global_latam Posted March 9, 2015 Share Posted March 9, 2015 Deciding between UC Irvine and UCLA. Area of interests are immigration, race and ethnic relations, social stratification, cultre. Especially focusing on Asian American community. Both programs are very good fit and very well established! However I have heard rumors like "UCLA expects you to drop out," so I'm a little worried about the program culture there. Any suggestions? I can see why someone would say that. From what I heard while visiting UCLA and talking to UCI profs about UCLA is that the program is too big. It's not so much that they expect you to fail, but some students may feel neglected in the program. The extent to which this is a problem really depends on how independent one is and what kind of advising one needs. I'm most likely saying yes to UCLA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrincePelly Posted March 9, 2015 Share Posted March 9, 2015 (edited) I can see why someone would say that. From what I heard while visiting UCLA and talking to UCI profs about UCLA is that the program is too big. It's not so much that they expect you to fail, but some students may feel neglected in the program. The extent to which this is a problem really depends on how independent one is and what kind of advising one needs. I'm most likely saying yes to UCLA. I will second that. I visited UCLA last week too and spoke with some grad students who have felt neglected, but that also seems to be due to particular faculty members and not necessarily the program as a whole. It might be easy to fall through the cracks if you don't choose your advisors wisely or according to your preferences. Some students admitted that they got caught up by wanting to work with "big names", but in turn felt neglected because of how busy or inaccessible those faculty members are. There's no denying the reputation and great job placement record, but it's ultimately what you make of it (as is the case with any program). With this in mind, I will be deciding between UCLA and the University of Oregon... If anyone has info on UOregon please send along! Edited March 9, 2015 by PrincePelly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seekingsun Posted March 9, 2015 Share Posted March 9, 2015 I would not be surprised if this was true. I found the below link when I first started to apply to programs. According to the document, the rate of completion within 10 years for UCLA is 56%. I don't know how accurate this number is, but it seems that the other information on the document is pretty accurate. With that being said, I still decided to apply to UCLA and would probably still attend if given the opportunity. I don't know how much weight you can put on this, but every encounter I have had with Wendy Fujinami has been really positive. I'd definitely be a little bit worried about the culture at UCLA, but I'd also not rush to any decisions. It seems that your a good fit for both programs, so perhaps the safest option is UC Irvine. But, I wonder what is driving the low completion rate at UCLA, if true, and how your fit with the program might influence your experience with the program. http://tinyurl.com/pu2feyv I'm not writing from UCLA. I can say that a 56% average completion rate is low, but can be more complicated that it seems at first. Remember this is a 5-10 year odyssey that you are embarking on. Some people start immediately out of undergrad and apply to grad schools because of no clear alternative with a liberal arts background. Once they go a couple of years into the program, they realize that this is not for them. Others family issues intervene. Others are older when they start the grad school process and decide that being back in school isn't what it is cracked up to be. Others fail out. In small cohorts, one or two students making individualized decisions, can sway statistics wildly. At my school, we certainly want everyone capable of writing a dissertation to be able to successfully do so, but we also want it to be ok for people to mid-way decide that they want to do something else with their life. Academic is very hard. Research is very hard. It is largely independent, with very little regular positive feedback. You have to be internally self-directed in a way that is uncomfortable for a lot of people. Our philosophy is we'd rather students determine that this field is not for them earlier in their career rather than later, so thinking about attrition rates, you'd rather see people in their 2nd and 3rd year quitting than people in year 7 & 8. I don't know anything about the specifics of UCLA and how good their program is (other than that my department keeps wanting to hire their graduates!), so I am only writing this to suggest that you use that data point extremely cautiously. It should not be a determining factor, but add it to the big pile of issues you are considering when thinking about different programs. letstalkshop 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillary511 Posted March 9, 2015 Share Posted March 9, 2015 What schools will you be turning down then? Congratulations are in order though, great job on that admit! Congratulations on Boulder! That's awesome. Thank you! I'm very excited. My other offers aren't as serious and weren't funded (BC and Uconn). I haven't heard from 2 schools, but it's a seriously good fit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brandnewshoes Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 I'm trying to decide between Minnesota and McGill. General impressions of either? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starbuck2015 Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 I'm trying to decide between Minnesota and McGill. General impressions of either? Montreal seems fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Socbr Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 For those recommended to MAPSS, who is accepting the offer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nycres Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 (edited) For those recommended to MAPSS, who is accepting the offer? I was accepted with half-tuition. I'm not sure. I'm still on the wait list for multiple schools and I already have a masters, albeit in a different field. I also feel silly moving half way across the country / going into debt for another masters. But I've heard good things about the program, so I guess I'll sit on it until the very last minute. Edited March 10, 2015 by nycres Wawalovelife 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hgp Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 (edited) I'm trying to decide between Minnesota and McGill. General impressions of either? I don't know anything about McGill, but I visited Minnesota and the grad students were absolutely amazing - so kind and really went out of their way to make sure everyone felt included/enjoyed themselves at the gatherings. Their faculty was also substantially nicer and more involved in reaching out to me than any other department I've applied to. If I was selecting a school based on people who would make my every day life happier, I would select Minnesota. I think I'll be declining my offer there based on my other options, but it is very difficult to say no to such genuinely supportive people. Edited March 10, 2015 by hgp MaxWeberHasAPosse 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brandnewshoes Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 I don't know anything about McGill, but I visited Minnesota and the grad students were absolutely amazing - so kind and really went out of their way to make sure everyone felt included/enjoyed themselves at the gatherings. Their faculty was also substantially nicer and more involved in reaching out to me than any other department I've applied to. If I was selecting a school based on people who would make my every day life happier, I would select Minnesota. I think I'll be declining my offer there based on my other options, but it is very difficult to say no to such genuinely supportive people. Thanks! Could I ask why you're declining if it was so positive? Is it a fit issue, or more of a prestige thing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hgp Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 Thanks! Could I ask why you're declining if it was so positive? Is it a fit issue, or more of a prestige thing? I'm interested in social psych and they're not as strong there (though I love the work they're doing with the American Mosaic Project), but it's mostly because I am looking for an institution with a top 5 mba program for my partner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prospectivesocphd Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 I'm trying to decide between Minnesota and McGill. General impressions of either? I don't know anything about Minnesota, but I will be attending McGill in the fall. My impression of them has been fantastic so far, especially in regards to the faculty and how open they have been with contact, Skype, discussing research, sending manuscripts, etc. I also spoke with a POI from CUNY on the phone yesterday about my decision to attend McGill, and he was extremely complementary of the department (quant & mixed methods training, up-and-coming professors, etc) and their rate of placement at quality institutions in both the US and Canada. I will be going up in a few weeks to visit the department (and Montreal!) and anticipate that being a great trip as well. I should mention that I am looking to do comparative research between Canada, the US, and France, so that heavily influenced my decision to apply and subsequently attend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1314Spofford Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 I've just officially decided to attend SUNY Albany. It's surreal to say yes to someone! Also a bit hard to say no to others...does anyone have an almost harder time pushing the "no" button for reasons of "what if my 'yes' choice changes its mind?" Haha, imposter syndrome begins now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brandnewshoes Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 I'm interested in social psych and they're not as strong there (though I love the work they're doing with the American Mosaic Project), but it's mostly because I am looking for an institution with a top 5 mba program for my partner. That's fair enough. I'm leaning pretty strongly towards it because, like you said, everyone just seems so supportive. I'm just wondering whether the prestige thing is even an issue, considering its top 20 in US News and even higher in other world rankings? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hgp Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 That's fair enough. I'm leaning pretty strongly towards it because, like you said, everyone just seems so supportive. I'm just wondering whether the prestige thing is even an issue, considering its top 20 in US News and even higher in other world rankings? I would say it is prestigious in the realm of sociology based on rankings. Those who know, know. Meaning, if you're applying for a job (in academia, or that hires from sociology departments) they'll know Minnesota is a top program, even if the name doesn't sound that way to those outside the sociology realm. Almost everything I've read and most of the people I've talked to have focused on top 20 as the mark of prestige. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uselesstheory Posted March 12, 2015 Author Share Posted March 12, 2015 I've just officially decided to attend SUNY Albany. It's surreal to say yes to someone! Also a bit hard to say no to others...does anyone have an almost harder time pushing the "no" button for reasons of "what if my 'yes' choice changes its mind?" Haha, imposter syndrome begins now. Congratulations! I felt the same way when I made my decision and accepted my offer, but it was totally nerve-wracking and surreal. All of a sudden, five or six or more years become definite in some way before us, and that is inevitably full of conflicted feelings of excitement and trepidation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
global_latam Posted March 13, 2015 Share Posted March 13, 2015 Officially committed to UCLA. This should be fun!! Others going to or considering saying yes to UCLA and who are interested in political economy and comparative historical sociology should know we're getting a new faculty member in the fall. http://kevanharris.princeton.edu/biocv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simmelove Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 Could someone tell me when the visit weekend for IU is? One of my friends that is a current grad student there said he thought it was either this weekend or next but was not sure. I'm on the waitlist and was advised to wait to make my decision until after the admitted students visit. I really want to accept Vanderbilt because I loved it there but IU holds a special place in my heart for multiple reasons, although I'm honestly not sure if I'd accept even if admitted since Vanderbilt was so great. Ugh! Decisions! Help!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anonymous_soc Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 Could someone tell me when the visit weekend for IU is? One of my friends that is a current grad student there said he thought it was either this weekend or next but was not sure. I'm on the waitlist and was advised to wait to make my decision until after the admitted students visit. I really want to accept Vanderbilt because I loved it there but IU holds a special place in my heart for multiple reasons, although I'm honestly not sure if I'd accept even if admitted since Vanderbilt was so great. Ugh! Decisions! Help!! The IU (Indiana) visit is on Friday of this week. I'll be out there Thursday thru Saturday. Hope this helps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLuckyOne Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 I'm trying to decide between OSU and UT-Austin. I'm interested in family and criminology, qual vs quan undecided. Does anyone have any comments or advice? 010010110101001101010111 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simmelove Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 The IU (Indiana) visit is on Friday of this week. I'll be out there Thursday thru Saturday. Hope this helps! This helps a lot! Thank you!! Vanderbilt invited the waitlisted people to their visit weekend but obviously IU didn't. Not like I'm not super familiar with the place after doing my undergrad & living there two years post graduation, but still would have appreciated the opportunity to build relationships, especially if I do get off the waitlist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anonymous_soc Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 This helps a lot! Thank you!! Vanderbilt invited the waitlisted people to their visit weekend but obviously IU didn't. Not like I'm not super familiar with the place after doing my undergrad & living there two years post graduation, but still would have appreciated the opportunity to build relationships, especially if I do get off the waitlist. I'll PM you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anonymous_soc Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 I'm trying to decide between OSU and UT-Austin. I'm interested in family and criminology, qual vs quan undecided. Does anyone have any comments or advice? I don't know much about OSU, but UT-Austin would likely be a pretty decent fit. For family, you have Crosnoe and Raley. For criminology, you have Warr and Pettit. Austin is also getting Sarah Brayne starting Fall 2016, which would be nice for your criminology interests as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLuckyOne Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 I don't know much about OSU, but UT-Austin would likely be a pretty decent fit. For family, you have Crosnoe and Raley. For criminology, you have Warr and Pettit. Austin is also getting Sarah Brayne starting Fall 2016, which would be nice for your criminology interests as well. Yes, UT-Austin has more to offer in terms of academic resources and it seems to be a more prestigious program than OSU. But I really like the welcoming community and friendly people at OSU, so it's very hard to say no. Any advice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reinalou Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 I will very likely be saying yes to Michigan anonymous_soc 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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