Fall 2019 Applicants

[pmcol]

59 minutes ago, phyanth said:

 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. 

It's been (and continues to be) and emotional rollercoaster. But, I'm glad February is right around the corner. Whatever happens, I echo @phyanth sentiinment. Good luck to us all!

Edited January 30, 2019 by pmcol

[Umairrasheed]

Hey all, 

I'm wondering how many students are taken by depts (in socio-cultural stream) generally. For Berkeley, I have found two acceptances and nine interviews in the Results section. Is that it? Or will there be another round. Earlier, I thought places like Berkeley, UT Austin, Chicago, Michigan, etc, take up to 4 or 5 students in each stream, but it seems the number of those admitted is fewer, say 1 or 2?

The list shows three interview calls from UChicago, all this week so far, and none from Michigan. My assumption here is that interview calls are sent out to the long list, and then a short list is prepared?

Thanks for the help. 

Umair

 

 

 

[perpetualalligator]

@pmcolI appreciate your overall optimism so much. Reading your posts always makes me feel less anxious. I just wanted to thank you. I am sure many other people feel the same way

[pmcol]

28 minutes ago, Umairrasheed said:

Hey all, 

I'm wondering how many students are taken by depts (in socio-cultural stream) generally. For Berkeley, I have found two acceptances and nine interviews in the Results section. Is that it? Or will there be another round. Earlier, I thought places like Berkeley, UT Austin, Chicago, Michigan, etc, take up to 4 or 5 students in each stream, but it seems the number of those admitted is fewer, say 1 or 2?

The list shows three interview calls from UChicago, all this week so far, and none from Michigan. My assumption here is that interview calls are sent out to the long list, and then a short list is prepared?

Thanks for the help. 

Umair

 

 

 

Hey @UmairrasheedI think for Berkeley 4 - 5 for each stream (Anthropology and Medical Anthropology) may be correct. According to Peterson's, 247 applied last year and 11 enrolled. Regarding the other universities mentioned, UMichigan (181 applied, 21 accepted, 11 enrolled) and Chicago (260 applied, 19 accepted, 11 enrolled). 

If you mean each concentration (Archaeology, Biology, Sociocultural, and Medical) having 4 - 5 applicants, I do not think that is the case. As for the number directly admitted per stream, this may be dependent on the faculty accepting graduate students per year. I would not assume that there is a hard acceptance rate per sub-discipline as some years may see a good number of sociocultural applicants admitted, others may see a greater number of archaeology applicants admitted.

In regards to interviews, it really depends on the department. Duke definitely interviews its shortlisted candidates. In such a case, I do believe they create a shortlist of applicants in whom they are interested and the interview is to assess fit, personality, interests, etc.

I hope that helps in some regard.

Edited January 30, 2019 by pmcol

[pmcol]

20 minutes ago, perpetualalligator said:

@pmcolI appreciate your overall optimism so much. Reading your posts always makes me feel less anxious. I just wanted to thank you. I am sure many other people feel the same way

@perpetualalligator I appreciate it! It's good to keep the positivity and good vibes going

[Nisaba]

@Umairrasheed Yes, they do in fact prepare a long list first, then, after interviewing candidates they prepare a short list. I counted 4 Chicago interviews, but not everyone who is contacted posts on this website, unfortunately. So take the posts with a grain of salt. Lastly, I think you are correct, most programs take 4-6 students, depending on the program, funding available etc.

[Umairrasheed]

Thanks @pmcol @Nisaba this is really helpful

[G_speed]

Hi all, hope everybody is managing the pressure decently. 

I have a question about rankings. Namely, how much do the program-specific anthro rankings (say, the ones by QS) truly matter? If a program presents a strong fit in terms of faculty and overall research overlap, but falls within the 51-100 tier, which is the more important element to pay attention to? Do low rankings tend to lead to problems when it comes time for job placement even if the faculty/program fit was exceptional? 

Obviously this is not an exact science, but would nonetheless appreciate thoughts on this issue :) 

[Psyhopeful]

46 minutes ago, G_speed said:

Hi all, hope everybody is managing the pressure decently. 

I have a question about rankings. Namely, how much do the program-specific anthro rankings (say, the ones by QS) truly matter? If a program presents a strong fit in terms of faculty and overall research overlap, but falls within the 51-100 tier, which is the more important element to pay attention to? Do low rankings tend to lead to problems when it comes time for job placement even if the faculty/program fit was exceptional? 

Obviously this is not an exact science, but would nonetheless appreciate thoughts on this issue

I was told in a class my anthropology department does for students about to graduate that when it comes to hiring anthropology professors, the overall hiring is down for everyone except for those at a few elite schools where those people tend to get hired most often. I guess someone measured this and made a chart or something? So take that for what you will. I’m also in psychology, and in that field I think it matters most what work (and how much) you do, not where you do it. I think for anthropology, if your research focus is one that could also work teaching in other departments, like East Asian studies, that might make a difference more than the school,but I don’t know. I think others can probably speak on this better, but I wanted to share what I was told.

[Lemonsour123]

Well I got official rejections from UNC and Arizona, I'm assuming rejection from Illinois because people have already heard about admits and waitlists, and my friend at NYU said that this weekend is their prospective student weekend and only 2 bioanth students were admitted. So unless I magically get waitlisted and then accepted to NYU, I will be going to Ohio State! I'm just really glad that it has been one of my number 1 schools throughout this whole process, fingers crossed that I get an awesome fellowship! Congrats to everyone getting acceptances/interviews!

[pyramidstuds]

Congrats, @Lemonsour123! That’s a lot of relatively early decisions (it seems) so I hope the waiting-in-agony is through for you—and it’s still January! And for a top choice program! I’m with you, still nothing from Illinois, but it’ll be UNC for me.

[Lemonsour123]

@pyramidstuds congrats on UNC! I know you would get in somewhere  as disappointed that I was that I didn't get in everywhere (haha what a dream), it is nice to have the decision basically made for me, and I get to go to an awesome program! 

[Pour je? In 1967, Sidney]

Well, I officially got rejected by UNC and UCSB. Although I have 6 remaining, the chances are low since I did not hear anything from anywhere, whereas others reported interview requests on the forum.

This is my 2nd round of applying, so I guess my research is not interesting enough to make me a phd candidate or I am not qualified enough to study further.

Well, what can I do? I am just gonna look for some job openings.

Good luck for those who are still waiting for the decisions!

 

[Imalthica]

Uhhhh, is anyone gonna claim those 4 acceptances to Tulane, for each sub-discipline? All four popped up today, and I'm super worried, because I haven't heard anything back from anyone there! 

[Nisaba]

@Pour je? In 1967, Sidney Are the other 6 places you applied to all require interviews? If not, dont give up all hope yet. Also, admissions is a crap shoot and I'm sure it doesnt have anything to do with your qualifications, there are simply too many students and very few spaces available. Also, perhaps a particular professor wasnt taking any students this year etc. 

[Pour je? In 1967, Sidney]

@NisabaThank you for the kind words. The 6 programs are the ones that sent interview requests last year. They did not specifically said they require interviews, but since other people got interview requests, I guess I did not make it to the list.?‍♀️?‍♂️ I'm just too tired of being rejected 2 yrs in a row, so I think I won't try out for 2020 fall phd programs. I will have to go through the painful process of admitting that I am not apt for sophisticated study.

[KuroNeko]

23 minutes ago, Pour je? In 1967, Sidney said:

@NisabaThank you for the kind words. The 6 programs are the ones that sent interview requests last year. They did not specifically said they require interviews, but since other people got interview requests, I guess I did not make it to the list.?‍♀️?‍♂️ I'm just too tired of being rejected 2 yrs in a row, so I think I won't try out for 2020 fall phd programs. I will have to go through the painful process of admitting that I am not apt for sophisticated study.

I'm so sorry you're having such rough luck. And it really is up to luck. Getting rejections are the result of any number of things including the fancy of the admissions committee, professors taking students or not, political in - fighting, and so on. It absolutely does not have any bearing on the worth of your ideas or your likelihood of success as a scholar. 

It's not over until it's over, and you might still get an offer, but if you don't, and academia is something you really want to do, there are ways to get there. 

- You can improve your application for next year. 

You can do research. You can go live in the country you want to do research in. You can make sure you are now fluent in your research language. You can read a lot and completely revamp your SOP. You can do programs adjacent that will help you. You can study for and retake the GRE. 

- You can try different programs to apply to or consider getting a PhD outside of the US where competition isn't as fierce and more focused on the quality of your research rather than other factors. 

And other things I haven't thought of. I know people who have gotten good offers in their third round as well. 

[Pour je? In 1967, Sidney]

@KuroNekoThank you. It really helped me feel better because I was starting to doubt myself. I will just binge watch Netflix till the results come out and not lose the hope.?

Edited January 31, 2019 by Pour je? In 1967, Sidney

[pyramidstuds]

8 hours ago, Lemonsour123 said:

@pyramidstuds congrats on UNC! I know you would get in somewhere  as disappointed that I was that I didn't get in everywhere (haha what a dream), it is nice to have the decision basically made for me, and I get to go to an awesome program! 

Thanks! I’ve since been in contact with the DGS who passed along the faculty member who was most interested in my project, along with a couple other potential members of my future committee. This was someone I mentioned in my PS, but I didn’t expect it, and I hadn’t contacted him in the application process, only my main POI. For me this just shows the unpredictability of this entire process.

[cuppajoe]

Hello. Does anyone know if international applicants hear back later than US applicants? Or do all acceptances generally go out on the same day? (In this case, I am specifically talking about SC at UC Berkeley.) Waiting is so torturous and feeling very disheartened to see acceptances have gone out ?

[pmcol]

9 minutes ago, cuppajoe said:

Hello. Does anyone know if international applicants hear back later than US applicants? Or do all acceptances generally go out on the same day? (In this case, I am specifically talking about SC at UC Berkeley.) Waiting is so torturous and feeling very disheartened to see acceptances have gone out ?

Hey @cuppajoe usually international and US applicants hear back at the same time.

I feel your pain! Don't worry, I'm sure good news is coming your way

 

[FrigidSky701]

Not hearing anything back kinda sucks, especially when I submitted my applications right in the beginning of December. Almost two months of waiting and nothing from the schools yet... I wish I applied to more schools(7 total).

[Psyhopeful]

20 hours ago, Umairrasheed said:

Hey all, 

I'm wondering how many students are taken by depts (in socio-cultural stream) generally. For Berkeley, I have found two acceptances and nine interviews in the Results section. Is that it? Or will there be another round. Earlier, I thought places like Berkeley, UT Austin, Chicago, Michigan, etc, take up to 4 or 5 students in each stream, but it seems the number of those admitted is fewer, say 1 or 2?

The list shows three interview calls from UChicago, all this week so far, and none from Michigan. My assumption here is that interview calls are sent out to the long list, and then a short list is prepared?

Thanks for the help. 

Umair

 

 

 

You have to remember that not everyone who applies uses this forum or reports their results, so it’s hard to tell how many are admitted just from looking at the results section.

[GenericResearcher]

So I was wondering what is the best way to initiate the conversation about funding and the existence of a visit weekend. 

I just got a notification of acceptance to Binghamton ( ?!), but it says nothing about funding or if there's a visit weekend or anything like that. It is the generic acceptance email from the grad school as a whole, not from the department. 

Should I wait or should I reach out to the Anthro department about these questions? I was never interviewed and none of my POIs answered my emails (understandably; it's super busy that time of year), so I haven't actually spoken with anyone at the department before. 

Thanks so much!

[perpetualalligator]

Congratulations! Did the email say anything about the department eventually reaching out with more information? If not I would maybe wait a couple of days and see if the department sends anything and then email the department and not the POIs asking about the visit weekend. I think that department people in general might be more involved in the logistics part of the admission than professors but I guess that depends on the school.