SocGirl2013

I have to concede, you make excellent points, especially your second reasoning behind disliking the idea of a safety. I guess what I was going for a different definition of safety and what I was really trying to do was share my application season planning techniques.

I think that's a very narrow way of looking at it. I got into 3 PhD programs, and 1 was my "safety" with full tuition + funding (it was, by no means "a field easy to get into"). If you read the OP more closely, then I mentioned that a number of things need to be assessed in order for a graduate program to be considered a safety. I also said there are no guarantees but careful calculation can give you the closest thing to a safety, defined here, as somewhere where the likelihood of getting in is much higher than not getting in. In any case, calculating worked out for me (and some other people I know) so I thought I'd share what I did with future applicants.

While I was sorting through my list around October - feels like eons ago now - I got some of the most brilliant advice from Grad Cafe, and I will be forever grateful for that. One thing that kept coming up; however, was the idea that there is no such thing as a safety school when it comes to Grad Apps. Now that I am somewhat on the other side of the fence, I think this isn't entirely accurate. Sure, it's true if you simply pick the lowest ranked school or an unranked school in your field and assume it's a "safety" because of your stellar stats. However, a well calculated assessment of programs based on not one but all of the following factors can, in fact, make admission into at least one program highly likely. I got into my safety school with funding, plus two more, but because I was under the impression that safety is an illusion in the process, I needlessly spent months in anxiety, even though in my heart of hearts I knew that there was no way I would get denied from this one program. There will, of course, never be any guarantees, but here are the steps you can follow to be as safe as you can with this process: 1. Forget about top 20. Apply to top 20 all you like but forget about them being safe in any way. Even if all the stars align, this is where the pool of the best of your bunch is aiming. Chances are there will always be more people for whom all of the stars align just as perfectly, more people than they can accept. 2. Create a chart that records the average stats from programs on your list outside of the top 20. Now compare that to your own stats. This is how you can pick how competitive your safety school can be, by making sure you are solidly above the average. For my safety, I was outside of the top 50 really, owing to a pretty crappy quant score. Yours can be a T30, depending on your stats. This alone, however, does not guarantee a safety in any way. 3. After criteria 1 and 2 are met, the third, and perhaps the most important step is to identify the ideal fit. What is the ideal fit? Let's say you want to study cars (bear with me), and THE greatest living professor of car studies ever teaches at University A; there are also one or two assistant professors studying cars at A. However, at the core of institute A itself lies the study of Light Bulbs. Is A a great fit for you? Yes. Is it an ideal fit that will make it very hard for you to be denied? No. Now University B, on the other hand, may not have a single most high profile celebrity scholar of cars, but most of it's faculty studies cars in someway, and the core of the department is all about cars. The "About" or "History" page of Uni B will most likely mention something about cars within the first paragraph or 2. University B is your ideal fit and the best choice to keep as a safety, provided that you have followed steps 1 and 2 in choosing it. 4. Those are the three most essential factors in choosing a safety, but you can have an additional advantage if you are able to find personal connections with your safe choice. Perhaps a Prof. at your alma mater attended this grad school and can write you a good letter, or your neighbor's aunt currently teaches there and she can connect you for a cup of coffee prior to applying. This step isn't necessary, but useful. 5. Goes without saying, don't forget any of the great advice you get on Grad Cafe about crafting the perfect SOPs, your writing samples etc. In order for this to work, your application must be presented at it's best. Choosing a safety is not just about ranking or stats or fit, it's about finding at least one program that is THE perfect combination of all of these things. It worked out for me exactly as I'd hoped, so I am passing along what I learned this season with hopes that it will work out for others as well.

Where do you all live that you find beers for $1 (PBR/cheap) to $3.50 (craft/better quality)? Living near NYC (and by near I mean 30 minutes by non subway commuter railroad) I'd be happy to find 5 dollars a drink for anything other than Budlight. I am talking bars only of, course.

Hahaha you did include the likely not accepted meowth! good idea. Hope they surprise you, in any case. February has been the BEST month for me. One rejection followed by 3 acceptances, I was just like . I am not even going to bother waiting for the 3 I haven't heard from, because I love the schools I got into and am already having a very hard time deciding. I wish CUNY would give me funding already, so it would be a simple decision. I wanna go there so bad. >.<

Congrats Cylon6. On choosing a school AND the best username on Grad Cafe.

I was going to do this. 50% sure about Stony Brook right now. Just wish I had all the info from my other schools so I could choose already and start planning my new life lol!

Just out of curiosity, if you were still waiting to hear from another program that you liked more, how come you signed an acceptance? In any case, better to come clean and tell them you made a mistake and believe it is in yours and the institution's best interest for you to part ways. Be nice and apologize and they will probably get over it.

This is a rejection quote but I found it amusing. "Their loss. Who still sends snail mail anyway?"

I think it's also useful for future years, in the case that applicants want to find who has picked a certain school in the past and reach out to them.

As simply an observer, I only sense butt-hurtism eminating from one direction, and it's not coming from anyone else here. Maybe you are 100% right and negotiating doesn't help at all. What does one lose from trying? I think it is unfair to attack somebody for asking people to try, based on personal experience of success. I think our year on GC has come this far without much drama, completely supporting each other and I am only butting in because it pains me to watch it get hijacked for whatever unresolved bitterness lingers from 2013. If you don't have good advice to give us, please be respectful and let other people do so.

This matter is of grave concern to myself too. I am just going to visit everywhere and makes pros and cons for each of the 3 schools I am visiting. They are all great fits, to be honest, but the lowest ranked of them is off Top50 but undoubtedly the best fit. This is going to be very hard.

I'm bumping this thread. Anyone hear anything new about funding yet? I have my heart set on CUNY so bad lol. Also, who else is going to visit day?

9 acceptances with funding? My god, you must be a genius.

They said within the next week or two. I am not holding my breath, I am pretty happy with my choices but it would be nice to have a final tally lol

I wonder this too. I just called them and they were being.... interesting. Like the lady on the phone would insist that they haven't gotten back to anybody. I couldn't be like "I know you aren't being entirely truthful cause I know someone got in from Grad Cafe" so I said thank you and hung up lol. *Sigh*.

GREAT thread. I am wondering some of the same things. Like how much should ranking matter in making a decision? I, for example, have offers from Stony Brook (42) and Binghamton (69), both are great fits, but I suspect SB's ranking is entirely thanks Kimmel, so as a world-systems scholar, I don't know how much the ranking mean for me since I won't have much to do with Kimmel. Money is definitely a big factor. What else? Advanced thanks for all the advice to come.

My decision entirely depends on CUNY and their money lol.

Fully funded at Binghamton. Can't believe I have three acceptances!

Considering. Well they are considering, I should say. Got accepted for a PhD in Sociology and waiting to hear about funding. If funding works out, I would LOVE to attend.

CONGRATS!!! Any info on when they are sending out official news?

This. Everything about this lol. (Expect something else in place of House of Cards, cause my bf tried to get me into it the other day and I did fall asleep to his extreme annoyance.)

Wow. How incredible.

Funny, I was just wondering about this. SBU tells me I get 90% premium covered as a single. I wonder how much I have to end up paying then. :/

Can anyone maybe shed some more light on the dorming situation there? Is it recommended? I think with my stipend that's about all I can afford lol.