buencabro

Penn applicants, how do you check your status? On applyweb? I still haven't heard anything either, I assume it's a rejection because it's so late, but it'd be nice to know!

Thanks for your insight! It's helpful to hear the other side, especially since all my advice is coming from people who skipped the masters on the way to their PhD haha Les deseo a todos lo mejor el año que viene, y muy buena suerte!

Thank you all for responding! It's been helpful to read how you've thought through things. That's awesome that you got funding! I got an offer that would cover tuition and enrollment fees, but I'm still worried the cost of living in the area will be prohibitive... Those are all great reasons, and they really mirror my own thinking. On the other hand, I have also thought that for sociology at least, many schools accept students directly from undergrad. In some sense, I feel like the standard is lower for these types of applicants (for example, you wouldn't expect an undergrad to have published something in a reputable journal or have travelled to a conference), whereas for a masters, those qualifications become the norm once you move on to the PhD. I definitely also feel that I'm underqualified in terms of methodology, but all phd programs include that type of specific training. I just don't know how much more competitive you really become with the masters, not to mention that it's one or two extra years on top of the 5 min. required to complete PhD in the social sciences in the US. I'm just playing devil's advocate to see if others have thought about and resolved the same doubts that I have. Victorydance, my advisor here has warned me against UT's MA! One of her best friends is one of the 7 latin americanists in the Gov't dep't that you've mentioned, and she has told me that there's currently a pretty large disconnect between the two programs. I spoke with her and was told that LLILAS is is very disorganized (to the point that she hasn't been in communication with them for a while) and has a heavy bias towards critical anthropology that has alienated her and other profs. I was really disappointed to hear this, since LLILAS is such an amazing resource (half my library books for my current thesis are from UT), and I applied anyway just to see what would happen, but I don't think I'll go given the lack of funding. Of course, this is just one professor's opinion (and very possibly, an unfounded grudge!), but it might be worth reaching out to make sure that you'll be able to have the kind of contact with the comparative politics profs that you're hoping for before you commit!

Hi all! I'm also deciding what to do next year. I'm between a phd in sociology and the MA in latin american studies, both focusing on latino integration in the US. For LAS, i applied to berkeley (which isn't accepting a new class, and my app fee was refunded) and was accepted to UT and georgetown. I was wondering what motivated everyone to apply for the MA. Do you see it as something that would strengthen your application to a phd program later, or do you see it as a goal in and of itself? My advisors tell me that an interdisciplinary masters isn't a great idea because it lacks the rigor of a phd in what ACTUALLY interests you (like soc or anth) and doesn't have the pre-professional benefits of an MPA or MPP. For this reason, I'm told that Latin Americanists aren't that well-regarded. I think, though, that the MA could be a good way to transition into a decent phd program later. I guess I'm nervous to commit to a PhD, especially if I don't get into a great program this application cycle, but I also don't to spend more money getting a degree that won't be valued. Has anyone else run into the same issue, and what advice have you received?

Call! I called her a week ago, and she was very friendly. What I heard (as of last Wednesday) is that we haven't been rejected or admitted, the committee was "crunching numbers," and that there are one, maybe two, more spots. I'm curious to know if there are any updates!

To anyone still waiting on UCLA: I just got off the phone with the grad coordinator, and she told me that they've already sent out the bulk of their admits and rejections. Those of us who haven't heard back either way are probably being considered for one or two more spots. She implied that although UCLA doesn't typically do waitlists, this was an unusual application season and that we are on an ad hoc waitlist of sorts. The committee "is crunching some numbers and should decide in the next few weeks." It sounds like we'll just have to hang tight and wait this one out. Hope this helps!