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Lizzle

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Another anthropologist here! And I'm doing cultural, even. Well, a mashup of mostly cultural with some linguistic thrown in (now, THERE'S the forgotten subfield, I tells ya!) I didn't do my BA in anthro, although it was a more or less related field, and my GPA was terrible, so I went for an MA instead of trying to go straight into a PhD. Now, I feel like I'm almost sorta up to speed, so here's hoping.... But for you BA- or BS-only applicants, don't worry. Haven't you noticed how, um, diverse anthropologists are? =) I'm sure you've got at least as good of a chance at getting in as the rest of us!

So, I'm worried about both getting admitted and getting funding. So far all I've heard is "Congratulations, you managed to mail in all the necessary pieces of paper, so you can starting waiting now - have fun!" And let me tell you, seeing that "congratulations" in the email subject freaked me right the f*** out! The funding is my main worry, though, because I've still got undergrad loans, with MA loans on top (my current program only has $$$ for grad students who work in labs). =( Right now I refuse to even add up the total of all my loans, but even so it's safe to say that I simply CAN'T take any more loans for now - I have to get a TA/RA/GA, fellowship, or SOMETHING. =(

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As bad as it seems now, I think it will get worse.... Because I am bored and masochistic, I looked at last years Anthro freak out page, (2008 Anthro PhD Applicants.) It is 18 pages long and the middle of February was just ugly, because someone would post that they heard from School Whatever, and then everyone else that applied there assumed, since they hadn't heard yet, they were rejected.

I really, really wish I could call some of them, just to find out that they lived through it and everything ended up ok after all...

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I feel you! I applied to GWU Hominid Paleo. and haven't heard anything from them...and since some phone calls and interviews have already been made I'm assuming it's a rejection. But then again, maybe it's different for me since I'm currently overseas. Who knows! That's the awful part! Sometimes I wish the internet didn't exist! (Please don't strike me down internet gods...)

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I haven't applied to any of these schools...just saw on the results page that at one school, "faculty has not met yet." It's going to be a loooong wait.

I'm starting to wonder about the PhD thing in general. The more I read about the job market, the more I think I might be better off getting an MA and trying to work for the government or CRM or something and just forgetting about the PhD because it might price me out of any jobs that are not academic. What do you guys think about employment prospects?

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I think it's too early to tell. By the time we would finish our PhD's the economy won't be how it is now. With that said, you shouldn't get a PhD (especially in anthro) with your only goal being to get a job. If that is your goal then you're probably right about getting an MA.

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Stay strong, guys! The waiting sucks, sure, but at least we're finalllllly in February...Let the real waiting begin!

Quick question: what's the protocol in Anthro in terms of interviews? I realized that I went into the application process assuming I'd get a simple "yes" or "no" from the schools sometime around February or March. Do Anthro departments tend to just admit/reject or are on-campus interviews more widespread than I realized? Hmmm...

As always, good luck to everyone!

Lizzle

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I don't think the job market issues are just about the economy right now, though...they existed before this fall, the economy's just making them worse. I'm not going to grad school just to get a job, but I also don't want to graduate at 30 and find myself less employable than I was at 23. Maybe it seems mercenary, but I can't go into this and not think about jobs at ALL, since I'm not counting on large inheritances or rich suitors, so I'll have to support myself somehow. Is nobody else worrying about this?

As for interviews, I was also under the impression that anthro doesn't generally involve interviews. Hopefully we'll just get our "yes" or "no" faster!

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There is only so much worrying I can do. Right now getting into a school is on the front burner, what I will do after school will just have to wait. :)

I was wondering about interviews too, maybe it depends on the dept. Such as say LSU which combines geology with anthro, perhaps they would be more inclined to interview... all speculation on my part.

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Ohhhh, creepy! Two anthro-Chicago-Liz's on this anxiety-ridden forum of hopeful PhD students?? The odds, I swear.

Stay strong, people! That's all I have for today, as I'm feeling pretty relaxed. Go anthro!

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I've always heard that schools that generally only take students they can fund (NYU, GWU, etc.) tend to narrow the applicants down to a semi finalists list, interview them (via phone usually) to see how articulate/socially adroit they are and to get a feel of how well they can communicate their research goals, etc. and then meet a second time to make the final cuts.

Otherwise I feel that faculty will more likely call one of your LOR writers, especially if they're friends/conference buddies.

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I've had a phone call from Boston. A very kindly lady wanted to know if I had any questions about the program. She said she just handled paperwork and didn't have anything to do with admissions, but quite mysteriously, she knew what countries I've done fieldwork in. This was my first phone contact with a program and oddly enough I actually feel better now - I didn't stutter like a moron as I'd been expecting.

I've also gotten an email from Connecticut. They're going to decide by the end of the month, so if anybody's waiting on them, we've got a just little longer to wait.

Have gone past panic attacks and into odd, inward calm.

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I have been contacted by 3 programs just to let me know my app was complete. This was after the deadline. I am hoping this means they were getting set to meet and deliberate. I too wish I was anywere near calm.

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