09 Feb 2021

Cornell University

Anthropology, PhD (F21)

Rejected via E-mail on 09 Feb 2021

Note

From the email: "We received 178 applications this year for 4 positions. Unfortunately, we are not able to offer doctoral fellowships to many strong applicants." "Because of the size of the pool of applicants, we do not provide individual feedback to those who are not admitted to the program. I can say however that we use a comprehensive and careful admissions process to make the difficult decision about whom to admit. The admissions committee met to evaluate your candidacy several times and consulted with three to four additional specialists in your field, wherever relevant. We sought candidates with outstanding prior academic records, strong letters of recommendation, ambitious and effective writing samples, and (crucially) statements of purpose compatible with the scholarly and institutional resources at Cornell. In each case, we had to weigh both demonstrated excellence and the fit with our faculty's expertise. As always, such judgments are complex, comparative, and partial; they cannot fully capture any individual applicant's ultimate potential. "

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