Wanting to apply to PhD programs close to home?

[youngcharlie101]

I'm a New York girl, and I feel pretty close to home, especially since I was sick for a long time and need my family, friends, and doctors close by.

 

I don't want to apply to schools too far away. Is it possible to become a competitive applicant and stick to schools that are close to home? 

I graduated from Columbia with my master's in anthropology, and I actually got accepted to Stony Brook for the PhD, but I deferred admission since it was unfunded and since I have some severe health issues that need to be taken care of before I commence my doctoral studies. 

 

Thanks in advance, all.

[GeoDUDE!]

Yes.

[victorydance]

Well, it doesn't really make your application any less "competitive." But it significantly narrows down your options and chances of getting in.

 

While you have many choices because you live in NYC, places like Columbia and NYU may not be great fits depending on what your interests are and that is the problem with significantly narrowing down your geographical location. Not only can you pick schools close to you but those schools might not be great fits either.

 

It also depends how far you are able to go out of the area. Schools like Princeton and Yale aren't really that far from NYC.

[victorydance]

I would also add that I think you should tread lightly. It's hard to be in the anthropology field without doing field work, or even any field in academia without the ability to move to different geographical locations to find employment. 

 

If this is something that will continue for the future and you won't be able to move around, I would think long and hard about entering academia.

[TakeruK]

I would also add that I think you should tread lightly. It's hard to be in the anthropology field without doing field work, or even any field in academia without the ability to move to different geographical locations to find employment. 

 

If this is something that will continue for the future and you won't be able to move around, I would think long and hard about entering academia.

 

I know some anthropologists whose "field work" could be close to home too. For example, one anthropologist I know works with disadvantaged youths in American cities. 

 

However, I do agree that while yes, you can still be a competitive applicant and a serious scholar if you limit your the places you're willing to work/live, this does limit your options. But this is not always a bad thing and I agree with victorydance that you should have a long term plan because if you do want to continue in academia, know that in pretty much all fields, jobs are pretty competitive and a limit on location is a limit on opportunities.

 

But this is not all bad. I really wanted to be on the west coast for my PhD to be closer to my family (even though I'm in a different country now, I'm much closer to home!). I did apply to grad schools on the east coast too though, just to keep my options open in case I change my mind. So if it's not a huge financial burden, it might be a good idea to also apply to a few schools away from home that interests you just in case something changes later on and you are able to (or want to) move further away.

 

My long term plans are geographically limited too. I feel very certain that I do want to have a career near my hometown because my wife and I want to raise our children near their grandparents. My long term plan was that approximately ~10 years after starting grad school, I will be living near my hometown. So, currently, I'm planning to continue the academic track and willing to live in other places for my PhD and one or two postdocs. But eventually, if I have to choose between continuing in academia or living close to home, I'm probably going to choose living close to home. I think that my grad school program is a strong one that can help me find work outside of academia (part of the reason why I chose it). However, even with all that said, I might change a lot in the next 6 years so who knows what will really happen. Maybe I'll change my mind, maybe I won't, but right now I don't really have to worry about it because either path has the same beginning!

 

So, my overall thoughts on this topic is to go ahead and make location a priority if that is what makes you happy! But I would also do little things that don't compromise my goals yet keeps opportunities open where possible (e.g. applying to one or two schools further away, just in case).

Edited August 26, 2014 by TakeruK

[youngcharlie101]

Sounds great. Thank you so much. This definitely helps a lot.

[Vene]

I think this is something where there's gotta be some give and take. It's a lot easier to have a great career if you don't care about things like where you live, the particulars of what you do, and if you're willing to move and abandon relationships at the drop of a hat. But for most of us at some point you've gotta settle. The question becomes what are you willing to sacrifice and what aren't you willing to sacrifice.

 

And, hey, at least New York has a lot going on and is a major hub. So you have a lot more options than if you decided you needed to stay close to family and were from rural Idaho.

[rising_star]

You know, I'm hesitant about this working out, if only because there are so many variables. It's difficult to find a program that matches your interests that's also in your preferred geographic location, even when that location is NYC. Plus, a lot of the programs in the NYC area are top 25 in anthropology afaik (here I'm thinking Columbia, Yale, Princeton, NYU). Other options for you would be Rutgers or CUNY Graduate Center (where funding can be a major issue). It's going to be tough for sure. And if you're really permanently wedded to the NYC metro area, it can be even harder. That said, I have a friend that's lived in the NYC area her whole life. She went to undergrad in NJ, did a PhD in NYC, and now has a job at one of the CUNY campuses. So, it is possible.

[youngcharlie101]

You know, I'm hesitant about this working out, if only because there are so many variables. It's difficult to find a program that matches your interests that's also in your preferred geographic location, even when that location is NYC. Plus, a lot of the programs in the NYC area are top 25 in anthropology afaik (here I'm thinking Columbia, Yale, Princeton, NYU). Other options for you would be Rutgers or CUNY Graduate Center (where funding can be a major issue). It's going to be tough for sure. And if you're really permanently wedded to the NYC metro area, it can be even harder. That said, I have a friend that's lived in the NYC area her whole life. She went to undergrad in NJ, did a PhD in NYC, and now has a job at one of the CUNY campuses. So, it is possible.

 

Thank you.

[maelia8]

I think that if you know you'd be unhappy and/or uncomfortable leaving your home area, then it's perfectly reasonable to limit your choices. As long as you're alright with the narrowing of possibilities that comes with that, you should do what feels best to you. Speaking from experience, I applied to schools outside of my ideal geographic range to keep my options open, but it was no contest when I got into an institution much closer to home and had to choose between that and one much further away. If you're already sure that you wouldn't be interested in moving far away anyway, then don't waste effort and money on applying to places you'd never attend if you got in, but if you'd like to keep your options open, then apply to as many places close by as meet your criteria and then a few more to give yourself some leeway should the close ones not pan out.

[RunnerGrad]

I only applied to two graduate schools (I'm limited geographically because of my husband's job - he's an officer in the Canadian Armed Forces) and I was accepted to both.  Both had programs that matched my interests.

 

I don't necessarily plan on having a career in academia, however.  Actually, my ideal job would be to work as a registered dietitian in community nutrition or public health nutrition, and teach one course per semester as a sessional.  If I wanted a career in academia, I'd have to be prepared to move.