Undergrads: I will not write letters of recommendation to graduate school for students whose GPAs are <3.5. There is no point in doing so, because (1) no good program accepts students with GPAs lower than this, and (2) no program that accepts students with GPAs lower than this is worth attending.
MA/MS students: I have no set policy on this matter. Write to me before applying. Applying without previously discussing your plans with me is a waste of time.
Ph.D. students: I have decided that as
When students contact me about studying with me at Stony Brook, I always ask, "What is your big question?"
Anthropology has two big questions. How are we different from other animals, and why are we humans different from one another. Pick one and explain to me how what you want to do relates to it. Give it some thought and write to me.
This next bit of information is mainly for students from outside the USA. Stony Brook's Interdepartmental Doctoral Program in Anthropological Sciences is one of the top such programs in the USA. Admissions are very competitive. Because we only admit students we can fund fully, we are only able to admit a small number of students each year. This being said, if you never compete, you never win.