Preparing for Graduate School

My apologies for the lack of posts over the last month and a half. I have been busy with classes, volunteering, and research. I finished my final semester here and am waiting to see what my grades for the final exams will be. I only took two courses (African Religious Retentions in the Caribbean and Archaeology of Africa) this semester to give me more time to complete my research and volunteer at Liberty Hall. Even though this semester required dividing my time among more responsibilities, it seemed less stressful than the previous semester for some reason.

My research is coming to an end although I still need to make another trip to the archives before I leave. I presented my research on The Slave Trade from Madagascar to Jamaica at the History Department's Friday Seminar on April 23. The presentation went well, I got some good feedback and a few leads on some extra sources to consult. The next step is continue with some more research, refine the paper, and make preparations for publication. I'm not exactly sure what needs to be done for publication but I will try to pitch it to some local journals and see what they say.

In these past weeks I also made a final decision on graduate school. I didn't really give myself too many options considering I only applied to the University of Florida and Syracuse but nevertheless it was a tough decision to make. I ultimately decided on the University of Florida to study for my M.A./Ph.D. in Anthropology with a concentration in Archaeology. More specifically, I am trying to do historical archaeology in Africa related to the slave trade. I have identified some spots I would like to work in but its too early to say where my doctoral research will reside. I chose the University of Florida for three main reasons: money, weather, and its Center for African Studies. Financially, the University is offering me tuition, fees, and a sizable stipend for six years with no teaching assistantship required. In fact the only requirement that they have is that I seek employment at a university in Florida after graduation. Syracuse offered me an equally competitive tuition, fees, and stipend for four years but it required that I serve as a teaching assistant for three years. I must admit the weather in Gainesville is also a lot better than the weather in Syracuse. Finally the Center for African Studies is a big bonus because they offer graduate courses in African Studies and other funding opportunities for research. I am anxious to see how I will settle in at UF -- while I have visited the Anthropology Department before, I have yet to visit any of my potential committee members. Hopefully I will meet them this summer when I go to attend the Board of Education Summer Program in June.