humankoko Posted February 19, 2014 Posted February 19, 2014 Congrats humankoko! What's your research focus? Thank you! Thus far I've had two pursuits: political psychology (likely to fall by the wayside given the fieldwork in small-scale societies aspect of the Anth PhD); and moral psychology. Anyone have any suggestions/resources for learning about the subfield? I did a stint in the Pacific Islands last summer doing economic game paradigms with natives, but I understand that Anth programs involve much longer fieldwork experiences and probably require learning the language, rather than using translators as we did.
DigDeep(inactive) Posted February 19, 2014 Posted February 19, 2014 Thank you! Thus far I've had two pursuits: political psychology (likely to fall by the wayside given the fieldwork in small-scale societies aspect of the Anth PhD); and moral psychology. Anyone have any suggestions/resources for learning about the subfield? I did a stint in the Pacific Islands last summer doing economic game paradigms with natives, but I understand that Anth programs involve much longer fieldwork experiences and probably require learning the language, rather than using translators as we did. OOO Game theory! Nice! Love that stuff.
sarab Posted February 19, 2014 Posted February 19, 2014 official no from Emory. damn. I'm sorry! At least you won't have to deal with the unstable Atlanta weather (I know that's not much help, sorry!).
anthroaf Posted February 19, 2014 Posted February 19, 2014 Hey All! I have found all of your conversations (over these few months) to be really insightful! But I am wondering whether I can have some (kind) objective insights on my competiveness as an applicant. Fortunately, I have great friends and MA advisers who are very upbeat and supportive (because they know me), and tell me to not be TOO concerned about not getting in somewhere. But I was wondering whether I could get some insights from people who don't know me. I applied to a lot of places ranging from some of the less selective departments, to very competitive ones--and I am getting worried because of so many rejections. Sociocultural MA GPA: 3.8 (selective university) UG GPA: 3.7 (small liberal arts school) GRE: V153, M140, W4.0 (i.e., horrible) 6 months fieldwork Presentations Some publications (mostly policy based, not peer reviewed) Adjucnt Lecturer Several POI's offered to read my SOP, and gave me feedback Thanks! I appreciate your thoughts!
sarab Posted February 19, 2014 Posted February 19, 2014 Hello anthroaf! I think you definitely have a very strong application! But I think others will agree with me that sometimes we just don't know what each university is looking for. First, each university is different, every professor is different, so it's hard to know what they want that specific application year. We also don't know what each university values more, or if they value everything the same, etc... Sometimes people have really great qualifications and they don't get accepted because their POI wasn't taking students, or because there was no funding, or you know, many other random reasons. It's just such a complicated process! Anyway, I think that with your qualifications and a good SOP and a strong proposed project then you really have a great chance of getting in! Good luck and don't get discouraged.
anthroaf Posted February 19, 2014 Posted February 19, 2014 Hello anthroaf! I think you definitely have a very strong application! But I think others will agree with me that sometimes we just don't know what each university is looking for. First, each university is different, every professor is different, so it's hard to know what they want that specific application year. We also don't know what each university values more, or if they value everything the same, etc... Sometimes people have really great qualifications and they don't get accepted because their POI wasn't taking students, or because there was no funding, or you know, many other random reasons. It's just such a complicated process! Anyway, I think that with your qualifications and a good SOP and a strong proposed project then you really have a great chance of getting in! Good luck and don't get discouraged. Thanks Sarab! I think what you said echos other people as well (so far), particularly about having the right "fit." To be fair, most of the rejections I have received so far have been from schools that were not the greatest fit...but it just feels like "things to come" because I have not heard from the more selective programs. Thanks!
strudelle Posted February 19, 2014 Posted February 19, 2014 Hey All! I have found all of your conversations (over these few months) to be really insightful! But I am wondering whether I can have some (kind) objective insights on my competiveness as an applicant. Fortunately, I have great friends and MA advisers who are very upbeat and supportive (because they know me), and tell me to not be TOO concerned about not getting in somewhere. But I was wondering whether I could get some insights from people who don't know me. I applied to a lot of places ranging from some of the less selective departments, to very competitive ones--and I am getting worried because of so many rejections. Sociocultural MA GPA: 3.8 (selective university) UG GPA: 3.7 (small liberal arts school) GRE: V153, M140, W4.0 (i.e., horrible) 6 months fieldwork Presentations Some publications (mostly policy based, not peer reviewed) Adjucnt Lecturer Several POI's offered to read my SOP, and gave me feedback Thanks! I appreciate your thoughts! I will echo what sarab said. It really depends on the department and your POI. I got into a relatively competitive program (funded) with awful GRE scores and little other experience due to the fact that my research interests fit so well with my POI and my letters of recommendation and SOP were very strong. Sometimes you can do all of the right things and still not get accepted due to a number of factors concerning fit and just plain luck. Notification season isn't over, so don't lose hope yet! In my opinion, you have a strong profile (much stronger than mine). The only thing that might be an issue is your GRE score; however, my GRE wasn't much better and I was told by a few professors who reviewed my SOP that my bad GRE would keep me out of the school that was my top choice, but it didn't!
chba Posted February 19, 2014 Posted February 19, 2014 hi guys. i was just wondering if any of you have heard anything from UPenn. From what I saw last year they did interviews and to this moment the request were already made. Does someone know if UPenn is doing interviews or when would they send out results? They are taking quite a while. Thank you!
ecologaia Posted February 20, 2014 Posted February 20, 2014 (edited) Hey Anthroaf! Some good rhetorical questions to ask yourself in considering your chances this year (based in stuff you already submitted) What is your topic? How well are you crafting the match between yourself and your POIs when you email them? What is the social significance of your overarching focus beyond your specific research plan? How interested is the POI in the implications of your research? It sounds like you followed all the steps and got the right feedback for a great application, and your profile seems VERY strong. I am finding that I am getting much better responses from places where my overlaps with POIs are truly genuine, and where my answers to the above questions are considered to be pretty strong (based on SOP, POI communiqués or interview responses). All that said, hugs to you, this process sucks and no one's ego makes it through unscathed. So if nothing else, since waiting is inevitable, go shift your paradigm and immerse in a different way of seeing the world for a bit. As an anthropologist, you've got nifty keen skills for such shenanigans... And it makes this application process seem so trite... Edited February 20, 2014 by ecologaia bellabean and sweetpearl16 2
sarab Posted February 20, 2014 Posted February 20, 2014 (edited) Rejection from UCLA, boo! But even though rejection sucks, at least I know this will make the decision process between the other schools easier. Also, last week I was comparing all the universities I applied to, and I figured out that UCLA had the least fit. I mean, I applied because I thought it was a good fit, but out of all the ones I applied to, UCLA had the least fit... I really thought I had a chance for many reasons, but oh well. Rejection sucks! Good luck everyone else! Edited February 20, 2014 by sarab amandapl 1
fishjg Posted February 20, 2014 Posted February 20, 2014 Rejection from UCLA, boo! But even though rejection sucks, at least I know this will make the decision process between the other schools easier. Also, last week I was comparing all the universities I applied to, and I figured out that UCLA had the least fit. I mean, I applied because I thought it was a good fit, but out of all the ones I applied to, UCLA had the least fit... I really thought I had a chance for many reasons, but oh well. Rejection sucks! Good luck everyone else! Sorry to hear that, Sarab! At least you have some amazing options!!! I am on the edge of my seat waiting to hear from Michigan...
strudelle Posted February 20, 2014 Posted February 20, 2014 Sorry sarab But you do have other GREAT options that are a better fit. You're doing great! I got my official UCSD acceptance letter today!!! Now I'm going to stop worrying for real.
ENMC Posted February 20, 2014 Posted February 20, 2014 I can’t access my UCLA decision!! The system claims that I’m entering the wrong password and after nine attempts has finally shut down! I take it from the sea of red on the results board that it’s a rejection but not being able to see is adding insult to injury. Booo!!
danaofdoom Posted February 20, 2014 Posted February 20, 2014 Rejection from UCLA, boo! But even though rejection sucks, at least I know this will make the decision process between the other schools easier. Also, last week I was comparing all the universities I applied to, and I figured out that UCLA had the least fit. I mean, I applied because I thought it was a good fit, but out of all the ones I applied to, UCLA had the least fit... I really thought I had a chance for many reasons, but oh well. Rejection sucks! Good luck everyone else! Sorry to hear about your rejection! But, like strudelle said, you have some fantastic programs to choose from now. Good luck!
magiaepasta Posted February 20, 2014 Posted February 20, 2014 Eek, looks like UCLA sent out a slew of rejections at once. I sort of wish the other schools would do that as well - it's kind of irritating when a program rejects a couple of people and the rest are waiting on bated breath...keep your chins up, guys, there's a light at the end of the tunnel!
Forsaken in LA Posted February 20, 2014 Posted February 20, 2014 Sorry to hear it Sarab. Everyone else had has already said it, but I'll say it too, at least you have some really great options! I've still got zero response from any PhD program I applied at. BTW- Who's claiming the Cornell rejection? I swear, I'd rather have my rejection en masse, like UCLA; at least it puts closure on the school. The trickling of rejections is what kills me. I somehow feel like there is hope, all the while knowing the longer it takes, the less likely the acceptance is to come.
sarab Posted February 20, 2014 Posted February 20, 2014 Awww everyone is so nice, thank you! But I'm OK! Like you all said, I have great options, and I'm very thankful for them. I wish everyone good luck! I hope that the results page changes from red to green later today. It feels as if we were all stuck at a red light! And Forsaken, I hope you hear something soon! We're rooting for you! Forsaken in LA 1
KingScilla Posted February 20, 2014 Posted February 20, 2014 If a POI says that they got your application and they will "be in touch" would you take that as a good sign? or just a neutral way of saying "you're application is here and you'll get a decision like everyone else"? Thoughts?
strudelle Posted February 20, 2014 Posted February 20, 2014 Forsaken - I agree. I wish everything got sent out at once. The waiting just adds to the angst. I really hope you hear something soon! There is still time for acceptances! KingScilla - I would say it depends. Did you contact the POI first or did they contact you unprompted? If it was unprompted, I would say that is a GREAT sign!
KingScilla Posted February 20, 2014 Posted February 20, 2014 Strudelle- I emailed my POI because of an issue with an application uploading client that a few of the schools used. Another institution told me one of my rec letters didnt arrive. Turns out it was just a computer error, so I wanted to make sure that the other schools that used the same application client didn't have the same error. Basically I wanted to make sure that my app wasn't sitting in an "incomplete" pile or something. I just mentioned the problem to him and that I was going to confirm with the department that it was all good. He then told me not to worry. he had my completed application and was going to be in touch. I just figured he couldve said that they got the application and not to worry about it.
colorless Posted February 20, 2014 Posted February 20, 2014 (edited) i was already rejected (cornell archaeo). they referred me to the master's program. there is another acceptance for the m.a., who claims it? Edited February 20, 2014 by colorless
Daisy123 Posted February 20, 2014 Posted February 20, 2014 i was already rejected (cornell archaeo). they referred me to the master's program. there is another acceptance for the m.a., who claims it? did you end up excepting the MA program? did you think about it?
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