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Anthropology Waiting/Results 2012


rowlf

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I thought I would start a new topic like there has been in past years to post profile information, results speculation, and waiting anticipating for anthropology.

Right now, I am especially anxious to hear about Duke Evolutionary Anthro. From past results, it seems like people are contacted for interviews around this time of year. I don't think I have a great shot, but it would be a dream come true.

How is everyone else doing with this woefully uneventful time of the process?

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The last of my deadlines passed on Sunday, so I am officially in the waiting game portion of the application process. So glad that this thread was started, it'll be great to know when some people start hearing back from schools for interviews and offers. This year's application process felt so much more drawn out that the last time I went through it, even though I applied to only 3 schools. Still, I hope that the next month or so goes by quickly ...

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I posted elsewhere, but, I received, via e-mail, a request for a "conversation from UVirginia to "round out my application." It was framed not as an interview, but, was a very long conversation about my interests in the school and my project ....

Has anyone else received this call?

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I know its only January 22nd....but this board seems really quiet compared to past application seasons.

There have been a few interview offers and acceptances posted on the results thread, but no one really seems to be reporting them here.

What are everyone's thoughts on the timing of interview invitations? Specifically, if you don't have an invitation now, when someone else has already posted an offer, does that mean you are out? Or do some schools send interviews invitations out over the course of a couple of days...?

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Agreed!

Come on, you people who have been contacted! Give us some additional information to obsess over. We're dying over here!

Logically, it seems very plausible that a school would trickle out interview invitations slowly, and that there still could be an invite to come.

However, I can't help but to catastrophize and think I'm as good as rejected...

I know its only January 22nd....but this board seems really quiet compared to past application seasons.

There have been a few interview offers and acceptances posted on the results thread, but no one really seems to be reporting them here.

What are everyone's thoughts on the timing of interview invitations? Specifically, if you don't have an invitation now, when someone else has already posted an offer, does that mean you are out? Or do some schools send interviews invitations out over the course of a couple of days...?

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Some people just don't come on the forums. And postal mail can come at various times. I know when I was applying I saw results like 8 days before I got mine do to where we lived but now I think a lot of schools are going to email which should standardize it. However their are wait list and once someone says no they go to the next name and this process could take months.

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I've just heard back from one school - University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. I was accepted for cultural anthropology. Haven't heard anything from the other schools I applied to.

Congrats! Two of my programs had a Jan. 15 deadline, so it'll probably be at least a month before I hear from either of them. Haven't heard anything from Northwestern yet, so I'm hopeful that someone calls me over the next week, otherwise it's probably not good news. :(

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Going crazy, too! Especially because I only applied to two places. But, I did hear from Buffalo earlier this month about forwarding my application to the university fellowship committee. So that's good news right? Trying not to worry about it all. I wonder if there are others, like me, trying not to get hopes too up or share too much info for fear of jinxing ourselves?

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Can anybody shed light on the UNC acceptance? I applied there also and would be curious to hear more about it...does anyone know how difficult it is to get in there? I'm guessing "very", but I'd love more info if someone can chime in.

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Congrats on UCSB! What a great option. I too struck out last year (or rather, I got into only one place and was not offered funding so I'm giving it another try)...what was your new strategy? I'm trying to stay hopeful.

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This may not be what you meant since statistics only provide a one-dimensional view to your question, but UNC publishes pretty thorough admissions stats.

They even update how many the applications the university as a whole has received monthly. I was hoping for an indication of an inexplicable steep decline of competition--after years of increasing applicants. Nope! They are getting a steady stream of applications this year (of course).

Last year, about 7.5% of applicants were accepted for anthropology.

http://gradschool.unc.edu/admissions/stats.html

Can anybody shed light on the UNC acceptance? I applied there also and would be curious to hear more about it...does anyone know how difficult it is to get in there? I'm guessing "very", but I'd love more info if someone can chime in.

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It looks like one person got an interview invitation from Emory. Did anyone else?

I received an Emory interview. I believe all applicants who've made it to the next stage have been notified.

I also received a rejection letter from the University of Illinois (U-C) today-- thank jebus some programs are efficient in letting us know!

In case my username looks familiar, I'm in my second application season after striking out completely last year. I cannot say that I changed my application "strategy" a whole lot, particularly after receiving feedback from faculty last year that my application was fine (the advising distribution/faculty meetings just didn't go my way). I applied to 3 of the same programs, and 3 different programs (6 total programs each year). I empathize with everyone waiting!

Edited by anthroapp11
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UCSB announced their admissions decisions nice and early this year. I was accepted to the Cultural Anthropology program. Very excited. I struck out last year (extremely disappointing and nerve-wracking), and rethought my strategy this second go-'round. Hang in there people - just a few short days ago I wasn't sure if I would even get to be an anthropologist, or conduct the research that I'm so interested in. What a relief.

P.S. I also applied to Stanford, Yale and NYU - expecting rejections, but hoping for the NSF GRP to bargain with.

Congrats, Anthroman!I remember reading your posts last year, this is really awesome you got in!!!I have a question: how was your strategy different this year?Did you pay attention more to some things in your application package and less to the others?

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Last year I only applied to programs that (I realize now) are REALLY difficult to get accepted to. I applied to zero terminal MA programs, only going for Ph.D. track programs. Plus, I had only just finished my junior year of my undergrad. That said, I am not surprised that I didn't find a place this fall. Also, I had failed to win an NSF Fellowship, or even an Honorable Mention. My adjusted strategy is probably comprised of two main elements:

1. Improving my list of achievements. I tried my damnedest to earn all As my senior year, published an article in our small school Journal (which I used as my new writing sample), attended and presented at a conference and won a bunch of departmental and university awards.

2. Improving my Statement of Purpose and/or Project Proposal. Here, the key thing for me was my NSF reviewer feedback reports. Those were SUPER helpful; they listed specific components of my essays that they found exciting . . . and (maybe most importantly) pointed out some things that they HATED. In retrospect, I saw some huge mistakes in my essays - I had written some things that really made me look amateurish, things that might make an admissions committee wonder if I was truly ready to enter a long-haul Ph.D. program. It was pretty simple to cut those bad parts out and focus more attention to how my project engages with anthropological theory and methods.

Beyond those two main elements, I also tried to focus more on programs/professors that are more specifically tailored to my interests. UCSB has anthropology faculty that also are involved in fisheries and environmental issues - both of which are important facets of my project proposal. For the same reason I applied to Yale's combined Anthropology/Forestry and Environmental Studies degree program. This is a niche program that has a pretty high acceptance rate, due to the fact that an applicant would have to be pretty well-suited to the program to apply in the first place.

As I mentioned before, I'm really hoping to win an NSF Fellowship this year. That award had been known to reverse rejections.

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Thank you, Anthroman!That was very comprehensive!I have another question: as an international, I presume I can't apply for the NSF Fellowship, so I will just ask about your particular experience with their feedback. You mentioned that they found some parts amateurish, could you please give an example of what could come across as amateurish in a SOP?I just decided to apply for the 2013 cycle (although I still might apply for a terminal MA program this year because their deadline is an April, I am still debating it, because it's a two-year commitment and yet another cycle of the student visa ordeal) and find the best application strategy before I submit my package to the Ph.D. programs.

P.S. Congrats on the UCSB acceptance!My thesis supervisor went there and it seems like a really great school!

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