gretagarbo

you know the website "academia.edu" right? it sends you notifications when someone googles you and arrives at your academia.edu profile page. Well, I just received a notification saying I was just googled from a city in the US. I am an international student, so have no relations in the US, and considering that one of the programs I applied to is at the same city, I feel like it is highly likely that I was googled by someone who is reviewing my application right now! Is this a good sign or a bad sign? What do you think?

what do you mean by 'informal'? I also applied there, that would be great if you could tell us more about it!

Hey sociology phd applicants! I would like to raise a very simple question that we can discuss while waiting for the admissions: Why do you want to have a graduate degree in sociology? What courses/ life experiences etc. influenced your choice? What sociological subjects or research fields interest you the most and why? And what sort of an attachment do you have to sociological inquiry: love, curiosity, calculated/informed professional interest, or something else? I am particularly interested in discussing how to decide studying sociology in the graduate school and not other social sciences or humanities. I mean in today's academia, especially in the social sciences, the traditional disciplinary boundaries are no longer held as strongly as they once were. There are various research subjects and fields that intersect with other disciplines, so it is difficult to discern which discipline is more relevent to your intellectual inquiries. Even if there are interdisciplinary programs out there, I think studying in a traditional, well-established discipline has its own benefits (especially in today's academic labor market) and therefore, most people fell that they have to decide among these disciplines. What do you think about this isssue? Have you personally faced this difficulty before and if so, how did you resolve it?

this is sooo beautiful! thank you!

short circuit

You must check this out! This is Ibrahim Maalouf, a trumpet player fusing Arabic music and Jazz. I began listening to his music during the applications and his new album ("Illusions") just came out, which is also pretty good. try this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpg8jBFaj3c or this one out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBfPIcinl4g&list=PLyI-1N0S-GHlf8TtMVST9vKV5AN8A0XKj

happy feet

Jumping in with no particular reason. International student. Political Science & Sociology double-major. 3.74 undergrad CGPA, 3.91 grad CGPA (master's in sociology). Toefl: 113 GRE: 161/161 No publications, only a presentation in an academic conference. Interests: Political soc, soc. of law, organizations Applied to: Berkeley, Princeton, Michigan, Northwestern, Columbia - Sociology + Washington Political Sci. Considering applying to: UMass Political Sci

hey there! I may be a little late to respond. But I just saw your post. I suggest you to have a general subfield in your mind when you apply, like economic sociology. Then look at the schools that have professors in that field. Next, you should, if you have time, mail to those professors inquiring whether you have to specify your interest in the economic sociology with a somewhat detailed description of a research project in the field in your SOP. My experience is that, it really depends on the department. Some profs may say "well it would be better if you formulated a research agenda" others would say "no need my dear, just elaborate on why you are interested in economic sociology and how much you've learned about it in your classes". I've received both responses. A very prominent professor in her field even wrote that I shouldn't bother myself with any of it. So tailor your sop to the departments, that's the best.

I also wrote about a comparative-historical research project I have in mind in my SOP. However, a friend from Berkeley advised me to specify the countries I want to study, but I don't think its a good advise. You have to outline the project you want to do in terms of the general sociological issues it relates to, you don't need to specify it to such extent.