Jump to content

Whatishistoryanyway

Members
  • Posts

    82
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    1

Everything posted by Whatishistoryanyway

  1. Seeing how invitations weren't sent out until about 12 days before the event, I don't see how "weeks" could have gone by before they told you a Skype interview was possible. Also, it looks like you still hadn't bought a ticket 9 days before the event, so... yea. I feel silly for even responding at this point.
  2. Starbuck, it may be wise to be a little more careful about some of the things said here. Academia, especially within sociology is a small world. Some of the things you've said here are really offensive and petty. In fact, I think I'd really consider asking the mods to delete this if I were you. Just to clarify a few things to people who are interested in the program-- I will be attending Tennessee in the fall as an MA student and I was at the recruitment event. There were about 15 of us there and word had gotten out that three or so were unable to make it because of the weather, so 18(?) invited in total. For reference purposes, the department's cohorts seem to range between 6-10 people a year. The faculty and graduate students did everything they could have done, in my opinion, to make us feel at home. It was a recruitment event, so of course faculty made it seem as if we were all really wanted. At the event, I was never told "it was a given" that I'd be admitted. The closest any of the faculty came to saying that was something like, "we really like your application, think you'd be a good fit and you're high on our list." Things along those lines, I can't remember exact quotes. Something else to consider is that we were told from the beginning that department wouldn't be able to fund everyone's entire visit. In fact, $300, from my knowledge, is much more than many (if not all?) other prospective students received. Finally, the students unable to make it elected for a Skype interview or something. Even if they didn't, plenty of programs admit students without meeting them or even contacting them first. So it's not a big deal that students who didn't show up were admitted. That's just the way admissions work. I feel the department has done nothing unprofessional. I think their current students will vouch for the faculty if any prospective students are concerned about anything presented in this silly thread.
  3. Very valid points. Letstalkshop, I'm in agreement with pretty much everything you said. Your record this cycle proves these programs can definitely be beneficial. If they weren't, I don't see how they could exist. Alternatively, it's safe to assume some go into the program thinking the name alone will get them into a top PhD program. Others, I'm sure, may just simply fall through the cracks. I was just trying to satisfy TheoryofTheories original inquiry. That said, I think I'm somewhat confused by parts of your post, TheoryofTheories. I definitely don't see where you're getting at with this sentence: "An MA from Chicago or Columbia certainly improves your odds of finding gainful employment relative to, say, that BA in gender studies and postmodern literature that you incurred debt for in the first place." Are you referring to my undergraduate degree in particular or just generally speaking of the average prospective student? You're making a lot of assumptions here. Some would argue those degrees are about as competitive on the job market as sociology. Oftentimes, those pursuing an advance degree in sociology are wanting to study something similar to the fields you just mention, simply from a sociological perspective. Also, every position I've ever heard argues against adding more debt to one's burden, something you seem to counter here in this sentence. "Top firms from all fields recruit from top tier schools, what you actually studied ("bourgeois fields" included) playing a largely minor role." Given the context of this sentence, perhaps you meant to use scare quotes? Maybe you disagree with my usage of "bourgeois" here? Anyway, I don't disagree with you about the firms, but I think 99% of the readers in this thread are concerned about PhD programs, not private firms. If I already have ~$30k (or whatever the national average is) of debt from undergrad added to another $50k (or more?) for a year of tuition at Columbia is not a very lucrative offer. Once you add a conservative estimate of $20k or so worth of debt from living expenses in New York, that leaves me $100k in debt before even entering into a PhD program (which will surely add more debt). The reason people are "unenthusiastic" about these offers is, I believe, because $100k or more of debt is scary at a time when it's nearly impossible to get a decent job in academia. Yes, these programs have been great to many, you can emphasis that again if you want. "Depending on where you live, how you live, etc., a year or two outside of academic work may go a long way to mitigate the $75,000 price tag." I have no idea what you're trying to say here. "There may be an even higher opportunity cost of not attending an MA program." Indeed, but there are more cost-effective ways of attending an MA program. See some of the other posts, plenty of people have funded MAs elsewhere. "And, like Marx's capitalists, you've dug your own grave." Marx had capitalists? Again, even with the context that follows this quote, I dont see where you're going with it. "I think most people would rather be buried in debt than taking fast food orders or being otherwise miserable for the rest of their natural lives." Really? I don't agree. It also seems so odd that you continue to advocate for people to get so deep into debt. Regarding fast food, your statement is pretty offensive and the elitism, intentional or not, seems to be bleeding through. Global capitalism is in a crisis and if we don't do something about it, you're going to be flipping burgers too. It's also silly to imply that people working in the service sector can't be happy. I can't even imagine what kind of sociology it is you study. "Now if you find that you do love academic work and you really want to research, teach, and publish at a (major) university, then these MA programs are, in the context of the long run, an incredible opportunity to advance those life-long goals." Again, I'm in full agreement with you. But let's not forget that all these things can also be done at a more cost-efficient program. At this point in the game, I'm about 100% sure I'm going to pursue a MA at a state school. I work hard and I'm passionate about what I study. I have no reason to believe I cant be successful.
  4. Perhaps, but is it not the adcom who admits students knowing of the unethical costs associated with it? I won't pretend to be smarter than people in those positions, so perhaps it's just a misinterpreted situation on my end.
  5. I've gotten advice from some people who went through the program and there are definitely plenty of positive things to say about the experience and opportunities the MAs at places like Columbia and Chicago have to offer. With that said, I've concluded that I can't take $50k-$100k out in loans to finance a program that may lead me nowhere. Even if guaranteed success, I can't see how I could justify that much debt in addition to old undergrad debt and eventual doctoral debt that will surely come later. Perhaps things would be different if I had family that could help with the disgusting (and in my opinion, unethical) pricetag. But if that were the case, I'm sure I'd have more interest in pursuing some bourgeois field (pretending for a moment sociology isn't one). By no means am I trying to offend anyone who pursued an MA at a place like Columbia. They've always given me solid and helpful advice. As someone who contemplated doing it, I was just hoping to explain why some people can't.
  6. A gazillion of us applied to work with Robinson. Sometimes you just gotta go down a different path.
  7. Could be today, could be April 15th. There are a variety of different factors at play. Last year I said on the waitlist at ucsb for months.
  8. At what point did I pose an alternative future? In addition, no one ever said that adjunct positions will be the only options. You can't deny the current condition of academia and if your only evidence of a better future is the fact that "baby boomers" are retiring, you have a long road ahead of you. Global capitalism is in crisis and has been for some time now. Finally, what seems idiotic to you may seem like a dream to others. I don't think I'm the only one pursing a PhD for reasons beyond dreams of tenure.
  9. You seem to be speculating though. Your prediction about academia concludes that it will find away to return to the glory days despite the current situation proving otherwise. We aren't fortune tellers, so I think it'd be a bad idea to pretend everything will be alright despite academia's current transformation. When the "baby boomers" retire, there will be plenty of good candidates willing to work for less because where else are they going to go? Sure you're going to have some good people land in great conditions, but so what? And I disagree with your last point completly. I'd be willing to bet that tons of current tenured faculty would be willing to give your a pessimistic view on the future of the field.
  10. I hear this a lot, but in reality, it looks like many universities are just filling those positions with adjuncts, no? The glory days of tenure seem to be diminishing
  11. Anyone else applying to Brown? Has anyone gotten any word back from them or know anything about their process?
  12. political economy, globalization, development, and theory
  13. Ahhh all this UCSB talk makes me think they received a gazillion applications again this year. It looks like they typically notify people toward the last week of Jan/first week of Feb, so no need to freak out just yet.
  14. Thanks for this useful perspective. I haven't even thought to contact any current students at the programs I'm interested in. I think my last email was about two paragraphs, most of which was explaining why I was interested in what I want to do. Perhaps it was too long! Anyway, thanks for the advice.
  15. Hi Henry, I'm making the switch from history to sociology. I did history in undergrad, but I'm only applying to sociology programs this year. You've probably already been told this, but just make sure you're caught up with things like theory and methodology. Research methods are somewhat different in sociology, but the field is, from what I've been told, much more open to interdisciplinary work than history is.
  16. The schools you have listed as mid-tier are definitely not that. I'm pretty sure NYU is even more competitive than some programs in the top ten. Also, there's no such thing as a safety school. The schools you have listed aren't going to accept any and everyone with good numbers on their application. Although they may not be ranked as high, they still want quality applicants. With that being said, it's all about fit. I'm not sure anyone can give you any advice without knowing more about your interests. An interest in X field can land you an acceptance at Northwestern and a rejection from Boulder.
  17. Hey everyone, I'm giving it another shot this year. I put too much effort into my history applications last year only to realize sociology was what I really wanted to do. After making the wait list at my top sociology school, I realized programs wouldn't have a problem with me switching fields. I'm only applying to sociology programs this year. My interests are primarily related to political economy, globalization, and the drug trade/informal economy. As an undergrad, I completed two research projects and was very interested in 20th century US and Latin American history, particularly revolutionary movements. The phd programs I am interested in at this point are Santa Barbara, Brown, Princeton, and Riverside (I'm looking to add a couple more). I believe I will also apply to Tennessee's MA program. If there are any current graduate students (or prospective) who believe their program could fit my interests, I would love to have a chat about your program. Also, good luck to everyone. I'm not looking forward to another round of waiting.
  18. I'm not sure we both got the same thing out of the original post. At no point did the poster refer to non-Marxist departments as not open minded. Instead, he asked for recommendations on programs that would be open minded enough to allow that perspective into their department. We would be naive to think that every department would be open to this.
  19. I've been warned that Chicago's Committee on Social Thought is gradually moving more to the right. And if you look at their faculty page, it looks as if the vast majority work on something related to ancient civilizations. I'm not sure this program is necessarily something simonlou would be interested in.
  20. I'm glad you've already made progress. I'm sure they will be able to guide you when it comes to selecting schools to put on your list. And as bsharpe said, eventually you will have to go through the tedious process of reviewing faculty. But I think you can narrow that process down quite a bit. In other words, not all the 125 or so ranked programs will have people for you to work with. So you don't actually have to look at every program's faculty.
  21. What recent books have you read (in the time period you mentioned) that you like? That's a good place to start. Find out where they work, check out their profiles, etc. Look around in the bibliography to see if you can find anything else in there you like, find out where they are. Browse the websites of some of the 'top' schools in medieval history, see what they have to offer. I'm assuming one of your advisers/mentors may have worked on a similar time period. Have a sit down with them and listen to their advice regarding starting points. I just noticed you are also in Knoxville! Perhaps you should have a sit-down with Rubenstein, Burman, or Bast (I think he may actually work on the middle ages, so I may be wrong on that one).
  22. Please don't buy into that "Fort Sanders is dangerous" myth. After spending some time in dorms, I finished my undergrad in the fort. I can understand girls not wanting to walk around alone at night, but then again I think people, especially women, should always be careful at night near universities. Every once in a while there is a small robbery. You shouldn't have to worry about your stuff being stolen or anything like that. It looks like most of your classes will be in HBB (I'm assuming since you're in analytics), so all three of your apartment choices seem like excellent choices. You won't have to walk up "The Hill" to get back home, but you will have to walk up a significant hill (there are a great number of hills on campus in case you haven't visited). Barclay House is at the top of this hill and right next to Laurel Hall, an apartment-style dorm for upperclass undergrads. There is a luxury apartment complex across the street as well. This is so close to campus many people don't even really consider it the Fort. In order to get to the other two complexes, you will have to walk up the hill I mentioned and down the other end of it. 16th Place is almost as good of a location as Barclay, but not so much. Both 16th Place and Barclay are easily accessible from the UT campus bus system that we all use to avoid the hills (once you learn it, i promise you'll love it). Highland Terrace is a little further than the other two, but still not a bad choice. I'm not sure of the rates, but if all three are around the same price, I'd probably go with Barclay personally (I actually considered living there because they allow pets, but told me no on my rottie) because it's the closest and probably 'safest' given the location. 16th place just doesn't look as nice to me and Highland Place is a few more blocks away. Regarding bike vs. car: Honestly, you're close enough to walk to your classes and you can take the T bus to anywhere else on campus. You don't have to have a bike, but it could come in handy (primarily because that Publix is not going to be walking distance). There is a free trolly that takes you downtown. I don't own a car and many people I know don't own one. Your biggest struggle will probably be grocery shopping because public transportation in Knoxville is atrocious. The Publix and new Walmart going up will be on the outskirts of campus, so you'd have to be a brave one to walk that with groceries. Sorry if I'm too vague (I'm on my tablet). Please feel free to PM me if you have any more questions.
  23. I think I could participate in some of readings! What all did you have in mind?
  24. I think a good percentage of us believe the GRE is a scam, but that doesn't mean you can just ignore it. One thing to keep in mind is funding. Many departments can ignore your GREs together, good or bad. But that doesn't mean the university will award you a fellowship. Many schools are obsessed with the ranking thing. Their image takes a hit if they fund someone with a 280 combined GRE. Until someone does something about it, that's the way it will be.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use