How much does having an MA help you in ph.d apps?

[gunlesswonder]

Hi all-

I'm about to finish my MA in anthropology, and I'm currently in the midst of applying for my ph.d, also in anthro (looking to specialize in medical anthro and/or sexuality). How much do ya'll think already having an MA will be a leg up? I ask because while having a conversation with a rather well known prof, she said that many schools don't necessarily like having an MA because it means that they have to "retrain" and besides which, you get an MA in most of these programs. She even when so far to say that it may harm my chances. Has anyone heard this before?

A little about myself- I'm applying to a host of big schools-Duke, UW, Columbia, Stanford, Emory, and Rutgers. I've got excellent grades in my MA, and solid grades as an undergrad. I've published three papers, have presented at conferences in the US, Europe and Africa, and have quite a bit of teaching experience. Please tell me she was just blowing smoke!

Thanks-

gunlesswonder

[fuzzylogician]

gunlesswonder said:

Hi all-

I'm about to finish my MA in anthropology, and I'm currently in the midst of applying for my ph.d, also in anthro (looking to specialize in medical anthro and/or sexuality). How much do ya'll think already having an MA will be a leg up? I ask because while having a conversation with a rather well known prof, she said that many schools don't necessarily like having an MA because it means that they have to "retrain" and besides which, you get an MA in most of these programs. She even when so far to say that it may harm my chances. Has anyone heard this before?

A little about myself- I'm applying to a host of big schools-Duke, UW, Columbia, Stanford, Emory, and Rutgers. I've got excellent grades in my MA, and solid grades as an undergrad. I've published three papers, have presented at conferences in the US, Europe and Africa, and have quite a bit of teaching experience. Please tell me she was just blowing smoke!

Thanks-

gunlesswonder

Maybe it's field specific but I can't imagine anyone in my field thinking that an MA would be a disadvantage.

The main advantage of an MA is during admissions, and maybe in the first 1-2 semesters of grad school. An MA gives you the chance to develop more focused research interests and to do actual research, which should have a major impact on your SOP--improving it compared to what you could have written straight out of undergrad. It helps you to obtain better letters of recommendation than you otherwise would have. And you'd probably also use a writing sample that you wrote during the program. So, basically, it improves your application for the PhD. I think the concern your professors are raising is about sounding too narrowly focused or having a plan that is so advanced that you'll have a hard time finding an advisor. You need to keep a balance in your SOP between having focused interests and still being open to new and different directions. Things change, and hardly anyone I know still works on the project they suggested in their SOP, MA or not.

[anthropologygeek]

A masters only help. A lot of programs with both a masters and a phd won't let you do both. I only know of a couple that requires you do both there. A lot of programs that let you do both will count your masters towards your coursework. I went the same route masters one place and now phd a different place.