TheLuckyOne

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I was just working up my courage to dial the numbers when you posted Now I just need to worry about Michigan. So relieved...

Me neither! I'm waiting for Michigan too! And has anyone contacted Penn about when they would release the decisions?

Start of a new week! Time to brace ourselves for another round of decisions Stay strong!!

I second this. From previous years, it seems that Harvard normally notified its 20 some finalists for interviews in early February, and the 10 or so offically admitted students were notified by phone calls.

Me too! I would be so sad if they reject me. For the past years, it seems that the decisions all came out on February 1st. But for this year, February 1st is this coming Sunday. So I guess it would be either tomorrow or next Monday...

So are Michigan's acceptances coming out tomorrow?

Thanks! Princeton Day 2, here we go! Best of luck to everyone

It seems that Michigan's decisions come out on January 31st and/or February 1st every year, and so does Penn. And based on previous years, Harvard would probably announce its finalists for interview soon...

Has Princeton sent out all their acceptances already?

Thank you so much for this thread! What is consider a low GPA? Is there a cutoff as well? And what are some classes that are generally prerequisites for graduate school? Does the admissions committee pay more attention to certain classes on the transcript than others? Thank you!

Hi guys, I am panicking now in my application season, because I am really worried about my GPA. I didn't do well in some theory classes, and that completely dropped my GPA. My GREs are all in the top 10% percentile, but I am really afraid that my GPA might ruin all of my chances. To put it simply, to qualify for the top 20 programs, about what level should my GPA be, generally? Thank you so much!

Hi guys, I am using the "ASA Guide to Graduate Departments of Sociology" to narrow down my school list. For some reason, I don't see UT Austin in that book. Can someone please tell me what does that program specialize in? I get a sense that in family and criminology, there are a lot of faculty members. Is that UT Austin's strengths then? Thank you!!

Hi guys, I am a junior this year, and I will apply for PhD programs next year. I have been researching about programs, and I have realized that some top institutes locate in notoriously dangerous and chaotic places. Specifically, the University of Chicago, Yale, UPenn, Johns Hopkins, Columbia and NYU. I am a girl and I plan to live off campus for my graduate study. Therefore, safety matters tremendously for me and my family. I was wondering how terrible are these places in reality? Do their locations hugely affect the quality of students' life in these institutions? Should I rule these awesome programs out because of their locations? Thank you!

Hi guys, I am a junior this year, and I will apply for PhD programs next year. I have been researching about programs, and I have realized that some top institutes locate in notoriously dangerous and chaotic places. Specifically, the University of Chicago, Yale, UPenn, WashU, Johns Hopkins, Columbia and NYU. I am a girl and I plan to live off campus for my graduate study. Therefore, safety matters tremendously for me and my family. I was wondering how terrible are these places? Do their locations hugely affect the quality of students' life in these institutions? Should I rule these awesome programs out because of their locations? Thank you!

Hey guys, I am looking into PhD programs in Sociology now, and I am a junior this year. My GRE (330+5) and GPA 3.7 will perhaps land me in the top 30 programs (right?). I am not a competitive person by nature at all, and I actually am very afriad of the cut-throat, intense atmosphere in some top programs, where everyone is trying so hard to prove himself/herself smarter than everyone else. I would much perfer a laid-back program, where there is a strong sense of community or family, and I know that I can fuction much better and happier in a friendly and supportive environment. Which programs in top 30 are more suitable for me? And which programs should I absolutely avoid? Thank you so much in advance!

Dear jacib, Thank you so much for your detailed answer! It is actually very helpful. The way people talk about their interests in Sociology in my undergrad institution is by first deciding whether one is a micro or macro person, and whether one is a theoretical or empirical person. I personally don't have much interest in theory, and I am very interested in the empirical side of micro Sociology. Do all these dichotomic divisions matter in choosing PhD programs? And in another word, what matters the most when choosing programs? Thank you so much in advance!

Dear RandomDood, Thank you so much for being so helpful and warm-hearted! I will actually spend this Spring Break visiting several schools in Chicago to check out their PhD programs, and I think that will give me some insight in answering my question. I think you are absolutely right that people change their decisions and interests all the time, and I should have an open mind and give myself more options. I have another question, and thank you so much in advance for answering. I have been reseaching about programs, and I have come across programs where several professor all share part of my interests, instead of one or two professors who share most of my interests. For example, for a specific program, there's one professor interested in family, one professor interested in culture, and another professor interested in incarceration, instead of one professor who have all the above interests. Therefore, it is very difficult for me to pinpoint one person as my potential advisor. Does that mean that the program is not a good match with my interest? I think I don't really know what's the best way to find programs that best match my interests, would you please help me? Thank you so much!

Thank you so much! I noticed that you are studying at the CUNY Graduate Center, which is in NYC. I have been thinking about the location of my future PhD program. I am not really a city person, and I have really enjoyed my undergraduate institution, which is in the middle of nowhere. But since I am very interested in doing research using qualitative methods, especially ethnography, I think there are many advantages of attending a program in a big city with diverse population, such as Chicago and NYC. Do you agree with that? Does location really matter in selecting programs? Thank you in advance

Thank you so much! This definitely makes a lot of sense! Most programs ask for three recommendation letter, including two from professors in the major. For the third letter, is it better to be from a professor of another major, or from the employer of my internship? Since I am applying to PhD programs, is it better to have three letters all written by professors in my major?

Hey guys, I am a junior in college now, and I am researching about Sociology PhD programs. I am very interested in doing research with qualitative methods, especially ethnography. Do you know what programs specializes in doing research qualitatively? I am not very passionate about studying methodology, but I am talking about the way of doing research. I am thinking of apply to programs in the top 30. Which are the most "qualitative" programs? Thank you!

Thank you! I think so too. By the way, do you know which programs specialize in ethnography or the qualitative approach in general?

We have the same double majors? I have never heard of anyone else who has the same majors, even though I think they share a lot in common! Hand shake Are you in grad school now? For Sociology or Economics?

Thank you so much! Speaking of strong references, is it very important to get recommendations from professors who graduate from prestigious programs? How about professors who graduate from the programs that I am applying to?

Thank you! I have a high score on the Quantitative Section because of my background in Economics. Given my 170 in Quant, I think it will give me more advantage in applying to programs emphasizing on quantitative methods. However, I am much more interested in qualitative methods, especially ethnography. To maximize my chance of successful admission, should I apply to programs emphasizing on quantitative methods? In other words, how important is it to apply to programs relevant to one's preference of research method?

Hey guys, I am a junior in college now (double-major in Economics and Sociology), and I plan to pursue a PhD in Sociology right after college. I have already taken the GRE, and I got V: 160, Q: 170 and AW: 4.5. I still have a lot of time to retake the GRE if I need to, and I really want to get into a top 10 PhD program with full financial support. My GPA is 3.70 as of now. Do you think my GRE score is competitive enough for a top 10 program? Should I retake the GRE in my senior year? Thank you so much in advance!