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Chemistry Research, Durham University
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Durham Postgraduates 2012-2013

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Original post by caligulina
Hopefully2013,


of professors here, and some PhD students already there, and it seemed to me like it was the best option. I'm told it has probably the best archaeology department in the UK. I'm still a little surprised I got accepted, really. So, my decision is a blend of the right course material, the right department name/institution, the right geographical location (I don't want to "do" archaeology in North America, unless it's on a foreign-origin collection, or I can dig elsewhere) and above all it feels right. I'll likely be able to be employed/get into a PhD program more easily with a degree from the archaeology department at Durham than from almost anywhere else in the English-speaking world. It's hopefully as cozy as I think it is.


I have the same feeling too. Out of all of the universities I applied to this one just fit better. I was really torn at first between medical anthropology and developmental but then I noticed that many of the professors are involved in both so I could blend the two.

I don’t blame you for not wanting to do archaeology in North America. I did it for one summer and even though the adventure and my coworkers were great it just didn’t work. I live in the desert too so everyone I know who I going for archaeology is pretty much just doing work for the government to survey land before they build on it. Sometimes they even find arrowheads! Not cool. Paleopath would be amazing to study in another area. I know in the US the biggest thing to examine in tuberculosis in prehistoric populations so there isn’t much variation.
Chemistry Research, Durham University
Durham University
Durham
Visit website
Reply 21
Wow, we Durham postgraduates have really good tastes in programs!

Original post by Hopefully2013
CNUkid,

I love anthropology because it is field of study where I can examine how culture affects a person, group or situation. I can look into how it impacts illness, safety, equality, gender… everything pretty much and then I can apply that knowledge to try to cause positive impact. At least that is what I am shooting for in the future. It is one of those majors you can do many things with and I want to apply my research to real world problems and not just be an academic. The exact thing I am going to study at Durham is Medial Anth. I want to travel and study culture and medicine. I find the research aspect interesting but I think most interesting part of anthropology to me is in the application of that research. I’m hoping to work in a nonprofit of NGO later.


The concept of researching the effect of a cultural practice on various things is fascinating. Medical Anthropology specifically sounds like a much-needed focus. I unfortunately haven't read much about it, but it seems like it would be especially useful when dealing with developing societies. I'd be very interested to see research on the effect of various cultural practices on public health, for example. Applied to post-conflict societies, the results could be incredibly helpful to humanitarian organizations.

Caligulina, paleopathology sounds really interesting as well! It's giving me this cool image of a combined Indiana Jones/House/CSI figure. :-p Where would you like to work most once you have your degree?

Original post by Hopefully2013

What was it that made you (and any other international postgrads) pick Durham for postgraduate study? I got a rec from a professor who said they had an amazing anthropology department. I honestly didn’t think I would get in because everyone talked it up so much!


Well, I decided while working on a couple political campaigns last year that I wanted to get into another area of work. My main interest during my third and fourth years of undergrad was international relations anyway, so I began looking for postgraduate programs in that area. However, a lot of the US programs didn't offer enough of a conflict studies and development focus (lots of programs focused on blowing things up but not many focused on rebuilding...), so I took a friend's suggestion and started browsing UK programs. I found Durham's from a website, read the course description, and thought "wow this is cool." I also noticed that Durham has a new center in the politics department called the Durham Global Security Institute which matches my research interests very closely. Additionally, I was in a social fraternity during my undergrad years, so the tight-nit "college" structure strongly appealed to me. It seemed more substantial than a dorm/residence hall structure. And yes, it just "felt right" to apply and then accept the offer!
Reply 22
Original post by Durham_
Applied for Msc in Sustainability, Culture and Development.

Now waiting for a decision!! Hope to get in...always wanted to study there!

x


Good luck! Development is a really cool area of study! I'm saying this because I'm taking the MSc in Defence, Development, and Diplomacy and therefore biased. :-p
Reply 23
Original post by CNUkid


Caligulina, paleopathology sounds really interesting as well! It's giving me this cool image of a combined Indiana Jones/House/CSI figure. :-p Where would you like to work most once you have your degree?


Yeah, in my head, when I divorce myself from the reality of it all, I fancy myself a little bit of an Indiana Jones. Only, female - so Indiana Jane? I mean, it would be awesome to work at some major museum, like the British Museum, or any of the really nifty museums in Berlin. Maybe work for an independent firm, or something. One day, I'd like to complete a PhD, so maybe I could be a prof? My future's pretty open. If all else fails, medical school will take me in Canada.
Original post by CNUkid
Wow, we Durham postgraduates have really good tastes in programs!


I'd be very interested to see research on the effect of various cultural practices on public health, for example. Applied to post-conflict societies, the results could be incredibly helpful to humanitarian organization




That’s totally the way I think of it. Durham has a great health interventions program that is geared very much toward those ideas. It’s one of the reasons I love the program so much. I honestly think our two majors are similar or at least very complimentary.

I thought about UCL and Brunel too because my professors here told me they had good anth programs but Durham’s program aligned more with what I want to research. UCL would have been great too, they actually match you with and NGO or nonprofit but like you I needed more of a close-knit community, especially if I am thousands of miles from home. UCL really spooked me in the respect, I don’t know if I would be up to tackle London on my own, at least not yet.

Caligulina,

What digs have you been on? Did you do any through your undergrad program?
(edited 12 years ago)
Reply 25
Original post by Hopefully2013
Caligulina,

What digs have you been on? Did you do any through your undergrad program?


I helped excavate a post-medieval house in East Sussex about five years ago. I also was on a team that did the preliminary geo phys for what turned out to be a Roman villa in the same area (right on my campus, at the time.) A few years ago, I participated in a Queen's University/UniBasilicata project in the south of Italy, near a town called Satriano. The site primarily dated to around the 6th century BCE - so Magna Graecia, with Northern Lucanian influences - and was a necropolis (several tombs in a compact area), pottery manufacturing site, and what is believed to be the most intact palace ever to have been found from that period/region. It was awesome! I'm working with the same professor this summer on a site in Caere.
Guys have you made up your minds about colleges? They all look pretty much the same to me...I don't know which one to go for.
Reply 27
Original post by *Corinna*
Guys have you made up your minds about colleges? They all look pretty much the same to me...I don't know which one to go for.


I was told by the pg secretary of my department that they would contact me next month about getting into a college. I really want St. Chad's, but any of them will do (ideally a more historic one? I like that kind of character.)

I guess it just depends on what you want your residential experience to be like. Your social circle probably won't be limited to your college, because of your department.
Original post by caligulina
I was told by the pg secretary of my department that they would contact me next month about getting into a college. I really want St. Chad's, but any of them will do (ideally a more historic one? I like that kind of character.)

I guess it just depends on what you want your residential experience to be like. Your social circle probably won't be limited to your college, because of your department.


tbh my experience so far is that my social circle is exclusively my department. Although I don't live in college, so that could be why. In any case, I feel that in postgraduate level colleges are basically another word for dorms. The only thing that matters in Oxford (but I don't think its the case in Durham) is the libraries, as each college has a library and if you are lucky enough to be in a college with a good library for your subject it makes your life way easier.
Reply 29
Original post by *Corinna*
tbh my experience so far is that my social circle is exclusively my department. Although I don't live in college, so that could be why. In any case, I feel that in postgraduate level colleges are basically another word for dorms. The only thing that matters in Oxford (but I don't think its the case in Durham) is the libraries, as each college has a library and if you are lucky enough to be in a college with a good library for your subject it makes your life way easier.


Yes in some ways they are just dorms, but they all have bars attached, a great community spirit, and good sports teams. If you want to treat them as dorms you can, if you want more out of them you can get it too!

If you want a great community I would suggest going to Ustinov - all the students are postgraduates, meaning they don't act like undergrads all the time, going out every night. However if you still want that there are people like that...

I lived in Ustinov for one year, and have lived out for the past year and a half, but its a good place to meet friends outside your department, but who still have similar ideas about uni. And they have great parties!
Original post by caligulina
I helped excavate a post-medieval house in East Sussex about five years ago. I also was on a team that did the preliminary geo phys for what turned out to be a Roman villa in the same area (right on my campus, at the time.) A few years ago, I participated in a Queen's University/UniBasilicata project in the south of Italy, near a town called Satriano. The site primarily dated to around the 6th century BCE - so Magna Graecia, with Northern Lucanian influences - and was a necropolis (several tombs in a compact area), pottery manufacturing site, and what is believed to be the most intact palace ever to have been found from that period/region. It was awesome! I'm working with the same professor this summer on a site in Caere.


I would love every minute of all of those digs! Exciting! But mortuary practices are always my favorite so the thought of getting to work with tombs is crazy interesting to me. Before I decided to go with med anth I was thinking about archaeology with a focus on mortuary practices or bioarchaeology with a focus on fossil hominids.

Also, I was told to hold off on applying for a college too. But it’s very nerve-racking to keep hearing about how everyone else already has their offers. I don’t even remember what I put on my application as a college preference so I emailed the pg office and they told me that it didn’t really matter because they were going to send me stuff in March. So, now I am just anxiously waiting.
Greetings everyone,


Course : Msc New & Renewable Energy
(Durham School of Engineering and Computer Science)
Starts from: September, 2012
College: St. Chad's (will opt for it as soon as I get a mail from accomodation department). Ustinov being a back up.

Fingers crossed for Chad's :rolleyes:

Hope to make some good friends here :biggrin:
Reply 32
Original post by Hopefully2013
I would love every minute of all of those digs! Exciting! But mortuary practices are always my favorite so the thought of getting to work with tombs is crazy interesting to me. Before I decided to go with med anth I was thinking about archaeology with a focus on mortuary practices or bioarchaeology with a focus on fossil hominids.

Also, I was told to hold off on applying for a college too. But it’s very nerve-racking to keep hearing about how everyone else already has their offers. I don’t even remember what I put on my application as a college preference so I emailed the pg office and they told me that it didn’t really matter because they were going to send me stuff in March. So, now I am just anxiously waiting.


We are very clearly meant to be Durham pals, then. Quite clearly. :tongue:

Re: colleges. The pressure is immense for no reason! I just don't want to live in a concrete, brutalist hellhole, you know? I would find that Depressing (so depressing it warrants a capital.) I check my email obsessively because I simply want this all firmed up. Raaa.
Reply 33
Original post by phoenixfeathers
Greetings everyone,


Course : Msc New & Renewable Energy
(Durham School of Engineering and Computer Science)
Starts from: September, 2012
College: St. Chad's (will opt for it as soon as I get a mail from accomodation department). Ustinov being a back up.

Fingers crossed for Chad's :rolleyes:

Hope to make some good friends here :biggrin:


Welcome!
Original post by caligulina
Welcome!


Thanks Caligulina :smile: I read that you are opting for St. Chad's too. May I know where you are from? :smile:
Original post by caligulina


Re: colleges. The pressure is immense for no reason! I just don't want to live in a concrete, brutalist hellhole, you know? I would find that Depressing (so depressing it warrants a capital.) I check my email obsessively because I simply want this all firmed up. Raaa.



I have my email up all day at work for when I can look into accommodation. It's probably the only time I have ever been disappointed to get massages from friends rather than school stuff!


So, what does everybody think about self-catering vs. catering? I am definitely leaning toward self-catered. However, I think it might be nice to be able to not have to deal with cooking! On my first day of undergrad I managed to catch my toaster on fire… so yeah:sad:. What are you guys opting for?
Reply 36
Original post by Hopefully2013
So, what does everybody think about self-catering vs. catering? I am definitely leaning toward self-catered. However, I think it might be nice to be able to not have to deal with cooking! On my first day of undergrad I managed to catch my toaster on fire… so yeah:sad:. What are you guys opting for?



It's a hard call. Some places only do self-catering. I wonder if there's a meal card you can get for occasional campus/college use?


Original post by phoenixfeathers
May I know where you are from? :smile:


I'm from Canada, province of Ontario. :smile:
Reply 37
Original post by CNUkid
Why, Hopefully2013, it's because we social science people are awesome. :-p

Developmental anthropology? That would be pretty interesting actually. I liked my undergrad anthropology course, but I never delved into much depth unfortunately. What do you think is the most interesting part of anthropology, out of curiousity?


Well the course is also in sustainability so it covers aspects from energy and environment hence why I applied.

I don't have an anthropology background but that is not a problem apparently.
Reply 38
Original post by CNUkid
Good luck! Development is a really cool area of study! I'm saying this because I'm taking the MSc in Defence, Development, and Diplomacy and therefore biased. :-p


Well I have a legal background but want to move away from law.

The course is related to energy, natural resources as well as environment (which I want to focus) and it seems to be a perfect fit.

I don't have an anthropology background but apparently it is suitable for people with a geography, economics, law etc so I am hoping to be admitted!
Original post by Durham_


I don't have an anthropology background but apparently it is suitable for people with a geography, economics, law etc so I am hoping to be admitted!


That is very true! Cultural Anthropology is a very varied subject because it doesn’t necessarily examine ONE topic. It examines the study, research and application of cultural context to just about any subject. One of my first anthropology professors was also a lawyer.

So for example, I am going to study medical anthropology. With that I could possibly look into things like how a person’s culture can affect their access to healthcare, how cultural barriers can work as deterrents to healthy living or how different cultures view specific diseases (and the list continues).
(edited 12 years ago)

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