Fall 2016 Applicants

[sierra918]

Hello all! Some of you may think it's a litte too early to start this discussion, but I thought those of us who have already started preparing could start sharing our journeys and supporting one another! 

 

I am applying to a handful of programs for Fall 2016, and I'll also be applying to the NSF GRFP. I earned my M.A. in 2009, so I'll be applying under the "extenuating circumstances" qualification. I am an Archaeologist, and I've been working in CRM for five years now. I've been out of school for nearly 7 years now, so I'm a little nervous (but also very excited) to get back into academica.

 

I've already contacted POI's at each of the programs I plan to apply to, and I've written a draft of the statement of purpose for my first choice program. I've also drafted an NSF GRFP proposal based on last year's guidelines, but I may need to revise it once this year's guidelines are available.

 

Has anyone else gotten started? If so, please share!!

[TheCuriousPrimate]

Hey! I applied for Fall 2015 and will be starting grad school in a couple months. I figure I could comment with what I learned during the application process. I had a list of about 20 school that I decided I would research. I narrowed it down to 3 programs, 1 PhD and 2 Masters. I was accepted into one masters. What helped in my decisions of which schools to apply for was if I wanted to live where that school was, could the program help me achieve my career goals, was it a quality program, how much did it cost, and finally if I was accepted would I want to go there?

3 school did limit my chances a lot. Around mid April I had 2 rejections and was trying to come up with a backup plan while I waited for the 3rd. I was fortunate enough a week later to get in however many of my friends weren't. I would advise having backup plans and understanding that not getting in isn't the end of the world. Although you seem really prepared and I'm sure you will get in.

I applied with a 3.64 GPA (4.0 in my major) I had GRE V:155 Q:153 A:4 I was really worried about my writing score because I heard that was really important for my major. I did have an internship and a presentation at SWAA which I think really helped. For my SOP I pent months preparing it. I had a clear and unique goal in mind with some suggestions of how I want to execute it along with what I hope to accomplish with the info. I didn't make it so specific that it couldn't be tailored to my advisors though. I also researched 2 or 3 professors at each school that I wanted to work with that had similar research interests and included examples of how there work would complement mine and how I look forward to working with them. I also provided what I could bring the school. They want to know what you have to offer.

I asked for letters of rec months in advance but of course I made sure I stayed in contact and sent out reminders when needed. I sent each professor a document that had: C.V., SOP, the school's address and info, my gpa and accomplishments, the school's program info and what they have to offer, copy of my writing sample, and transcripts. This was to help them write LOR without causing a hassle.

My biggest challenges were that even though I started early I didn't turn my applications in until later in the application period (still on time) but I think that by then they could have already chosen students. The program I was accepted into I applied 4 weeks prior to the deadline and I think that helped show my punctuality as it had to be mailed in as a hard copy. My professors all sent my letters of red in on the last possible day which I unfortunately had no control over.

Since you've bren out of school for 7 years I would just make sure your CV includes all of your relevant work and I think that will definitely stand out. It's hard applying to programs straight out of school because you lack experience and they worry you will change your mind, they won't have that fear with you which is really good! For those of you applying to programs straight out of undergrad as I did, make sure you have a publication or some sort of experience in your field. It helps a lot! I had one meeting for a PhD program with the head of the department and when he saw me he blatantly told me I was too young. That at 22 I need to get a masters or work for a few years because no professors would work with someone my age and it was too much of a risk. So just know to go in prepared to defend why you think you are ready! Good luck!

[sierra918]

I just submitted my first application! This is my first choice school, so I'm glad I got it out of the way first. Has anyone else gotten started??

[bioarch_fan]

I have finally started preparing more in depth on my applications.  I finished narrowing down the schools.  I have contacted all of the professors that I want to work with at each of the schools that I am applying to (10: 5 MA and 5 PhD).  I've already heard back from a couple professors, mostly positive with extreme interest in my research topics (hoping that's a very good sign).  I have started studying for the GRE, plan on taking it next month.  I will be starting my statement of purpose for each of the schools in the next week.  I started my application for the NSF GRFP.  I think I'm well underway for this application cycle...at least I hope so.

 

Where's everyone applying to this season?

 

I've got:

University of Central Florida, East Carolina University, University of South Carolina, University of West Florida, North Carolina State University, McMaster University, Tulane University, University of Nevada-Reno, University of Nevada-Las Vegas, and George Mason University

 

That's just a tentative list since I keep taking some out and putting some in.  

[jenrem]

This is grad school application round three for me. 

Fall 2014 - I accepted an offer to UMass Boston to study Historical Archaeology and deferred my offer because of financial issues. Looking back, I made a great decision because the program is really specific and I needed to take a year off. 

Fall 2015 - I was accepted to University of Minnesota for Historic Conservation and Preservation. This is the only school I applied to. Last application season I had one pretty bad CRM archaeology experience and thought Historic Preservation would be a good way to stay in the CRM field but have more steady, indoor work. This is quite obviously not the best way to pick a graduate program. Long story short, I'm not going. I wish I didn't even apply. 

I'm a pretty fickle person in general, but I think Fall 2016 is going to be my year. I've been working in the CRM field for about a year now. Even though work is intermittent, I really love what I do and I am ready to put some hard work in at grad school. 

I'm only looking at Masters programs, as I hope to stay in the Cultural Resource Management field. I also want to attend a public school in the Midwest. My main research interests are in GIS, zooarchaeology, geoarchaeology, and indigenous archaeology. 

I'm having some trouble finding programs, but right now I'm looking at CU Boulder, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, and Saint Cloud State University, 

[bioarch_fan]

I'm only looking at Masters programs, as I hope to stay in the Cultural Resource Management field. I also want to attend a public school in the Midwest. My main research interests are in GIS, zooarchaeology, geoarchaeology, and indigenous archaeology.

Have you looked at Utah State University?  They have a MS in Archaeology and CRM.  So does Adams State University in Colorado.  I'm not sure how good those programs are but they could be worth looking up.

[Baloch]

Hi guys, I'm looking for terminal MA programs only due to my grant conditions, in sociocultural or linguistic tracks. I made a list of potential schools, see the list below, emailed means I'm not sure if they offer a terminal MA, and yes means they offer a terminal MA. I'm a Fulbright nominee from the UAE, graduated last June, my CGPA is 3.94, did my internship with the UN WFP, worked for 2 years in tourism, been active on and off campus, international activities, taking the GRE in October 4th. Let me know what do you think of my list and if you suggest other schools and why.

Good luck everybody.

[knp]

Hey guys,

I've mostly prepared as a historian, but my projected thesis topic is very interdisciplinary: the three books I see as models for my work are all by anthropologists who turned to history for the projects I want to emulate. So I think I'll be applying to about 5 history programs and about 3 anthropology ones, all at schools that are strong in both. I expect to contact POIs in about three weeks, since universities are starting back up and professors must be especially inundated right now. In addition to the "are you taking students" question, I expect to need to ask about applying to history or anthropology on a school-by-school basis. 

I did meet one lovely POI earlier this summer; he mentioned that if I wanted to apply to his anthropology department (and not just the history department in his school and take classes with him sometimes), I should apply to NSF GRFP. O, Christ! I thought. Another sort of application, for a fellowship I had not at that point even heard of, where I am only 90% sure what category of anthropology I fit into. (What's "other"?). And one with a quick-approaching deadline and a very low acceptance rate.

So I am currently feeling rather inundated, and I am going to go work on my SOPs over lunch. Just: overwhelmed. In some ways, my preparation for this is really good, and in others, it's seriously flawed. (I assume that puts me in a very large category of applicants.) At the same time, it's a big world out there, and there's a lot to know in it.

PS I am very annoyed that one of my schools requires both an academic SOP and a two-page "personal statement." Look, my usual SOP will probably have like 3 personal sentences in it. What more about me do you need to know? I am feeling quite ornery about having to remove those three sentences from the usual SOP, and come up with a lot of words about myself to fill the space instead. College admissions essays are a terrible genre ("here's a story about how I am excellent! verbal flourish") and I was very happy that I thought I was rid of them.

Good luck all!

[anthrostudentcyn]

Hey guys! Haven't really started applications, still seeing where I want to apply! I'm sociocultural,with a heavy theoretical bent

[lovekilledinos]

Oh man, I've narrowed my choices down to two schools (both CalState) and I've started a draft of the SOP. I graduated in 2012 from UC Santa Cruz and now it's about time I jump back into the swing of things. 

Nervous as heck, but that's all a part of the process! 

[bioarch_fan]

Is anyone else becoming a nervous wreck doing all of the preparations and starting the applications or am I the only one?!  I'm debating on knocking schools off my list to limit the amount of money I'm paying for applications, but I can't decide if that's what I want to do or which schools to take off.  I've talked to most of the professors at each of the schools already and I've gotten positive feedback from almost all of them.  

[TheMagicMoment]

I have finally started preparing more in depth on my applications.  I finished narrowing down the schools.  I have contacted all of the professors that I want to work with at each of the schools that I am applying to (10: 5 MA and 5 PhD).  I've already heard back from a couple professors, mostly positive with extreme interest in my research topics (hoping that's a very good sign).  I have started studying for the GRE, plan on taking it next month.  I will be starting my statement of purpose for each of the schools in the next week.  I started my application for the NSF GRFP.  I think I'm well underway for this application cycle...at least I hope so.

 

Where's everyone applying to this season?

 

I've got:

University of Central Florida, East Carolina University, University of South Carolina, University of West Florida, North Carolina State University, McMaster University, Tulane University, University of Nevada-Reno, University of Nevada-Las Vegas, and George Mason University

 

That's just a tentative list since I keep taking some out and putting some in.  

I was looking through the boards (because I'm thinking a PhD in anthropology) and I saw your list! I got my MA in cultural anthropology at the University of West Florida, but one of the bio faculty was on my thesis committee. UWF would be a great fit if you're interested in bioarchaeology. There are definitely more opportunities for special projects and teaching positions if you're bio or cultural because most of the grad students in the UWF anthro program are archaeology (and so they are competing with each other for archaeology specific things).

Good luck!

[bioarch_fan]

I was looking through the boards (because I'm thinking a PhD in anthropology) and I saw your list! I got my MA in cultural anthropology at the University of West Florida, but one of the bio faculty was on my thesis committee. UWF would be a great fit if you're interested in bioarchaeology. There are definitely more opportunities for special projects and teaching positions if you're bio or cultural because most of the grad students in the UWF anthro program are archaeology (and so they are competing with each other for archaeology specific things).
Good luck!

Was that bio anth professor Dr. Killgrove?  I've talked to her numerous times.  She came up to Ohio to give a lecture to the classics department, anth club, and anyone else that wanted to attend last October.  I wanted her to come up so she could give a lecture for the classics colloquium since not many classics majors know that part of the field.  I've been in constant with Dr. Killgrove for a year and a half now.  It's definitely top on my list of schools.  

[TheMagicMoment]

Was that bio anth professor Dr. Killgrove?  I've talked to her numerous times.  She came up to Ohio to give a lecture to the classics department, anth club, and anyone else that wanted to attend last October.  I wanted her to come up so she could give a lecture for the classics colloquium since not many classics majors know that part of the field.  I've been in constant with Dr. Killgrove for a year and a half now.  It's definitely top on my list of schools.  

It was Dr. Killgrove! She's amazing and I was so lucky to have her on my committee. Her work is incredible and I love the way she's active with the public. In my opinion she's the kind of anthropologist we should all strive to be like. I hope you get to work with her!

[bioarch_fan]

It was Dr. Killgrove! She's amazing and I was so lucky to have her on my committee. Her work is incredible and I love the way she's active with the public. In my opinion she's the kind of anthropologist we should all strive to be like. I hope you get to work with her!

She is definitely the biggest name that I am wanting to work with right now.  Mostly because she does Roman bioarch and that's what I want to do.  So working with her would be amazing.  I need to work hard on my personal statement, but my interests match up with her's perfectly.  So I'm thinking I shouldn't have too much of a problem.    Just gotta work hard on studying for the GRE and get a high score...not too much pressure.  Lol

[ClaireK]

You all are intimidating me massively. Because, I am so late into this game. I've just started the plan of attack and haven't even taken the GRE yet!

[busybee]

This is my first post on here! I'm thrilled to have found a like-minded community with which to share all my fears and aspirations! 

I'm applying this fall for a sociocultural PhD from Berkeley, Brown, CUNY, Michigan, and NYU. I will be graduating from a state school/research institution in the spring with two bachelors degrees in anthropology and classics. Interested in sociocultural in the Arab Gulf. I am terrified but also incredibly excited.

Anyone else dreaming of Berkeley? All of my "celebrity" idols are there... Scheper-Hughes, Hircshkind, Mahmood, Schonberg. I also love Sherine Hamdy at Brown.

I haven't contacted any professors yet, as I read a letter written by Saida Hodžić at Cornell suggesting that students hold off on writing emails to professors, "You may have been told to contact potential advisors and ask if they are interested in working with you. This is an impossible question that may make sense in some fields, but doesn’t in ours. The whole point of the application process is to make answering this question possible. It takes an entire file to get a picture of your work and interests. Furthermore, it is up to you to convince us that you are a good fit. We might see some linkages that you are not aware of, but the onus is on you to show that you have done the basic research about the department."

I'm surprised to see people on the forum emailing professors so much. I did email a professor last fall in Cairo when I was drafting a potential Fulbright project, and luckily received a very positive response. However, I am not quite sure about emailing professors at my potential schools. 

[knp]

I've been reading up on linguistic anthropology, because some of it is really interesting and relevant for me. It's funny. Some of these articles are wonderful and clear and so interesting. Some other ones seem to be basically just a headache distilled into words. 

[bioarch_fan]

However, I am not quite sure about emailing professors at my potential schools. 

I personally found emailing the professors a better use of my time than not.  When I emailed the professors and discussed my interests and a possible thesis project, I was better able to see how I would fit in there.  If they emailed back with just the general information and didn't seem excited to talk to me then I left it at that and decided to not apply there.  But if I received very good feedback with a lot of excitement then those were the schools that stayed on my list.  It's better to talk to the professors before you apply so you can see how their interaction with you would be.

I also suggest emailing professors to even check to see if they are accepting graduate students.  I had planned on applying to one school and after I emailed him I found out that he wasn't even accepting students for the semester that I would be entering.  So that would have been a) a waste of time that I could have used to perfect other applications and b) money that could be used on other applications and other necessities.

So personally, I say you should email them and talk to them.  Get a feel for them as a person and definitely to check if they're even accepting students.

[Ajtz'ihb]

Yeah, you should absolutely e-mail every professor you have an interest in working with. They may not reply, but you might be surprised by the feedback you get. Plus, as Bioarch_fan suggests, some professors may not be taking (or planning to take) graduate students in a given year--better to find that out now than later so you can plan accordingly or try to chip away at them.

 

Professors expect people to be proactive in graduate school, so you're not doing any harm by reaching out unless you pester someone with a bunch of e-mails (I would say no more than two unless you get a reply). The worst that can happen is you don't hear back, which doesn't necessarily mean anything other than that the POI is busy, forgetful, or bad at the internet.

[Meglet]

Oh man...here I am again.  I applied last fall and, although I was wait-listed at one school, I ultimately didn't get in anywhere.  This turns out to be good because I needed to stay where I am for family reasons.  Anyway, I am reapplying to some of the same schools as last year, but not all of them, and thinking about 2 schools that are good fits but got axed from last year's list partially because of their location.  Still trying to refine the list, and I think I want to apply to less schools and spend less money.  I do dream of Berkeley, but I am on the fence about how good a fit it is for me.

I emailed all of the professors I was interested in working with last fall, and overall didn't find it very helpful or productive, BUT... When I didn't get in at my top choice school, I emailed that professor again asking if she could give any feedback on how to improve my application, and she was very helpful.  Because of that, now I am trying to get through a massive reading list to change the framework of my proposed project, because I have a deficit in anthropological theory - BA in Theater and German and MA in Middle Eastern Studies.

At least I don't need to retake the GRE.

[lightballsdeep]

Hello all! Some of you may think it's a litte too early to start this discussion, but I thought those of us who have already started preparing could start sharing our journeys and supporting one another! 

 

I am applying to a handful of programs for Fall 2016, and I'll also be applying to the NSF GRFP. I earned my M.A. in 2009, so I'll be applying under the "extenuating circumstances" qualification. I am an Archaeologist, and I've been working in CRM for five years now. I've been out of school for nearly 7 years now, so I'm a little nervous (but also very excited) to get back into academica.

 

I've already contacted POI's at each of the programs I plan to apply to, and I've written a draft of the statement of purpose for my first choice program. I've also drafted an NSF GRFP proposal based on last year's guidelines, but I may need to revise it once this year's guidelines are available.

 

Has anyone else gotten started? If so, please share!!

So excited to see your post here!  I am also currently working in CRM (though I've only been doing it for a little over a year) and I'm looking to get back into academia doing zooarchaeology!  I would love to know whether you're going back for a degree in the same field as you are currently doing CRM work in?  For example, I'm doing CRM in the Southwest but I'm pursuing a degree in african archaeology.  I'm really hoping my experiences in contract will translate well to the graduate applications.  POIs I've contacted seem to be receptive to the idea, anyway!

Thanks for starting this thread! 

[sierra918]

So excited to see your post here!  I am also currently working in CRM (though I've only been doing it for a little over a year) and I'm looking to get back into academia doing zooarchaeology!  I would love to know whether you're going back for a degree in the same field as you are currently doing CRM work in?  For example, I'm doing CRM in the Southwest but I'm pursuing a degree in african archaeology.  I'm really hoping my experiences in contract will translate well to the graduate applications.  POIs I've contacted seem to be receptive to the idea, anyway!

Thanks for starting this thread! 

Lightballsdeep,

Hello! Yes, I've also had positive feedback from POIs regarding my CRM experience. I even had one POI tell me that their department prefers students who have CRM experience, even if it's not directly relevant to what they want to pursue in graduate school. I've been working in the Southeast for five years now, but I'm hoping to pursue Mesoamerican archaeology. I'm a Lithic Analyst, and I'm hoping to transfer my methodological skills to that region. So exciting to hear that I'm not the only one pursuing something a little out of my comfort zone!

[birchleaf]

Hey Baloch,

I'm at Cornell right now, and though I'm genuinely not sure if the anthro department admits MAs anymore just under their department, take a look at the CIAMS program. More than half of the current members come from strictly anthro backgrounds, and it's very close to the Anthro department in general. It's interdisciplinary but takes only a few people per year, so each person gets individual attention. Take a look!

[farflung]

Hi! Current student lurking here. That's a list of great schools, Baloch. However, many of the schools you have listed do NOT in fact offer terminal MA programs -- they award the MA en route to the PhD (as do all American PhD programs). Brown doesn't have a terminal MA, Yale doesn't either -- those are just the ones that I know of. Just don't want you to waste your time on MA applications for departments that only admit students interested in a PhD.

Hi guys, I'm looking for terminal MA programs only due to my grant conditions, in sociocultural or linguistic tracks. I made a list of potential schools, see the list below, emailed means I'm not sure if they offer a terminal MA, and yes means they offer a terminal MA. I'm a Fulbright nominee from the UAE, graduated last June, my CGPA is 3.94, did my internship with the UN WFP, worked for 2 years in tourism, been active on and off campus, international activities, taking the GRE in October 4th. Let me know what do you think of my list and if you suggest other schools and why.