CAN I GET IN TOUCH WITH FACULTY REGARDING THEIR RESEARCH INTERESTS?
Potential applicants who have substantive questions about the research interests of faculty members and/or their own preparation and background for graduate study at Harvard may write directly to faculty members with whom they believe they share interests.
Please be aware, however, that because of the high volume of inquiries about the program and the large number of applicants, it may not always be possible for faculty to fully answer all inquiries.
If you are writing to an individual faculty member, she or he will be much better able to offer comments if you include specific information about your own academic background, interests in particular theoretical, topical or cultural areas, prior research experience, language training, experiences living in the culture(s) in which you plan to specialize, and so forth.
CAN RETIRED FACULTY ADVISE NEW STUDENTS?
Retired faculty (emeritus and emerita professors) do not normally teach courses nor are they involved in training new graduate students. Students should not apply with the intention of studying with retired faculty.
DO YOU REQUIRE AN INTERVIEW DURING THE ADMISSIONS PROCESS?
Potential applicants may visit Harvard prior to submitting an application, but it is not necessary and does not play any role in the admissions decisions. We do not interview candidates as part of the formal admissions process. Applicants considering a visit to campus should make arrangements well in advance. Staff, students, and faculty are extremely busy during the semester and are unlikely to be able to schedule appointments with little advance notice.
WHO SHOULD I CONTACT TO SCHEDULE A VISIT TO THE DEPARTMENT?
Individual faculty members and their staff assistants handle their own calendars and appointments, so a visitor should contact faculty members directly to arrange appointments.
Susan Hilditch, the staff assistant for the Social Anthropology Wing of the Department, may be able to provide general information on faculty schedules and how to contact the staff assistants for individual faculty.
STILL HAVE QUESTIONS? Sue Hilditch, Social Wing Office
Questions about specific fields or areas of study should go to individual faculty members after a potential applicant has studied faculty teaching and research specialities on the website.
In General
The Ph.D. program receives over 160 applications each year and, in the past few years, has had entering classes of approximately 8 or 9 students. Each year the program receives many more applications than we can possibly accept and with great regret must turn down many very well qualified candidates.
A previous background studying anthropology is not a prerequisite for admissions, but successful candidates, whether they have studied anthropology previously or not, must be able to state clearly their interests in anthropology and demonstrate familiarity with intellectual issues in current anthropological theory and method.
Admissions Decisions
Decisions on admission are made by a faculty committee which reads all applications, and which consults with other members of the faculty on candidates who are applying with specific theoretical, topical, or areal interests that correspond to those of individual faculty members. The aim of the graduate admissions committee is to select very well-qualified applicants who represent a range of interests and backgrounds and who will form a reasonably well-balanced class cohort. An effort is made each year to ensure that the entering class represents a range of interests in the geographical and cultural regions of the world that are covered by current faculty research and teaching, but there is no automatic allocation of slots in the program for specific areas.
Admissions Numbers
The number of students we can admit each year is determined by the Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. The Social Anthropology program does not learn the final number of admissions until February or March of each year.
Language Proficiency
Prior preparation in languages related to an applicant’s intended area or areas of specialization is advantageous. Current language abilities should be explained in the application essay.
Students in the graduate program are required to demonstrate (within their first three years in the program) that they have sufficient abilities for research in both a language they will use for conducting fieldwork and in a language in which there is a body of anthropological writing relevant to their proposed research.
Personal Essay
Generally, successful applicants have a strong background in either a geographic, cultural region and/or a particular topical or theoretical interest in anthropology. The essay required as part of the application should make such backgrounds and interests very clear.
Writing Samples
The admissions committee for the social anthropology program pays particularly close attention to the writing samples submitted by applicants. You should carefully select an example of your best academic writing that demonstrates your capacity for rigorous analysis and independent work. It is not essential that the writing sample you submit be directly related to the topics or areas that you are proposing to study in the future.
GRE Scores
The social anthropology wing does rely on GRE scores particularly the verbal and qualitative reasoning scores as general indicators of academic ability. Relatively low scores do not automatically disqualify an applicant from consideration, but to be successful an applicant with relatively low GRE scores will need to demonstrate outstanding potential in other aspects of the application, such as the personal essay, background and preparation, letters of recommendation, and writing samples.
TOEFL Scores
TOEFL examinations are required of all applicants whose native language is not English or who have not received a degree (bachelors or graduate degree) from an accredited college or university where the primary language of instruction is English. Harvard University’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences sets the regulation that "a minimum score of 550 on the paper test and 213 on the computer test on the TOEFL is required for consideration by the Graduate School."
