Frank Knight

Hello ya'll,
I last posted here nearly a decade ago when I was applying to graduate school. I am now on the other side of things as an Assistant Professor.
Something I have been giving a lot of thought to recently is how to better recruit students, especially from traditionally underserved populations. My sense from reading applications is that a handful of undergraduates get a lot of feedback on where and how to apply, and a lot of applicants are wandering around in the dark. 
Some of my colleagues run informational camps to provide interested undergraduates information on graduate school, but I suspect they tend to recruit students who are already receiving feedback from other sources. Out of curiosity how many of you attended such a camp prior to applying to graduate school? Even if you didn't attend one, were you aware that they existed? Off the top of my head, I know USC, Michigan and WashU St Louis all run some type of informational camp for prospective students.
Were did ya'll receive information about graduate school before applying? Did you talk to one of your undergraduate professors? 

Riverside is cheap in my opinion. Mind you, I'm from the urban core of Los Angeles so I have a skewed perception of what's affordable; I pay $1,600 in LA for rent. Rents in Riverside are $300-500 depending on whether you get a room mate or live alone. UCR students can ride the transit system for free, so transportation costs are low. UC tuition includes health coverage, so that's another cost you wouldn't have to worry about. I suspect you could survive on $600-700 monthly if you lived frugally. Getting a car, going out to drink, etc. etc. would obviously increase your costs but that'd be on you to budget.
If you're considering between UCR or Claremont I'd recommend the former. The ranking is about the same and they're both close to one another physically. However Claremont has a reputation for being stingy on graduate funding. Which I find weird since they're a private university. Plus attending UCR gives you access to the resources of the UC system, including inter-library loans and potentially taking courses at other campuses later on. I'd only recommend Claremont if you feel your fit there is better than at UCR. 
Here are their respective placement records: UCR, Claremont

I believe you have an offer from Kentucky as well no? Admittedly I know little about Kentucky, so I can't help in comparing it to UCR/Claremont. 

Riverside is cheap in my opinion. Mind you, I'm from the urban core of Los Angeles so I have a skewed perception of what's affordable; I pay $1,600 in LA for rent. Rents in Riverside are $300-500 depending on whether you get a room mate or live alone. UCR students can ride the transit system for free, so transportation costs are low. UC tuition includes health coverage, so that's another cost you wouldn't have to worry about. I suspect you could survive on $600-700 monthly if you lived frugally. Getting a car, going out to drink, etc. etc. would obviously increase your costs but that'd be on you to budget.
If you're considering between UCR or Claremont I'd recommend the former. The ranking is about the same and they're both close to one another physically. However Claremont has a reputation for being stingy on graduate funding. Which I find weird since they're a private university. Plus attending UCR gives you access to the resources of the UC system, including inter-library loans and potentially taking courses at other campuses later on. I'd only recommend Claremont if you feel your fit there is better than at UCR. 
Here are their respective placement records: UCR, Claremont

I believe you have an offer from Kentucky as well no? Admittedly I know little about Kentucky, so I can't help in comparing it to UCR/Claremont. 

Even so, I would urge caution. I have seen several well qualified friends apply to PhD programs and underestimate how brutal the competition is. 
Anyway. I have a similar background to yourself. I have a BA in Economics and will be finishing a terminal MA degree in the field this year. I intend to try to make the switch over to sociology for my PhD though. I too am concerned whether my academic background will be a hindrance. What I'm heavily relying on is the writing sample. I figure that the writing sample is the best shot I have to prove that I both that I have read the sociology literature and that my economics training is applicable across disciplines. 
I'm applying mainly to the UCs myself.