Tahoma

Sorry, but there's no escaping it. You need to take the GRE. However--and I say this as a fellow mathematically challenged person--the GRE is very learnable. The math section is below college-level, and mostly just relies on mastering a few simple tricks. If you put a couple of months of study into the GRE, you'll do fine.

Look, no one's saying that it's impossible to be accepted into a good sociology program with bad GRE scores. Everyone, however, is saying that it's really, really difficult. Many PhD programs these days receive 300+ applications for only 10-15 spots, and GRE score thresholds just happen to be a straightforward, easily quantifiable means of presorting candidates. With terrible GRE scores, there's a decent chance that the program assistant will just toss your application into the waste bin before even a single member of the admissions committee takes a look at it. Is that always the case? Obviously not, and if you want confirmation that stranger things have happened than someone being accepted into a PhD program with abysmal GRE scores, then here you go: Stranger things have happened. But that doesn't change the fact that many, many, top programs seem to use these GRE cutoffs, and making no effort to improve your scores would severely limit your options. Everyone here is only advising you to maximize your options--don't give adcomms a big fat reason not to accept you before they even take a look at the components of your application that really matter. ...Okay. I won't tell you that you're cherry picking (unreliable, self-reported) data to suit your needs. I also won't point out that, even going by the tiny number of people who actually reported their stats, the vast majority of those accepted to top 30 programs reported GRE scores in the 65th-70th percentile or above. It's annoying, but the GRE is important. You're doing the smart thing in retaking it.

I wouldn't worry that your writing sample doesn't precisely match up with your interests--IMO the the point of the sample is just to prove that you're comfortable writing academically and know how to develop a compelling argument. Be advised, though: maximum page limits for the sample can vary widely from program to program (I've seen as low as 15 pages), but I doubt anybody's going to accept an entire MA thesis (60+ pages, I assume?). You'll probably have to condense your thesis down into something more manageable.

Just formally accepted my offer at Minnesota! Kind of known for awhile now, but it's exciting to make it all official.

I'll also probably be on the west bank and I'm also curious to know if Uptown would be just as convenient. Google maps says the commute (by bus) from Uptown to the west bank is ~30 minutes, but I haven't checked metrotransit yet. Would someplace like Seward make more sense?

Never got the chance to attend visit days, but the questions I've asked through email have been something like: What is the typical timeline (milestones, etc.) of completion for a PhD? How long does it usually take to complete the program? Have you worked with/what do you think of [professor]? What are the graduate assistantships like? What are the typical responsibilities of a TA? Is finding a balance between coursework and your TA/RA duties a particular challenge? How is the cost of living in [city]? Is it possible to live relatively comfortably on your stipend? Where do grad students typically live? How is the public transportation system?

Basically wait listed at Cornell. In a group of 10 or so, and at the top of the list, but only for my stated subfield preference. So...unlikely, but not so unlikely that I'd feel comfortable withdrawing my application. Oh well, at least Yale gave me a little closure.

Officially rejected from Yale--tell me something I don't already know! Still waiting to hear from Cornell, which is odd, because (according to the results page, anyway) they seem to have already sent out acceptances and rejections. Edit: For anyone who wants to know, I emailed the DGS at Cornell, who said that all offers of admission had already been sent out, but he didn't know if there was any kind of wait list (currently on sabbatical). He CC'd the graduate assistant, so hopefully I should get some closure soon.

The vague possibility of "unofficial wait lists" and the like notwithstanding, this is shaping up to be a very, very easy decision. Anybody got a lead on a 1br pet friendly apartment in Minneapolis?

Congrats!

Huh, that's strange. It's always said "submitted on 12/13/2012" and "completed on 12/17/2012" for me. No change.

All right, Yale. You can either accept me, and make this an extremely difficult decision, or you can reject me and make this an exceedingly easy decision. Either way, time to let me know.

Ditto, and I wish Cornell would just send out rejections already as well. I'm ready for this whole process to be over--two months of obsession is more than enough.

Well, judging from that report, it has nowhere to go but up.

I don't really consider myself a cognitive sociologist, but I very nearly applied to Rutgers just for the chance to work with Eviatar Zerubavel. Brilliant stuff.