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lambspam

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    Sociology

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  1. I'm not sure of any particular programs in those fields, but you may want to check out ASA's 2011 Guide to Graduate Programs in Sociology. It provides details about every program in the US, Canada, Australia, the UK, and a few other countries, and has lists of programs based on specialization. Worth every penny that I paid for it when I applied to grad school.
  2. I respectfully disagree with mv0027 and DustSNK. I've applied to sociology grad programs twice, first to an MS and then to a round of PhDs, and my applications were successful at a number of top programs using an introductory narrative. It makes you sound like a real human, which can be refreshing to adcoms. It's not too personal -- it's directly related to your field of interest and and provides context for your application. Also, what a cool class! I agree about the second paragraph -- doesn't really add much and just sounds kind of fluffy. Instead, consider making your first paragraph say a little more about you. The best advice I've heard (from Asher's "Graduate Admissions Essay," I think) is to limit any narrative intro to five sentences and to make sure each one of them counts. You may also want to tighten up the research interest paragraph (the one that begins with, "As I prepare myself to embark upon the academic journey"). It could be condensed by 25-50% (and made a little more clear) just by reducing some superfluous wording. Be sure to keep an eye on word count. It looks like yours is around 900 and most applications will limit you to 500 words or one page. Also, you do a fantastic job of articulating your knowledge of the program, faculty, and available resources. It's clear you did your homework, which adcoms love to see.
  3. You can't be more than a week or two into the semester. Just give it a fair shake before you make any serious, unalterable decisions like leaving. Departments have a lot of logistics to juggle, especially at the beginning of the semester. Things will calm down and become more functional as the year progresses. And who knows, maybe you'll really enjoy TAing.
  4. It can really depend on where you're trying to move. A few approaches: 1) Stay in a hotel or with an older grad student while you look for a place. If it takes too long, though, the former can get expensive; the latter can get awkward. 2) Send a message out to older grad students asking if they have any tips on open places. Some of them may be moving (or have friends who are), so you may be able to score an apartment that way. If you don't have access to the listserv, get in touch with a current grad student or the graduate director and see if they might be willing to ask for you. 3) Sublease for the summer (or less) and search from there. This can be much cheaper than getting a hotel room, especially if you rent from current students at your university. That can give you a good chance to get to know the neighborhood, too. 4) Just suck it up and sign from a distance. It can be scary and end badly, or it can be just fine. We did this and it worked out well, but that's definitely not universal. Read the online reviews and take your best guess. Make sure to learn how the rental market works in the area. How long is the turnaround time between when the apartment is posted and when it gets signed? When do apartments go on the market relative to their date of availability? This varies considerably by town/city. For a good idea of the latter, go to Craigslist and see when the recently listed apartments seem to be available. In Seattle it's about 3-5 weeks; in some places it can be days or months. Glad to hear that Bhikhaari's strategy worked out for them. It's worth noting, though, that depending on how much of a demand there is for housing, many apartment managers will not agree to do a month-to-month. But it can't hurt to ask.
  5. You're a good writer -- it's clear, it's clean, and it flows well. You also present concrete ways to tackle your research interest, which is where a lot of people fall short in SOPs. As the above posts indicate, though, this format may not be your best option for a couple of reasons. First, the anecdote is all about James. While that may have been an important moment of observation, this scene doesn't say anything about you and your goals, ambitions, or active personal experiences. Second, it's a very long intro. I strongly believe in limiting introductory anecdotes and "stage-setting" to a maximum of five sentences. Most soc applications give you between 500 and 700 words in your SOP to sell yourself, so every sentence has to say something important about you and why you're qualified for grad school. What I did get out of the first section about you that I wanted to hear more about was your experience as an elementary special ed teacher in Baltimore (a challenging profession, no doubt). Why did you become a teacher? How did it directly relate to your interest in unraveling the mysteries of the social structure? Why did you leave? That last question is a particularly good place to start if you want to spend your PhD understanding social problems in education, since being a teacher provides a different perspective for understanding those same problems. In addition, you may want to consider spending a little time talking about your academic endeavors. You'll have your CV, of course, and you don't want to repeat too much information that's already on there, but it could be good to speak to any research experiences you have. More concrete statements about your accomplishments will boost their confidence that you are ready for this. The last comment is that you're proposing what may be an unconquerably large dissertation. That's a huge topic (three topics, really), and I'm not sure if it'll set off bells in the adcom's heads that you have unrealistic expectations of graduate study. I may be off-base here, though -- can anyone else in the forum speak to this?
  6. lambspam

    TAing advice

    I'll have a TAship for my PhD program, so I'll be leading recitation sections and holding office hours. I've had a hard time maintaining the respect of classes for which I served as an undergrad TA in the past, especially as a short female social scientist with a babyface. I was also too friendly with my students and failed to create the kind of distance necessary to be an authority figure. Wearing professional attire will make me look older, which should help. Any other tips for developing a professional relationship with students, one in which they actually do their work and think of me as an authority without dreading coming to class? What should I do in the first few sessions to establish this divide? Thanks!
  7. Kelley Blue Book (www.kbb.com) will give you an idea of how much you should pay for a given car based on the model, age, mileage, features, and condition. When you run across a car ad that interests you, toss the specs into the car value tool and it'll provide the expected value of a car in excellent, good, or fair condition.
  8. Most school email systems can forward mail from that address to another email address. Many schools also allow you to keep the institution's email address for as long as it remains active; check your school's computing/webmail page to find out what their policy is. I use my school address when it's relevant and my gmail for everything else, but I have it all sent to my gmail address. That way it all stays in one place so I can search everything at once. If you decide to forward school mail to your gmail address, make sure you set up gmail so you can send mail from your school account directly from gmail. To do that: Click the gear icon in the upper right corner Click on "Mail Settings" Select the "Accounts and Imports" tab Go to "Send Mail As" Follow all gmail's instructions from that point forward Then when you go to write or reply to an email, you'll get to select which address to send from using a drop-down menu. It's super-easy.
  9. Social science grad programs are often very heavily quantitative. Sociology is as well, especially because that's where a lot of the funding and pubs are. Even if your dissertation is qualitative, your program is going to expect you to know quantitative methodology. They look as closely at the quant section as they do at the verbal, from what I've seen.
  10. Applying to grad school is expensive. Save up before you apply. Costs include application fees, transcripts, GREs registration and re-takes, fees to send GRE scores, application supplies (envelopes, etc.). I was really surprised at how hard it hit my wallet. Be organized about your application. For each LOR writer, fill out as much of the paperwork as you can. Provide the list of schools and deadlines, as well as the date you'd prefer to have the letter submitted. Check in every week or two (most of them really appreciate this). Also provide your CV, the latest draft of your SOP, and an unofficial transcript; this will jog their memories and remind them how awesome you are. Also, it'll show that you're on top of things and make their lives easier, which will naturally make them happier about writing a letter for you. After you get in, save like crazy for when you move. Moving to a new place is always costly, and stipends won't start coming in for awhile after you start.
  11. I've found that file boxes are great for moving. They're small enough that they're really hard to overpack but big enough that they fit quite a bit of stuff. We''re downloading some books on CD for the 3000-mile drive. Any tips on how to keep pets as unmiserable as possible on long car trips?
  12. Unfortunately, the stigma against mental illnesses exists even in academia. My advice is to just say in your SOP that you had a medical issue (without getting specific), and then find a way to demonstrate that it no longer impacts your work. Don't spend more than a sentence or two on it, since most of your SOP should be about how awesome and qualified you are.
  13. As an American who was initially determined to go to a Canadian soc program, I'll warn you that it's hard to gain admission as an international student. From what I saw and experienced, I think the economic downturn resulted in strict quotas on the number of non-Canadian students they can accept. Word on the street is that some programs could take in no more than one international applicant. Not to be a total buzzkill, but I wish I'd known before I applied to four Canadian programs.
  14. As a side note, I found that course within my MA program to be invaluable and I'm glad to hear it exists in other programs. That's a great place to learn about professors and make an impression by asking relevant, focused questions.
  15. Agreed with robot_hamster. If you're really worried about it (which you probably don't need to be), then take a basic stats class at your local community college this summer.
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