applying to graduate school... and clueless

Graduate School
1

<p>I'm starting my senior year of undergraduate work in Anthropology. Right now I'm at a "no name" private university near home. I mostly chose this school due to cost and being able to stay near home. The only issue is that there is not much research at this university as it is mostly a teaching college and just recently became a university. </p>

<p>I plan to graduate in the Spring of 2012 with a GPA around 3.2. I've been trying to figure out which schools to apply to among other things and I am very overwhelmed to say the least. I don't have any friends or family who have gone past a bachelors so I'm not really sure who to go to with these questions I have.</p>

<p>One of my main concerns is my GPA. I feel as though 3.2 is rather low. However, in the courses pertaining to my major I have a 4.0, and my classes for the past year have all been A's. The reason my GPA is rather low is due to medical issues I failed two classes and did poorly in the other four (in hind sight I should have taken more initiative and sought an incomplete but oh well). Should I address this in my statement of purpose and sort of explain why I had such a bad semester? I don't want to look like I'm trying to get pity, I am just ashamed of that semester. I'm not applying to any notable schools, but is 3.2 too low to get in anywhere?</p>

<p>I'm also really concerned about letters of recommendation. The department of Anthropology at my school is small, and there are only 2 instructors (both of which I am close to) but a lot of graduate schools require three letters of recommendation. I have no idea where to get a third letter. I still have a year left of school but is it too late to find someone else to write me a recommendation? Does anyone have any tips on getting to know professors? (I am rather quiet/shy)</p>

<p>I also don't know how many schools I should be applying to. Getting an assistantship is very important to me. My adviser recommended that I focus on programs that don't offer a PhD, as they are more likely to have funds for masters students, is this true? Right now I've narrowed it down to 11 universities, three of which do offer PhDs but they are close to family. Eleven still seems like a lot of places to apply to. Plus I don't really want to have to ask professors to write 11 recommendations. </p>

<p>I'm also worried about the overall strength of my application and personal experience. I tutor for introductory level anthropology classes and am a part of the anthropology sociology interest club but other than that I have little experience. I haven't had anything published or gotten any real world work experience. Again, do I have any time to change this, what opportunities do I even have? Like I said my school does not do any research in my particular field.</p>

<p>I guess I am just starting to second guess if I am even cut out for graduate school. My first year in school was rough, and then the semester I mentioned previously was even worse. Although I am getting straight A's now I feel as though it is too little too late. Do I have any options. My goals at the moment are to get a masters and then either work as an adjunct professor or maybe even pursue a PhD and look for a tenure position (hard to find, I know).</p>

<p>Any help would be really appreciated, I'm feeling really overwhelmed and hopeless.</p>

2

<p>I would not worry too much about your GPA - many programs consider only the junior/senior years, or at the very least weigh those years much more heavily in consideration. Either way, you’re above most “minimum” cutoffs (3.0).</p>

<p>Your lack of field experience and research is more the issue, I think.</p>

<p>My advice would be to take a year off and pursue opportunities to work as a research assistant or in an anthropological field camp next summer. That would both strengthen the practical side of your application and allow for your senior-year grades to be included in the GPA calculation.</p>

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<p>It is not unusual for students to apply to 10 or 15 graduate schools, particularly for doctoral programs - admission is very, very competitive and firing a lot of rounds increases the chances of at least one hit. Professors are used to writing a lot of recommendations - remember, that’s part of their job and, well, they were graduate students once too. Just give them plenty of lead time. They’ll pretty much just be sending the same letter over and over again, changing the address at the top.</p>

<p>I’m wondering why “close to family” is a criterion. Location really shouldn’t be a factor in the application process until you have funded acceptances in hand - then you can afford to be choosy.</p>

<p>Also, you shouldn’t count on being able to find adjunct positions with only a master’s degree. Such is the competition that there are plenty of Ph.Ds out there vying for the same pool of jobs.</p>