Roll Right

I second that. The first semester was a breeze. Nothing compared to my undergrad. Although I took 21 credits and a thesis my final semester....

I was just thinking about the last few questions here, what we study and why, and what would we study if we could do it again. Logically, the next question is how we came to study what we do study? I kind of fell into sociology. I've always been interested in socialism, and while sociology and socialism are not inherently connected, Karl Marx is one of the intellectual giants in sociological cannon. In high school I spent a lot of time reading on it. Originally, I wanted to go into electrical engineering. My math wasn't the best, and I realized I really don't enjoy the physical sciences at all. I just thought the money would be good. So I walked away from engineering and became interested in criminology. My undergrad didn't offer criminology so I majored in sociology, not being sure what sociology was. There was a concentration in crime, law and deviance, so that's where I thought I ought to be. After my first year I realized that everything I was so interested in during my high school years was intimately related to sociology. I became uninterested and a little bitter with criminology, no one listens to criminologists and the criminal justice system is so FUBAR that I couldn't stand to study it. While no one listens to sociologists (almost never), at least I won't feel as though I'm beating my head against a concrete wall. Eventually I became good friends with a professor who studied terrorism and religion (mainly religion). He introduced me to a lot of paranormal studies, which led me to studies of transcendental experiences and phenomenological studies of monks and medicine men. Since then I've become extremely interested in conflict and neo-conflict theories which has led me to study religion from a material perspective. What classes worship what, and how do they express their faith??

I really couldn't tell you. If you're published in academic journals in your undergrad, I don't think you'll have a lot to worry about.

I wouldn't change a damn thing, I'm meant to do this.

LMFAO @ the last bit! How did we all come to study these things?

sociology of religion in conjunction with social stratification and identity formation. why? religion is far from dead, in fact the world may be more religious than it ever has been. besides, I think transcendentalism is extremely fascinating.

I studied capoeira for a while, it was pretty cool. I think Im going to pick up photography.

So, when you're not working on school work (which is probably rare), what do you do to fill the time?

I feel like it's real, but I kind of have to this early. Masters programs are only 2 years. Maybe my PhD will be different. I call some professors by their first name, depends on my relationship with them. The people I work with a lot I refer to by their first names.

Sounds good. Immigration has kind of been pushed into my view lately. I just checked out a photo exhibit, depicting the life of women in Mexico, and how the men of many Mexican villages leave to work in the states. Many of the men stay in the states and start families, leaving their wives behind. Everyone is worried about the status of immigrants in the states, but damn, what about the impact on life in the home countries? With the men leaving, I think we can expect a new generation of women who will dominate the labor force, at least in Mexico. But hell, I'm not well versed in this literature at all, it's just kind of what I extrapolated from what I read about the photos. I'm all about the boring stuff; how material resources can affect how an individual relates to and expresses their culture, and how that ties into their identity.

I got lucky, I found a room to rent with some other people who have two pitt bulls, so I can reap the rewards without any responsibility!

It really depends on what's available. I've developed a new mixed drink (new for me anyway). I call it the USSR- mountain dew code red and vodka. Other than that, energy drinks, green tea, or coffee. I listened to a lot of RATM, especially this semester while writing on postmodernism and marxist philosophies.

yeah we finished about a week ago. No exams, only term papers. We started in August, so we've finished early.

Mmm, teaching is something I'd like to do too. Honestly I'm constantly told to keep that a secret from PhD programs, as they want researchers to pull in cash.

4.0 baby! How'd people fair?

Alright, I applied to like 6 PhD programs. My GRE sucked, so I didn't get into any. I was a great undergrad, magna and all that. Man don't worry. Heres what to do: Apply to a masters program. This is the traditional way of proving yourself to PhD programs through hard work and strong grades. I know that Penn State UNI Park didn't take any recent undergrad graduates for their sociology phd program last year. It's also based on the economy. I ended up at a masters in the south, and shit, I'm happy. PhD next stop. Don't lose hope!

Cats are fine. Dogs are hard.

Grades will probably matter to you, but yes, they don't matter very much when considering employment after a PhD. For those studying in a masters....you wanna pull some heavy grades if you want into a PhD. But shit, who said this was gunna be easy? Its natural to worry, in fact this ought to keep you up at night...it should be something that extends yourself. So keep doing what you're doing. It's gunna be hard.

Well, I'll say this: You've seen what will be asked of you, can you handle it? So you may have gotten a B? Who cares. Pick up the pace. If this is something you're passionate about you'll do well. If you don't want to do this, that will become apparent if it isn't already. Frankly, I think you might as well finish it out. Just keep trucking man, the stress and anxiety is a natural part of life. It lives in you, and you can't escape it. Best to learn how to understand the anxiety. Then you can pacify it and understand its a natural reaction to life stimuli.

Damn, we've got quite a variety!

Hey all, I'm new here, just joined last night. I was wondering, for those entering and already in a graduate sociology program, what is your chosen area of specification? I'm focusing on religion and social strat, as well as identity formation. What are you hoping to do after the degree?

Yeah, I second that opinion. Honestly, grad school is kind of a huge transition. At least it was for me. I ended up moving to the opposite end of the country. It's been interesting, and gets lonely sometimes, but I think every grad student is experiencing that to some degree. It's important to have companionship, but I think it's also important to give yourself time to adjust to the huge change.

I'm not sure you need to worry about finding someone during graduate school. Cohorts are smaller, a lot smaller than undergrad. You're bound to meet and create close bonds with so many people, as you'll be around them almost all the time. If you don't find someone in your program, it's inevitable you'll meet someone through a colleague, especially in a 4 or 5 year PhD program. Besides, this is a period of transition. Don't worry about the small things. Build your life up, you're a grad student.

Typically I'll listen to my entire library on shuffle while writing. I listened to a lot of slayer and atari teenage riot while designing my masters thesis proposal. A lot of rage against the machine while writing on the semiotics of film...so anything that comes on. With my tastes, it's usually aggressive.

Hey, I'm a newbie too, in a sociology MA program in the south. Just moved from the north (in the states), so it's quite a change.