I, like many others, feel that the reason I got in is the applicability of my interests to the program I applied to and my preparation for the work there. I only got into one program out of the four I applied to. It was my top choice and I spent way more time thinking and working on this app than the others and I guess it showed. I think my international status helped a little also in that the British university system is so specific so early on that the amount of experience I have in my field is high. However being international could also be a major reason for my rejection from a state school where my experience would have been great as well. I also contacted people at each of the schools I applied to and got into a great conversation with the professor I will be working with, who helped a little with advice during the process.

My numbers are average, 1300 GRE and I guess around 3.7 GPA (high 2:1 in the UK) and no grade as yet for my masters as it is only one year. My current school is good, and 2 of my letters of rec were from awesome people in my field, so that could have helped too.

I guess therefore if I throw in my 0.02 of advice, I would say that you should only apply to places that you would really want to spend many years of your life in, rather than adding others to make up the app numbers (my 'safety' rejected me after all). Spending time finding a program that is ideal for what you have already done and what you want to do gives a better chance of acceptance than applying to loads of programs. Thats just my experience though, and if I had to do it again I am not sure I would have the balls to only apply to one or two places!

Congrats to everyone who was accepted, good luck to those still waiting and commiserations to those who didnt make it this year