Anthropology 2011

[gonenative]

People with more than one acceptance, and who know which school they're going to accept, have you already formally rejected the others?

[a fragrant plant]

I understand that social anthropology was invented in London and that anthropology is indebted to French theory. Maybe this is a call to making the discipline more transnational, but I have never even heard of Aberdeen. I looked at faculty lists for both Aberdeen and Goldsmiths and I could not find a single faculty member's name who rang a bell. I've never heard of their department heads, but I would venture to guess that would not be the case if these students looked at faculty lists from American schools with the same prestige. Maybe not, in which case we have a very serious problem if the discipline is going to move forward. Getting back to my original point, I think one would have a hard time getting a job (in the academy) in the US with a PhD from Aberdeen since the market will have at least 3 people with similar research interests who graduated in the same year from NYU, Chicago, and Berkeley. With those names comes the names of recommenders who will be friends of faculty who will be hiring, etc. etc.

No offense, but I honestly think that you may want to expand your reading lists so that you will recognise more names OUTSIDE the United States. Seriously, you have never heard of professor Tim Ingold (Aberdeen)? You don't know who David Graeber is (Goldsmith, previously at Yale)? You have never come across professor Keith Hart (Goldsmith)? They are some of the most influential anthropologists of our age and their work are heavily cited around the world!

I very much agree with you that the U.S. is currently the centre of anthropological research. However, this does not mean that anthropologists from elsewhere are producing less valuable work. If, as you claimed, most students can only identify US scholars, I will be very worried about the future of our discipline.

[jth24]

damn, I just checked the mail and no letter. it has got to come on Monday, any news on your front?

No news here either. I'm hoping not too much longer.....

I haven't had the chance to do an underwater dig yet, but I've done some CRM work here and I've done a Study season I'm Egypt. I've done a good deal of dives in not so favorable conditions so I'm not worried about the physical side of things. Looking forward to it actually. I'm going to be concentrating mostly on remote sensing and conservation, but hope that I get to dig as much as anyone else.

[anthropologygeek]

I cite people outside the U.S. all the time. If you don't I would be worried about the type of job you would get no matter where you go for your phd. Also, the name of the school doesn't matter it is who you studied under that should matter. I don't go to chicago or NYU and I didn't even consider going there. I go to the school that enabled me to study under the one of the founders of my subfield. In fact he/she, to remain unanimous, is the only one of the founders who was still taking students. So it doesn't matter where you go. It matters who you studied under and what did you do with the opportunities that were given to you. Also, it matters how the interviews go. A school brings in three potential hires and based on their research, personality, and how the research fits into the school. Based on those things, the school hires a person.

[newleaf]

I cite people outside the U.S. all the time. If you don't I would be worried about the type of job you would get no matter where you go for your phd. Also, the name of the school doesn't matter it is who you studied under that should matter. I don't go to chicago or NYU and I didn't even consider going there. I go to the school that enabled me to study under the one of the founders of my subfield. In fact he/she, to remain unanimous, is the only one of the founders who was still taking students. So it doesn't matter where you go. It matters who you studied under and what did you do with the opportunities that were given to you. Also, it matters how the interviews go. A school brings in three potential hires and based on their research, personality, and how the research fits into the school. Based on those things, the school hires a person.

I definitely need to widen my reading lists.

While I agree that potential hires are based on their research, I don't know how much personality and "how research fits" makes a difference. Usually a hire is made in relation to a lack in the department. Im most familiar with Stanford and Harvard as having new hires. Stanford hired a new South Asianist (Thomas Blom Hansen...who is funnily enough a PhD from Denmark...but had to sink some years into a habilitation before he would be hired in the US) because they lost Akhil Gupta to UCLA. Harvard hired/is hiring three new faculty who work in/on subjects that the department lacks. These individuals come from: UChicago, UChicago, and...UChicago. Two of them came from the same graduating class of about ten people. Sorry homie, as much as anthropology wishes it nurtured a more democratic university, it absolutely cannot in the current university system. Who you studied under definitely does matter, but unless you are in a situation as you are, working with a giant in the discipline who happens not to be employed by a top tier department, your university often makes or breaks your application (as a sidenote, founders of subdisciplines usually are found at top tier institutions anyway). Graduates from top tier doctoral programs are popping up in lesser-known departments these days. Why? Because jobs in anthropology are shrinking, and XYZ not-so-big not-so-well-endowed department would love the prestige that a University of Michigan faculty member would engender rather than the candidate from U Iowa who does similar work. It is absolutely not fair. It is also absolutely the world we live in today.

[samjones]

I definitely need to widen my reading lists.

While I agree that potential hires are based on their research, I don't know how much personality and "how research fits" makes a difference. Usually a hire is made in relation to a lack in the department. Im most familiar with Stanford and Harvard as having new hires. Stanford hired a new South Asianist (Thomas Blom Hansen...who is funnily enough a PhD from Denmark...but had to sink some years into a habilitation before he would be hired in the US) because they lost Akhil Gupta to UCLA. Harvard hired/is hiring three new faculty who work in/on subjects that the department lacks. These individuals come from: UChicago, UChicago, and...UChicago. Two of them came from the same graduating class of about ten people. Sorry homie, as much as anthropology wishes it nurtured a more democratic university, it absolutely cannot in the current university system. Who you studied under definitely does matter, but unless you are in a situation as you are, working with a giant in the discipline who happens not to be employed by a top tier department, your university often makes or breaks your application (as a sidenote, founders of subdisciplines usually are found at top tier institutions anyway). Graduates from top tier doctoral programs are popping up in lesser-known departments these days. Why? Because jobs in anthropology are shrinking, and XYZ not-so-big not-so-well-endowed department would love the prestige that a University of Michigan faculty member would engender rather than the candidate from U Iowa who does similar work. It is absolutely not fair. It is also absolutely the world we live in today.

i'm fascinated with the curiosity of what you would be like in person.

[newleaf]

i'm fascinated with the curiosity of what you would be like in person.

Samjones, please please help me to understand what I've written that is so bewildering. Do I have a serious misreading of the academy? I have no problem finding out that I'm wrong, I just want to know how so.

[Mata]

Heard a while back from my POI at Columbia that he'd be happy to advise me. Anyone have an opinion on whether this means anything? He's very, very well known and also has a joint appointment, so on the one hand, I feel like he may have some pull, but on the other don't know if he's that involved in the day-to-day decisions at the school.

[gld_9]

I'm not familiar with Madison's department, but I will say that so far my experience with Irvine (I'm admitted also) has been great. Very warm and friendly faculty, enthusiastic grad students, supportive atmosphere, etc. I'm big on all that fuzzy quality of life stuff, so it means a lot to me to see that people are actually, you know, happy to be there

Are you going to their visit weekend?

Irvine is certainly an enthusiastic program, as you say. I will be there this week, you? My name is Garrison, byt the way, since we'll probably run into each other.

[Distant Wizard]

Heard a while back from my POI at Columbia that he'd be happy to advise me. Anyone have an opinion on whether this means anything? He's very, very well known and also has a joint appointment, so on the one hand, I feel like he may have some pull, but on the other don't know if he's that involved in the day-to-day decisions at the school.

I was given that same response at several programs, and only one panned out. I would take it as follows: he's interested in what you said in your email and he's going to be looking for your application to see if you are a good fit for the program. He certainly has some pull even in a joint appointment, but he may not be on the admission committee. If he gets really interested he may put in a strong recommendation. Best of luck to you!

[warpspeed]

I'm waiting to hear back from my final program. There was an acceptance posted on the results page, but no one has claimed it here and has some interesting wording (accepted via website but there's not a website to check). Should I keep sitting tight? I tried emailing the Director of the program (who I've spoken to and met with when I visited, and helped me straighten out a transcript error) and never heard back so I'm assuming I should just do nothing and wait. Should I try my other POI for information or leave it be like my instinct tells me?

[anthropologygeek]

People sometimes only use the results board.

[warpspeed]

I'm aware of that, not really sure how that was supposed to assist in my dilemma (whether to contact or not).

[new mexico]

still waiting on my college decision from Oxford....Un-freaking believable. Well, if I don't receive substantial funding from Oxford, then I'm heading off to study theology (theologies of liberation in the context of a medical anthropology is what I'm interested in), which I'm actually excited about. Hopefully, Oxford will be notifying soon about colleges and the scholarship. hard to sleep at the moment.

[IrishScientist]

still waiting on my college decision from Oxford....Un-freaking believable. Well, if I don't receive substantial funding from Oxford, then I'm heading off to study theology (theologies of liberation in the context of a medical anthropology is what I'm interested in), which I'm actually excited about. Hopefully, Oxford will be notifying soon about colleges and the scholarship. hard to sleep at the moment.

I'm waiting on Oxford too (college choice that is), however when I visited the department they told me that there is almost no chance of funding. Apparently they have one ESRC studentship and it is likely to be given to an internal candidate. Sorry mate....

[a fragrant plant]

I'm waiting on Oxford too (college choice that is), however when I visited the department they told me that there is almost no chance of funding. Apparently they have one ESRC studentship and it is likely to be given to an internal candidate. Sorry mate....

Hello Irishscientist, may I ask whom you spoke to in the department of anthropology (you may PM me, thanks)? Obviously the ESRC studentship is extremely competitive, but when I spoke to my supervisor two weeks ago she did not mention anything like "there is almost no chance of funding". By the way, did you apply to the MPhil or the PhD program?

Also, what's an internal candidate? Did you mean that they're going to give it to someone who's upgrading from a MPhil to a DPhil?

[jth24]

damn, I just checked the mail and no letter. it has got to come on Monday, any news on your front?

Did you see someone called and was rejected...... Hope that wasn't you.

[ohkristentree]

I got rejected via email from UNC Chapel Hill (for a ph.d in Cultural Anthropology) and University of New Mexico (ph.d in Cultural Anthropology). Both today. Within a couple of hours, actually.

I cried to the point of giving myself a headache. This is the second round of ph.d rejections I've gone through (the first was in 2008: I ended up going to a fully-funded Masters program in Museum Administration instead). But, at least then, I could blame beginner's bad luck. I don't know what I did wrong this time around. I could list my credentials here, but I have a feeling that would make me sound self-righteous. All I need say is, I had the credentials, researched schools and professors, and made a point to only apply to programs where I could speak to the professors before I applied and they would show an active interest in me.

I feel like garbage, I followed all of the rules and suggestions by professors, researchers, and doctoral graduate students I knew. They all told me I had a shot, and now I feel like I let everyone down. I don't know if I'm going to ever apply again. I think it's a sign that I'm too stupid to earn a ph.d.

I am still waiting to hear back from University of Montana and William and Mary (both ph.d programs in, yes, you guessed it, Cultural Anthropology). But I am not looking up, even if one of them sent me a TA application. I figure I would have been interviewed now.

[anthro.fish]

I got a hard copy of my Oxford college acceptance letter in the mail today. No offer of funding at all; only a request to provide proof that I have 62,000 pounds (US$99,500) at my disposal (letters from bank managers, etc.) to pay for the first two years. Has anyone else applied to Cambridge for anthropology? I'm surprised that I haven't received any word from them . . . the application deadline was mid-November.

[inca2011]

Duke Evolutionary Anthropology sent out acceptances a while ago just a couple of weeks after interviews. The ones I know (3) of have already been accepted by the prospectives. I know I am either on the waitlist or rejected. Tried to post on results search but it was deleted.

[a fragrant plant]

1

I got a hard copy of my Oxford college acceptance letter in the mail today. No offer of funding at all; only a request to provide proof that I have 62,000 pounds (US$99,500) at my disposal (letters from bank managers, etc.) to pay for the first two years. Has anyone else applied to Cambridge for anthropology? I'm surprised that I haven't received any word from them . . . the application deadline was mid-November.

Hello Anthroman, may I ask which college you belong to (you may PM me)? I asked because my college requested me to prove that I have three years instead of two years of fund to study at Oxford!!! I'm a UK student so I don't know if that makes a difference. Are you UK or international?

[IrishScientist]

I got a hard copy of my Oxford college acceptance letter in the mail today. No offer of funding at all; only a request to provide proof that I have 62,000 pounds (US$99,500) at my disposal (letters from bank managers, etc.) to pay for the first two years. Has anyone else applied to Cambridge for anthropology? I'm surprised that I haven't received any word from them . . . the application deadline was mid-November.

I have an unofficial acceptance from Cambridge (MRes) via an email from the graduate coordinator. I expect official letters/emails will follow in the next few weeks/months...

[a fragrant plant]

I got rejected via email from UNC Chapel Hill (for a ph.d in Cultural Anthropology) and University of New Mexico (ph.d in Cultural Anthropology). Both today. Within a couple of hours, actually.

I cried to the point of giving myself a headache. This is the second round of ph.d rejections I've gone through (the first was in 2008: I ended up going to a fully-funded Masters program in Museum Administration instead). But, at least then, I could blame beginner's bad luck. I don't know what I did wrong this time around. I could list my credentials here, but I have a feeling that would make me sound self-righteous. All I need say is, I had the credentials, researched schools and professors, and made a point to only apply to programs where I could speak to the professors before I applied and they would show an active interest in me.

I feel like garbage, I followed all of the rules and suggestions by professors, researchers, and doctoral graduate students I knew. They all told me I had a shot, and now I feel like I let everyone down. I don't know if I'm going to ever apply again. I think it's a sign that I'm too stupid to earn a ph.d.

I am still waiting to hear back from University of Montana and William and Mary (both ph.d programs in, yes, you guessed it, Cultural Anthropology). But I am not looking up, even if one of them sent me a TA application. I figure I would have been interviewed now.

You're NOT garbage! Graduate admission is so much more competitive these days! As a fellow of this forum rightly pointed out, nearly every graduate in anthropology would try to get into grad school. Unfortunately, there are only 5-6 (sometimes fewer) new spaces in a department! I only had one offer when I applied in 2010. This year, knowing from previous experience that graduate admission is extremely competitive in the U.S, I decided to widen my choices and applied to a few decent programs in my home country. It was one of the best decisions I've made. Even with a much better SOP I didn't get into my dream schools in the US. Just like last year I was told that that I was one of their finalists, but in the end I was put to the rejection piles. All I am trying to say is that you're not worthless. Graduate admission is completely arbitrary. Please don't lose hope, I hope you'll hear some good news from Montana and W&M.

Edited March 15, 2011 by Peanut

[santhf]

Hey all,

has anyone heard acceptances from UC Santa Cruz?

S

[Waw]

Cambridge can take a while to give a formal reply. I did my Masters there, and even though my application was in a while before the deadline, the letter didn't show up (in the UK!) until the middle of April.

But I did just call BGS around this time of the year, and they were happy to tell me that I'd received an offer and they were just being slow with the official letters. So you might want to just ring them up.

I got a hard copy of my Oxford college acceptance letter in the mail today. No offer of funding at all; only a request to provide proof that I have 62,000 pounds (US$99,500) at my disposal (letters from bank managers, etc.) to pay for the first two years. Has anyone else applied to Cambridge for anthropology? I'm surprised that I haven't received any word from them . . . the application deadline was mid-November.

Edited March 15, 2011 by Waw