Literature to Anthropology/STS switch possible for mature student?

[infernalaffair]

Hi. I have an English MA from a while back, my academic record was excellent, I'm fluent in three languages and conversant in one more. I'm a published and awarded creative writer. I've been working out of academia full-time and have not until now been able to take seriously the idea of research/education beyond my last degree. I hoped to eventually do a PhD in English. And I would have, except...

 

Over the past few years my research interests have changed considerably, partly because of my life experiences. I've also had reason to think about the effects of the compartmentalization of science and arts education in my country. I have been doing my homework and I also looked up UK/US programs-- it's almost impossible to make this kind of academic switch where I am. (Oh no, aspiring switcher, mature student, AND international?) I have to say that I really like the idea of studying Medical Humanities/Medical Anthropology or History of Science/STS. Some of the things I want to investigate and write about are cultures of biomedicine, illness and caregiving from non-Western perspectives, and histories of regional practices of earth sciences and Archaeology.

 

I understand that the field/s I want to enter are by nature highly interdisciplinary, but see topic title. Is it possible to make this kind of leap this late in the game and expect to be able to pursue it in the long term? (I take for granted that grad school in Humanities OR some Social Sciences will not be lucrative, of course.) I figure I can maybe apply for a 'conversion' MA or the like and, having studied, published, networked, etcetera, if I still feel up to it/get any funding, I can apply for a PhD. *Could* something like that work? I'm asking here because I'm not sure it's even a good idea to email the Anthro faculty at X University or the History faculty at Y University just to find this out. I'd like a bigger picture.

 

Tl;dr has anyone done this before?? What has it been like? Did you work out first which department (History, Philosophy or Anthro seem to be the main ones) to apply under, if it wasn't a dedicated STS program, say? How did you present your decision to make such a switch? How did you approach your POI, the writing sample, etc.?

 

[smg]

I think what you are proposing is very do-able.  I would spend sometime coming up with a workable PhD project and than connect with faculty across disciplines and see who bites. 

[fancypants09]

I applied to doctoral programs outside of my field this semester. I didn't undertake the exact switch you've proposed here, and I'm still awaiting admissions results so I can't say whether what I did was particularly successful, but here are a few points that helped me prepare my applications:

 

- How did you come about your interest in anthropology, and how do you know that it's a field in which you want to pursue a career? I received tons of questions of this sort when I first spoke to potential LOR writers and POIs. I addressed this question in my SOP by giving a short account of how I became interested in the new field. 

 

- If you did take any courses in your new field of interest, I would reach out to the profs who taught the courses and ask them about their thoughts on your interests and on who you should contact as potential POIs in which department. If you haven't taken any courses, it may be good to get some under your belt even if you're just auditing them to start. You mentioned the possibility of doing an MA in your new field of interest and I would encourage you to explore that path seriously if you have the time and resources to do so. 

 

- If you need to work on a new writing sample, then get started on it right away by reading as much of the recent scholarship in your new field as you can. I spent at least a good year just reading and writing some pretty bad drafts of both a new writing sample and SOP. Like you, I've always considered myself a strong writer, but it took some time getting used to a different mode of thinking and writing. 

 

Hope this helps!

[rising_star]

It's definitely possible. I went from a humanities undergrad to graduate work in the interdisciplinary social sciences and it wasn't a problem. It's mostly about explaining your interests, how they came about, and what you expect to do with them in the new grad program. As far as the writing sample, I wouldn't necessarily bother trying to write a whole new sample that somehow convinces them you know what anthropologists or historians of science do. They know from your transcript that you don't have that experience. Instead, I would give them the best piece of academic writing you have, which hopefully is more than a close reading of a text. Good luck!

[grad_wannabe]

I'm from a humanities/fine art background and I've applied to an anthro/STS program. I'll let you know if it works out!

[have2thinkboutit]

Hey grad-wannabe, I'm glad you applied because it is very possible to make this switch! I know it because I have done it. I also have a BA in English (focus on literature, culture and creative writing) and while I loved every minute of my studies I realized that in the long run Anthropology would be a much more suitable "home" for the research interests I was pursuing. So I applied for an MA in Anthropology and it worked out really well  (I got my BA in Scotland and my MA in England - the UK is very forgiving when it comes to switching disciplines as long as the switch makes sense!). I spoke to the course coordinator at the time and told him how I would be able to make up for the lack in theoretical knowledge and how my former studies would contribute to the discipline and he was happy about that. He later on told me that he also changed from English to Anthropology and I have met several academics who have done the switch as well. So I think that there is no reason why you shouldn't be able to be successful in studying Communication or Information Studies. GOOD LUCK!!