Am i eligible?

[supriyasingh]

Hi,

I am new to this forum and this is my first post. I recently took the GRE and got a cumulative score of 1390.

The scores for Analytical writing part are still awaited. I hold a bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering (from a premier institute) and i have been working for three years now. From quite a few months the desire to change my field has gathered momentum. I have been very much interested in the fields of anthropology and archaeology from my undergrad days, and so i wish to apply for masters program (fall 2009) and then subsequently for PhD in the field of anthropology. My dilemma is about my eligibility for applying to this particular field. I have no prior background and my undergraduate major was totally unrelated (with no relevant electives either). I therefore seek advice on whether i am eligible to apply or not. If not,then do i have to assume that this is the end of the road or is there a possibility of any other alternative?

I would be really very grateful to anyone who can help me in my dilemma.

Thank you in advance.

[Dreams]

Anthropology is a large field with many specialities. First you need to figure what path down Anthro you want to take, whether it be linguistic, archaeology, cultural, or otherwise. You did indicate archaeology. Next, get a listing that lists schools that offer your Anthro field. Choose the ones you are interested in based on potential fit, then look at their admissions requirements.

If there are further questions, then just contact the department and ask to speak with the director of admissions or something to explain your case. And when writing your statement of purpose, you may want to explain the career change decision and how your engineering skills are transferable to Anthropology. Good luck.

[supriyasingh]

Thank you so much for the advice,FSIA. Archaeology is the subfield i am interested in. So, you imply that i can apply for MS/PhD in anthropology(with the relevant subfield) irrespective of my bachelors major?

I understand that the criteria for admission in different universities must be different altogether, but as you have indicated, there must be universities which admit students with different bachelors majors in their Anthropology program? In that case how and where can i find the list of such universities or at least the list of universities which offer Anthropology with subfield archaeology? Can you please guide me in finding such resources? Only then i can proceed on choosing the ones which appear potentially fit to my expectations.

Thank you in advance again.

[rising_star]

I would apply for primarily master's programs, since your academic experience is so different. Do you have any experience doing archaeological work? If so, you'll definitely want to highlight that in your application.

The best way to find programs that offer archaeology would be to google or find an archaeological association (http://apps.carleton.edu/curricular/arc ... arch_orgs/) and look at their members. This link may help too: http://www.gradschools.com/Subject/Archaeology/21.html.

[Fritzie]

Honestly, I'm not sure that we can say whether you're eligible to apply for this fall or not. My personal opinion is that your background does sound a bit weak, although your GRE is good and I'm assuming your undergrad grades are too. But your application will be much stronger if you can state clearly where your interests within anthropology lie. Even within archaeology there are a number of different paths you could pursue. Of course, you don't have to have all the details worked out - picking the department that fits you best isn't nearly as necessary for MA work as for the PhD later - but if you're really interested in a particular area or time period, it does help your chances to apply to a school where it would be possible to study that. I'm just going by my experiences in my current MA program - my classmates focusing on archaeology sat around and discussed whether they were studying historic or prehistoric, southeast, southwest, Mississippian, bioarch, geoarch, etc. in the program orientation before classes began. So in that sense it might be worth it for you to take a year and prepare before applying.... Just my $0.02. =)

I'll share my own experience, because I think it may be somewhat helpful for you. I also switched from another field in undergrad to anthropology for my MA. My undergrad field was somewhat related, but just tangentially - there was a lot I was missing. After applying to grad schools the first time, and getting flat-out rejected by all of them, I did what I should have done at first - talked with the chair of the anthro dept. at the school I was most interested in attending. She told me that if I took a couple classes (general intro to anthro, intro to a couple subfields, and an upper-level course in my subfield, cultural) as a post-bacc student at my local StateU to fill in some of the necessary background knowledge I didn't have, I would probably get into the MA program next time. This was also to prove that I really had the interest and drive to pursue a degree in anthro, and at least a certain measure of ability in the field, so I wouldn't be wasting everyone's time if I figured out I really didn't want to do this after the first semester. For archaeology, I'm sure it would also be a big help to do a field school somewhere, maybe your local U has one over the summer? That would prove that you know what archaeology is really all about (apparently they get a lot of applicants with Indiana-Jones-stars in their eyes....)

Anyway, lots of luck! I hope things work out well for you - the more anthropologists, the merrier!

[SlothOfDoom]

Perhaps I can provide some further advice (Sachi's was also spot on). I have BS in physics, also from a premier technical institution, and have chosen to study anthropology. My cumulative GRE score was 1440 (5.5 writing).

I wanted to apply for Fall 2008, but realized my application would be weak. Instead, I took an introductory anthro class, participated in an archaeological field school, and researched west coast anthropology programs that emphasize a scientific approach (I want to stay on the west coast... which is a big hint as to where I went undergrad). I contacted professors at a handful of institutions and received encouraging responses; it seems there is plenty of quantitative work to be done in anthropology, but a dearth of quantitatively minded applicants. I applied to nine schools for Fall 2009, and so far have been accepted by one and rejected by another (the one that accepted me is on my short list of "top choices" ... but I will have to visit campuses before making a decision).

If you took some anthropology classes as an undergrad or have field experience, you are already prepared to apply to MA/PhD programs (perhaps you already have for Fall 2009, as your post was from last September). Otherwise, I would advise a little more preparation, which will also -- as Sachi noted -- demonstrate your commitment to the field. Please message me if I can provide any more help.

Best,

SlothOfDoom

[supriyasingh]

Hi SlothofDoom,

Thank you for replying. Its nice to know that I am not the only one who has applied to Anthropology program without having a background in the field. It is also encouraging to know that there is a lot of scope in archaeological quantitative work. But unlike you, I didn't have the opportunity to take any courses related to Anthropology (I took a few related to sociology) during my undergrad or to attend any field school. I learnt about field schools only a few months back, when I was researching about applying to Anthropology programs. I was very desperate then and I really wish I could attend a field school, that would have helped me a lot. As per my knowledge, I haven't seen any field school offerings in India and the numerous offered in the US etc. , have varied criteria for admission and are expensive too. I nevertheless decided to apply to schools which were open to students like me. Right now, all I can do is to wait and watch. I haven't thought of a plan -B yet, perhaps it would take a few rejections to be shaped. I would be grateful, if you could provide me with some information about field schools, like how do I look for field schools that can help me, how can I be funded and what does a typical field school comprise of?

Thank you in advance.

[SlothOfDoom]

As I recall, you have been in contact with professors at some of the schools to which you applied. I expect they will appreciate what you can offer archaeology, given your unique background. If not it's their loss! In the unlikely event you don't get an offer you like (funding is important!) look into field school. For better or worse, US universities emphasize holistic admissions (another word that comes to mind is capricious), as opposed to Indian universities, which heavily weight class rank and test scores (or so I am told by my Indian roommates/friends). Having a field school on your CV will improve your admission likelihood and (as importantly!) your likelihood of getting good funding the first year or two. Professors want to fund serious students. You know you are a serious student (as do I), but they don't. Costly signaling comes to mind...

Regarding field school, I am certain American universities (and Australian, British, French...) do some digs in India. Look into that if you haven't already. Nor is the US the end all or be all in academics! Australia and the UK are both excellent places to study.

Did I mention funding is important?

Best,

SlothOfDoom

[twocosmicfish]

My wife is in a similar spot - she got her ungrad in elementary education with a history minor (in 1997!) and is now interested in going back for historical archaeology. 3.7+ GPA and ~1400 GRE, but after talking to some professors she decided her resume was too thin to apply this year. She instead contacted some local archaeologists (UMD, MD Archaeological Society, Smithsonian Institution) and volunteered her time for the year. She spends 20-30 hours per week on a couple of projects under some great people, gaining knowledge and experience while they get an free set of hands and a fresh mind in a year when funding is pretty thin. She will mostly finish up this year, and start over in IL (my grad school) working with local professors. That way, when she applies for AY2010-2011 she will have a very solid 18 months of research experience, opportunities to be published, and great references including one or more from her school of choice. All for free!

I would heartily recommend something similar for you - few professors will turn down the free help, and it is a great way in.

If anyone has any other suggestions (other than classes - we know that one) to improve one's odds at jumping fields, I would also appreciate it!