Forensic Anthro

[ajgolemb28]

Hey all!

 

 I just wanted to know who else is going into Forensic Anthropology? Where did you apply to? I have several schools in mind, but won't mind hearing about your experiences as well!  

 

Also, I see some of you were accepted into University of Michigan- Ann Arbor. I live in the area and can help you with any questions  you might have about the area.

Edited March 17, 2014 by ajgolemb28

[Daisy123]

hello there!

I am involved in bioarchaeology, but from what i understand UC las Vegas is very good for this area of yours. Also, i saw that Ohio State University has many with diverse areas, and i will also be applying there. Arizona State university also has a strong forensic program...these are the programs that come to my mind at the moment. 
What have you applied to so far, and what exactly are you interested in ? I hope you get in your heart's desire  

[KingScilla]

This is my second year applying. This time around has been MUCH more successful. Last year I applied to Michigan State, Ohio State, Texas State, and South Florida. All are great, very prestigious, FA schools. I was waitlisted at Ohio State and Texas State but ultimately didn't get in.

 

MSU and OSU are VERY competitive (as you probably already knew), and Texas state gets a huge quantity of applicants. South Florida, from what I've been told, is very selective and you need an "in" to get accepted.

 

This past app period was/is much more fruitful. Personally, I went the MA route because I don't feel like I have the publications/presentations needed to get into a great PhD. I'm probably going to be attending UCF next fall. Funding is still up in the air, but I love Dr. Schultz, and have talked with several FAs that say he is a great teacher. He worked on the Casey Anthony case.

 

But all of the places I've applied to this year (texas state, wichita state, southern illinois, LSU, UCF, NCSU) are awesome programs worth applying to. I don't want to get long-winded so I won't detail each place, but if you're curious PM me.

 

My research interests are kind of sporadic, but I love bone pathology, sex determination, and GIS applications of FA

 

Good luck on your application "journey"!

[ajgolemb28]

hello there!

I am involved in bioarchaeology, but from what i understand UC las Vegas is very good for this area of yours. Also, i saw that Ohio State University has many with diverse areas, and i will also be applying there. Arizona State university also has a strong forensic program...these are the programs that come to my mind at the moment. 

What have you applied to so far, and what exactly are you interested in ? I hope you get in your heart's desire  

  I haven't applied to any, I am waiting for next year. I am studying for my GRE right now which is time consuming enough! I have lot of interests and need to narrow them down. I have done research on obesity and the effect on the calcaneus.

[NerwenAldarion]

I applied to:

 

Texas State, Chico, Montana, Mercyhurst, University of Indianapolis and Boston University.

 

I just got accepted into Mercyhurst!

[Dexter.Morgan.Freeman]

I'll be in the Forensic Anthropology MS program at Michigan State University in the Fall. Hopefully, from there I will go on to the PhD program there or possible somewhere else.

[pears]

I applied to:

 

Texas State, Chico, Montana, Mercyhurst, University of Indianapolis and Boston University.

 

I just got accepted into Mercyhurst!

 

FWIW, I'm at Montana, & our forensic folks are in a bit of a pickle right now: short on funding, & one of our (super awesome & brilliant) key professors is leaving at the end of this semester. I'm not sure any FA applicants were accepted, although I heard secondhand that the number was something ridiculously low, like 2.   Major bummer. Mercyhurst has an amazing program, though, so congrats on that! & for those I met, the faculty at Chico are really nice. Also, their students do some seriously cool research!

[ajgolemb28]

I applied to:

 

Texas State, Chico, Montana, Mercyhurst, University of Indianapolis and Boston University.

 

I just got accepted into Mercyhurst!

Mercyhurst is where I want to go! Any tips for me? Do you mind me asking what your CV looks like? PM me?

Edited April 5, 2014 by ajgolemb28

[ajgolemb28]

I'll be in the Forensic Anthropology MS program at Michigan State University in the Fall. Hopefully, from there I will go on to the PhD program there or possible somewhere else.

I live in Michigan and was also looking to apply there for the fall of 2015.

[NerwenAldarion]

FWIW, I'm at Montana, & our forensic folks are in a bit of a pickle right now: short on funding, & one of our (super awesome & brilliant) key professors is leaving at the end of this semester. I'm not sure any FA applicants were accepted, although I heard secondhand that the number was something ridiculously low, like 2.   Major bummer. Mercyhurst has an amazing program, though, so congrats on that! & for those I met, the faculty at Chico are really nice. Also, their students do some seriously cool research!

Thanks! Well that explains the quick rejection from them. I have a friend who is at Chico actually! I'm just happy I'm going to Mercyhurst, they have great casework there! And I'll be working with the man who helped create FORDISC (Dr. Ousley, which is really cool because I worked with Dr. Richard and Dr. Lee Jantz on my thesis!)

[NerwenAldarion]

Mercyhurst is where I want to go! Any tips for me? Do you mind me asking what your CV looks like? PM me?

 

Already done, if you have any other questions, just let me know

[Dexter.Morgan.Freeman]

I live in Michigan and was also looking to apply there for the fall of 2015.

Michigan State, Mercyhurst, and Indianapolis actually host a small meeting every Fall at Higgins Lake. You should contact Todd Fenton at MSU in the beginning of September and see about going, if there is room. It'd be a good opportunity to meet students and professors from the three schools and see some of the research that they are working on. It's pretty fun. If you have any other questions, I'd be happy to try to answer them. 

[pears]

Thanks! Well that explains the quick rejection from them. I have a friend who is at Chico actually! I'm just happy I'm going to Mercyhurst, they have great casework there! And I'll be working with the man who helped create FORDISC (Dr. Ousley, which is really cool because I worked with Dr. Richard and Dr. Lee Jantz on my thesis!)

 

Of course! If I had more info, I'd share it, but all I've heard is that things are rather up in the air for us right now. Dr. Ousley does amazing work! Lucky you.

[Dexter.Morgan.Freeman]

Michigan State, Mercyhurst, and Indianapolis actually host a small meeting every Fall at Higgins Lake. You should contact Todd Fenton at MSU in the beginning of September and see about going, if there is room. It'd be a good opportunity to meet students and professors from the three schools and see some of the research that they are working on. It's pretty fun. If you have any other questions, I'd be happy to try to answer them. 

 

Here is a link to the program.

 

http://cj.msu.edu/programs/forensicscience/

 

They are currently making some curricular changes to comply with some new FEPAC requirements. Nothing is set in stone yet, but I believe that a crime scene processing course and a course in legal proceedings and court testimony will be added and that Gross Anatomy and Biocultural Evolution will no longer be required (although they will still be required of forensic anthropology PhD students), allowing more forensic anthropology elective courses to be taken. 

 

The department of anthropology is also in the process of hiring an additional forensic anthropologist. They just finished four on-campus talks with the candidates, and I'm guessing (hoping?) we'll know who they've hired sometime this summer. 

[ajgolemb28]

Here is a link to the program.

 

http://cj.msu.edu/programs/forensicscience/

 

They are currently making some curricular changes to comply with some new FEPAC requirements. Nothing is set in stone yet, but I believe that a crime scene processing course and a course in legal proceedings and court testimony will be added and that Gross Anatomy and Biocultural Evolution will no longer be required (although they will still be required of forensic anthropology PhD students), allowing more forensic anthropology elective courses to be taken. 

 

The department of anthropology is also in the process of hiring an additional forensic anthropologist. They just finished four on-campus talks with the candidates, and I'm guessing (hoping?) we'll know who they've hired sometime this summer. 

Thanks for the information. I will be PM you shortly.

[ajgolemb28]

FWIW, I'm at Montana, & our forensic folks are in a bit of a pickle right now: short on funding, & one of our (super awesome & brilliant) key professors is leaving at the end of this semester. I'm not sure any FA applicants were accepted, although I heard secondhand that the number was something ridiculously low, like 2.   Major bummer. Mercyhurst has an amazing program, though, so congrats on that! & for those I met, the faculty at Chico are really nice. Also, their students do some seriously cool research!

This is good to know, I was thinking about applying there for the fall of 2015. What program are you in there?

[ajgolemb28]

Michigan State, Mercyhurst, and Indianapolis actually host a small meeting every Fall at Higgins Lake. You should contact Todd Fenton at MSU in the beginning of September and see about going, if there is room. It'd be a good opportunity to meet students and professors from the three schools and see some of the research that they are working on. It's pretty fun. If you have any other questions, I'd be happy to try to answer them. 

 Is this a conference of some type and does it have a name? How long does it last? 

[pears]

This is good to know, I was thinking about applying there for the fall of 2015. What program are you in there?

I'm technically in the "general" M.A. track. My areas of interest are primarily mortuary archaeology & federal archaeology (NAGPRA, heritage management, etc.), & the program was perfect for me; I have the freedom to take an even mix of archaeology, heritage, & forensic/bioarch classes. I absolutely love the people & the program/department here, & Missoula in general, so let me know if you'd like me to keep you posted on things. Save for the faculty scramble, I have nothing but good things to say!

[Dexter.Morgan.Freeman]

 Is this a conference of some type and does it have a name? How long does it last?

 

It's a regional meeting called FLAG (Forests, Lakes, & Grasslands Forensic Anthropologists). Not really a conference with poster sessions and that sort of thing, just a small, informal meeting of the faculty and students of the three schools (MSU, Mercyhurst, and UIndy as of right now) where everyone sort of presents their research and casework. One of the things it does is that It gives students a chance to present something in front of a smaller audience before they go on to something bigger like the AAFS or AAPAs or whatever. As you can tell from the Facebook photos, there is also some kind of costume contest, which I missed the year I went. It is a very informal event, nothing like an academic conference, and I believe it was 2-3 days.

 

https://www.facebook.com/FLAG.forensic.anthropologists

 

By the way, I will try to get to your PM after I get my kid to bed.

[ajgolemb28]

It's a regional meeting called FLAG (Forests, Lakes, & Grasslands Forensic Anthropologists). Not really a conference with poster sessions and that sort of thing, just a small, informal meeting of the faculty and students of the three schools (MSU, Mercyhurst, and UIndy as of right now) where everyone sort of presents their research and casework. One of the things it does is that It gives students a chance to present something in front of a smaller audience before they go on to something bigger like the AAFS or AAPAs or whatever. As you can tell from the Facebook photos, there is also some kind of costume contest, which I missed the year I went. It is a very informal event, nothing like an academic conference, and I believe it was 2-3 days.

 

https://www.facebook.com/FLAG.forensic.anthropologists

 

By the way, I will try to get to your PM after I get my kid to bed.

Thanks!  I'll ask further questions when you PM me back

[Dexter.Morgan.Freeman]

I applied to:

 

Texas State, Chico, Montana, Mercyhurst, University of Indianapolis and Boston University.

 

I just got accepted into Mercyhurst!

 

I have to admit that I'm a little jealous. Mercyhurst was my top choice until MSU became an option (they've never taken students who've already taken courses at MSU, but I made my case and got in.) MSU is sort of huge and while I was at Mercyhurst this past summer I really enjoyed the smaller campus feel. They have a really nice lab and the students are great. Also, drinking microbrews and eating in Dr. Symes' back yard was pretty fun too. 

[ajgolemb28]

I have to admit that I'm a little jealous. Mercyhurst was my top choice until MSU became an option (they've never taken students who've already taken courses at MSU, but I made my case and got in.) MSU is sort of huge and while I was at Mercyhurst this past summer I really enjoyed the smaller campus feel. They have a really nice lab and the students are great. Also, drinking microbrews and eating in Dr. Symes' back yard was pretty fun too. 

I went to Mercyhurst this summer too. What short course did  you take?

[anthropologygeek]

From a friend I know Dr. Fenton has only accepted phd from mercy hurst. They said Dr. Fenton directly told them this while interviewing them. I have said all I've been told so dont hate the messages or debate me on this since it supposedly came straight from his mouth

[Dexter.Morgan.Freeman]

I went to Mercyhurst this summer too. What short course did  you take?

I took the skeletal trauma course. 

[Dexter.Morgan.Freeman]

On 4/7/2014 at 8:06 PM, anthropologygeek said:

From a friend I know Dr. Fenton has only accepted phd from mercy hurst. They said Dr. Fenton directly told them this while interviewing them. I have said all I've been told so dont hate the messages or debate me on this since it supposedly came straight from his mouth

 

I've known him for a few years and he'll be my advisor next year. I can think of 6-7 PhD students and 2 came from Mercyhurst. I'm thinking off the top of my head here so I could be wrong but I think some of the others have come from the University of Arizona, Occidental College, Washington University in St. Louis, California State-Chico. There's someone coming next year from NYU. I'm not sure how many came with just a BA/BS vs MA/MS, but there are certainly people here from places other than Mercyhurst. That being said, that may have just been his way of strongly suggesting Mercyhurst's program, who knows? There are also students under Dr. Sauer, who has recently retired, though I'm not sure where their backgrounds are.