rising_star

My former advisor at UGA actually wrote her dissertation on Truth and Reconciliation Committees, though not in political science. She did her PhD at Berkeley in the geography dept and, since you're already "promiscuous with your material", I suggest you look beyond the confines of the political science department. Just look at the programs of the folks whose work you're citing and respect. You'll be able to go back to polisci, especially with a master's in the field.

I think you're shortchanging yourself if you apply by November 1 for Jan 1 deadlines. You lose two months that could be spent revising a writing sample, crafting a better personal statement, impressing professors, gaining more knowledge about the program, etc. They ARE NOT going to even look at it until after the deadline. So I asked for letters in mid-November for Jan 1 deadlines BUT all my profs knew I was planning on doing a PhD so they weren't surprised by the request. Yes, it can take profs months but letters are also the one thing that it's ok to have arrive late (and they will, even if your profs mail them on time and have to send the damn thing three times + electronically before the school says they have it). If you want them done early, shoot for Dec 1 or Dec 15. I'm a procrastinator so I always do things on the last possible day... But really, November 1 makes no sense to me.

My understanding has always been that the loans are to be used for current living expenses. But I don't think they can stop you once you get the money... The school will take out whatever you owe it before disbursing the funds to you, FYI.

If your grades in topology are good, I don't think it matters whether you graduate with honors. But then I'm not in math.

Are the loans for tuition or something else? Maybe you can apply for scholarships to help with tuition? Does your employer offer any sort of tuition reimbursement? As for figuring out the true costs, I know the Dept of Ed has come calculators online to help you figure out what the repayment will be and that sort of thing...

I doubt the school will tell you about finding outside opportunities. You're going to have to pursue that on your own, though there are plenty of databases. Honestly, your problem will be that a lot of outside funding isn't available for professional programs, which you intend to be... Your program may be able to help you find a paying assistantship or internship. They may also have internal scholarships you could use to reduce tuition costs. Why are you locked into a four year lease? What is the first $40K going to pay for?

If you graduate with a US degree, do you still have to take the TOEFL?

Lauren, Thanks so much for your input! There definitely are pockets of the NW side that aren't populated by undergrads, particularly if you avoid Mission Rd and Old Bainbridge south of Fred George Rd. I say this because several of my working Tallahassee friends have rented or purchased townhouses or duplexes in that area in the past few years and their neighborhoods are quiet and filled with adults. And I based my rent estimate on what I know my friends are paying living off Blairstone and Old St. Augustine. Maybe they just have really great deals? My friends live off Kay Ave, and pay $650 for a 2bd/1ba duplex. I think the trick is being patient, scouring Craig's List, and (maybe) being willing to wait until almost the last minute.

Does the program need to have the label "history of medicine" or would you be ok with a master's program that had a faculty member or two that did research in the history of medicine?

Try and get a job in a lab?

I don't think it's the norm to put their name on there if they didn't do anything to help with the paper but I could be wrong.

I wouldn't be surprised if it takes until July. I haven't really received anything since the acceptance letter and such, most of which was emailed to me rather than sent as a hard copy.

Hey now Undrafted, the NW is a perfectly fine side of town, but as usual, it varies a bit depending on exactly where you are (I say this because NW includes Frenchtown, the Lake Jackson area, and so many others). Hartsfield Rd... a bit undergrad heavy typically. Edit: In the interest of full disclosure, I should probably say that I was born on the NW side of Tally, moved elsewhere in town (all NE side), then my mom moved back to NW. Also, I haven't lived in Tally for over 6 years so my knowledge is a bit out of date.

Is weather a concern? Area of the country? As far as I know, Athens and Storrs are both impossible to reach by air and difficult to connect to other cities without a car. The Northeast and Southeast are very different culturally.

It looks good but don't get excited until you have something official.

Sure plenty of the big name schools pay more but that's because they're in areas with a higher cost of living. Princeton pays about $25K, if memory serves. But renting a room in a house in Princeton? At least $850/mth plus utilities. Univ of Georgia pays about $16K. Cost of renting a 2 bedroom apartment? $600 and water + power will run you under $60/mth and that's with a washer/dryer in your apartment. I don't know about you but sometimes the lower stipend can actually go further. Not to mention that a lot of those schools with top rankings have reputations for being nasty places to be as a grad student. There are plenty of schools that offer a stipend of $15K or more for a PhD in the humanities. In fact, most of the flagship state universities do. It's just a matter of looking. As Minnesotan said, if you apply to schools where you aren't a good fit, you're just wasting money. If you apply to all top 10 schools, you're probably wasting money. And really, you probably can't support a family on $15K anywhere. Is your partner going to work? Then consider where your partner might want to move/be able to find gainful employment.

What Minnesotan said. If you'd like, I'll give some advice on how to pick schools. Make a list of all the things you're looking for: faculty (you want 2-3 in each dept plus some in other depts), funding, atmosphere in the dept, quality of life, location, etc. So you look at department websites (cast your net widely) and if it doesn't have 2-3 faculty whose interests align with yours, scratch it off the list automatically. It doesn't matter if it's Harvard because you probably won't get in if they don't have enough faculty to support your potential dissertation. I'm serious. Scratch it off the list. It doesn't matter if "lesser" schools make the cut, they may very well have the top advisor in your field. (Note: this is where checking recent publications in your area of interest is key. The up and coming guy is probably better than the guy who is about to be emeritus.) Then look at whatever your next priorities are. Again, scratch schools off that don't make the cut. FWIW, I think you'll be fine with your MA. Make sure you get great letters of recommendation from that, that your writing sample is fantastic, and that you have a focused statement of purpose.

You could try CUNY, Columbia, Fordham, etc for grad courses in sociology in NYC. I think even something sociology-related could help. Or, I think courses in sociology at any level could help. Or methodology. Or statistics. All of those are generally prereqs in graduate programs so you could get some of that out of the way and convincingly demonstrate your interest in the subject... My other advice would be to start thinking now about who will write your recommendations. Make sure they are solid. Try to get at least two academic references, those carry more weight typically.

I think you should apply to a mix of PhD and master's programs. If you can, take a grad course this fall and do well in it. Or really, take any sociology courses you can, even if they're at a community college. The writing sample requirements vary by school so it's difficult to say. In general, they're looking for a well-written, well researched piece of academic writing, with the length varying by school. Most people use a revised version of a class paper that they got an A on. You probably don't want to go this route since your papers are 10 years old... Not all schools even require one. Of the seven schools I applied to this year for a PhD, only one asked for a writing sample. The most important thing for you to do will be to really demonstrate why you want to get a degree in sociology, what you want to study, and why the grad degree is necessary for you in your personal statement.

I understand. One of my schools did something similar with the letter, though they sent it Feb 1 (a clear sign that I wasn't up to snuff for them). Don't let it get you down and definitely burn it if you can.

If you'd like to reply, please go here: viewtopic.php?f=41&t=14128

What you'll find is that the most productive students are those who control their drinking. It's the same kind of thing as time management skills. I'm at a large state university in a college town and yes, the graduate students drink. But the good ones... they drink maybe once or twice a week and predominantly at happy hour. The advantage of happy hour is 1) cheaper drinks, 2) drinking earlier, 3) minimizes the stay out til the bars close thing, 4) you get hungry for dinner and that tends to send you home. The best part is that because you're home earlier, you can get up and be productive the next day.

incompetent, I've ranted about Alumni Village on either page 1 or 2 of this thread. A lot of those units are older than I am!

khushi.ban, It is definitely NOT true for all programs.

Probably at the end of the first year you might have something to present at a graduate conference. Present at a regional conference your second year in the fall and maybe a national conference in the spring or in the third year. If you can get the funding, go to the national conference for the experience and to network with colleagues.