Is Anthropology Right For Me?

Question

I am an A/B student with a 40 in algebra. Math has never been my thing and my teacher is horrible. I have a tutor and I am constantly trying hard but nothing seems to work. I have all As in everything else except for a high B in latin. I really want to be an archeologist or an anthropologist (I don't really know what an anthropologist does so if someone could explain it to me that'd be great) and hope to get my major in archeology (or anthropology.) The problem is, no one believes in me. My parents don't understand and they want me to be a teacher. I don't. I want to be an archeologist (or anthropologist) and go to egypt and study mummies.

I want to study mummies and their lives and the past so do you think an anthropology degree is better for me than archeology?

Answer 1

I took a cultural anthropology class and I'm terrible at math and I absolutely loved that course. Since you want to study mummies I think you should go with archeology as your major but def take an anthropology class.

Answer 2

Anthropology, simply, is the study of man.  There are four divisions:

Cultural Anthropology: studying human cultures, this includes religions (scientific prespective), cultural norms, uses and adaptation to the environment, marriage principles, ideas on treating medical issues, and so forth.  There is an almost endless variety of specializations in this field.

Linguistics:  the study of languages.  Fascinating field, but it takes a lifetime to truely prepare yourself.

Physical Anthropology:  the study of human and prehuman physiology.  These are the guys that look at skeletons and tell the police how old the victim was, their gender, approximate age and so on.

Archaeology:  can be spelled with or without the second a.  The study of past cultures by artifacts they have left behind.  It is a fascinating field, but require a monumental amount of patience.

MOST IMPORTANT THING:  Nobody succeeds in anthropology without advanced degrees.  If you are determined to be in this field, go ahead and assume you will be in school for at least 5 or 6 years before are trained well enough to compete in the field.  

Hope this helps.

Answer 3

If you are in the United States you should study anthropology, and you can concentrate in archaeology.  That is because in the US archaeology is a sub-field of anthropology.  For example, I am an archaeologist but my degree is in anthropology with an archaeology concentration.  

There are several schools in the states that have faculty with egyptology research interests.  You can go to college and university websites, do a search for the anthropology department, and from there click on the faculty link, and look at the research interests of the professors to see if theirs match yours.  I suggest sending emails to faculty that have similar interests to your own, and ask questions about their specific program.  

In the UK anthropology and archaeology are two separate fields, so I assume you would want to study archaeology if you are in Britian.  Good luck, and remember you can do anything you set your mind to, don't worry if others think your career choice is unrealistic.  If you work hard you'll be able to find a job doing something you love - it just might not pay all that great, but who cares, so long as you're happy!

Answer 4

well do you watch bones

if you love it then it's right for you

Answer 5

Archaeology is one of the four fields of anthropology (someone else explained this already).  Archaeology is a complex field with many subdivisions.  Egpytology is a highly specialized field.  You might approach the subject as a field technician (working on actual digs) which requires a head for numbers, details and a lot of patience.  The study of mummies would involve physical anthropology, also a highly detail, math and science oriented area of study.  You could , approach the subject from an art history perspective, linguistics, cultural history, etc.  These tend to be somewhat more interpretive fields (you're more likely to survive without impeccable math skills), but egyptology in general is highly competitive no matter what the specialization.  You will need an advanced degree - an MA at the very least to get very far at all.  You can get excellent undergrad training as an arch  tech (and even some low level jobs), but won't get much more than that.

Answer 6

and anthropologist studies civilizations. the connotation of anthropologist is that they study underdeveloped culture while sociologist study developed cultures.

for what you are interested in it sounds like you should do archeology. anthropologists often do field work where they survey people to try to understand their customs.

Answer 7

You & you only know what's right for YOU!!!

Answer 8

annthropology is the study of the human form

Answer 9

archeology if you want to study actual mummies

anthropology if you want to study Egyptian culture in the past.