Switching from a different discipline?

[Polanthro]

I have a Political Science background but have increasingly felt that all signs point me towards Anthropology and I am wondering if people out there have advice/opinions/perspectives on what my chances might be at a good program, preferably in the New York City area. Basically, I started off thinking I was interested in civil war/ethnic conflict in the traditional poli sci sort of way but have realized that now my interests are more in line with the way that Anthro asks some of the "bigger questions" and doesn't just count battle deaths. My regional interest is South Asia with a focus on constructions of ethnic "otherness", development and identity, nationalist ideologies and violence. I am also interested in post structuralist understandings of the issues above.

I have a BA from a US public school in a well respected state system, and an MA from a Canadian university. GPA a little above 3.8 at both. My GRE scores were not stellar, but okay with 720 verbal/670 quant/4.5 writing. I have coursework in Quantitative Methods, Political Theory, Anthropology of Development, South Asian politics, African politics, etc. I have a couple of RA ships, TA experience, a conference presentation. I have traveled to my country of interest twice, once as a volunteer and once as an intern and have done some private tutoring (which I need to continue next year) in the language I would use for my fieldwork. I think that's basically it...also, I would be working during my application season if I were to apply for Fall 2011 so there would be some professional experience too though it probably doesn't matter.

Do people think I could get into a program and that there are places for me in Anthro departments? I appreciate any insights you might have!

[missamy]

I switched over from environmental studies so I certainly think this is doable. I did have some coursework in the social sciences, and I had letter writers in anthropology, sociology, and history, decent GRE scores, and a 3.9 in my major. I also had a ton of science and non-anthropology related coursework, like calculus, physics, ecology, earth science, chemistry, animal behavior...I was really terrified that this was going to do me in, but I got accepted and funded for anthropology (much to my relief) and I'll be starting my program this fall, and I'm thrilled.

So...I think what you really need to do is demonstrate in your statement of purpose that you know enough about anthropology to be able to construct an interesting anthropological project - which it sounds like you've got the idea already! I've heard of people not getting in because their expertise isn't closely aligned enough, but it sounds like you're a strong applicant and you have a very anthropology-type project. Having gone to the country of interest I think is an awesome boost too. Also, I think it helps if you can tie in your political science expertise and how it motivated your interest in anthropology, or if you can talk about how anthropology contributes insight into what you're looking at. I really am a big fan of interdisciplinary work anyways. I say go for it Best of luck!

[Polanthro]

I switched over from environmental studies so I certainly think this is doable. I did have some coursework in the social sciences, and I had letter writers in anthropology, sociology, and history, decent GRE scores, and a 3.9 in my major. I also had a ton of science and non-anthropology related coursework, like calculus, physics, ecology, earth science, chemistry, animal behavior...I was really terrified that this was going to do me in, but I got accepted and funded for anthropology (much to my relief) and I'll be starting my program this fall, and I'm thrilled.

So...I think what you really need to do is demonstrate in your statement of purpose that you know enough about anthropology to be able to construct an interesting anthropological project - which it sounds like you've got the idea already! I've heard of people not getting in because their expertise isn't closely aligned enough, but it sounds like you're a strong applicant and you have a very anthropology-type project. Having gone to the country of interest I think is an awesome boost too. Also, I think it helps if you can tie in your political science expertise and how it motivated your interest in anthropology, or if you can talk about how anthropology contributes insight into what you're looking at. I really am a big fan of interdisciplinary work anyways. I say go for it Best of luck!

Sorry about the above, ^, I am new to the site and thought I had to enter a new box to reply. Thanks a lot MissAmy, I am glad to hear other people have gone through this. Did you tie in all your past experiences to make a case for why you belong in Anthropology, or did you focus more on what you will do in their program? Anyone else have a similar experience they'd care to share???

[samjones]

Sorry about the above, ^, I am new to the site and thought I had to enter a new box to reply. Thanks a lot MissAmy, I am glad to hear other people have gone through this. Did you tie in all your past experiences to make a case for why you belong in Anthropology, or did you focus more on what you will do in their program? Anyone else have a similar experience they'd care to share???

sure, i'll share.

like you, i have a political science background (along with a sociology-type background; i double majored) and philosophy was a minor that has played a huge role in my thinking and approach to issues. to push my case for doctoral study in anthropology in my SOP, for example, i discussed my past work in ways that highlighted my interest in the impact my research interests/topics have on people/certain groups of people. i also weaved in a few relevant names of anthropologists of whom i have found useful in exploring my interests. i also put in a sentence that directly addressed why i figured anthropology would be the best discipline for my interdisciplinary and people-oriented research questions.

my transcript also demonstrated my interest in people and the impact certain things have on their lives. i highlighted some of the courses i took, the paper(s) i wrote for the higher level courses that were relevant, and the fact that while my background is interdisciplinary, it has been focused around only a couple of big topics that relate to each other and can be explored through an anthro program.

GOOD LUCK!!

[missamy]

Sorry about the above, ^, I am new to the site and thought I had to enter a new box to reply. Thanks a lot MissAmy, I am glad to hear other people have gone through this. Did you tie in all your past experiences to make a case for why you belong in Anthropology, or did you focus more on what you will do in their program? Anyone else have a similar experience they'd care to share???

I did talk about my past experience with anthropology and the science and how it sort of intertwined with what I wanted to start thinking about as a project for the program. I also talked about the independent projects I'd done in the social sciences, and I showed in the statement how I arrived at a potential project idea.

Just as an aside - I think it helps a lot too to email professors at the programs you're interested in. I got a lot of great feedback from them, and also a little bit of networking out of it too, as they can forward you names and things. It is scary to put yourself out there and send that first email, and obviously they can choose not to respond, but overall I think it is really worth it to get your idea out there and see if it might fit somewhere - especially with something a little unusual like mine. Poli sci to political anthro I think makes sense so it should be fine. Weaving in names of relevant anthropologists or their books I think is also a great thing to do - I totally agree with samjones.

[Polanthro]

Thank you both. So sorry to pester you but just a couple of other questions, also open to anyone with insight on this topic: do people think it's important to stress my ability to adjust to Anthropological methods versus Poli Sci ones, or is it expected that one can learn this when already in graduate school? Poli sci is kind of methods-crazy at the moment so I know most people in that discipline stress making methodology (preferably quantitative!) a big part of the personal statement. Also, do people have suggestions on particularly good places to look at for political anthropology?

Thanks again!

[foxes]

Thank you both. So sorry to pester you but just a couple of other questions, also open to anyone with insight on this topic: do people think it's important to stress my ability to adjust to Anthropological methods versus Poli Sci ones, or is it expected that one can learn this when already in graduate school? Poli sci is kind of methods-crazy at the moment so I know most people in that discipline stress making methodology (preferably quantitative!) a big part of the personal statement. Also, do people have suggestions on particularly good places to look at for political anthropology?

Thanks again!

Hi,

I am a 100% anthropologist- however I have scores of friends who come from other departments- Pol Sci, History... who got places in top Anthropology programs. Methodology is not important at all in your statement- Anthropology is mainly qualitative, but it is also such a syncretic discipline, and you will have to take research methods courses like anyone else- they don't expect you to have read research manuals!

What really matters, in such a competitive sector where 5 people are selected out of a 100 or 200, is your fit with the department and the people you want to work with. This has to be quite specific. Be very specific on your research interest- and make it sound concrete and intertwined with some part of your personal/ academic history.

I don't have stellar grades or GRE- I got accepted with very good financial offers in both top and average schools where I had some meaningful contact with professors, and got rejected in top and average schools where, honestly, there was little I could do for my research project and interest and I would have been unhappy.

So the trick is: passion, a story to tell, an idea you want to explore, and some indications that you have already started to explore it. Good news is, you don't have to force yourself/lie/freak out about not having the best grades in the country (yours are high enough to pass the lawn-mowing selection)- just bring up your passion and, as other have suggested, contact people. Early on! September is a good month to start.

Good luck!

[lily_]

To echo the sentiments above, it really has a lot to do with finding a good fit for yourself. I'm assuming you want to pursue cultural anthropology? From my experiences, here is a brief synopsis of opportunities in the NYC area.

NYU - their anthropology department is small, and offers an MA to PhD program. They tend to favor cultural anthropology and bio-anthropology, however they do have a few archaeologists. They tend to accept about 14-15 people into their department each year, 1-2 for archaeology, and the rest divided between cultural and bio (not sure exactly how those numbers break down). They give you a modest stipend (well modest for NYC, generous if you lived anywhere else) for 5 years. It's a good department, however job placement is always an issue. They do, however, want their students to succeed, which is extremely helpful. They also don't have any GRE requirements (other than over 1000-1100)

Columbia - They probably offer the most generous stipend package if you get in, but it is probably the most competitive in NYC. From what I have heard, it's a very difficult department to navigate through if you can get through the admissions process. I'm not sure how the numbers break down, but if you want to pursue archaeology you can only do New-World or prestate societies at Columbia (otherwise you'll have to do their art history department, which also appears to be kind of a scary place). If successful, the Columbia PhD tends to fare better than others on the job market, but it's a very competitive department. There are also foreign language requirements.

CUNY - there are a lot of anthropologists in the CUNY system. Although not prestigious, it's a good program appears to have a more friendly attitude towards graduates. I'm not sure how competitive it is, but I have heard that meeting with faculty beforehand definitely helps here (while it might not so much at Columbia). They do offer funding, although I do not think it's a full stipend, however CUNY is one of the most affordable instate public universities in the country, so it is possible that even if you had to pay out of pocket for a year or two that you won't end up owing the government a house to earn your PhD. I'm not sure about prequisites, however they do look favorably on candidates that have performed previous fieldwork. If you want to go straight for the PhD, you should apply to the CUNY graduate center. If you want a stand-alone MA, then apply to Hunter College. None of the other CUNY schools have anthropology programs. Neither does Fordham.

SUNY- Stony Brook - a little further afield, however this is a really great department if you can get in. They give students a modest stipend and generally all of the faculty members are down-to-earth people who want their students to succeed. Out of all of the NY area schools, this one has the highest job placement for graduates and the highest amount of graduate students able to get outside funding (which helps a lot on the job market later). They offer a MA to PhD program, require one foreign language, and do not have hard-and-fast rules on the GRE. They are very welcoming if you wanted to visit there and set up a meeting with the faculty. They are mostly known for Louis Leakey and physical anthropology, however there are a growing number of archaeologists and a few sociocultural anthropologists there as well.

Best of luck, hope that helps.

[samjones]

CUNY - there are a lot of anthropologists in the CUNY system. Although not prestigious, it's a good program appears to have a more friendly attitude towards graduates. I'm not sure how competitive it is, but I have heard that meeting with faculty beforehand definitely helps here (while it might not so much at Columbia). They do offer funding, although I do not think it's a full stipend, however CUNY is one of the most affordable instate public universities in the country, so it is possible that even if you had to pay out of pocket for a year or two that you won't end up owing the government a house to earn your PhD. I'm not sure about prequisites, however they do look favorably on candidates that have performed previous fieldwork. If you want to go straight for the PhD, you should apply to the CUNY graduate center. If you want a stand-alone MA, then apply to Hunter College. None of the other CUNY schools have anthropology programs. Neither does Fordham.

the anthropology department at the CUNY Graduate Center (which is the only CUNY school that grants their doctoral degrees in Anthro) does offer a full stipend. it's about $18,000 a year for five years and they also cover tuition (the amount of tuition covered depends on residency).

the Graduate Center's Anthro department is fairly competitive in that they usually shoot for a class of 15 out of 200plus applications AND only half of that 15 are offered departmental/university funding.

the program is also attracting and retaining a lot of big names such as David Harvey, Fernando Coronil, Leith Mullings.

I'm biased because I plan to attend this Fall but the program seems pretty strong and the requirements for teaching after the first year throughout the CUNY system seems to help develop the competitiveness of program graduates. in addition, writing for grants and other types of funding often seems to be a positive in terms of building relevant skills for the future. it seems that many of the skills developed out of the tight funding/teaching responsibility aspects at CUNY become assets on the market.

CUNY was going to be the only school to which I would apply this cycle because of the type of research being conducted by the professors and students. if you're interested in counterhegemonic social movements, critiques of capitalism and neoliberalism, and peoples' resistances toward systems borne out of capitalist/neoliberal ideology, it's a great program. when I was looking at the only schools in the NYC area, I was disappointed. when I stumbled upon CUNY, I realized I wasn't as "off" as some of the other schools made me feel (in terms of what's relevant). regionally, they have a bunch of profs working in Latin America, Eastern Europe, Africa and the "Middle East."

Edited May 6, 2010 by samjones