JohnBom

Hi Marcus- The departments I spoke generally recommended me October 31st as last safe date, though you might wanna check with your choices individually. I decided to take them on October 3rd. Just in case something goes terribly wrong, I could still re-take them. Good luck!

I attended ASA this year and met with a bunch of professors. All of them wanted me to apply to their program, but all of them expressed their concern with lack of funding, especially UCLA people. This is what my latest list is looking like, based on what I learned in SF. UW - M UMich UPenn Chicago Brown UCLA Columbia Stanford Any of these strike you as an odd choice? The agreement among faculty on ranking seemed to be that anything below top twenty will not get me a job. No matter how pretentious and elitist that sounds, I need to take it into consideration because, in the end, it will be them doing the hiring. Did you spend much time considering the placement rates, while making your decision?

Business cards? Really? If you don't have anything you could put on the card than I probably wouldn't make one. It is just going to emphasize that you are there to suck up. Pardon my bluntness..

Thanks for the discussion on program fit! That is something I thought about. I am not going to make up a fit, but I don't think it is going to be immoral, if I emphasize it. As long as I don't focus on a very narrow area, it probably couldn't hurt.. Could it? Also, what do you consider to be a strong writing sample? Would you say there are differences between a strong college paper and a strong writing sample? Do they simply look for good analytical writing or should I pick something more creative? A piece of field work write up?

Thanks for your reply! True, it does not say that you can't go straight out of undergrad. But looking at the bio's of those, who got accepted, it seems like they either had masters or work experience. There is only two or three people straight out of undergrad. They also have somebody who already has a PhD in a different field. Here is the link.. http://web.mit.edu/hasts/graduate/index.html

Thanks to both of you. Very helpful! I didn't realize that the school I am in is going to be a strong factor. I am not in any of the top 20. In fact, I go to one of those small liberal arts colleges, whose president decided to boycott the rankings and doesn't turn in any numbers to US News. We are first 50. Though the department consistently ranks in the first 20 in production of PhD.s Is that going to affect my chances negatively? I was hoping I could make up for it by the GREs. I have listed 10 programs here. They have different strengths and all of them have a pretty (more or less) strong department in my field of interest. Should I narrow my list down? Is 10 an appropriate number of applications? I was thinking about shooting for six. What are your thoughts on that?

Hi, I am in the same position - I am just about to start seriously considering my applications to PhD. programs in sociology and I am an international student. I don't think you should be deciding based on what the current "hot topic" is, if it doesn't interest you. It could make the next five - seven years of your life pretty miserable. On the other hand, it makes it easier to get funding. I would say individual freedom is a pretty popular one. I am having trouble myself trying to figure out what tier of schools I can get into with my scores. I think your TOEFL and writing + verbal is a little low, and it might make the graduate committee doubt your abilities as a future TA. Generally, I don't think it is a big deal that you don't have background in sociology, if you can demonstrate that it is your true interest, which you have been developing outside of class. Psych minor would probably not be considered background good enough. In fact, I know quite a few sociologists who disdain the very idea of connecting the two.. What did you major in? Have you thought about sociology of organizations? Your HR background could really make a difference there.. Best of luck!

Just wondering - Did you end up getting accepted to HASTS? When did they let you know their final decision? The program is pretty much exactly what I want to do, but I can't figure out if I have any chance at all from the information on their website.

I was applying for visa a couple of years ago in June. It really depends where you come from. I had to have an interview and the wait for the interview was 60 days. So it turned out pretty tight, but I made it. Good luck!

Hey- Anybody applied to HASTS or knows more about the program? The research and faculty there fits my interests exactly, but looking at the type of people they admit, it seems like they are looking for more mature scholars. I am just finishing my undergrad :| Just wondering whats your opinion of the program..

Hey- Anybody applied to HASTS or knows more about the program? The research and faculty there fits my interests exactly, but looking at the type of people they admit, it seems like they are looking for more mature scholars. I am just finishing my undergrad :| Just wondering whats your opinion of the program..

Hi, I am completely new here. I arrived to the forum because I am slowly beginning to freak out about the fact that I am going to have to start thinking about grad school in pretty concrete terms. I am pretty sure that I want to study Soc of Science, Knowledge, Medicine. It would be really great if you could help me assess my chances. I don't want to apply to too many programs because I can't afford it. Here are the basics of my app: GPA 3.6 GREs 700 and 700 Excellent LoR (I have worked for my undergrad department for four years) I had two research internships during my time in college - one in Ann Arbor and one in Chicago. But- I have not published Writing sample probably not that great I am an international student. I dont know if thats going to make any difference. I am looking at UW-Madison, Berkeley, HASTS (MIT), JHU, Columbia, UMich, UPenn, Chicago, Vanderbilt, Emory Thanks! (Any other word of advice would also be greatly appreciated.)