Determining fit for a program

[Seattlestudent]

Hey guys,

What suggestions would you have for determining if a program would consider an applicant a strong fit?

 

Also, would you recommend calling or emailing departments?

 

Thank you!

 

[strudelle]

Great question!

The first step is deciding what you are most interested in studying. I learned a lot in undergrad, but wasn't able to significantly narrow down my interests until I did a lot of independent research and started reading scientific articles. Read about some stuff you're interested to get your mind working.

If you are interested in the work of a particular author, google them and see if they are affiliated with a specific university. They may be someone you want to work with or someone who could advise you.

Also, start looking at programs you're interested in. If you don't know where to begin, try choosing a place you would like to live and googling MA or phd programs in that area. Or google "phd programs for anthropology" or a specific type of anthropology you're interested in (if you like comparative study and politics, medical anthro, public anthro, or applied anthro may be of interest). And just start reading about each program.

Go to the "faculty" page and read the biographies of phd-holding professors. Read articles written by those professors. Read about their current research. If you think they sound interesting and their interests align with yours, absolutely email them!

The email should be concise "I am interested in your program. My research interests are XYZ. I have X experience and would like to continue with this field of study. I admire your work and was hoping to learn more about your research and to learn if you are taking grad students for X school year." Professors are busy and don't always reply. In this case, see if you can find a list of graduate students who work with this professor and contact them for their view of the program. Or contact the dept secretary and request more info.

Whatever you do, don't fake your fit. You may actually find you become interested in whatever esoteric thing your potential adviser is intersted in. And that's fine. But remember, you will be studying this for many years and working with this adviser for many years, so it's important to enjoy what you're doing and to work well with your adviser.

[sarab]

I already told you this in a message, but someone else might learn something from it:

 

I first decided on a really focused project. I explained how my thesis had themes that were related to my proposed project even if they are not exactly the same thing. I think that showed that I didn't just decide on a project spontaneously.  I looked for strong faculty, and when I was looking at programs, I made sure that the university had at least 2 linguistic anthropologists and one cultural anthropologist whose research interest were similar to mine (region, topics, etc). I wanted to make sure they would be able to support my research goals, and that can mean different things to different people, but I hoped that I could apply some of their knowledge into my project. You know, guidance and stuff. I also wanted a department that would be able to offer me more than just a strong faculty and looked at their mission statement and read about what other things the department had to offer.

 

Also, when I was looking for PhD programs, I asked my undergrad adviser for recommendations and also looked online for "PhD programs in anthropology". I'm not from the U.S., so I didn't really know what schools were really prestigious or highly-ranked. When I applied, I just focused on the fit and on my research goals, afterwards I found out that some of the departments I applied to are highly-ranked. So really, I don't recommend focusing on ranking, and don't apply to "safe schools". Apply to schools that you could see yourself spending 6 to 8 years in.

 

I emailed my POI and mentioned about 2 sentences about myself and my thesis and other 2 sentences about my research interest and how I thought it fit with theirs and asked them if they were interested in working with me. I also mentioned them in my SOP. If they didn't respond, I sent a reminder email about 2 weeks later.

 

Anyway, good luck with applications!

[strudelle]

Asking undergrad adviser/professors you admire or have worked with at your home institution is a great idea! I did that too and it was a major part of how I chose where to apply.

[skylarking]

And when you get in touch with POI, don't be afraid to ask them if they know of others who do the same thing you want to do. Even if it's in a different region, the POI may still be interested in the theoretical part of your project and you can have your regional specialist be in another department. 

[pears]

Re: calling & emailing departments & POIs: always! Make face time, too, if you can; conferences are a great way to meet potential collaborators, advisors, professors, et al. I'd also like to echo the sentiments above about asking current professors or other mentors for recommendations.

 

On a similar note: read, read, & read some more! Even though I'm already in a program, I still pay very close attention to all the citations in the papers I read, especially the ones most related to my fields of interest. Try scanning through papers from, say, the last 10-15 years in your areas of interest; you may start to notice names & institutions that come up often. Even if you don't apply to work with every professor or apply to every department that appears frequently, it may offer a nice starting point for program searches, which you can trim down based on factors that are important to you after you have a handle on the general "who" & "where" deal.

[CulturalAnth]

I have been in contact with POIs from every university I've applied to. I additionally visited 3 of 5 of them that were within driving distance and met with potential advisors/professors personally. I think those two strategies REALLY helped my application, because they were able to put a face to my application since they have already met with me and discussed interests, background, etc. 

 

I followed recommendations from my well-respected undergrad mentor, and name-dropped his recommendation in my emails. That always impressed, because his recommendation goes a long way. Finally, I attached my CV so they could get a quick run down of my interests, experience, and qualifications without having to go into detail in the introductory email. 

 

Even though my research interests are pretty narrowed within reproductive anthropology, I also tailored my research interests to match what the POI's research within reproduction happens to be. 

 

I have also involved the POIs in my application process to the extent they wanted to be involved. Some offered to look of SOPs for me before I submitted, and some just wanted to offer advice on what to include in the SOP. I also asked for their advice on my mediocre GRE scores and if they believed I should retake the test to be more competitive. 

 

It sounds like I was constantly bothering them with all these details, but in reality, I probably sent 1 or 2 emails a month. 

[Melian4]

I'd like to add to all the great advice here about contacting POIs. When you send them a first email, don't overwhelm them with questions. Rather, ask if they'd be willing to answer your questions about the program, either by email, phone, or Skype. I've been surprised by how many of them answered they'd be happy to Skype instead of email. I don't think they would have suggested it themselves, but it's a good idea to give them the option! Usually, we chatted for 45 minutes about the program, the university, and research in general. It's a great, relaxed way to determine if you'd fit in the department, and it's a cheaper option than visiting schools that are farther away.