IncomingPhD2017

Yea, I'd have to agree with these two- it's worth your while to expand your options. What exactly makes you sure you'll get into both? You mention your interests but not the relevant qualifications, tests scores, published articles, etc. that would make you such a exceptional candidate.

So I sent off about 6 applcations that were all due Dec. 15, as I'm sure many of us did. I received an email yesterday from a professor at one of those schools, saying that he has looked over my application and my work (one published article + my writing sample, from my MA thesis), that he thinks my work and his own overlap a bit, that he strongly advises me to seriously consider their school as I make my decision about PhD programs, and that he thinks I'm a great fit for their department. I'm a bit baffled as this was only 7 days after I submitted my application. Essentially, I'm reading his email as an unofficial acceptance letter; any other thoughts on this email? Has anyone heard of anyone else getting an email like this from prospective schools & profs?

If the PhD round doesn't go your way, consider UNC-Greensboro. They have a MA in Sociology with a concentration in Crim, and their faculty are great. It'd be a good stepping stone if needed (though it sounds like you have lots of experience.)

Thanks for the helpful comments! I've got my roommate covered- that'd be my wife So no, we aren't looking for all-inclusive or furnished apartments. We aren't sure what kind of job she'll be able to get so we're looking for 2 bedroom places near $1000 or less. We're from Philadelphia and we'll dearly miss this big city, so we're thinking that we'll want to be close to the center of Greensboro so we can still be close to restaurants, bars, etc. since that's what we're used to. Good tip on the university housing page; we certainly want to find out where the UGs live and try to avoid those areas, if possible.

Anyone else heading to Greensboro this fall? Any new insights about the area other than those few listed on pg 1 of this thread? I'm currently looking for an apartment, would prefer not to be near tons of UGs, and being close to the center of town would be preferable.

Consider living on or below Girard Avenue- it's safe and very close to campus. I currently live at 15th and Girard and it's very safe. I have friends who go to Temple who live at 17th and Girard. Feel free to PM me if you have more questions or want more specifics.

I've decided on UNCG. Thanks for all the help

I've decided on UNCG. Thanks for the help

Yes, it can take a long time to publish something, but you can list an article that has been accepted for publication but isn't in print yet as "forthcoming" on your cv, and if your article has been peer reviewed and you've edited it accordingly, you can be sure that it is as good of a paper as you'll be able to write (ie. it's an excellent writing sample.) I was able to publish an article straight out of undergrad, and here was my timeline for that: fall-spring 2013: write 1st draft late spring 2013: submit article to potential journal June 2013: article is rejected from journal because the content was not a good fit for journal August 2013: submit article to a 2nd journal October 2013: article accepted pending edits fall-spring 2014: work on edits, send back paper for 2nd review June 2014: paper accepted for publication and published online first April 2015: paper published in print So notice that my paper was accepted in June 2014 for publication but it took almost another year before it was in print. But I still listed it in my cv as "published online first" before it was in print. As far as where I got published, what I wrote about was right in line with the journal that eventually published me, so even though it's a pretty good journal I was able to get published because the content was interesting enough. I'm not sure what else to say, other than that is the advice I've seen (which I didn't follow intentionally): you should write an article with a specific journal in mind. That way the content is in line with what they've published and you're joining the conversation that they're already having. I was published in Sociology, the British Sociological Association's journal.

Just emailed and got word from UPenn; waitlist is closed. Not surprising, still sad to close that door though.

Maybe I should also mention and ask about this: the program director at UNCG said that she can nominate a few students each year to have their tuition retroactively reimbursed, and that she would nominate me for the 1st year (and that, since I could establish residency in NC, my 2nd year tuition would be waived); I'm wondering how much I can rely on this, or how likely it really is. Is this something that is done in grad programs? Is it fairly common? It seems like an odd process but maybe it's typical and I'm just not used to it. Thanks again for your comments.

Yes, I'm still waitlisted at UPenn; if I'm accepted off of the waitlist then I'd definitely go there. But I see that as a pretty slim possibility.

Yo. I've been accepted to the MA in sociology at both Florida Atlantic University and the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, and both have offered me a graduate assistantship. I'm trying to learn as much as I can about these two programs. Has anyone heard much about either one? What is the perception of these programs in the top-30 PhD programs? These are my main considerations since both have profs that are doing work that I'm interested in, though I think Greensboro is a slightly better fit in that. Both of these programs are unranked for sociology in places like US news rankings, etc. so I'm trying to look elsewhere for info about these programs. Thanks in advance for any advice and insight on this. All thoughts are welcome and appreciated PM me if you'd like.

Thanks for the response. The reason I've chosen to pursue a terminal master's is precisely what you wrote in your last statement: it offers me the chance to improve the areas that are weak in my application. 1. My major during undergrad was not sociology; I only have a minor in it. Because of this, I have taken 0 stats or research classes. I feel that I need the master's degree to improve my skill set and gain research experience. 2. Two out of three of my LoRs are from my major (Biblical and Religious Studies), the last was a sociology prof. So I need the master's degree to get better, more relevant LoRs. 3. I cannot improve my writing sample, as I'm using an article that I managed to get published in the year after undergrad. My GRE scores are also fine (166 verbal, 158 quant, 5.5 writing). So yes, I tried to attend a top program straight from undergrad, and I hoped that my publication would carry me through; unfortunately I was rejected from most places and waitlisted at UPenn (which is still my top choice, though of course there's a slim chance I'll be accepted off the waitlist.) So I think the only way I can be a more competitive applicant is by getting the master's degree.

Hello everyone. I find myself in what appears to be one of the quintessential dilemmas of this entire process: do I pursue the master's program with lower prestige where I've been offered a graduate assistantship, or the master's program with higher prestige where I'll have to take out loans? Let me give some details as well as my goals in all of this... I've been accepted at UNC Greensboro with a graduate assistantship. It will pay pretty well, and there is a chance for tuition reimbursement 1st year (since I'm out of state) and full tuition waiver 2nd year (after I establish residency.) While their program is appealing to me and there are several POIs, it seems to me to be a lower prestige school. I've also been accepted at the University of Leeds and I await decisions from other UK schools such as Warwick, York, LSE, and Edinburgh. However, scholarships are not guaranteed in these schools so it is very likely that I'd have to take out a substantial loan. These schools seem to be of higher prestige than UNCG. I intend on pursuing a PhD in a top tier school (as you can see from my rejections this application season), mainly because of the increased job prospects that come after earning a PhD at the higher prestige schools. So, in my decision between UNCG or another school in the UK, I'm wondering how much UNCG might hurt my chances at getting into these top tier PhD programs; is it worth it to take out a loan for the master's degree so that I am better set up for a prestigious PhD program? Or is it so difficult to get into the top PhD programs that it actually makes little difference where I obtain my master's degree, and therefore I should take the funding at UNCG? In the end, I want to teach sociology at a university as well as write, both in academia and for the general populace. These are my main goals (at this point.) There are other, smaller factors as well; I'm married, and it'd be easier for my wife to find work in the U.S. rather than the UK; the UK master's programs are only 9 months long, so there'd be an awkward year where I wouldn't be in school and I'd be waiting to hear back from PhD programs, whereas UNCG is 2 years, so the timing fits much better with PhD applications. Thanks for any and all thoughts about this, feel free to PM me. If there are posts that have addressed similar things in the past, please link them. Cheers.

I was recently accepted at the University of Leeds, to their MA program in Social and Political Thought, which is offered by the Bauman Institute at Leeds. My question relates to the reception, reputation, etc. of Zygmunt Bauman's thought in contemporary sociology; it feels as though his work is not highly esteemed. Is this perception correct? Or perhaps he is less well known in America, but more well known in the EU/UK? The program does not center exclusively on his thinking (ex. I'll take Contemporary Social Theory and Critical Theory as 2 compulsory modules) but I'm still curious as to his reputation in academia. Any thoughts are much appreciated.

I don't know much about middle schools, sorry I'm not much help with that. But for high school, I'd actually say you should try to get your son into one of the better schools in Philly. Though the neighborhood public schools are sub-par, there are many schools he could apply for and potentially test into, like Bodine, GAMP, Palumbo, Central, etc. http://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/pennsylvania/districts/the-school-district-of-philadelphia I'm born and raised in Philly so I'm definitely biased. But I figured I'd give my 2 cents since no one else has responded. I'd say you are looking in the right areas, though; Cheltenham, Elkins Park, Willow Grove and Glenside are the closest suburbs to Temple.

I think you will definitely find it difficult to participate in outings or activities the further away you go from the university; that's one of the downsides of city life. Proximity seems to matter a great deal more than it would appear. That's just my opinion on the matter, but as someone who grew up in Philly (and still lives here) I've come to find that proximity makes all the difference for establishing and maintaining friendships. Even if you're able to attend most outings and events, I think you'd still feel ostracized or cut-off from the community if you live far away. Again, I don't know this from experience in a grad school setting, but only from knowing life in the city, so I could be wrong about it.

I decided to email UPenn to get some clarity, and they emailed back promptly to tell me that I was on the waitlist. Nice to know- wish they could've told me sooner!

I'm also waiting on UPenn, though I had assumed my rejection notification simply got lost in the shuffle. It'd be nice if I'm still being considered- though I'm sick of waiting, that's for sure.

Yea, that's pretty accurate, though not entirely. For details on the types of crime I'd check out Trulia: http://www.trulia.com/local/philadelphia-pa/tiles:1%7Cpoints:1_crime(though note that the the data around city hall is skewed; not entirely sure why.) But I myself live in the area that the google map you linked aptly titled "just north of girard," haha. It is safe here. It's also fairly safe in Brewerytown, which is not accurately reflected in the google map. There are actually some Temple students in my building, though I don't think there are any open rooms at the moment. There are lots of row homes along Girard that have been converted into 3-4 apartments. Anywhere on Girard Ave is safe, and it'd be within walking distance to Temple if you live between 10th-17th on Girard.

I'm considering applying for masters programs in the UK/EU but because their programs are often only 1 year long, this means that 2-3 months into their programs (ie. in December of a 1-year program that begins in October) is when I'd need my professors to write LoRs for me. But at 2 months in, I doubt they'd be able to write strong LoRs for me. So, it seems that, for a 1-year MA, I'd end up having to wait for the following year to apply for PhD programs. Any thoughts or ideas about this? Is there anyone who has gotten a MA from the UK or EU and who has gone on to get a PhD? What did your timeline look like, did you work for a year after your MA, etc. Thanks.

IIRC I think Penn State actually had a bit of this emphasis; since it doesn't align with my interests I didn't end up applying.

Yea there is still time to apply for the MA at Columbia, so silence at this point is by no means a rejection.

I grew up in Philly and live here currently (and I'm still waiting to hear from UPenn!) so let me know if you have any questions about particular neighborhoods, nightlife, etc. If I'm accepted at UPenn, then I will stay in my current apartment, which is in the Fairmount neighborhood. Cheers.