Fall 2017 Applicants

[EvelynD]

I got my GRE scores today, 147 for math and 157 for the other part. My goal was not to f*ck it up too badly, so Im not happy with these results buuut it would still be worse!

[gradanth]

Hi all!

Just wanted some general advice and had some questions that I would love answered!
I just graduated this past spring and really really want to pursue a phd in applied anthro with a research focus on substance use amongst indigenous population. but I just really do not think i am qualified enough as an applicant to apply this year. I was wondering how I can take the next year to better myself as a candidate? 

I graduated with a 3.5, my gre scores are in the low 160s, I'm working on publishing one paper on substance abuse. but thats basically it.
What recommendations do you guys have that will allow me to gain more experience and just be a better candidate to apply!

[Alf2017]

Hey Fellas...i am new to the forum...great networking tool...i am looking to apply to Heller School of Management - SID/NPM/Emory - MDP and Clarke IDCE for the Fall 2017 intake...anybody here applying for the same programmes? Would appreciate any guidance/Tips on doing so...

 

[Bschaefer]

22 hours ago, gradanth said:

Hi all!

Just wanted some general advice and had some questions that I would love answered!
I just graduated this past spring and really really want to pursue a phd in applied anthro with a research focus on substance use amongst indigenous population. but I just really do not think i am qualified enough as an applicant to apply this year. I was wondering how I can take the next year to better myself as a candidate? 

I graduated with a 3.5, my gre scores are in the low 160s, I'm working on publishing one paper on substance abuse. but thats basically it.
What recommendations do you guys have that will allow me to gain more experience and just be a better candidate to apply!

Hey! The GPA and GRE scores seem fine, the only thing I would suggest would be trying to work/volunteer with an NGO that works with indigenous populations (depending on which region of the world could fine some troubles in doing so). Additionally, you could look up other organizations that are in the public health arena or places that focus in community engagement. 

[Bschaefer]

22 hours ago, Alf2017 said:

Hey Fellas...i am new to the forum...great networking tool...i am looking to apply to Heller School of Management - SID/NPM/Emory - MDP and Clarke IDCE for the Fall 2017 intake...anybody here applying for the same programmes? Would appreciate any guidance/Tips on doing so...

 

Hey! I'm not familiar with those programs, which ones specifically are you applying to?

[dw3000]

Hi all. I recently graduated with a master's degree in Sociology and is looking to transition into Anthropology instead.

This would be my last hurrah! >< PhD application is expensive and mentally exhausting. My hope is to get at least one fully funded placement. 

[museum_geek]

On 10/20/2016 at 3:20 PM, Alf2017 said:

Hey Fellas...i am new to the forum...great networking tool...i am looking to apply to Heller School of Management - SID/NPM/Emory - MDP and Clarke IDCE for the Fall 2017 intake...anybody here applying for the same programmes? Would appreciate any guidance/Tips on doing so...

 

I don't have any specific advice for you but I looked these up and they seem pretty cool, especially Clark's International Community Development program!

On another note, I finally got a reply from a professor I want to work with 6 weeks after I emailed her...turns out he was in the field and didn't have internet access.  Just goes to show that you shouldn't get discouraged if you don't immediately hear back from a POI!

[anthropologygeek]

Hi,

I am writing this since I have been in your shoes. I found this site back in 2007 when I was applying for my master degree and then I revisited it when I was applying for my phd and now I am an assistant professor at a major university so I have done the full circle and finally found the time to post some advice to you all. As a professor taking graduate students, normally 2 a year, I never take a student who doesn't email me. Then I encourage visiting the school if at all possible. This shows me the student is serious about the school. However, I understand money can be tight but I look kindly on students who take the initiative to set up phone conservation which also proves they want to study under me. And then once I have my short list of 5 applicates, I set up Skype interviews with them. I do this mainly because I personally fund all my students and will be working closely with them. Our personality cant clash. When looking at the applicates, applicates with less than 300 on the gre goes directly into the rejection pile since my university will not approve them. Next I look at their research interest/statement of purpose. Their research interest must fit my research interest since I fund all my students to work on my research so it would be an injustice to that student if I accepted them. Once they make that cut, I look at letters of rec's. Most professors are completely honest. I am in the Bioarch/physical anthro field and it is really a very small field and every time we do a rec it is our reputation on the line. And then if it is from my former phd advisor I will call mainly to say hi and then check on the applicate. I hope this helps. I do email the students I accept by march since I know the grad school can be slow and sometimes it takes up to a month for them to send out the letters. Feel free to private message me, however I am busy so it may take up to a week for me to respond. And I wish you all the best luck in this application season and who knows one of you may be my future student. 

[tentativeanthroqueen]

hey there! i've been stalking this forum for a while and thought I'd actually set up an account and say heeeey. I just graduated undergrad in May and am now applying to PhD programs. I'm most interested in citizenships and the imaginative aspect of them, as well as photo/film ethnography (and the relationship between the imagination we use when viewing films/photographs and the imagination we use to construct citizenships). Am working on my apps what feels like constantly, but lord y'all, it's definitely more challenging than I expected. Also, I'm freaking anxious all of the time. anyway. glad to be here talking to people in the same boat!

[TP24]

Hi Guys. I've been working for some time on my application. My only problem, and probably a big one, has been contacting POI's. I haven't heard back from anyone I contacted. Should this be a deal-breaker? Instead of contacting POI's I feel like I should be focusing more on the statements of purpose and personal history. Being an international student I don't know if not getting in touch with a POI translates into already out of the race. 

[Bschaefer]

3 hours ago, TP24 said:

Hi Guys. I've been working for some time on my application. My only problem, and probably a big one, has been contacting POI's. I haven't heard back from anyone I contacted. Should this be a deal-breaker? Instead of contacting POI's I feel like I should be focusing more on the statements of purpose and personal history. Being an international student I don't know if not getting in touch with a POI translates into already out of the race. 

 

 

I don't think you are, necessarily. There has been some input from a current professor about how they admit students. I know that there was some talk before about who responds and it could be a multitude of factours, i.e. sabbatical, teaching, other things. I would send a follow-up email a week or so after your last email. I've done that before.

[museum_geek]

You are definitely not out of the race just because a POI doesn't get back to you.  Professors are generally pretty busy and a lot of them aren't great at responding to emails.  I would focus on polishing up your SoP/writing sample/personal history and get your other documents in order.  At this point in the application process I think it's important to hone in on factors that you can control - stressing over things that are out of your hands is only going to serve as a detriment.

[sierra918]

On 10/19/2016 at 10:23 AM, EvelynD said:

I got my GRE scores today, 147 for math and 157 for the other part. My goal was not to f*ck it up too badly, so Im not happy with these results buuut it would still be worse!

I got a 303 combined score, and I still got into my top choice. It really depends on the department and what they value most, but it's also about your total package. Good luck!!

[UsernamesAreTricky]

Hi everyone!

I'm new to both Grad Cafe and Anthropology

I've been procrastinating so much with my applications; I haven't written my statement of purpose, chosen a writing sample, or even contacted my professors for a letter of recommendation yet because I'm quite anxious about this whole process, and have been postponing it for the past three years!

My "dream school" is a top 5 department, and I've contacted a professor there who is interested in my research. However, I'm so worried about actually applying because, with the exception of one undergraduate course (A-), I have no formal background in anthropology whatsoever, i.e. whatever I know is through personal effort/reading. On the bright side, I'm from the country I plan to do my fieldwork in, so I won't need any language training as the language is my mother tongue. 

I have never written a paper relevant to Social Anthropology, so I don't know if it would be prudent to send a paper that is not related to my proposed research topic, or even anthropology in general (my MA was in Linguistics). Should I write a paper relevant to my proposed research topic, or at least to anthropology more generally?

Also, I've heard that top 5 schools usually expect 330 on GRE V + Q and >=5.5 on the AW, especially if you have no research experience or publications. Does anyone know if this is true? I sat for the GRE and got 158 on the quantitative section (70th percentile), and I'm worried this will hurt my application. I'm not exactly excited to sit for another four hour exam, but would consider taking the GRE again if my quant score puts me at a disadvantage.

Thoughts? Any advice would be highly appreciated! (Apologies for the lengthy post)

 

[marxistglue]

Just wanting to vent really quick...

I take the GRE on the 10th and I've been really stressing about it because despite all of my studying, I'm still scoring pretty low (high 140s, low 150s on verbal; 130s on quant) on each due to testing anxiety. I have peer reviewed publications, solid research experience, working for an academic journal and TAing, and have been in conversation with most of my POIs who seem interested in what I want to do. I just don't want the GREs to screw me. I know it has a lot to do with departmental culture and whether they hold any stock in scores but I'm still feeling pretty depressed about the whole process. I know I'm probably not alone in this so I just wanted to share my frustrations. It's hard to be preparing for the GRE, writing my thesis, keeping up with coursework and working two jobs.

[vonham]

7 hours ago, UsernamesAreTricky said:

Hi everyone!

I'm new to both Grad Cafe and Anthropology

I've been procrastinating so much with my applications; I haven't written my statement of purpose, chosen a writing sample, or even contacted my professors for a letter of recommendation yet because I'm quite anxious about this whole process, and have been postponing it for the past three years!

My "dream school" is a top 5 department, and I've contacted a professor there who is interested in my research. However, I'm so worried about actually applying because, with the exception of one undergraduate course (A-), I have no formal background in anthropology whatsoever, i.e. whatever I know is through personal effort/reading. On the bright side, I'm from the country I plan to do my fieldwork in, so I won't need any language training as the language is my mother tongue. 

I have never written a paper relevant to Social Anthropology, so I don't know if it would be prudent to send a paper that is not related to my proposed research topic, or even anthropology in general (my MA was in Linguistics). Should I write a paper relevant to my proposed research topic, or at least to anthropology more generally?

Also, I've heard that top 5 schools usually expect 330 on GRE V + Q and >=5.5 on the AW, especially if you have no research experience or publications. Does anyone know if this is true? I sat for the GRE and got 158 on the quantitative section (70th percentile), and I'm worried this will hurt my application. I'm not exactly excited to sit for another four hour exam, but would consider taking the GRE again if my quant score puts me at a disadvantage.

Thoughts? Any advice would be highly appreciated! (Apologies for the lengthy post)

 

In what field does your research interests lie; linguistic anthropology or sociocultural anthropology? For the SOP it might be a good idea to write a linguistic anthropology paper; that way it's more anthro-y, but also within your comfort zone of linguistics. 

[UsernamesAreTricky]

Thanks vonham. My research topic lies in Social Anthropology, which is why I'm hesitant about submitting a Sociolinguistics paper as my writing sample. I'm not sure how relevant to Anthro/my research topic the writing sample should be. I wish schools were clearer about what they're looking for (academic background, minimum GRE's, work experience, etc.)

 

[bioarch_fan]

13 hours ago, UsernamesAreTricky said:

Thanks vonham. My research topic lies in Social Anthropology, which is why I'm hesitant about submitting a Sociolinguistics paper as my writing sample. I'm not sure how relevant to Anthro/my research topic the writing sample should be. I wish schools were clearer about what they're looking for (academic background, minimum GRE's, work experience, etc.)

 

Honestly my paper that I submitted with my applications was a paper written for my history department in undergrad. So just as long as it's your strongest writing sample that's all that really matters.

[sierra918]

On 11/5/2016 at 1:06 PM, UsernamesAreTricky said:

Hi everyone!

I'm new to both Grad Cafe and Anthropology

I've been procrastinating so much with my applications; I haven't written my statement of purpose, chosen a writing sample, or even contacted my professors for a letter of recommendation yet because I'm quite anxious about this whole process, and have been postponing it for the past three years!

My "dream school" is a top 5 department, and I've contacted a professor there who is interested in my research. However, I'm so worried about actually applying because, with the exception of one undergraduate course (A-), I have no formal background in anthropology whatsoever, i.e. whatever I know is through personal effort/reading. On the bright side, I'm from the country I plan to do my fieldwork in, so I won't need any language training as the language is my mother tongue. 

I have never written a paper relevant to Social Anthropology, so I don't know if it would be prudent to send a paper that is not related to my proposed research topic, or even anthropology in general (my MA was in Linguistics). Should I write a paper relevant to my proposed research topic, or at least to anthropology more generally?

Also, I've heard that top 5 schools usually expect 330 on GRE V + Q and >=5.5 on the AW, especially if you have no research experience or publications. Does anyone know if this is true? I sat for the GRE and got 158 on the quantitative section (70th percentile), and I'm worried this will hurt my application. I'm not exactly excited to sit for another four hour exam, but would consider taking the GRE again if my quant score puts me at a disadvantage.

Thoughts? Any advice would be highly appreciated! (Apologies for the lengthy post)

 

I'm not sure which schools are Top 5, but I was accepted into a top program with a combined score of 303 and a verbal score of 4.0. My other qualifications trumped my poor GRE score (thankfully). I think that's probably really department specific though.

[knp]

On 11/5/2016 at 2:06 PM, UsernamesAreTricky said:

Also, I've heard that top 5 schools usually expect 330 on GRE V + Q and >=5.5 on the AW, especially if you have no research experience or publications. Does anyone know if this is true?

I've never heard of a graduate department, including in English, that required a 5.5+ on the AW. If your lowest percentile score is a 70th in quant, your scores are completely and utterly safe (especially in anthropology, where we like deconstructing standards and tests). Moreover, the departments that expect significant undergrad or master's coursework in anthropology are few and far between, even in (especially in?) the tippy-top programs.

On 11/5/2016 at 4:28 PM, marxistglue said:

I'm still scoring pretty low (high 140s, low 150s on verbal; 130s on quant) on each due to testing anxiety. I have peer reviewed publications, solid research experience, working for an academic journal and TAing, and have been in conversation with most of my POIs who seem interested in what I want to do.

Can you get any sort of testing accommodations, or find out if any of these universities have minimum scores? Some do, I think especially among public universities. This sounds like a great background, though, so if you can figure out some way around any university-wide restrictions, I bet the departments won't hold it against you much, if at all (see: anthropologists).

[EvelynD]

On 5-11-2016 at 0:25 AM, sierra918 said:

I got a 303 combined score, and I still got into my top choice. It really depends on the department and what they value most, but it's also about your total package. Good luck!!

Congrats! And thanks for sharing your experience. I know the committees look at all your materials, but I'm not from the States and this whole proces is new to me. Its good to hear that someone with a similar score still got what they aimed for! 

[UsernamesAreTricky]

 

16 hours ago, sierra918 said:

I'm not sure which schools are Top 5, but I was accepted into a top program with a combined score of 303 and a verbal score of 4.0. My other qualifications trumped my poor GRE score (thankfully). I think that's probably really department specific though.

That's why I'm worried, because I don't have those other qualifications (publications, solid anthro background/research...), so I feel like I need to "make up" for that in some way. (And congrats!)

 

15 hours ago, knp said:

I've never heard of a graduate department, including in English, that required a 5.5+ on the AW. If your lowest percentile score is a 70th in quant, your scores are completely and utterly safe (especially in anthropology, where we like deconstructing standards and tests). Moreover, the departments that expect significant undergrad or master's coursework in anthropology are few and far between, even in (especially in?) the tippy-top programs.

That makes me feel better, thanks! I guess I should just e-mail my professors for a letter of recommendation now. I keep postponing that because I'm STILL looking for somewhere to apply to besides my top choice (which is definitely a reach). This is why it was probably not a great idea to fixate on a specific college since I was a child!

 

On 11/5/2016 at 8:28 PM, marxistglue said:

I have peer reviewed publications, solid research experience, working for an academic journal and TAing, and have been in conversation with most of my POIs who seem interested in what I want to do.

If I were an admissions officer, I would be so impressed by all of this, I probably wouldn't really care about your GRE scores...

Alas, I don't have your background, so I would care about my score 

[marxistglue]

Thanks for the support everyone! This community is great. 

On 11/6/2016 at 5:57 PM, knp said:

Can you get any sort of testing accommodations, or find out if any of these universities have minimum scores? Some do, I think especially among public universities. This sounds like a great background, though, so if you can figure out some way around any university-wide restrictions, I bet the departments won't hold it against you much, if at all (see: anthropologists).

I haven't asked about any kind of testing accommodations but I wouldn't assume the GRE would have very much. And honestly, I get testing anxiety sitting in my house taking the practice tests and that's about as accommodating and one could ever hope for. A couple faculty members I have spoken to have said that the GRE is only a factor of your entire app that they look at and does not dictate whether or not one gets accepted. However, it still has be worrying.

What do you all think about adding a blurb about testing anxiety in my Statement of Purpose? I've asked one of my letter writers (my Chair and advisor) to stress my competence at research and graduate success (I'm in an MA program now, currently at a 4.0) despite my GRE scores. Do you think that's enough or should I mention it in my application?

[Quickmick]

@marxistglue you could always hedge you bets and mention it in 1/2 of your SOPs.

[museum_geek]

Submitted my first batch of applications today!  Now the waiting begins...