Fall 2015 Applicants

[FaultyPowers]

Sooo....I've heard from everyone but OSU, and two days ago I get an email from the college telling me that additional documents are needed for financial aid. "To ensure that your award reflects the most accurate information, follow the steps below to learn what forms are being requested."

 

When I click on the required document, it's something you can only fill out AFTER you've received an acceptance with funding.

 

Only....that's the sole email I've received from them. 

 

So....I wonder whether this was something that was sent to all applicants, which is a tremendously cruel thing to do, or whether I should interpret it as an acceptance. If so...where my email at, OSU?

[SSCCATAGAPP]

Heh. Got the official rejection notice from UChicago's PhD program... even though I have been fully aware I wasn't accept for about a month now. Oh well, at least that's completely done.

 

Hey, do you know if it's an official form email? I didn't get anything from them today.

[Meglet]

Sooo....I've heard from everyone but OSU, and two days ago I get an email from the college telling me that additional documents are needed for financial aid. "To ensure that your award reflects the most accurate information, follow the steps below to learn what forms are being requested."

 

When I click on the required document, it's something you can only fill out AFTER you've received an acceptance with funding.

 

Only....that's the sole email I've received from them. 

 

So....I wonder whether this was something that was sent to all applicants, which is a tremendously cruel thing to do, or whether I should interpret it as an acceptance. If so...where my email at, OSU?

 

Weren't they like, super special through the whole application process?  From what you said before, I'm not surprised.

[FaultyPowers]

Yup. Ohhhhhhhhhhh-hio.

[badmotorfinger]

So I'm in the process of making a final decision, and have it whittled down to either William & Mary or Yale. Both are offering similar funding, both have excellent faculty, grad students I'd like to work with, resources, etc. Basically they're pretty much equal in my eyes, and even after visiting I'm still nowhere near being able to choose. However, one thing I have heard about W&M (from both profs and grad students, though no one actually affiliated with the university, which is why I'm kind of skeptical) that you fine folks may have some insight on, is that they've had difficulties actually getting people through their PhD program. It's a young program (about 15 years old I believe), but their MA in historical arch is top notch so I'm puzzled as to why they would have problems producing PhDs. Has anyone else heard similar things, or able to offer some insight/explanations? Any info would be very much appreciated. Thanks.

[GunterFan]

So I'm in the process of making a final decision, and have it whittled down to either William & Mary or Yale. Both are offering similar funding, both have excellent faculty, grad students I'd like to work with, resources, etc. Basically they're pretty much equal in my eyes, and even after visiting I'm still nowhere near being able to choose. However, one thing I have heard about W&M (from both profs and grad students, though no one actually affiliated with the university, which is why I'm kind of skeptical) that you fine folks may have some insight on, is that they've had difficulties actually getting people through their PhD program. It's a young program (about 15 years old I believe), but their MA in historical arch is top notch so I'm puzzled as to why they would have problems producing PhDs. Has anyone else heard similar things, or able to offer some insight/explanations? Any info would be very much appreciated. Thanks.

In all honesty, if both programs are offering roughly the same funding and seem pretty equal, you should pick Yale. I hate that a lot of grad school stuff is based off of prestige, but sadly it is. A degree from Yale will really stand out. Just my thoughts.

[FaultyPowers]

FYI for anyone accepted to the University of Toronto. There are some pretty hard core protests going on right now by the graduate students union. I'm not completely up on all the details but I'm following it on Twitter. Might be something you want to factor into your decision making process.

[sweetpearl16]

So I'm in the process of making a final decision, and have it whittled down to either William & Mary or Yale. Both are offering similar funding, both have excellent faculty, grad students I'd like to work with, resources, etc. Basically they're pretty much equal in my eyes, and even after visiting I'm still nowhere near being able to choose. However, one thing I have heard about W&M (from both profs and grad students, though no one actually affiliated with the university, which is why I'm kind of skeptical) that you fine folks may have some insight on, is that they've had difficulties actually getting people through their PhD program. It's a young program (about 15 years old I believe), but their MA in historical arch is top notch so I'm puzzled as to why they would have problems producing PhDs. Has anyone else heard similar things, or able to offer some insight/explanations? Any info would be very much appreciated. Thanks.

 

I did my my MA in Historical Archaeology there. I am PMing you.

[smg]

FYI for anyone accepted to the University of Toronto. There are some pretty hard core protests going on right now by the graduate students union. I'm not completely up on all the details but I'm following it on Twitter. Might be something you want to factor into your decision making process.

 

This is crude generalization but in Canada graduate students are more likely to be unionized and politicized as result. I think this a good thing.  

[aptitude]

FYI for anyone accepted to the University of Toronto. There are some pretty hard core protests going on right now by the graduate students union. I'm not completely up on all the details but I'm following it on Twitter. Might be something you want to factor into your decision making process.

 

I can speak to the U of T strike a bit (I've been accepted to U of T, live in Toronto, and work as a TA at a different university here). It's unlikely the strike will significantly reduce the funding offered right now, even though the initial offer by the University, which led to the strike, under a pretence of increased wages, would have reduced hours and thus resulted in an $800 reduction in funding. If anything, people are hopeful these protests may finally initiate some real progress, in spite of the reactionary administration. That being said, it does expose some major problems with the way funding packages are built and how TA-ships work, especially given the fact that the guaranteed funding is below the poverty line (15K p.a).

 

If anyone wants more information on this please feel free to PM me.

[brandnewshoes]

This is crude generalization but in Canada graduate students are more likely to be unionized and politicized as result. I think this a good thing.

This is a definite positive. On a completely different note, but still touching graduate school in Canada, what are people's thoughts on the anthropology department at McGill? I've heard quite a bit about Toronto on this forum but very little about McGill.

[smg]

I finally heard back from Chicago.  No to Anthropology, Yes to MAPSS 1/2 tuition. Thanks but no thanks.  

[annwyn]

So I'm in the process of making a final decision, and have it whittled down to either William & Mary or Yale. Both are offering similar funding, both have excellent faculty, grad students I'd like to work with, resources, etc. Basically they're pretty much equal in my eyes, and even after visiting I'm still nowhere near being able to choose. However, one thing I have heard about W&M (from both profs and grad students, though no one actually affiliated with the university, which is why I'm kind of skeptical) that you fine folks may have some insight on, is that they've had difficulties actually getting people through their PhD program. It's a young program (about 15 years old I believe), but their MA in historical arch is top notch so I'm puzzled as to why they would have problems producing PhDs. Has anyone else heard similar things, or able to offer some insight/explanations? Any info would be very much appreciated. Thanks.

I don't have any info on either school specifically, but drop-out rates are a huge deal.  You don't want to get stuck in a program where (for whatever reason) you can't get done.  I have some experience in this.  My MA program was notorious for taking too damn long...I swore up and down that wouldn't be me...but it 100% was.  I I just couldn't get any feedback on my damn thesis from my advisor, and I ended up having to change chairs TWICE.  I was told I was too needy, but if EVERY time I brought my thesis to my chair I would have a conversation with my chair like he/she had NEVER discussed my research before...I didn't know how to move forward.  If that makes me needy, fine.  I guess I need a program that gives me feedback.  ANYWAY.  If it is a concern, contact each grad department and straight up ask them what procedures they have in place to avoid that exact problem.  I did that with each of my accepted programs.  The responses I got ranged from a well thought out plan/policy (which involved not only the staff but the grad students as well) to not having an answer to that question in any form.  The programs that have policy in place to avoid drop-out or the ABD situation are a better choice obviously.  Ask what the average time to completion of dissertation is.  This might help you get a feeling for how well the program is prepared to make sure that you get your PhD.  If after that, everything is still exactly equal, I'd pick Yale.  Best wishes! 

[annwyn]

I finally heard back from Chicago.  No to Anthropology, Yes to MAPSS 1/2 tuition. Thanks but no thanks.  

 

So that's everybody right?  That has to feel awesome!  Decision time!

[suavesana]

I got accepted to MAPSS too, but no funding. Ummm.... blah.

[FaultyPowers]

HAHAHAHA! It turns out Ohio State DOES just send that "Please confirm your financial award!" email to everyone. I checked the website (unprompted) and saw that "We're sorry, your application was not approved." 

 

Dirty pool, Ohio!

[ArchaeoGeek]

I finally heard back from Chicago.  No to Anthropology, Yes to MAPSS 1/2 tuition. Thanks but no thanks.  

 

What is the deal with MAPSS?  I got rejected at Chicago but admitted to MAPSS, like everybody else... "What makes MAPSS distinct: Unlike other M.A. programs, MAPSS is highly competitive for admission..."  Competitive admission is kind of the opposite of admitting everyone who applies (or in this case does NOT apply), isn't it?  Weird.

 

[smg]

What is the deal with MAPSS?  I got rejected at Chicago but admitted to MAPSS, like everybody else... "What makes MAPSS distinct: Unlike other M.A. programs, MAPSS is highly competitive for admission..."  Competitive admission is kind of the opposite of admitting everyone who applies (or in this case does NOT apply), isn't it?  Weird.

 

Its a cash grab that gives you Chicago name-recognition, Chicago LORs and a new writing sample on your PhD apps next go around. 

[Eflin]

So I got completely rejected from 8/8 of the PhD programs I applied to this time around. Ouch. But interestingly enough Rutgers is opening their Masters program for two anthropology track for the first time in forever. No funding though, and the deadline is in about a week. They DID reject me for the PhD but I'm wondering if I should bother to apply to the masters? It's also my undergrad school so maybe it's a bit of a stretch that they'll take me?

 

My undergrad major is Women and Gender Studies my minor is Cultural Anthropology...I'm actually only three or four classes away from making it a BA. I'm just trying to figure out my options until I can apply again next year.

 

Any advice?

[trogdorburninator]

So I got completely rejected from 8/8 of the PhD programs I applied to this time around. Ouch. But interestingly enough Rutgers is opening their Masters program for two anthropology track for the first time in forever. No funding though, and the deadline is in about a week. They DID reject me for the PhD but I'm wondering if I should bother to apply to the masters? It's also my undergrad school so maybe it's a bit of a stretch that they'll take me?

 

My undergrad major is Women and Gender Studies my minor is Cultural Anthropology...I'm actually only three or four classes away from making it a BA. I'm just trying to figure out my options until I can apply again next year.

 

Any advice?

 My advice, if you are still an undergrad, is to not spend money on an MA at this point, and give yourself some time to decompress from school and, while maintaining ties with those who know your work, just do something else. It might not terribly strengthen your academic application a ton but if it helps you grow and adapt as a human, you (might) be glad for it later on. 

 

This is a v. personal opinion, but I (really) don't think it makes sense for people to go straight into a phd program from undergrad barring circumstances like being undocumented or other obstacles to obtaining livable employment (that don't stop you from being a good graduate student), or if you already took time off during/before doing a BA. 

Edited March 6, 2015 by trogdorburninator

[annwyn]

So I got completely rejected from 8/8 of the PhD programs I applied to this time around. Ouch. But interestingly enough Rutgers is opening their Masters program for two anthropology track for the first time in forever. No funding though, and the deadline is in about a week. They DID reject me for the PhD but I'm wondering if I should bother to apply to the masters? It's also my undergrad school so maybe it's a bit of a stretch that they'll take me?

 

My undergrad major is Women and Gender Studies my minor is Cultural Anthropology...I'm actually only three or four classes away from making it a BA. I'm just trying to figure out my options until I can apply again next year.

 

Any advice?

 

First, ouch.  Been there, done that and it isn't a great feeling.  Just know that SO MANY of us got completely shut out our first application cycle. 

Next: what do you want to do?  Decide what kind of questions you are most interested in answering and then tailor your future studies/applications to those questions.  My questions were based around culture in the US, so I hit a wall when applying to Anthro PhD programs last year.  This cycle, I worked on reining my questions to better fit Anthropology in general.  But I also worked on getting clinical experience and worked with women's groups and applied to Gender programs and public health programs in addition to Anthro programs.  That seemed to work.

If you are especially interested in research that involves poplations outside of the US and western culture, I think I would go ahead and finish the Anthropology BA if it wasn't a financial strain.  But, if my questions were focused on populations here, I wouldn't worry about the Anthro BA, and instead I would look for ways to strengthen my application in gender studies or maybe even in sociology.  Present a paper or two at various conferences (sign up for these NOW while you still can get student rates!!) and look for work in those area of research.  

And I don't think I would necessarily do the MA.  I did, and wished I didn't.  It was a lot of money and it didn't do much but take up time I could have spent doing a PhD.  Since PhD was always my end goal...the MA doesn't make sense in hindsight.  But that is just my experience, yours might be different.

Hope that helps.  Sorry about the shut out.  Try not to get too down about it, it doesn't necessarily reflect on your worth as a researcher or as doctorate material in any way.  Good luck!!

Edited March 6, 2015 by annwyn

[blue_inversions]

This is a definite positive. On a completely different note, but still touching graduate school in Canada, what are people's thoughts on the anthropology department at McGill? I've heard quite a bit about Toronto on this forum but very little about McGill.

Same feelings here re:McGill. I did call this week, and they said information was slowly coming out (fair, it's break week anyways). Anyone else apply/hear anything from them?

[Eflin]

 My advice, if you are still an undergrad, is to not spend money on an MA at this point, and give yourself some time to decompress from school and, while maintaining ties with those who know your work, just do something else. It might not terribly strengthen your academic application a ton but if it helps you grow and adapt as a human, you (might) be glad for it later on. 

 

This is a v. personal opinion, but I (really) don't think it makes sense for people to go straight into a phd program from undergrad barring circumstances like being undocumented or other obstacles to obtaining livable employment (that don't stop you from being a good graduate student), or if you already took time off during/before doing a BA. 

 

 

First, ouch.  Been there, done that and it isn't a great feeling.  Just know that SO MANY of us got completely shut out our first application cycle. 

Next: what do you want to do?  Decide what kind of questions you are most interested in answering and then tailor your future studies/applications to those questions.  My questions were based around culture in the US, so I hit a wall when applying to Anthro PhD programs last year.  This cycle, I worked on reining my questions to better fit Anthropology in general.  But I also worked on getting clinical experience and worked with women's groups and applied to Gender programs and public health programs in addition to Anthro programs.  That seemed to work.

If you are especially interested in research that involves poplations outside of the US and western culture, I think I would go ahead and finish the Anthropology BA if it wasn't a financial strain.  But, if my questions were focused on populations here, I wouldn't worry about the Anthro BA, and instead I would look for ways to strengthen my application in gender studies or maybe even in sociology.  Present a paper or two at various conferences (sign up for these NOW while you still can get student rates!!) and look for work in those area of research.  

And I don't think I would necessarily do the MA.  I did, and wished I didn't.  It was a lot of money and it didn't do much but take up time I could have spent doing a PhD.  Since PhD was always my end goal...the MA doesn't make sense in hindsight.  But that is just my experience, yours might be different.

Hope that helps.  Sorry about the shut out.  Try not to get too down about it, it doesn't necessarily reflect on your worth as a researcher or as doctorate material in any way.  Good luck!!

 

Thanks so much for the advice! I am looking in to my Plan B right now and finding a job. I don't really want to do an MA, because my end goal has always been a PhD, but I don't really want to let my academics stagnate either. I'll look in to presenting a paper, perhaps my honors thesis work.

 

I am interested in populations outside the US, and I may just finish up my BA if I get a job nearby and can afford it. 

[suavesana]

So MAPSS isn't worth it? Just a name thing?

[smg]

So MAPSS isn't worth it? Just a name thing?

 

Is it worth it? For me, hell no.  For you, I don't have a clue.  I don't think anyone should pay for a graduate degree in the social sciences.  It's bad enough going into penury for a BA.  If you can afford it without going into debt I'm sure it wouldn't be a bad choice.  I'm sure folks are more ready for a PhD program after MAPSS than before. But there are other cheaper ways to prep for a PhD program.