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uselesstheory

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  1. Downvote
    uselesstheory reacted to kameldinho in Fall 2016 Application Cycle: Conversation/Question/Discussion Thread   
    I'm surprised its been 24hrs and no one has commented on this. I said the same exact thing in another thread and was downvoted, ridiculed and eventually blocked from viewing/commenting on that thread. Maybe I need to create a sockpuppet called faculty and post from that account? The sad thing is that I do get my info from a very credible source but whenever I mention any of the harsh truths of what goes on behind close doors I get attacked because I'm crushing the idealistic notions people here have that sociology (and the academia in general) is this ultra inclusive place with a reward scheme that is meritocratic and favors diversity.
  2. Upvote
    uselesstheory got a reaction from socspice in Good masters programs to apply to?   
    SUNY Buffalo would be a decent fit for your interests, is somewhat city-like, and offers the possibility of funding/scholarships for MA students. However, I'd guess that PhD students receive most funding and most opportunities, given that it is an R1 school. It's also not very highly ranked, but it would be a decent back up. 
  3. Upvote
    uselesstheory got a reaction from Neuronista in Buffalo, NY   
    hi -- i've lived in buffalo my whole life so if you have any questions, feel free to ask me things. i have not personally rented, but i have many, many friends who have.
     
    re: the amherst vs. elmwood village discussion: amherst is not very full of life and is quite suburban; you would need a car, but not to get to campus (more to get around the city and to do things, more generally, but you would be much closer to campus). the elmwood village has a lot to do, a lot of culture, activities, young people, events, etc. but is not close to campus. however, if you have a car, it's not far at all, though if you only have street parking, it will be a nightmare in the winter. the elmwood village is also getting a lot more expensive, both with regard to housing and food/entertainment (etc.), while amherst is actually pretty stable, and certain areas right outside amherst that are still safe will be much cheaper. there is a bus system, but it's not that great, and if you want to use the university bus system, you really need to live right around either campus or along the bus routes (google and you can find them).
     
    PM me for any information. i am basically a buffalo expert, and i want to help!
  4. Upvote
    uselesstheory got a reaction from scarvesandcardigans in Venting Thread- Vent about anything.   
    the fact that i am still on this website after accepting a funded phd offer
    like i thought i could quit this place, but it is like an addiction
    probably because everyone on here can understand aspects of my experience that most people in my real life can't, to an extent, but i was anticipating being "free" and alas, i remain
     
    also, why am i still smoking cigarettes after i quit smoking cigarettes? but i don't smoke them like i did before (chain smoking) and it's just sort of once a day but it makes me angry with myself and i don't understand my own vices...
  5. Upvote
    uselesstheory got a reaction from landshark in popular things you hate   
    SECONDING K-CUPS. I think Keurig coffee is really watery (I like extremely strong coffee) and the individual cups are just wasteful. I like to be able to brew excessive amounts of coffee at once and do not have the patience to brew one cup at a time...plus "normal" coffee is cheaper and that's always a good thing
  6. Upvote
    uselesstheory got a reaction from qeta in Fall 2015 Acceptances (and Rejections) Thread   
    i am so sorry you're in this situation; words are not adequate and they make me sound disingenuous. you are not incompetent, and as others said, it is a crapshoot. there are also real factors at play, factors that value certain interests and devalue others, and i get the sense that departments have a strange aversion to 'political' and 'radical' interests. i certainly think navigating that problem has been a significant barrier for me personally, and that says a lot about the field: perhaps a field that is unwilling to help a scholar who comes from a marxist and perhaps radical perspective is a field that needs to be questioned, that needs critical examination. i'm being vague, but what i'm trying to say is that the rejections show more about academic sociology than they do about you, and while i know that is no consolation, i hope it will help you consider that you are intelligent and determined and full of worth, and maybe it is academia that needs to be rejected rather than do the rejecting....
  7. Upvote
    uselesstheory got a reaction from hgp in Reputation VS Ranking   
    From what I know, top tier is either T5 or T20, depending on the person to whom you are speaking. That in itself speaks to the ambiguity surrounding ranking departments and institutions. For example, US News ranks Indiana-Bloomington #2 for social psych, though the ranking system posted above lists it at 11. There is definitely a lot of ambiguity when it comes to the top 20; different systems of ranking programs seem to shuffle T20 programs around depending on strange variables. However, outside the top schools, I get the sense that rankings stabilize and are more predictable. Correct me if I am wrong or making vast generalizations (I know in some rankings, Oregon has a pretty decent standing, whereas in others, it is completely ignored...).
     
    My main sense is that rankings can give us vague ideas of the prestige and strength of programs, but are largely subjective and lack any "scientific" validity regarding specific distinctions between, say, 10 and 12 and 15.
  8. Upvote
    uselesstheory got a reaction from MaxWeberHasAPosse in Fall 2015 Acceptances (and Rejections) Thread   
    i am so sorry you're in this situation; words are not adequate and they make me sound disingenuous. you are not incompetent, and as others said, it is a crapshoot. there are also real factors at play, factors that value certain interests and devalue others, and i get the sense that departments have a strange aversion to 'political' and 'radical' interests. i certainly think navigating that problem has been a significant barrier for me personally, and that says a lot about the field: perhaps a field that is unwilling to help a scholar who comes from a marxist and perhaps radical perspective is a field that needs to be questioned, that needs critical examination. i'm being vague, but what i'm trying to say is that the rejections show more about academic sociology than they do about you, and while i know that is no consolation, i hope it will help you consider that you are intelligent and determined and full of worth, and maybe it is academia that needs to be rejected rather than do the rejecting....
  9. Upvote
    uselesstheory got a reaction from sociologygrad in Fall 2015 Acceptances (and Rejections) Thread   
    i am so sorry you're in this situation; words are not adequate and they make me sound disingenuous. you are not incompetent, and as others said, it is a crapshoot. there are also real factors at play, factors that value certain interests and devalue others, and i get the sense that departments have a strange aversion to 'political' and 'radical' interests. i certainly think navigating that problem has been a significant barrier for me personally, and that says a lot about the field: perhaps a field that is unwilling to help a scholar who comes from a marxist and perhaps radical perspective is a field that needs to be questioned, that needs critical examination. i'm being vague, but what i'm trying to say is that the rejections show more about academic sociology than they do about you, and while i know that is no consolation, i hope it will help you consider that you are intelligent and determined and full of worth, and maybe it is academia that needs to be rejected rather than do the rejecting....
  10. Upvote
    uselesstheory reacted to rlb in Fall 2015 Acceptances (and Rejections) Thread   
    Finally got into Brandeis!! Was on wait list for about a month. So happy! I will definitely be accepting!
  11. Upvote
    uselesstheory reacted to Darth.Vegan in What is your plan for summer 2015?   
    The first year is really intense. My advice? Just enjoy your summer people!!!!!!
  12. Upvote
    uselesstheory reacted to uselesstheory in Columbia MA in sociology: encouraging responses only please   
    This was unnecessary.
  13. Downvote
    uselesstheory got a reaction from throwaway123456789 in Columbia MA in sociology: encouraging responses only please   
    This was unnecessary.
  14. Upvote
    uselesstheory got a reaction from .letmeinplz// in popular things you hate   
    now the obsession over apple products is basically either mere commodity fetishism or because apple users are accustomed to using apple products (making a switch to other operating systems more difficult)
  15. Downvote
    uselesstheory reacted to Vene in Gender discrimination as a TA/student attendance   
    Speaking in generalities here:
     
    When a male student flirts with a female TA, he's doing it because he is attracted to her. She is an object of his desire. Emphasis on her being an object.
     
    When a female student flirts with a male TA, it's because he's in a position of authority and she wants favor. It is not because she desires him, instead she is trying to use her body as currency.
     
    There is a world of difference between these two events.
  16. Upvote
    uselesstheory reacted to victorydance in Full-time work while PhD. student   
    Yeah, but let's be serious here...no one actually reads every page that is assigned in their courses. 
  17. Upvote
    uselesstheory reacted to hillary511 in Fall 2015 Official Decisions Thread   
    I am fairly certain I am going to CU Boulder.
  18. Upvote
    uselesstheory got a reaction from HashtagKitKat in Stupid things you've overhead other students say....   
    "wait, but isn't society biological? like social norms are based on biology right?"
  19. Upvote
    uselesstheory reacted to seekingsun in Reputation VS Ranking   
    Top tier is usually considered (alphabetically) Berkeley, Chicago, Harvard, Michigan, Wisconsin.  There is a gap between that crowd and the next 10-15 or so (e.g. alpha) Duke, Indiana, UCLA, U-North Carolina, Princeton, Stanford, Yale.  That then a pretty big gap to the next set of schools.  On the margins there is plenty to argue about (i.e. should Stanford be considered in the top tier?  Does Texas fit in the next round, or the level below?)  Of course, then within specialties everything gets mixed up again.  The top 5 generally have strengths across the board, the next group will be pretty well rounted but may be more quant vs qual focused, etc.  All of the schools I listed train their students well and place them in good jobs.
     
    At that point you'll want to be thinking about what faculty and students you click with.  Does this school seem to have a collaborative culture, or a competitive one?  Is there more than one mentor that you can envision working with?  You want to avoid going to a place where there is just one faculty member in the area - what if you decide they are a jerk?  or over committed?  or if they leave to go to another school.  What if you decide that you don't want an academic job - is this a program that will be accepting of such a decision and help you think through the possibilities?  Some places those conversations are very welcome and encouraged, others if you aren't interested in an R1 job then you are on your own. 
     
    I've never heard of the Gourman rankings, but they appear to be extremely out of date and just plain weird...
  20. Upvote
    uselesstheory got a reaction from TheMercySeat in Venting Thread- Vent about anything.   
    really cruel, heartless, somewhat sociopathic individuals who have been able to climb the ladder(s) of academia popping up everywhere in my life that remind me of all the reasons i should run as fast as i can from an academic career
     
    that is what i need to vent about. i get excited about a program but then have to realize that academia is not just this static 'thing', but in its very nature, an interconnected, tangled web of individual and departmental networks that invariably leave me connected to the very people i was so excited to flee...
     
    so we have to 'play the game' forever? and by that, i mean tolerate people, watch your back, 'publish or perish' etc.?
    i know this is the reality of academia, and that there are always concessions one must make, but it would be nice to be able to walk away from certain people (or even types of people or specific departments) as i go forth into this thing called 'my future'
  21. Upvote
    uselesstheory got a reaction from Shamrock_Frog in popular things you hate   
    THE IPHONE
     
    I have one, but god, is it an overrated commodity...
  22. Upvote
    uselesstheory got a reaction from smg in popular things you hate   
    THE IPHONE
     
    I have one, but god, is it an overrated commodity...
  23. Upvote
    uselesstheory got a reaction from aly198 in Fall 2015 Acceptances (and Rejections) Thread   
    Did anyone on the CUNY wait list happen to get an email about the visit day that congratulated them on their acceptance...?
  24. Upvote
    uselesstheory got a reaction from rlb in Fall 2015 Official Decisions Thread   
    I accepted my offer at Indiana - Bloomington.
     
    I am very, very excited to be going to this awesome program!
  25. Upvote
    uselesstheory reacted to Darth.Vegan in After admissions - responding to professors who reach out   
    Key questions: Job placement, whether faculty go out of their way to incorporate students into their work and research funding opportunities. The worst thing is when people get lost in a program. 
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