jujubea

I don't know that it matters. I loved my master's cohort, but I hadn't met any of them before I began, and we were a mixed cohort of incoming MA and PhD students. I actually got along better with the PhD students, some of whom I still talk to. The year I started my PhD, I was in a cohort of 16. I became friends with... 4 of those people, and then made friends from a few other cohorts. I actively disliked being around about half of my cohort, even when we were all in the coursework phase. We just did not get along inside or outside the classroom but that doesn't mean they're terrible people. At the PhD level, I tended to stick with friends who did research in similar areas and/or were on my approximate timeline (seriously, all my PhD friends and I graduated within the same 9 month period, though we began at different times). 
 
All that said, I don't know how much value I'd put in to getting along with the potential cohort. It is definitely less important than the advisor, funding, available committee members, opportunities to publish, etc. 

I agree with everything that has been said so far - the most important thing is that there is SOMEBODY there that you click with and that person doesn't necessarily have to be in your cohort. Having said that, I would still be reluctant to go with this school:
 
 
It just doesn't sound comfortable... and while doing my MA my cohort was very diverse and I was grateful for that because I felt that this difference in experience and also our age difference (between 20 and early 30s) really benefited our work in terms of knowledge, experience and perspectives. So just like you I do value variety...
 
In the end, however, I do agree with others who have spoken up in that it is difficult to know others from meeting up just once so there may some very pleasant surprises there. As you can see - it's all relative and you probably wont know until you're there.

OMGosh yes! My two closest friends from my PhD program are people that, at first glance, I never would've liked. In fact, I found one of them rather annoying for the first couple of weeks in the program but then we had a cohort dinner, I got to know them, and we just clicked. So much so that that person is someone I exchange emails with regularly now, years after we first met. But initially? I found them kinda annoying and abrasive, including at our departmental orientation events. At the same time, people I got along with at the orientation became those cohort members I never talked to even though initially it seemed like we had a lot in common (research interests, age, personal background).

You guys have so much helpful knowledge and wisdom. Thank you for sharing!

I will be 28, when I start my Masters! 6 years after finishing my undergrad...I don't regret the work and experiences thus far, I do think it helped bolster my application...But I still can't believe it's been this long.

Few ideas here:
 
1. It's not that you aren't qualified to be an administrative assistant, it's that you're overqualified. People do not want to hire clearly overqualified candidates because they know that person is just waiting around for something better. They'd rather invest in someone long-term.
 
2. It's best to do something even tangentially related to what you want to be doing. Otherwise you're kind of going backwards. Retail's not a good idea, unless with your crim justice degree you're thinking about becoming a loss prevention officer or coordinator or manager or something. Since you're taking lowest-level jobs anyways, why not go work low-level in a social organization of some kind? A non-profit that works on reducing recidivism, or that works with those already imprisoned to help them prepare for life after jail? Such places would take you on as an administrative assistant, because they know you want to be in their field.
 
3. If you can't work somewhere even remotely related, or even if you can, you might also try volunteering somewhere related. For example, there is a nationwide network of organizations that do something called victim-offender reconciliation. Why not become a volunteer mediator there? Or volunteering for a juvenile offender program as a tutor or mentor? Or try interning at a PD instead of becoming a PO. You can also look at the Sheriff's Office not just the PD, and you can also look at the PD training facilities. 
 
4. Reach out to someone in the field who is doing what you want to do. Perhaps that's a Deputy in the field; perhaps that's a researcher profiling criminals; whatever it is, take the time to craft a well thought e-mail and reach out to someone letting them know you're looking for a mentor or at least some short-term guidance.
 
5. Have you thought about going overseas for work? What about being a research at an overseas university? Many countries are developing their police department and security services to come up to higher standards. I'm sure they can use some of your help and expertise. 
 
What do you want to be doing?
What are some of your dream jobs?

I think it's a risk for you to even be posting as much as you just have.... You're also inviting some nefariousness a little bit...

In any case, if their relationship with you is relevant to the program you're applying to then great. Plenty of side-flippers end up doing great things (both ways). It seems shortsighted to not consider that.

If you think about it, it's kind of like someone who used to break into cars, but not necessarily steal them, who now works for Tesla to help make their cars more secure. (In that way it's not so much about reform as it is a redirection of skills.)

If you're wanting to go into a similar field, then it seems he/she'd be a great reference.

I don't even know what the fuck you are talking about at this point. 

Caution to OP, ^ this is an extreme over-generalization. Turning down an opportunity because of you believe you'll be affected by "venomous tarantulas, giant centipedes, rattle snakes, and scorpions" is idiotic. 

Choice in school matters; the reputation of your program still matters a lot in academic hiring.  So does who you work with.  You want to work with a PI who has some name recognition in the field and/or a large network of people, because his network becomes your network.  The best advisors deploy their networks in support of their students and trainees - it could be as simple as you're applying for a job at Awesome University and your PI went to grad school with one of the SC members at Awesome U, so the SC member calls him up and has a chat about you.  That doesn't mean you have to pick the most famous name in the field, but well-known and well-respected faculty members are a definite plus.
 
But to me, "good" program means somewhere in the top 20-30ish; once you're in there, I think it's more about where you would flourish.  You might want to take a peek at the faculty at the kinds of institutions at which you'd want to work and see what kinds of programs at which they earned their PhDs.  Obviously if you want to be somewhere like MIT or Stanford, you need to go somewhere like MIT or Stanford.  But the requirements may not be so stringent if you would rather end up at a mid-ranked public university or a small teaching college.
 
Being able to come up with research problems to solve is a process, and that's what graduate school is all about - so don't worry about that.  It develops as you go through the doctoral program.  I was also worried about that in undergrad, but by the time I was finished with my PhD I was bursting with ideas, and now in my postdoc I am formulating ways to address those research questions and writing grants in my head for them.  That's what the purpose of the doctoral degree is - to help turn you from a consumer and assistant in research to the one in control of your own research.
 
I think the earlier you can pin down what kind of research you want to do, the better, but you don't have to know right away.  I spent the first year-ish of grad school interested in something quite different than what I eventually ended up doing; and the direction of my research is changing a little bit in my postdoc, too.  So I would spend some time in the first year of your grad program reading in some fields in which you are interested and getting some RA experience in those kinds of labs to see what you like.  Also, the earlier you pick something, the better, because you can start gearing your seminar papers to help you write your dissertation.  I had my area chosen by the end of my first year and the rough idea of what I would do my dissertation on by my second/early third.  So I geared all of my seminar papers and my comprehensive exam topics towards my research area.  It was great because I did less work on the seminar papers - I didn't have to reinvent the wheel each time - and ALSO because I was able to go back and mine those papers/exams for references and ideas when I was writing the dissertation.
 
Networking: So a lot of people envision networking as something purposeful that you do, that there's some spiel or special pitch or preparation you have to have for it.  Nah, not really - networking is simply getting to know people in your field that you like and who like you, and then doing something with those people.  Networking in your department means showing up at departmental colloquia, going to the informal gatherings and events, and chatting people up.  Then follow up on those chats, if you want to - reach out to people and see if they want to collaborate on a project or paper, or get coffee, or talk to you about a concept.
 
Networking at conferences is just a larger version of the same thing.  Lots of conferences are known for being great places for grad students and emerging scholars, so look up which ones those are and attend them.  Some of them have speed mentoring sessions or lunches with prominent people in the field or other kinds of events tailored to help young folks out.  Those things sell out early in my field, so register early and sign up for them.  (One minor thing I would've told my past self to do is get a credit card with a small limit, and use it solely for conferences.  Even if your stipend has a travel fund a lot of times they reimburse you, so you still have to have access to large chunks of money to pay conference registration fees and for flights and airfare.)  Also don't be afraid to walk up to scholars in your field after symposium sessions or talks to introduce yourself and ask a question or have a chat.  I met a lot of prominent people at conferences doing that.  I chased down people in poster sessions who did jobs I wanted to do and asked them about them, lol.  Get some business cards!  People will often ask for your card.  The university usually sells them discounted to students, so wait until you get on campus and have an address and phone and stuff, and then order some and bring them to conferences.
 
Other than agreeing with what rising_star and TakeruK have already said, I am going to say something that might sound counterproductive: don't teach too much.  I say it because you said you loved teaching.  I love teaching, too, and so my inclination was to try to get as much teaching experience as possible.  Teaching, however, is undervalued compared to research experience - and at most top schools, a person with better research experience and low amounts of teaching experience (but decent evaluations) probably has better shot at the job than a person with lots of teaching experience and low research output.  So you want to get some experience, but not too much.  TA for a couple of classes and then, if you can, try to teach at least one class as an instructor - maybe over the summer.  (That is something I wish I did differently - I have TA and co-instructor experience but not quite instructor of record in the traditional sense.)  Many elite universities offer graduate students the opportunity to teach classes in the department over the summer; there's also the option of teaching at a nearby community college or other four-year that doesn't have graduate students and/or needs adjuncts.  Everybody needs adjuncts.  But just do it once or twice - after that, it has diminishing returns, and teaching is SO SO time intensive.  You need the time to work on your research and get publications.
 
Last thought - one thing I did in grad school was go to the faculty pages of departments in which I'd like to work.  Then I looked at the CVs of people in my field, and saw what they had done before they got hired to the department.  It was nice because I got a rough idea of both the average and the range of things that people did to be competitive, but it was also a big relief - because I found that the reality is that most people did less than what most graduate students expected they needed to do in order to get hired, even at big places.  This is how I found out that I was relatively competitive for even top places in terms of research, and why I'm finally kind of serene about my job prospects when I go on the market this fall (OHMYGOD).

Lol. I tried to tell my partner that bit about worry being like rocking chairs, cuz he worries way more than I do.
 
He said, "But they're so comfortable.."

Holy cow!
That benschmidt link FuzzyLogician posted is paradigm-altering!

What a cool study!

(And sad...)

You could buy them a sweater from where you are planning to go I guess.
 
I was planning on just disappearing and 4 years later returning with a degree.

Ask people about whether other students or faculty have children, then whether they're remotely similar ages as yours (this tells you who to pry for better info). Find those people, and ask where their kids go to school and why. Ask where they live and why in terms of benefits for the kids (playgrounds, parks, other kids in the neighborhood, safety, community activities). Ask how the school system works - is it open district or closed? Is it hard to get into better public schools and why?  How are the public schools? Private? Charter?  Is there any understanding or flexibility in terms of child emergencies, picking kids up from school in the middle of the day to take them home or do other things. Don't ask this question directly of faculty because they may interpret it as you not being committed to the program. Figure it out. Talk to select existing grad students with kids. Depending on the age of your children, ask about childcare facilities on or near campus, their costs, resources, quality, etc. Depending on your housing intentions (rent a house, rent apartment/condo, buy a house, buy apartment/condo), ask how hard it is to find places with the right amount of bedrooms. Ask if people ever bring their kids to department events/parties/celebrations, or if that's frowned upon or welcomed.

These are some things I learned from my visits that were extraordinarily helpful:
 
Look into the lives of the current cohort. Hang out with them if you can and see if you'd actually enjoy working and studying with them for 5-7 years. I didn't get to do this at one school and I really regret it. See what kind of study and work space they are given. Is it controlled access? Are you given a workstation (computer) or do you bring your own? Find out what their work-life balance is like; what they do and don't like about the program. Sit in on a class or two if you can. What is the atmosphere like? Serious? Fun? Casual? Professional? How do you fit in? What is cost of living and how are students getting by? Do most students commute, bike, walk, what? Why? Are classes all over the place or right next to each other? Any issues with getting into the classes they need? Accessing the people they need to? What are their relationships like with their supervisors? What is the building like that everyone is in every day? Are there windows? Does that matter to you? Is it loud or quiet? Hard to get to? Smelly? Flare up your allergies? Talk to as many professors as you can, including non POI's. What are they like? Are they happy are they disgruntled? What about? Do they have research constraints? (Meaning, are they able and allowed to study/research what they'd like to?) How many students do they advise each semester? What are their course-loads like? Are research assistantships ever available in addition to TA-ships? (Or vice versa?). What do people do during the summer? Both faculty, staff, and students? Is there funding available? Research opportunities? Are you expected to be working? On what? Where? How? What are library hours? What unique resources are there? How far is it from your department's building? Do you care?  Do the professors have any recommendations for what area to live in? And why?  
What is transportation like, as relevant to your situation, whether that's public, biking, walking, or private vehicle. Parking. Safety if on foot or biking. Bus routes and times. What are food options like near campus? How about grocery stores in the area? Do you need a Trader Joe's or Natural Grocers nearby? How about a farmer's market?  And food facilities in the department - is there somewhere you can keep your lunch that needs to be refrigerated? Microwave available for everyone's use? Extracurricular
Do they have the kind of yoga/rock climbing/martial arts/book club/game club/other hobby or interest groups at the school or in the area?
What is the environment like? Weather? Terrain? 
Do you have access to the types of places you like to go, whether that's clubs, bookstores, cafes, music venues, sports venues, good bakeries or restaurants? 
Walk around the campus neighborhood, then walk around a neighborhood you might live in. How do you like the feel of each place? What's around? What are the local people like?
 
 
....if you're bringing family, I can give you a whole other list of things to ask and explore

I once slammed into the back of a parked car, when no one was around.
I wrote them a note and gave them all my details.
Turned out to be a rental car so it would've been covered even if I hadn't left a note!
 
Years later I witnessed a hit-and-run..... and decided to chase the jerk myself while on the phone with 911. Not my smartest moment, no, but it sure felt good to do the right thing!

Thank you, right?

Top 20 is top 20 is top 20.

I'm looking at a school that, IF ranked, hits well past 125th. But 45 in my field. But tons of excellent faculty fit. And sometimes ranked top 3 in my sub sub field. But people in my field sometimes don't even know it exists. Seriously.

Vs. a school ranked at 40 overall, and top 10 in my field, but not even ranked in my sub field. But with tons of faculty I am interested in.

Vs. a school ranked 100ish overall, 80 in my field, but top 10 in sub field. With only two or three faculty.

Now that's a spread!

I once slammed into the back of a parked car, when no one was around.
I wrote them a note and gave them all my details.
Turned out to be a rental car so it would've been covered even if I hadn't left a note!
 
Years later I witnessed a hit-and-run..... and decided to chase the jerk myself while on the phone with 911. Not my smartest moment, no, but it sure felt good to do the right thing!

Lol. I tried to tell my partner that bit about worry being like rocking chairs, cuz he worries way more than I do.
 
He said, "But they're so comfortable.."

I once slammed into the back of a parked car, when no one was around.
I wrote them a note and gave them all my details.
Turned out to be a rental car so it would've been covered even if I hadn't left a note!
 
Years later I witnessed a hit-and-run..... and decided to chase the jerk myself while on the phone with 911. Not my smartest moment, no, but it sure felt good to do the right thing!

Yay! Congratulations!

if (accepted)
    if (funded)
        attend;
else
    cry;

Since I transferred, I was at UCSB for two years so I honestly cannot give any observation about lower-division general classes, but I think there is a good opportunity for the introductory courses. I've had one graduate student teach one of my courses (he is one of my favorite teachers of all-time; now he is a professor at Miami University) and have attended several courses with graduate students.
 
Regarding undergraduate students: interesting question and discussion. I've been to three different colleges in SoCal at the undergrad level and didn't find much of a difference in effort. I think there is a pretty even split among those that care and those that do not. I, obviously since I'm trying to go to grad school in the subject, was always one of the most interested and motivated undergrads (if not the most). Religious studies is particularly interesting because it is a less popular major due to it not being seen as very "practical" so, as a result, you have people that are mildly interested and just trying to coast by and those that feel the decrease in earning potential is worth studying their intellectual passion. In my experience, there are more of the latter than the former.
 
I think it's a great idea to contact some current T.A.'s and grad students. I'll continue to mull this over and post anything else that comes up or send you a PM.
 
Edit: forgot to post info about demographics. There is a lot of diversity at UCSB and, while it is true that the majority of students are well-off white kids, the attitude and curiosity toward different cultures has been really positive. I've especially interacted with many of Middle Eastern descent (often Muslim). The majority of students that I've come across are intelligent, conscientious, and motivated. If there was a faculty member that more specifically fit my interests, I would be very happy to continue at UCSB.

I have been thinking a lot about what to say when it comes time to decline offers (if of course I am lucky enough to be presented with that predicament!).  I have been working with each POI extensively over the course of several months, and have really grown to like them in the process.  It is going to be uncomfortable of course if I then need to cut that cord. Most likely only on my part...but I would hope there would be a tad bit of disappointment on their end. They have each done a lot of work on my behalf to help with applications, funding searches, etc etc. I know that it is part of the process and that they expect this to occur with many of the potential students they engage with, but I am looking for input on the most professional way to approach this difficult task.
 
I am curious how others have approached this...