LeoBixby

Oh my. Now I am starting to get nervous. I applied to UW geography and I'm really hoping I get in.

Anyone apply to either of these schools: Binghamton Sociology or Cornell Development Sociology?

What "Espresso Shot" said.

Anyone apply to University of Georgia?

How bout political science? I am finishing my MS in Political Science, focusing heavily on theory and political ecology. My thesis deals with the Industrial Revolution viewed as a world-ecological event. I think geography is the most excited academic field right now and that political science is all but dead in the water.

I am also interested in the human-environment relation, planning on focusing on critical/radical human geography, Marxism, and the historical-relational approach to the geo-social. Applied to UW for geography PhD, but the other schools I applied to are all Sociology-based. Has anyone begun to hear back from UW yet? How competitive is that program?

Hey everyone, I wanted to shoot some questions at you all in regard to PhD Sociology programs. I am finishing my Master's in Political Science, with political theory and international relations as my foci. I have a 3.7 cum GPA, and a 3.89 major GPA. I scored in the middle range on the GRE (but I could care less to be frank), and I am an older applicant at 42. That said, I have a lot of life experience, teaching experience, several pieces published (both journalism and one academic article), and I have presented at three conferences. If I am switching to Sociology, with my major focus being on historical sociology and Marxism, does an applicant like myself stand a chance? I'm applying to Binghamton University (where I have had great communications with potential advisors), UW for Geography, and Virginia Tech in the ASPECT program. How competitive is Sociology this year I wonder?

This is just another example of what is now well known about the GRE. That is, it doesn't say jack about a student's academic potential, it actually predicts socio-economic background more than anything else. Why is a long story, but trust me on that, there is a lot of data. My Master's program accepted the MAT, and I took that because it is actually meant to be a measure of a person's basic intelligence profile. I too scored very high on that test and scored like a dope on the GRE. The GRE is nothing but a test of one's ability to do academic tricks for profit, profit that is accumulated by a massive multinational corporate testing monopoly. Further, I have it on really, really good intel that unless you are in a strict science or mathematical field, the GRE is increasingly being seen by admissions committees as little more than a hoop their applicants have to jump through. I have a low GRE score, but I am cited in the bibliography of one of the professors in the program I am applying to, and I have been published multiple times. What did I get on the writing? Like a 4.5. I think I forgot how to write a 5th grade essay. The short story is: focus on your SOP, your writing/research sample, and your letters. The GRE is a joke against all that, especially if you have a killer GPA, which you do!!!

I'd say that the bulk of assistantships in the arts and humanities are not just merit-based, because so many of them are TA-ships versus RA-ships. They are often looking for applicants who express strong interest in teaching, or indeed have some experience teaching somewhere. Even in Sociology, my chosen PhD field, I don't see a lot of funded research positions, but I see a lot of TA-ships. Geography, my other field I'm applying to, seems to have quite a long list of RAships.

I have heard the same thing. UW even has that on their site, that they send out letters as early as February, but that funding offers are not sent until as late as mid-April. In light of that, they suggest contacting them if you are considering other schools.