La_Di_Da

A very simple workaround is to establish a virtual card, a web bio/profile, your own personal website, what have you, that lists the high points of your CV, research interests, etc., and includes a link to a pdf of your full CV. When you contact prospective POIs, include your site's URL in your email signature. Voila! Now it's a pull, not a push. And if they're keen, they'll visit your page. Also, in answer to the original question, I would not sweat it. It's not a cardinal sin.

Woot!

May the gods be listening! I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for you. Highly doubt I'd have to go as far as making any burnt offerings on your behalf. But if you want me to do one just in case, I do have the requisite classics background, so I'm sure I can determine the proper propitiation forms if need be. (Of course, I jest.) I'm wishing you all the best, DV, as you make your final decision.

That near perfect alignment of research interests was definitely one factor that helped me shore up my decision. Good stuff.

Have you identified faculty with whom you'd like to work, and have you familiarized yourself with some of their research? That's number one. If you have, and you know you'll also be attending the conference meetings, send an introductory email, ask your POIs if they'll be attending and/or presenting, and if they are, what sessions. Then, if your schedule allows, attend a few sessions, introduce yourself, and be sure to ask questions. If you're not comfortable with this level of introduction, begin with an email, initiate a brief dialog spanning a wider arc of time, and try to get some feedback. The latter method may be the least anxiety-ridden for you.

DarthVegan: Re.: "I am also quite happy with my PhD offers at the moment, both in terms of the faculty I would work with and the relative prestige/and or recent job placements." As an objective outsider, when I contrast this sentence with the rest of the content in your previous post, I can't help but think that this one sentence says it all. I believe, but don't take my word for it, that you already have your answer. Just a hunch.

So glad to read that you are in a position to move forward with final deliberations! Yay! Do you know which program you're going to choose? Keep us updated.

MimiG, I was once more pondering your comment, "I am utterly clueless as to what I want to do after that. I have always been very interested in the social sciences, so I'm thinking about applying to grad schools for Sociology next year," and a few additional thoughts came to mind. 1) Why the rush to go straight from your BA to grad school? If you are feeling clueless, uncertain about what program or discipline is right for you, then consider taking some time off from academia to enter the job market, join the Peace Corps, teach ESL abroad, apply for an internship, or engage in some other venture that offers you invaluable work/life experience and the time you need to clarify and cement your academic/research interests. 2) Sounds to me that you are in a state of emergence, a point of reassessing and redefining who you are and what you want. These are the points in life when it is important to step back and take stock. When uncertainty abounds, making intermediate plans or taking intermediary steps may serve your present and future self best. (I speak from experience and as someone who has professionally helped high school and college students in similar situations.) Are you intending to apply exclusively to doctoral programs? Under the circumstances, you may want to consider an MA program in the social sciences or the humanities. It would give you time to dig into the scholarship and an opportunity to raise your GPA before applying to doctoral programs. An MA in Cultural Studies might be an excellent (side) stepping stone, given your writing background. And you can always push your research in CS toward a sociological horizon, making the transition to a PhD program in sociology that much easier. As previously noted, an anthro program might also be an excellent fit, and moreover, depending on the scope of your research interests, a better fit than sociology. 3) Echoing the above, and once more reiterating Rising Star's recommendation, I cannot emphasize enough the importance of taking the time you need right now to get to know yourself, your research interests, and ultimately, acquainting yourself further with your chosen discipline, whatever it turns out to be. P.S.: I hope these thoughts do not come across as patronizing. I realize I do not know anything about your background or work/life experience. And I do not wish to underestimate the estimability or force of either one. But your comment gives me urgent pause and raises, if not a red flag, a bold yellow caution sign. Hence, I strongly advise giving yourself the time you deserve to sort this out, muddle through, and get clear about the course of study that would serve you -- and the multidimensional person that you are -- best. If you are a younger, traditional undergrad who is in good overall health, believe me, you have plenty of time. Use it to your advantage. P.P.S: The average GPA of admitted applicants at the two top 20 programs to which I applied was 3.8. At the top 30 program to which I applied, the average GPA of admitted applicants was somewhere between 3.5 and 3.7. It's not impossible to get into a top flight PhD program with a lower than average GPA, but if you're going to try to make that work, the rest of your application, most especially your SOP, will have to be airtight. You will have to demonstrate to the adcomm that you are committed to 5-7 years of sociological study/research, have developed a strong, thoughtful sociological vision, are capable of conducting research, and are an excellent candidate for program completion. Also, what will you contribute to the program...the department, and what are your plans beyond the PhD? You'll have to address all these questions and then some. --------------------------------- NOTE: Edited for typos. Getting used to this new 11" touchscreen interface is rough.

I second rising star. I would caution that being interested in a topic is not tantamount to being interested in a field of study. To get a sense of whether the discipline as a whole, rather than the study of subcultures, is something you wish to actively pursue long-term, as an academic, professional, intellectual and theoretical discipline, I'd recommend familiarizing yourself both broadly and deeply with the sociological canon. Revisit your introduction to sociology and read additional works on classic and contemporary theorists as well as articles in ASA and other sociological journals. Practice writing in the vernacular and be sure to frame your research questions sociologically. Your audience will want to know that you are thinking like a sociologist, already attending to that work, that theoretical discipline, in some manner. Have you considered anthropology? What makes your interest in fandom cultures particularly sociological? You'll have to sort that out.

Just a GRE reminder: You don't have get stellar scores, just high enough to make the first cut. Look at what the average verbal/quant scores of admits are for various soc programs. If the programs to which you are planning to apply don't publish these stats, check the stats of comparable programs. Northwestern posts theirs, and I think Notre Dame does too. In any case, these stats will give you a feel of what the approximate GRE cut-offs are for most top 20 sociology programs. Do the best you can on the GRE. Meanwhile, and most importantly, focus on making the rest of your application strong. Do your homework regarding fit. Touch base with faculty. Make connections. This part of the process can pay off in surprising, unexpected ways.

I firmly believe that one's future job prospects are determined more by the spirit and quality of one's work than program ranking. Likewise, your work will shine brightest as a result of choosing the program where you, yourself, may shine brightly -- i.e., were you will do your best work, become your best self. And that equation is not linear. My only (unsolicited) advice: trust yourself, for no one else knows you--your needs--better than you. Wishing you all the best as you make your final decision.

Well, submitted my decisions today. A spot may open for someone waitlisted at Northwestern. It was tough to say no to both the program and the city of Chicago--lots of friends and family there.

Bear in mind that Northwestern is ranked #3 for Sociology of Culture, per US News, who only lists the top six for the subdiscipline (select specialty from the drop down menu at the top of the sociology rankings to view). Note that UW-Madison doesn't make the list. That said, go where you think you'll do your best work. That was my primary deciding factor, then funding. I didn't even give rank serious consideration, since I believe that my desirability as a future hire will be based on the quality of my research and output. Best of luck! At least with two great cultural programs to choose from, you really can't go wrong. Edited to include US News sociology of culture program rankings: http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-humanities-schools/sociology-of-culture-rankings

I absolutely agree with Sirio's advice, and likewise echo that maybe you'll be pulled from the waitlist. The season is not yet over and some applicants won't receive word until after April 15th, once admits have made their final decisions.

Northwestern is another school that does not accept applications to multiple programs; they only let you apply to a single program in any given academic year. This is a common practice, so you'll want to do your homework and make sure the schools to which you are applying allow multiple applications. If they don't, pick the program that would provide the best home for the kind of research you hope to undertake and shoot for the moon.

Was there a particular question or objective you had in mind when you began this thread? Just curious.

Excellent!! Congrats!

I'm 99.9% positive which offer I'll be accepting. I only applied to three programs, and got into my top two, so the decision was difficult at the start, but definitely simpler than if I'd been accepted to several top programs. I was very methodical in my deliberations, comparing logistics (I have children to visit during summers and breaks), living allowances (relative to cost of living for each area), health plans (out-of-pocket costs, deductibles, provider caps, out-of-network costs, and overall coverage), program/coursework structure (Is there cohesion? Significant disciplinary breadth? Opportunity for independent growth?), and program milestones, among other criteria. Ultimately my decision boiled down to my sense of fit--of where I believe I'll do my best work. I feel confident I've selected the program that is right for me, as an individual and a scholar.

I wanted to note that the majority of the hires I mention (see bold text) were made within the last two to three years, as departments shrank. My father (communications) and the economist I mention have put in ten years or more, so they got in before the economic downturn. Again, even with a volatile economy, and with deep departmental budget cuts becoming the norm, age doesn't necessarily work against you. If you're a strong candidate, you're a strong candidate.

Chuck, interesting that you ask this question. I am an older, nontraditional admit. My undergraduate course was a desultory one, disrupted on several occasions by unforeseeable circumstances that required me to enter the work force full time, to the exclusion of completing any coursework, or, on other occasions, take a semester off (while I continued to work full time) in order to juggle chemotherapy, work, and family obligations. Most of those years I worked in education; a few I spent in publishing. With regards to the app cycle, and contrary to recommendation, I did not cast a wide net. In all, I applied to four programs, three sociology and one cultural studies program. I received great feedback from all four institutions, and the cultural studies faculty were openly excited about my research, but they were also very candid about the age issue, noting that since they only accept two students each year, preference would go to younger students due to the hiring practices you noted above. I considered that application my throwaway, and I was right. As for the three sociology programs to which I applied, I was rejected by one and accepted by the other two, Northwestern and Yale. Perhaps they are willing -- or can afford -- to take a risk on applicants who deviate from the standard profile. Who knows. What I do know is that while hiring practices may favor the young, maturity has its perks: many of us "mature" candidates are 100% focused; we're not trying to raise families, find romance or our life partner; plus, we have the time, the freedom to enjoy -- singularly enjoy and attend to -- our research. Also that experience you mention, both the life and work experience, is invaluable, and some of us have spent years establishing solid global networks, within and without academia. I say all this because while age is an obstacle, it is not an impassable one. (So, to any nontraditional students out there who may be reading this, work for it, reach for it, go after it, because it's doable.) As for hiring surveys, one friend of mine got her PhD in cultural anthropology in her late 40s, after leaving nursing. She now has a tenure track position at Virginia Tech. Another friend got her PhD in accounting, a field more amenable to mature candidates, at age 50, and is now teaching at Texas State. Yet another friend of mine got his PhD in economics in his late 40s, and landed a tenured position at the Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas; he'll be retiring to Brazil soon (lucky fella!). My father was hired by Appalachian State when he was in his 60s! And in a recent conversation he mentioned that one of his colleagues got her PhD in her 50s! (Note: all are full faculty, not adjuncts!) All this to say, probability does not define possibility, at least not unequivocally. And thank goodness for that!!!! Clearly you are correct: some departments have an age cutoff. For other departments, though, if an age cutoff does indeed exist, it appears to be more of a guideline than a rule.

Re. Yale: They sent out the Visit Days invite yesterday. The CC field of that invite included the email addresses of all the prospective admits. If the other prospective grad students on that list didn't already know that they'd been accepted, then they must surely know it now. Edit: Hence, the reasoning behind my response posted to the results board.

Whew! That takes some serious stamina! If you're flying, and I assume you are, may your flights proceed smoothly. Also, may your successive visits invigorate you! With back-to-back appointments like that, it may feel a wee bit like speed dating. Best of luck!

Hmm, something went wonky with my attempt to 'multiquote'. Angulimala's quote is nested under Amlobo. Ack.

Turns out I was mistaken. Both Northwestern and Yale are holding their open houses the same week, but NU's is Wed/Thurs and Yale's is Fri/Sat. Attending both, though difficult, is within the realm of possibility. Will see. In any case, thank you for that very helpful suggestion, AMLobo! I may have to make similar arrangements. Congrats, Angulimala, on the Notre Dame acceptance! ND has a wonderful program. In fact, it was one of the three sociology programs to which I applied. Alas, ND did not accept me, but I am nevertheless pleased with the results of my application efforts. If by chance your research is cultural, are you considering working with Lyn Spillman?

Just received an official offer of admission from Yale. And wouldn't you know, their 'Visiting Days' event is scheduled the same weekend as Northwestern's Open House! (Well played, Yale.)