Undergraduate Interview: Valerie Leah

I had the great opportunity of interviewing a fellow physical anthropology undergraduate at Michigan State University this week. Valerie is a super-senior majoring in physical anthropology and criminal justice with a specialization in Peace and Justice studies. During her last year at MSU, she will be doing a research project in the Nubian Bioarchaeology Lab, working with the MSU Undergraduate Anthropology Club, applying to graduate programs, and finally graduating from MSU!

When and how did you become interested in physical anthropology?

I became interested in Anthropology as a Freshman at MSU. During my first semester,
I took classes in Design, anticipating a degree in Interior Design or Studio Art, and
discovered that those programs weren’t right for me. Panicked, I took a bunch of classes
the following semester that just sounded plain fun or interesting. I stumbled upon
Biocultural Evolution, and I was immediately hooked! Quite a turn around, eh?
 
How have you kept active within the anthropology department as an undergrad?

There are so many opportunities to get involved within the Anthropology Department!
Some of the activities I have been involved in include: being an E-Board member (first as
Events Coordinator and currently as Secretary) of the MSU Undergraduate Anthropology
Club; volunteering and now interning in the MSU Nubian Bioarchaeology Laboratory;
studying abroad in London, England with the Forensic Anthropology and Human
Identification program; and attending the MSU Campus Archaeology Program Field
School. I try to keep as active as possible!
 
What was the biggest opportunity you had as an undergraduate studying
anthropology?

That’s a tough one! I’d have to say that it would be the opportunity to be a part of the
MSU Nubian Bioarchaeology Laboratory’s undergraduate team. There are very few
occasions in which undergraduate students are allowed to learn adult—and very rarely
juvenile—osteology, and the Lab in unique in providing such an environment. It is
invaluable experience! As I finish up my second year in the Lab, I was just offered the
chance to conduct my own research on one of the sections of the collection that has not
yet been studied. I am very excited!
 
What are certain criteria that you are looking for in terms of grad school? (Profs,
location, prestige, etc.)

Graduate school acceptance, especially at this time, is incredibly competitive, so it is
not wise to be too picky (no matter how tempting it is). Pushing that sentiment aside,
however, some of the key things I am looking at are:
1. Professors: You have to make sure your research interests align and that you
are compatible with them and their program
2. Program Type: Masters or PhD? Anthropology, Forensic Anthropology,
Bioarchaeology, Human Skeletal Biology?
3. FUNDING!: Are there opportunities for funding? If not, what options are
there for students?
4. Location: I’m not too concerned about this point, but if I know that I would
not enjoy the environment I would be living in, perhaps a different program
would be a better choice
 
What misconceptions did you have about physical anthropology when you first heard
about it? OR What misconceptions do you usually hear from other students who learn that
you are studying physical anthropology?

I get some interesting responses and quite a few misconceptions from students, adults and
family members alike. Here are some of my favorites:
“Isn’t that, like, bugs or something? Gross!”
“How will you find a job digging up dinosaurs?”
“You hate Jesus, don’t you?”
“I hope you have a back-up plan. We aren’t monkeys, you know…”
“Do you have an outfit like Indiana Jones?!”
“*Insert ‘random excitement about Bones’ here*”
 
What is your favorite part about studying physical anthropology?

Anthropology is all about studying humans, people, and having the chance to give some
sort of identity to someone who is no longer able to tell us about themselves and their
past is an incredibly powerful experience.

What's That Bone? The Ilium

I wasn't sure what bone to talk about this week, so my roommate asked me to talk about something in the pelvis girdle. (She stated this while looking through my copy of The Human Bone Manual) And thus I decided to talk about the ilium.

Your pelvis is made up of three bones (not including epiphyses): the ilium, the ischium, and the pubis. In this segment of "What's That Bone?" I will be talking about the ilium, which can be demonstrated by the picture above. If you're still not sure what that bone completely is, it's also your hip bone.

The ilium fuses with the ischium and the pubis to form the acetabulum, which is where your femur (thigh bone) connects to your pelvis.

Because I mostly work with sub-adult skeletons in the lab, I don't get to see many fused pelvic girdles, so I have experience looking at the ilium as separate from the rest of the pelvis. At first I had a little trouble siding them, but then I managed to figure it out after I realized that the auricular surface (a slightly rougher surface than the rest of the bone) fuses with the sacrum (basically your tailbone). So, I tend to double check by sometimes comparing the ilium to my own.

Here's a great picture by the way:

Stay tuned for later in the week, when I will be posting an interview with a bioarchaeologist! And also make sure to check in this Friday, when I talk about the vertebrae on the next segment of "What's That Bone?"!

Grad School ... That's After Undergrad

The other day my mom called, and mentioned that in one year I will be (hopefully) graduating from Michigan State University. Which led me to my second thought: What I'm doing afterwards.

I know what I want to do: go to grad school. Now all I have to do is find someone in my field with my interests, or at least, similar interests, look at the programs, take the GRE, apply for schools, get recommendation letters, write personal statements, look into funding, and also maintain all of the things that I currently do (school, organizations, anthropology club, work, eating). It sounds like a lot of work, but hey, others have done it, right?

I'm no expert, but here's what I've been looking for thus far. First, I'm trying to find programs with a physical/biological anthropology program, and at least one professor in the field that does research in bioarchaeology. Second, I look at the professor's recent publications to determine what they do research in, where they do research, other physical anthropologists they have worked with, and what connections they have outside of the university (to other universities, research sites, skeletal collections, etc.). Lastly, I look at the department overall: Does the department have a strong physical anthropology program, or is it only one to two specialists? Does the department have labs pertaining to bio-archaeology? 

Other things that are high on my list that others may disagree with includes location. A school in Ohio might have a great program, but for me, where I'm living is almost important. I have to put into perspective that I would most likely be living in this place for 6 - 8 years. I also consider funding. 6 - 8 years is a long time, and in addition to having a nice place to live - location-wise - I also need to recognize that I have school loans currently, and being a professor doesn't exactly pay a lot. There are a lot of options for teaching assistant fellowships, scholarships, grad school fellowships, but I make it a point to look into the funding just to see what is available.

When I apply, I plan on applying to both Masters and Ph.D. programs. I'll apply to a couple that I will consider my safeties, a bunch that I would be an equal contender, and then one or two long shots.

So that's where I am with grad school. I'm kind of going in blind, up to my own devices. I talk to other graduate students, my professors, and my advisors, but when it comes to me, I ultimately have to make the decision. It's crazy to think that in a year I'll (hopefully) be moving somewhere else to study graduate-level physical anthropology.