<p>I'm highly interested in gender and sexuality especially in relation to colonialism/postcolonialism and transnational identities. I'm thinking social/cultural anthropology, maybe sociology of culture? Which schools are tops in these areas? </p>
<p>Also, how would I go about applying for grad schools? How would GPA, research, compatibility of research interests with professors at the school, GRE scores, personal statements, ECs, teacher recs weigh in? Could you comment on the important of each one or rank them from most to least important?</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>Also, how competitive is this field? I know the likelihood of acceptance changes depending on your stats (I'm only a sophomore), but I'm asking for acceptance rates in general. I know that for psych, for instance, rates could dip as low as low single digits.</p>
<p>Well, this is my particular area, and I direct a grad program in Religion. But one could certainly focus on this topic in many different disciplines. The decision-maker for you should probably be methodology. Sociology, history, anthro, religion, or some kind of "area studies" (Asian, American, etc.) could all be appropriate for you, but the theories and methods used in each field will differ. Take some more courses in each of these areas, and you'll figure it out in a year or so. (Which, not coincidentally, will be the right time for you to start looking into grad programs.)</p>
<p>In the meantime, read the Grad School 101 thread.</p>
<p>I don't know if I'm just ignorant, but I've found the qualitative methods in social/cultural anthropology and sociology pretty similar. Sociology, of course, has a quantitative component as well, but I'm not into that. I really like ethnography... perhaps I should go into anthropology? </p>
<p>Does the gradschool101 thread apply to all non-professional fields? Do you have any specific advice for anthro programs? I hear conflicting reports about the importance of the GPA, for example. I know molliebatmit got into a top program with a 3.3 or something, but she majored in the hard sciences at MIT. I'm not so sure grad schools would be forgiving for a 3.3 in the social sciences, because there are people who have both a high GPA and are published. The acceptance rates of some programs, as I mentioned, are in the low single digits.</p>
<p>I have a 3.9 right now, but how would adcoms weigh GPA alongside research? Is research more important? If so, they also say that background work in anthro is not a pre-requisite for applying. Is doing research in any area fine?</p>
<p>First, you're not ignorant; you're just a sophomore. Major theorists (and methods) vary significantly from discipline to discipline, and even among subfields in a discipline. Example: Appadurai in cultural anthro, Goffman in sociology.</p>
<p>And yes, the 101 thread is helpful for all disciplines.</p>
<p>Generally, GPA in your major will be more significant than cumulative GPA. </p>
<p>Bottom line: graduate admissions is not an equation that can be balanced, or solved. Just do well, find a focus, work closely with your undergraduate professors, and write great research papers. Familiarize yourself with the theoretical underpinnings of your chosen discipline. For anthro, look into fieldwork possibilities. For sociology, get a strong statistical background. </p>
<p>And while an undergraduate major is not an INFLEXIBLE prerequisite for grad work in a discipline, it will be a lot tougher to gain admission to a grad program in either sociology or anthro WITHOUT significant undergraduate preparation. Significant preparation usually equals major.</p>