uselesstheory

I sincerely hope you did not complain about "reverse discrimination" in your SOP. That would be truly appalling and I'd reject you without a second thought if I were on an admissions committee.

I also contacted POIs at four schools (half of the schools to which I'm applying), but also wish I had contacted more (at each school), given that I discussed my interest in different faculty members' work in my SOPs. I'm applying to schools all over the place, except for anywhere in the South...and I want to primarily focus on ethnography, gender & sexualities, and theory.

I submitted all of my applications sometime before November 15th (I couldn't bear the sight of them any more, and realized that I would probably do more harm than good if I continued to obsess), but knowing that the due date for one of mine has now actually passed makes me strangely relieved. Except I'll probably be checking my application statuses every day for months and months now...I wonder if submitting early could possibly mean my applications would be read earlier than some (not as an advantage acceptance-wise, but just for hearing back??)

Google CV templates (there is a good site from Columbia that has CV templates for all types of disciplines/jobs/schools and so on). Use the template that best fits your needs and try to see how you can transfer what is in your resume into CV format. If a school asks for a CV, it's best to give them a CV and not a resume, to be safe, but if you use online (and free!) resources, writing a CV won't be hard at all!

Not a problem - luckily, I did all of those things, so now it's just time to wait and see. I will let you know what ends up happening; thank you for your feedback!

In sociology, is wanting to focus on theory (not entirely, but as a substantive area of study) seen as negative by departments? I recently spoke to a graduate student who told me that my interest in theory will either help me because many undergrads don't apply to graduate school with a comprehensive understanding of theory, but that it could hurt if some people on the admissions committee take the side of "theory is dead". I read your CV and feel like you may be able to offer helpful commentary on this. I already submitted my applications, so this is more out of curiosity than for the sake of "getting in".

One of the questions asked in Chicago's supplement is to outline/describe/propose an independent research project that you could undertake as a graduate student, using citations and explaining possible outcomes and contributions. My writing sample for Chicago is a research proposal that does all of those things, and given that the application's supplement also asks for a brief description of the writing sample (almost like an abstract), should I come up with another research idea? Or would it be okay to simply state that my writing sample addresses this (I can explain a little more)?

Thank you! These answers are very helpful. I hope this doesn't apply to writing sample page length as well, though, regarding single spacing

So I requested my transcripts for mailing to departments today (and one for me to scan and upload), but for one of them that was mailed, I accidentally wrote that I was going to be done at my UG institution in Fall 2015 instead of Spring... The website just asked for an estimation of my time spent in UG there, and I don't even have any information/courses/grades for my last semester, let alone Spring 2015, when I won't be there - will the registrar's office just put my information from my time so far? Will my mistake not matter/be fixed? If anyone has experience with this, help me out!

I'm currently working on my SOPs for eight different departments, and some have more specific instructions than others. When a school tells me they want 300-500 words, I obviously will make sure it is between those two extremes provided, and if another school says the SOP should be less than 1000 words, I will make it less than 1000. However, when guidelines are more vague, is it okay to err on the side of being slightly lengthy? One department to which I'm applying asked for 1-2 pages single spaced, so my SOP will be almost 2 pages (1000 words or a bit less). If other departments ask for a two page SOP without specifying any spacing requirements, does this imply a less-strict enforcement of length? Or should I ensure that the maximum length for these would be two pages, double spaced? If I need to keep it shorter than I'd like, I will probably detail most of my research experience in my CV to save room, though I don't want to (since the SOP is so centrally important).

I second cedarmusings...I had emailed one professor already, but mostly because an advisor at my school encouraged me (I really want to work with the person I emailed, but I was unsure if emailing was a good idea), but after reading this thread today, I finally emailed three potential faculty members I really want to work with. My mentors gave me very contradictory advice, which was what prevented me from communicating with anyone. Is it really expected though? That's kind of terrifying.

@cheff: I'm (considering, for some departments) using a project proposal as my writing sample. I feel like attempting that in a SOP would be difficult, but it's possible! I have been told to err on the general side by some people, but others have said to be quite specific with my interests, which led to the ultimate answer of "the risks/benefits of being that specific vary by department and it's almost impossible to know which departments prefer which approach". I'd say going to the point of discussing connections to a lab may be interpreted as too rigidly fixed on one specific project, but again, that depends on where you are applying. @strategicallyessential: thank you - definitely. That sounds very similar to what I'm doing, sans "post graduation" part. In a way, I feel like the "personal story hook" thing must get annoying for adcomm people after a while and I don't think there's anything wrong with emphasizing research experience and interests, as long as a true passion for sociology is obviously conveyed. That's what I'm hoping, at least. All of my interesting personal stories are too controversial/personal to go into a SOP and the bland ones are...bland.

I have spoken to professors, PhD candidates, first and second year graduate students, advisors, department chairs...everyone that I know and all most all of the advice contradicts that of the others. I thought that soliciting advice from people with experience would help my anxiety about this process but it has only emphasized the role of chance, luck, and uncertainty. I think knowing that I can't predict the future has helped, because now, I just have to do my best work on every part of the application and hope for the best, which will hopefully make me feel less at fault if I am not successful, but I can't believe how contradictory the advice I have received was.

Does it matter if I haven't published anything (I'm an undergrad)? I'm working on something (actually more than one) for publication, but I am concerned that trying to publish soon will compromise the quality of my work; however, there is work that I have done that I can submit to undergraduate journals (pretty highly regarded ones in sociology and philosophy). I don't want to just publish something to look good on my CV, and I'd rather continue to work on my one main research project/possible publication until it is ready to be submitted, so I'm conflicted. Are well-known undergraduate journals a good place to start? I want to show that I have a good command of methodology and am very capable of high-quality work in my subfield, basically.

I'm worried I'm going to go too far to the solely academic extreme with mine - very straightforward, solely about research interests, faculty interest, what I want to pursue and why...and so on. That's my first inclination as to what seems appropriate, especially with length constraints, and I sort of assumed there was no need for personal reasons/background unless there were necessary issues to explain, but now I'm reading some examples and they sound a bit more "literary", if that makes sense. The only school to which I'm applying that requires both an academic SOP and a personal statement is UMich, and I see the obvious difference in topic and writing perspective, but I assumed that for schools only asking for an academic SOP, a strictly academic approach is fine. Am I wrong to assume? Or am I confusing myself when it's actually very simple?

@elindy: I'm wondering the same thing about Columbia and being able to send two papers/if submitting a paper that's 14 pages instead of 15 would automatically get my application thrown out. If you find out, please let me know!

The most important thing is actually wanting to spend 6-7 years working on your research, publishing, and teaching in a department with an atmosphere in which you will thrive with an advisor with whom you truly want to work. Try to ignore the existence of rank, prestige, and what your one professor said and think about what you enjoy and what fascinates you. What would make you happy in graduate school and beyond? If you don't know how to answer those questions, continue researching, reading, and narrowing your own thought process until you can see the meaning behind your intended work as primary and rank (as it applies to the job market and working with top faculty) as the foundation for your own path in the field. Nothing is guaranteed; give it your best shot, and try to relax about standardized and typical measures that will be part of your application. There is much more to "getting in" than that, and overemphasizing prestige and "chances" and possible connections - essentially, what only proves important until you are actually admitted - rather than your actual abilities, may annoy a lot of people on admissions committees, especially if you aren't a good fit. Also: talk to graduate students in the department as well! Some of your professors probably had a much different experience than the grad students given different ages/when they applied. Some of the best advice I have received has been from grad students. Last edit: Taking "a bunch of soc classes" to...look better? makes no sense to me. If that is your only reason for wanting to take more courses in sociology when you are ​applying to a sociology PhD program, then you need to reexamine your motives. I know you want to teach, and so do I, and that is fantastic, but think about what you're saying: by minimizing the importance of those courses and not focusing on the knowledge you may gain from them that will benefit you intellectually and academically, not just on paper, you are sending a strong message that you would be, more or less, ignoring the value of the instruction. I reiterate: do not apply to graduate school if you think that getting in automatically implies your future success as a given.

@DDsoc: Would Cornell be too far away for you? You sound like you would probably be a good fit there; there is a pretty considerable quantitative lean from what I've seen.

I am familiar with a faculty member at a <50 ranked university/program in sociology who has done considerable work on Foucault (as well as other theorists, but Foucault is definitely a main focus).

I was thinking about applying to Pittsburgh, but then learned that their funding is (apparently) terrible and definitely not guaranteed for anyone. Also, @cultsoc, thank you for the advice. A few graduate students I know in the field also gave me similar feedback, so knowing the basics of email etiquette in this situation is very helpful. There have been mixed comments as to the necessity of emailing faculty, so I suppose I'm just wondering if it is helpful in any way if I do not have a specific and pressing need to ask a question.

Thank you - good point, and that would be extremely helpful and much appreciated. I can explain specifics regarding any schools or elaborate beyond this basic info if that helps at all. I intend to apply to CU Boulder, University of Michigan, Indiana University, Columbia, University of Oregon, NYU, Brown, CUNY, and UChicago. I've been editing this list for a while, but at this point, it's still preliminary and I am in the process of researching possible faculty I'd like to work with in greater depth. I have been wondering how to approach people through email about my interest in their work as far as what is appropriate or necessary to include, though admittedly, I just need to stop procrastinating and start contacting people of interest. I'm choosing schools/departments based on funding availability (at least on what I can find, information-wise, though I will contact departments) and research/interest fit. As I said earlier, I want to avoid a quant-focused department, especially considering my low quant GRE score. I'm also still trying to figure out if I even have a shot at admission...

I'm most interested in gender and sexuality, medical sociology, urban sociology, and theory. Somehow I will narrow that down or find a way to integrate my interests (hopefully).

Unless you are applying to quant-focused programs (and I'm assuming you're not), you do not have to worry about your GRE score. I'd definitely place my focus on the other parts of my application instead of retaking or worrying about the GRE. You did very well.

Edit: I meant to say qualitative, not quantitative. I tend to avoid all things involving math like the plague.

I took the GRE today - my unofficial score was V: 165 Q: 156, which was a bit disappointing because I was getting higher practice scores on quant than I got. I will have around a 3.85 average overall and around a 4.0 in my sociology major by the time I will graduate and have research and graduate course experience (I am an undergrad), and a possible publication, at least under review. I do not know what to expect for my writing score, but I'm expecting to have done well - should I be concerned about my quant score, if I intend to do quantitative/ethnographic research and/or theory? My brain is a bit fried tonight (my apologies). Also, somewhat of a side question/comment, but I have a friend who insists that one's score increases when it released as an official score vs. an unofficial score, and my research on this has given me mixed results. Can anyone comment on this?