herself the elf

Funny and also sad. I just turned 30, so it is particularly timely for me. Thanks for sharing this

My long-standing interest is in international trade law and policy (US and int'l) and how it relates to the construction of gender identities here and abroad. In particular, how women's understanding of their roles in society are specifically impacted by conference room decisions seemingly about widgets. I'm relatively new to sociology, but I suppose this generally falls under economic sociology and stratification. Also, it could fall under "sociology of law," but the folks that do that rarely (if ever) talk about international trade law. It also has connections with migration, particularly rural to urban migration. There is one professor in Germany who is obsessed by this concept and she is more of an economic sociologist; here in the US, the people who do this type of work generally fall under "globalization" or are in women's studies departments. Recently I have been thinking a lot about the same types of gender-construction concepts but as they are formed by internet technologies, e.g., social networking websites, blogs, etc. I think that this falls generally under network analysis? I've been surprised since I've been on Gradcafe that there aren't loads of people (on here) studying social networking websites. Is there a reason for this that I'm missing? Data collection concerns/limitations related to privacy or children, or something else entirely?

It sucks that there were so many in one day, gag. Anyway, I hope you had a good birthday yesterday, Socnerd! Perhaps you do what I do on birthdays, wonder where I will be, what I will be doing, and whom I will be with on future birthdays, 1, 5, 10, 20 years into the future. . . May yours be with your new cohort at some great school that gives you lots of money and values your worth as a researcher!

West 4th

"Their" bothers me too, but not as much as being called a man by default. If I were in charge of it, it would say "her/his."

First of all, go directly to the counselor's office. They see this thing all the time. At one of the graduate schools I visited last fall, a student there was telling me all about the mental health problems of grad students, how the school had a great counselor's office, how the counselor told her it was very common to have feelings of inadequacy or not belonging. I think after speaking to someone you will be reassured that you are not alone in this. Second, on a more personal note, the stress you feel since being in this masters program is the same way I felt in law school. It was absolutely awful. I was a great student my entire academic life, but it turns out that everyone who was in law school had straight As in college-- it was a whole new ball game. Everything was graded on a B curve, with only the top 6-10% of students receiving an A or A- . . . needless to say it was very very hard. I studied my arse off, all day long, and only came out of the first year in the top 30% or so-- I was mortified. Did not make law review, did not make moot court, I felt like a moron. What had happened to me? All I did was study, what was happening? And it was _so_boring_. I had had mild mental health issues in the past, but law school was really a horrific mental health experience. I don't regret going to law school per se, but it was not the right place for me to be. After it was all said and done, and I had taken the Bar and was a practicing attorney, the pieces started falling together why I did it in the first place-- family pressures; childhood misconceptions that I had held on to too long. Just, aside from going to the counselor, consider if it is even the right route for you. I decided that I cannot go on being an attorney, it is not the type of professional life or personal lifestyle that I want. This is, indeed, why I am going to grad school next year.

Seadub, I don't know what discipline you are studying, but in whatever you research you may want to consider your passion for standardized testing. This level of zeal in any topic should not go to waste. In any case, this is what I would tell a good friend if she felt the way you do. I hope that you don't mind my observation Good luck to all.

I'm currently in an email correspondence with a professor at an accepted institution, let's call her "Jane Doe." Her email signature has quickly reverted from "Jane" to "jd." I opted to start addressing my emails "Dear Jane," though I don't know if I would feel comfortable calling her Jane in person or on the phone. We have a phone call scheduled for tomorrow in which I intend to call her "Dr. Doe" unless she says otherwise. But in a long succession of emails, it felt weird, the "Dr.," so I didn't use it. When someone is signing in all lower case letters, using "Dr." feels strange and forced! I generally agree with Jacib on this one and usually have a hard time calling professors from my other doctoral degree by their first names, no matter how often they insist otherwise. I'm usually a sucker for the formality of it all

Congratulations! Very exciting!! If you have any questions about the best asthma doctors, how to buy/use a handgun, or finding an apartment below $2,500/month, I'd be happy to help! (Joke! (see first post, above) In reality, big congratulations. It's awesome here-- I wouldn't leave if you paid me. )

Since about mid-January, I can barely concentrate at work because I am so excited to go back to school and ditch my current profession. Thank goodness I work at a big company where no one checks what websites I go to, they would be like, "Gradcafe-- are you planning on leaving us?" It's bad that I can't concentrate, I actually have a lot of responsibility. . . I'm hoping that post-April 15, my focus will improve. Anyone else in the same boat? or anyone else have coping tactics/suggestions?

Thanks to everybody for all of the insight about what to wear to these types of things. I've also been stressing about an upcoming day of activities, albeit at a school where I've been accepted. I'm likely to go there, so I want to make a good first impression. I'm thinking preppy: black slacks and some sort of plain sweater. I agree with Coyabean that there is some prejudice in the ivory tower against female attractiveness and any sort of fashion sense, so we'll all just have to wait to break that out until we get the highest scores on our first exams Crew neck sweater, here I come!

If you have the opportunity, you should visit, it will give you a much better idea if it is right for you. The campus is really beautiful (has a traditional quad with mixed styles of architecture, chapel, etc.) and if your offices are in the Maxwell building, it's a really modern facility; really quite nice. I've been thinking about why more people haven't responded to this thread, and I think it might be due to the high percentage of international grad students at Maxwell, who might be (I'm guessing) less likely to be on a forum like this. There are a lot of graduate students in general at SU, which is likely where you will find your fun if you go there-- in the company of others. Undoubtedly, you will miss the great weather that you have now. But you will probably miss that wherever you go, honestly. My Californian sister-in-law is currently spending her second winter in NYC and is finding it very difficult. My husband works in media, so I've only applied to NYC schools. I'm waiting for them to tell me they messed up, but I've been admitted to Columbia, and it is an offer and a fit that is hard to refuse. I'm worried about my own (less dramatic) climatic change, from Brooklyn to the UWS. You'll be lamenting the loss of sun, ocean, and local produce, while I'll be lamenting the loss of independent restaurants, food coops, community gardens, and snarky fiction writers. Best of luck in your decisions Socdoc!

Hi, I didn't apply to Maxwell for my PhD, but I went there for undergrad (poli sci/ women's studies), it is an incredible school with incredible people. If you are interested in gender stuff, there is some really interesting work being done in women's studies and African American studies. (Also, SUNY ESF is great for environmental stuff, and Newhouse for media stuff.) One really cool thing about the region is the Native American history, so if you are into that (e.g., land and water rights), it would be a great place to research. As far as living in Syracuse-- don't let anyone trick you-- it's rough. And I'm not talking about snow; I love snow. The city is generally pretty depressing, with most days of the year cloud-covered, and not really much to do as far as cultural activity. It's what one would call post-industrial, the industry I believe was associated with the use of the Erie Canal. Typically in these conversations Carousel Center comes up, which also, don't let anyone fool you, it's just a mall. On the positive side, there is a pretty renowned collection of pottery in one of the city's (small) museums if you are into that. The main places to go out are Marshall Street (mostly for undergrads I think) and the area downtown called Armory Square, which is fine and has a few good pubs and restaurants. If you are into sports, you should get season tickets to men's basketball, it is a really fun scene. Finally, I'd have to mention the Finger Lakes-- beautiful glacial lakes, even if only available part of the year. Lots of people get married there, do wine tasting, etc. Some of the wineries aren't half bad, are good even. Dr. Frank's comes to mind as a good one. If you are moving there, I'd recommend not living too close to campus (Euclid, etc.) as it tends to get pretty crazy with house parties. Unless, of course, you are into that. My best apartment was on Avondale Place in a neighborhood called Westcott, about a 15-20 minute walk from campus. Grocery shopping, if you have a car, should be done at Wegman's. I got a great education there, I met my future spouse there, the school has a lot going for it. Feel free to PM me with any specific ques. about professors or the city, etc. And congratulations for getting into a great program!

For future applicants who find this thread, a partial answer: accepted Sociology applicants this year (2010) heard via phone and email before any (presumed) change of form. Stop checking it-- nothing positive is going to be found there.

I couldn't agree more. Such passionate people; you're all eager to debate, cautious not to offend, and quick to apologize. I think this is going to be a great year for all of us. I can't wait to work with you people.

Congratulations to all of the acceptances today! Tonight, celebrate! And if you are on the East Coast perhaps you will be snowed in tomorrow and can celebrate then, too!

I received a phone call on my cellphone from the Chair of the department on Friday 2/5, followed by an email from the chair of the adcom Sunday 2/7 with the same info. Today, Tuesday 2/9, I got an email from another professor about the recruitment days 3/1 and 3/2. (Also, btw, my "application status form" under "downloadable forms" page has not changed, so all of my obsessive checking was a waste of time.)

Jacib, I had a similar conversation with someone in the Columbia department. Though not quite as personalized as your call, he also stressed my particular "fit" within the department. I'm impressed by your composure! I was so surprised to get the call (Friday, 5:30, still at the office which doesn't know I'm leaving), all that I remember is stammering something about attending one of Saskia Sassen's classes and sneaking around Knox Hall, and at some point, during a brief silence, saying "I am speechless." I certainly did not have the wherewithal to ask about any details. Embarrassing. Ha! At least I saved the tears until I hung up. You brought up your undergrad GPA. I had a good GPA but I went to a school where certainly not everyone there was an academic and many people were just there to party, and it kind of has that reputation; I thought it might prevent me from attending a top program. I also think I overcame that with "fit." Nevertheless, reviewing old posts regarding stats, it seems like all of the Columbia admits that have outed themselves had relatively high GRE scores. But of course it is possible that those with high scores are simply the ones that feel comfortable saying their scores. Should be interesting when Gradcafe gets its act together with stats on the results board. I think this whole process is insane, by the way. Do you know I am sitting here looking at boxes of approximately 3,000 vocabulary words on flashcards? I have no doubt in my mind that, for my application, the GRE kept it out of the trash and perhaps got it a second look. I think, if I am right about this, they are, in fact, specifically seeking out those of us that are borderline crazy. Oh! Another interesting thing, I think. I got rejected from Columbia Law School (and many other schools) back in 2002, same person, same brain, same GPA, but LSATs "only" in the 85th percentile. I was absolutely crushed. Of course, totally different application procedure for law school, etc., but to me interesting nonetheless. Just made this PhD acceptance more shocking, I think.

I didn't take a single course in sociology as an undergrad, maybe one in anthro, though I double-majored in poli sci and women's studies, so a lot of the theory courses in both fields read similar theorists. In sociology, I think as long as you know what you are talking about and you have passions in the field, you can get away with not being a soc. major. Perhaps one might need to make a showing that they have the ability to read and comprehend the older soc. theorists that you read in the first year MA and PhD, which might be a big comprehension jump for someone coming from something like finance or computer engineering.

Congratulations everyone, have a great weekend celebrating!

Called the department today for some info, this year they have approximately 415 applicants, intended cohort size 8, usually accept about 20. Usually start making admissions the 3rd week of February. Not that any of this is unexpected, but I just thought I would share. (To self: Accept 5%???? I mean, I knew this, but really???? Perhaps I can scare off the first round of admits by posting things on GradCafe about how NYC is a scary, polluted, expensive place to live. . . j/k)

Go! Go! I think you should nurture your relationship with the professor as much as you can. It sounds like you already have a rapport, so there isn't the risk of awkwardness, and who knows, perhaps this professor will introduce you to some interesting colleagues. I think there is a good chance you will get in, but if you don't get in and didn't go to the conf., I think you will regret not going, and that would suck. Besides, even if you don't go to "M," I'm sure you will remain in the field and this professor could be a great resource. As far as the $, you only live once, and in the big picture, it is only $400 for a potential degree from "M." You lucky (smart) bastard. Good luck!!!

Has anyone else applied to Columbia GSAS via the online system either this year or in the past? Is there any decision information that one can get from the online system? [Disclaimer: Reading further may add to your ridiculous checking routine as it has to mine!] Click on Submitted application > Downloadable forms > Application Status Form It seems to me that "Status__________ At Department____________" is likely to change at some point, perhaps prior to my receipt of any official notification. Thoughts from anyone with prior experience with this? Is everyone else's "Status__ At Department__" blank?

A family member of mine decided to have both of her children during grad school, she had the first one right after her 2nd or 3rd year exams, and she highly recommends it. As she used to say, "I just strap him on, and go straight to the library!" Of course not all babies are so docile to be carried around all day strapped to their mother's chest, but it worked for her. Her research was focused in Brazil, and she went there for 3 straight summers ('06-'08). The first summer, with no baby yet, she researched and learned as much Portuguese as possible; the second and third summers she took her baby along! Her husband stayed back in the US and came to visit for about 3 weeks in the middle of each summer. She lived and researched in Rio, not a place known to be the safest, and she was absolutely completely fine with the whole thing, it was like nothing to her to take her (nearly) newborn baby along. She and a colleague that she had met the first summer jointly hired a Brazilian nanny for daycare. Granted, she wasn't researching in a favella, but still I think it is pretty remarkable. She is neither crazy nor abnormally brave! She really convinced me that (for me) it would be waaaay easier to have a baby in grad school than when I'm working. I think the flexibility of one's schedule as well as the ability to do a lot of work from home makes it ideal. So that's why it's my plan, too. Thanks for bringing up this subject, it is something I think about a lot, and it is really nice to read about others points of view and just to know that others are in the same boat. (btw, starting Fall 2010 at age 30).

Jacib, your posts are always so thoughtful and interesting, and your father's insights have become valuable to us all. Thank him from me! Unless someone has had a longstanding passion for sociology, it is hard to imagine most mid-career professionals would want to work really hard for 5+ years to come out at the end making a five-figure salary in a potentially remote location. Particularly for the laid-off business set, I would speculate that a surge is more likely in JD and MBA program applicants. Of course, I'm sure that there are those that put their sociology dreams on hold to pursue other things and are deciding that now is the right time to make the move. (Come to think of it, I would count myself in that group!) But I would guess that occurs every year. And I totally agree that there are probably more people applying straight out of college due to overall unemployment, particularly from the humanities and social sciences. I read somewhere, perhaps on the results board, a post from a denied Soc. applicant to Columbia last year (Fall 2009), stating that they could only admit 14/400 instead of the usual 20/400 due to budgetary restrictions. Does your father, or anyone else reading this, know whether such variations in acceptance are typical from one year to the next?