Written by Anthropology Graduate Student Reid Ellefson-Frank
First, it’s important to decide whether graduate school is the right choice for you. Grad school requires an immense investment of time, money, and emotion. Before applying, you should have a clear answer for why you are going to grad school and what you hope to get out of it.
What are you looking for in a graduate program? First and foremost, you’re looking for an environment where you can thrive academically and develop your own research in your chosen field. That means it's important to find a program that’s the right fit for you and what you need.
Some programs offer a “terminal master’s” degree, which means that you finish the program when you earn a master’s degree. From there, you can continue to do a PhD if you choose, but you may have to apply to another program. Master’s programs have many benefits—often (but not always), they are designed to train you to work in the field rather than preparing you to enter academia. They usually take two years (although there are some programs that offer accelerated timelines) during which you complete required coursework, and often a thesis, which is an original research project. A master’s program might be a good fit for you if you have career goals outside of academia, want to establish whether grad school is the right path for you without the long-term commitment to a PhD program, or if you plan to attend a PhD program that requires a master’s.
If you are applying for a master’s program, you are usually competing against a pool of applicants with undergraduate degrees, rather than PhD programs where some of the applicants may have already earned their master’s.
It is also important to know that some master’s programs are funded or partially funded (meaning that the university will provide you with some sort of income in exchange for work), but many are not. As part of your research in a program, you should investigate what kind of funding they offer and speak with current graduate students about how they have secured funding/work for themselves.
Finally, some schools will offer a joint MA/PhD program, where you earn a master’s degree along the way to a PhD. Often, this option will include funding that covers you while you earn your master’s but be aware that funding is usually only offered for a finite number of years and using that funding during your master’s may mean you will have to find other sources of funding as time goes on.
While it is important to consider the department and graduate program you are applying to, it is equally important to find an advisor who has similar research interests and can help guide you. A good way to find an advisor is by thinking back to those articles you have read for classes. Were any of those particularly interesting? You can also search JSTOR and Google Scholar for keywords related to your interests and then read some of the articles to take note of who the authors are. Your professors and advisor can also help you narrow down what you love about your field to consider the type of research, and then potential advisors who might be best suited to you. Once you have found people whose work interests you, you can investigate the universities and programs where they work.
Reaching out to potential advisors before you submit your application can help you stand out from other applicants. Most professors have an academic email listed on their department website. Send them a brief, concise email introducing yourself, your research interests, and explaining why you want them to be your advisor. You should read articles they have authored and mention that you like and appreciate their work! Ask if they are taking graduate students and if they would be willing to meet with you. Meeting with them via phone or zoom to discuss how you might fit in with their program is a very common and expected part of this process.
Professors are not the only ones you should reach out to! Speaking to current graduate students will also inform you of the ins and outs of a program to determine if it is the right fit for you. Advisors should be willing to provide you with the names and contact information for their graduate students, but graduate students are also often listed on the department website along with their academic email addresses. Again, asking to meet via phone or zoom is acceptable. Be sure to ask them about the department, expectations, your potential advisor, but also about the environment of the department (i.e. is it friendly, supportive, collaborative, or competitive, or tense). Don’t forget to consider the area you would be moving to, such as living costs, housing options, and work opportunities outside of the department.
Funding is an important part of choosing a program no matter what kind of degree you are going for, and it is another thing you should talk about with current graduate students. You should ask them how much the program pays its graduate students per academic year, and how many years of funding does it guarantee? What are graduate students expected to do to earn that funding? Sometimes grad students earn their pay by being teaching or research assistants within their departments, but there may also be other opportunities to earn money elsewhere in the university. In relation to funding, you should also ask about their healthcare options and whether they offer tuition waivers (graduate students are sometimes not required to pay tuition if they are working for the university).
It is important for you to know that there is no common application for graduate schools, and that all applications are a little different. While this section is intended to give you an overview of the general elements of an application, be aware that the actual requirements may differ. The best way to ascertain the requirements for a given application is to make an account and begin the application process. This will give you an idea of all the materials you will need to provide. In most cases, you can find the application by navigating to the department’s website and going to their section about their graduate program where there should be a link to the application portal.
Graduate school applications have many elements, the most important of which is the deadline. Most programs have deadlines at the end of the fall semester between October and December, so plan accordingly. This may mean that you are applying to graduate programs before having completed your undergraduate degree—programs know and understand this. There will be various points in your application to note your academic progress and projected graduation date. This also means you should reach out to potential advisors well before your application deadline. Many students start reaching out anywhere from a year in advance of their application deadlines to a few months in advance
You will probably need at least two letters of recommendation as part of your application. These should come from professors you have taken classes with or otherwise interacted with closely who can speak to your academic aptitude. They will write and submit their letters separately, although you may be asked to provide their email addresses so the school can request the letters confidentially. Remember that professors are busy (especially at the end of a semester) so you should line up your letter writers well in advance. Choose your recommenders wisely. These should be people who can speak about your academic performance, personality, work ethic, responsibility, and collaborative skills. It’s best to find professors or employers who will speak highly of you and who know you well.
The GRE is another element that requires time management. It is a standardized test designed to test your comprehension of subjects after having completed an undergraduate degree. Many anthropology programs are moving away from requiring the GRE, but some still do, so it’s important to find out if you will need to take it and when you need to do so in order to get your results in time.
You will need an official copy of your transcript sent to each program you apply to, either physically or electronically. You can arrange for this by logging into SPIRE, clicking on the Academics button, and then navigating to “transcript request.” Remember, it’s okay if you are applying before you have received your undergraduate degree. Your transcript will show your academic progress, which will help demonstrate how close you are to meeting your degree requirements. It’s important to note that any INCs may turn into “F’s” and impact your GPA. Be prepared to explain these in your personal statement. If you have any holds on your account, your previous semester’s grades may not be visible on your transcript.
Some schools will ask for separate personal and academic statements, while others may ask you to combine them.
Personal statements should address your journey as a student and how you have come to your research interests. If you have delt with personal challenges that are reflected in your transcript, this is the place to explain how you overcame these obstacles. Provide as much or as little detail as you want to, but keep in mind that the personal statement is intended to provide context for who you are as a student.
Academic statements (sometimes called statements of intent) are for showcasing your academic achievements, outlining what you want to focus on in graduate school, and explaining why you are the right fit for this program. You should name your potential advisors (and mention if you have contacted them) and explain why you want to be their advisee. If the program has some sort of theme or focus, you also need to articulate how your research aligns with that theme.
Your CV is a list of all your academic accomplishments including degrees, internships, conference presentations, university clubs, and other similar academic activities. Unlike a resume, it should not include any explanation for each element, just the relevant dates, institution, and position/conference/etc. If you are looking for examples, many professors have their CVs available online, and there are templates for CVs you can find online. Once you create a CV (or resume if that’s what the graduate program prefers), email it to a trusted professor or advisor to give you feedback.
Your writing sample should be an academic paper that showcases your research and writing capabilities. A good choice would be a paper that engages your specific research interests, but you can also choose any piece that you feel good about. Be sure to give whatever piece you choose a once over for edits, especially if it’s been a while since you wrote it. Printing your paper out and then reading it out loud can be a great way to catch mistakes!
Most programs will have some sort of fee as part of the application, which you will be able to see once you log in to their application portal. If the fee prohibits you from applying due to your financial situation, you can try emailing the graduate program director/director of graduate admissions/similar title to see if the fee can be waived. You can find this person by looking at the department directory, where they will be listed with their title and contact information.