I don't even know where to apply.

[TwoFoolsAMinute]

Stats:

Iowa State University, Anthropology major/History minor: Graduating Spring 2012

New GRE range: 670-770 V, 670-770 Q

Current GPA 3.01...I expect it to stay in that range.

Most interested in Southwest Archaeology, but would like to be employable with a Masters degree if I choose not to pursue the PhD.

Age: 38

Married with 3 children 4, 8, and 11

Currently resident of Iowa

Family and friends mostly in North Texas.

Ok...Well,

*The most interesting researchers are scattered about. Colorado, Binghampton, Virginia.

*University of Iowa is respectable and in-state making it cheaper and an easier move, but not exactly strong in my interests, but willing to accommodate.

*University of North Texas is kind of a lower ranked school, but has a specialized Environmental Archaeology program that covers Geography, Archaeology, GIS, Geoarchaeology, and Zooarcheaology which kind of gives a broad set of skills that seems to me would be employable. Bonus for being close to family and friends easing the trauma of a big move.

*New Mexico is the department most focused in my interest area and would likely be the best choice for a focus on a particular region.

*Oklahoma has a decent department, good funding, fairly close to my north Texas homeland, and low cost of living. But the department seems pretty generalized...but could still be made to work.

*Then there are the other departments that have their pros and cons such as: Utah, Wyoming, Arizona, Texas, Texas State, Northern Arizona, Iowa State (I'm already there), and I could go on.

I would like to say I am going to jump head first into my interest area and follow that through with a PhD and make it my life's work, but right now I can't imagine being a broke grad student for so many year while raising my family.

I honestly don't know which direction to go or how likely I am to be admitted to anywhere. I am pretty sure I don't have the grades to go straight into a PhD program...but maybe I'm wrong. And I worry if I will be sunk if my GPA falls below 3.0. The Archaeology professor at Iowa State and I are not compatible and it's hurting my grades tremendously. So, what happens when you want to go into an archaeology field, and your lowest grades in the major are the Archaeology grades?

I feel so lost.

[cschwartz]

I have kind of a similar grade situation so it has been suggested to me that I might want to apply to masters programs first. The only bad thing about doing that is the funding. You might try a similar approach, but I know a lot of programs don't offer a terminal MA...which is kind of a problem I am running into.