mind2body Posted April 5, 2011 Share Posted April 5, 2011 Hi everyone, I'm considering becoming an Applied Anthropologist. I am currently an undergrad and I am already freaking about the future requirements. My GPA is a lousy 2.68 despite getting B B+ and A's within my major. I messed up a little bit in the beginning since as a transfer student I had no idea what to study. My idea for this quarter was to 17 credits with two WP3 (writing intensive) courses and two other general requirements. There is an extra class I don't have to take but if I finish with all A's, I'd get a 3.0. Then there is summer quarter and then I'd be able to get 3.1 with the remaining courses. Its the highest I can get before I graduate. My question, do I really need to push myself this hard to get a good GPA that will at least look favorable toward any future universities that I want to go to? I want to get into a good school who will most of all accept me. Does taking a year off teaching in another country look favorable for applicants? I am not sure what I should be focus within anthropology! I don't know another language but I would love too....Do I really need to take the extra time to learn one? Ughh.. The only thing worthwhile things I have done are volunteer work, leadership responsibilities and I was nominated for scholars week presentation...? I need a reality check. What am I doing right? What can change... Thanks for your time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emmm Posted April 5, 2011 Share Posted April 5, 2011 Yes, I think you do need to push yourself to get your GPA as high as you can. 3.1 is still on the low end, as many schools require a GPA over 3.0. You don't want your application to get thrown out before it's even looked at because it did not meet this cutoff. Good luck -- it sounds like you can do it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truc Posted April 5, 2011 Share Posted April 5, 2011 My question, do I really need to push myself this hard to get a good GPA that will at least look favorable toward any future universities that I want to go to? I want to get into a good school who will most of all accept me. Does taking a year off teaching in another country look favorable for applicants? I am not sure what I should be focus within anthropology! I don't know another language but I would love too....Do I really need to take the extra time to learn one? I don't know what the specific requirements are for applied anthro, but I'd assume being proficient in a language other than English would be beneficial. If you take a year off to teach, make sure you incorporate why you did in your SOP. It will lend weight to the actual experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inca2011 Posted April 5, 2011 Share Posted April 5, 2011 You should try to get the highest GPA you can, and if you know extra languages it's always good. Teaching will look good if you explain what you did, why, what you learned, etc. It could look really good for an applied anthropology degree, especially if you intend to study that region. Do you have field experience? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mind2body Posted April 5, 2011 Author Share Posted April 5, 2011 (edited) How do you get field experience in or out of college? How do I get proficient knowledge of a second language out of college? Is that possible? Maybe some abroad experience...? Thank you everyone for your replies. Edited April 5, 2011 by mind2body Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elunia Posted April 6, 2011 Share Posted April 6, 2011 When you teach abroad, look for a program that will pay you a salary AND give you language lessons. Is there an area of the world you're interested in? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UNCAnthro Posted April 6, 2011 Share Posted April 6, 2011 Before I say anything, I just want to say that I was in a very similar position at that point in my career and everything has worked out okay (so far). A bit of hard work and a lot of desire can get you very far. Have you thought about doing a master's? It's very difficult to get funding, but it can be a stepping stone to PhD programs. For applied anthro I would look at Oregon State's applied anthropology master's or even the program that I followed at Wageningen University in Holland. It was a great program, but you do have to be aware that not all application committees give foreign universities equal weight (in fact, few do). The website is http://www.mdr.wur.nl/UK/ if you're interested. If you're interested in the OSU program, PM me and I can connect you with some people in the program now. As far as field experience and language training, my best advice is to find an internship (preferably abroad) and take some kind of language training at that time. If you find work in a non-English country, exchange English lessons for foreign language lessons. If you work in the US or another English speaking country try to find language groups where you can practice (such as alliance francaise). Take my advice for what it is, nothing profound Good luck! How do you get field experience in or out of college? How do I get proficient knowledge of a second language out of college? Is that possible? Maybe some abroad experience...? Thank you everyone for your replies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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