Preparing for Graduate School

Applying to Graduate or Professional Schools

The Wake Forest University Department of Anthropology has a long history of successful student placement in a wide variety of professional and graduate schools.

Whether you intend to continue your education in anthropology or another field, you should begin planning the application process in August of your Senior year, if not earlier. Most students begin investigating graduate school options during their junior year by requesting school catalogs and visiting program websites.

Some general advice applicable to graduate program applications in most fields:

Prepare and take the standardized test for your field as soon as possible. If you intend on applying to graduate programs in anthropology, you should take the GRE before the end of October of your Senior year. Take advantage of study preparation guides and courses beginning in the summer prior to your Senior year.
Most schools require three recommendation letters from faculty.
a. Discuss your decision to apply with several of your professors, including those that teach in other departments. Try to select professors who instructed you in advanced coursework and know your abilities and interests outside of the classroom.
b. Ask them for a letter of recommendation early in the fall semester. It is professional courtesy to provide your references with the necessary forms and drafts of personal statements at least two weeks before the application deadline.
Each year, we hold an informational session for students who may want to pursue graduate school. Look out for this opportunity, and attend as early as sophomore or junior year. Ask Dr. Good for more details. Department faculty members are important resources in selecting a graduate program.

All faculty members have broad knowledge of anthropology graduate opportunities, and specific information concerning sub-field opportunities is best sought from:

Archaeology – Dr. Thacker, Dr. Hernández, Dr. Gurstelle

Applied Anthropology – Dr. Friederic

Cultural Anthropology – Drs. Bender, Folmar, Friederic

Linguistics – Dr. Bender

Physical Anthropology – Dr. Miller

Museum Anthropology – Dr. Gurstelle

Students should take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) early in the senior year so that scores will be available for submission with applications. Non-native speakers of English should take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) early in the senior year. Specific information concerning these tests is available from the office of the Dean of the Graduate School.