Ilspflouz
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Posts posted by Ilspflouz
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15 hours ago, Ashitakarl said:
All the results have been released and I was only accepted to CJ phd program in Cincinnati (fully funded) and several master programs in sociology (not funded). I have been inquiring almost EVERYBODY I know. But still, I cannot make my decision. There are pros and cons for both options.
My background:
Bachelor in social science from a top-five university in my home country with interest in family sociology;
Master in sociology in the top sociology program in Europe and I chose criminology as my thesis topic BY CHANCE;
Not-bad test scores (v62%+quant97%+aw82%);
Not 100% sure that I want to study criminology for the rest of my life ...
Willing to do a PhD in the US but not reluctant to work there
Aim:
Teach/research in a top 50 university in sociology or top 10 in criminology
Or work as a data analyst or researcher etc.
Option 1: Cincinnati
Pros:
1. fully funded, cheap living expenses;
2. nice professors;
3. easier (?): no need to apply for another round;
4. great rank in criminology and criminal justice;
5. criminology is underdeveloped in my home country (more opportunities)
Cons:
1. The University is not so reputable in general (ranks worse than my bachelor and master universities) and I haven't heard anyone getting rejected by Cincinnati...
2. After checking almost all the profiles of phd graduates of criminal justice, I found them moving downwards in their career: no one to sociology department and almost no one to top criminology departments (UMD, SUNY Albany, UPenn). Most graduates are in universities that I have never heard of (ranking 300+?). However, graduates from those departments have much better placement... And i was astonished by this fact... Anyone has a clue why this is the case?
3. not 100% certain about a phd in criminology... and UofCincinnati does not have many other highly ranked programs...
Option 2: MAPSS in UChicago (one year, the best MA program so far in this cycle)
Pros:
1. Great reputation (for CV?);
2. Nice location (close to my girlfriend);
3. Rigorous training and more competition;
4. It will assist me well in applying for a phd position (sociology) in a top university;
5. Better placement after phd;
6. Can think more thoroughly if I wanna do a phd
7. Reputation again...
Cons:
1. Costly, with only one third of tuition waived (parental sponsorship);
2. Harsh both in terms of training and going through another round of phd application;
3. Need to gap for one year before I can apply again for a phd ... and I don't know if i can stay in the US during that time (NOT a STEM program, so three months to search for a job)
4. Better Phd position anticipated BUT not guaranteed ... Uncertainty
The thing is, I think I have nice background and most of my alumni from bachelor and master programs are accepted to better phd programs than me. My application along with tests were prepared within 3 months and I don't really have a certain idea about my future research topic (also reflected in my SOP). My writing sample was rudimentary (theory and hypotheses part of my master thesis). That said, I think I can get into a better phd program than this with more preparation.
But is it too risky to turn down Cincinnati and go for Chicago? Or is Cincinnati a sufficient place to achieve my career goals? I'm just too frustrated ...
I think the way you have phrased everything here gives you your answer. Here is my thoughts:
-It seems like you are not sure if you want to study Crim/CJ for the rest of your life. In my opinion you definitely should NOT go to a Crim PhD program if that is the case. In a CJ/Crim program you will learn about CJ topics and you will be trained to work for a CJ program, not a sociology one. Your chances of being hired into an academic sociology department with a Crim PhD are very small. Many people in Crim do not think of Crim as an off shoot of sociology, but its own discipline, and are not interested in working in a sociology department. This is likely why you are not seeing Crim graduates from Cincinnati in sociology departments.
-Sociology sounds like your passion and main interest. Perhaps you have an interest in crime or deviance, but only in a sociological context? If so, you would want to go to a sociology program with a crime focus/track available, but probably not a CJ program. This is especially true if you are passionate about family sociology and not crime! Also, I think Cincinnati is usually most known for its work in corrections and practice-oriented/applied work. This doesn't sound like what you are interested in.
-While Cincy itself is not highly ranked in general as a university, it has a very VERY good CJ/Crim PhD program. I think in terms of what you are talking about with rankings it is just an example of a case where ranking in the discipline is differently decided than the university overall. I can see how this could be confusing. But rest assured within the discipline of CJ/Crim Cincinnati is very well thought of. Outside the discipline (e.g. in sociology) I'm not sure how it would be thought of. There were unfortunately plenty of people rejected or wait-listed by their PhD program this year and in recent years. Look at the other threads on this forum for some examples. Cincinnati is not just some kind of diploma mill program where everyone is accepted and the training is mediocre. That's not why I'm cautioning you about going there, It just sounds like it may not be the best fit for your interests/aspirations.
-All things considered if I was you I would go to UChicago, or re-apply for PhD programs. UChicago sounds like a much better fit for your interests and career goals. With a master's in sociology from UChicago under your belt I would bet your chances at getting into a PhD program in sociology would greatly increase. If you are positive you want to do a PhD, I would also consider trying to find research work in an academic department at a university if you don't want to do another Master's, and then re-applying for a PhD. That would give you experience and access to academic departments but you wouldn't necessarily have to pay for the experience that way. It would also give you a chance to publish or get other experiences to make you an even better applicant for jobs or PhD apps in the future.
--Your GREs are clearly great. Maybe re- post on the sociology forum and see what they say?
Good luck!
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On 3/20/2017 at 9:07 AM, Waitingforgrad said:
Hi everyone, I need some advice on choosing between three programs. Two are crim, one is a psych program where I can have an emphasis in psych & law. I would essentially be researching the same thing at all three.
Program 1 (PhD):
This is where I did my undergrad, which makes me reluctant to stay here for another 4-5 years with the same faculty members. It is close to home for me though. I would be working with a professor that has almost my exact interests, but there is no other faculty member in the department that does research in our area. She has produced a few very good Ph.D. students, but she is often hard to reach over email and you sometimes have to pester her for a response. This school seems to have more prestige compared to program 2.Program 2 (PhD):
Very far away from home, which also makes me reluctant to go. I would be working with a professor that also has almost the exact same interests, and she’s extremely proficient in statistics, but I would be her first official student. She’s been kind of mentoring two students this past year, her first year as an assistant professor, but they aren’t her official students. Even though she only graduated a year ago, she has already published 7 articles in a top journal, and she has some very interesting ideas and models. She has also mentored 5 undergraduates when she was a graduate student. There are also 2, potentially 3, other faculty members that have somewhat overlapping interests at this school. The impression I got was that this program is on the rise.Program 3 (Masters):
The biggest downside to this program is that it is a masters program. They did not allow students without a masters to apply to their PhD program, so I applied to their masters. I really liked the campus, the location, and the faculty. There is one faculty member in particular that I really meshed with in terms of research interests. I guess the reason why I’m sill considering a masters program when I’m already accepted into two phd programs is that this is a top school with some great faculty.I have comparable stipend offers from all three, so money isn’t really an issue. Sorry this is so long, thanks for any insight!
Hmmm. Tough choices! Which one is CJ/crim? Which one is psych law? Here's' how I'd think through it:
1) Are you certain you want a PhD/career as a researcher? If the answer is yes, then I'd throw out #3. IMO there is no reason to take the time to do an MA/MS first if you don't have to if you are already sure you want a PhD and have gotten into 2 programs where you have good fit and are interested in. The only reason why I would reverse this is if you told me that the school for this one was MUCH higher ranked than 1 or 2. E.g. if it's on the top 10/top 5 and the other schools are not ranked. If they're all in the top 10/top 7 I don't think rank matters as much. Outside the top 10 it could. Especially if you are looking at working at an R1 school. Im talking about Crim Rankings here.
2)Unless school 1s prestige is much higher ranked than school 2 (see above) id probably go with school 2. This is because I think that fit with your potential advisor is so important. But I'd make sure to ask about the #2 profs plans are because this reasoning depends on their answer. Do they plan on going for tenure at school 2? If yes, how do they feel about publishing with students?? If they're going for tenure that means they're going to have to publish a TON. That's good news for you if they like to work with students and you want to be a researcher. How do they see their mentorship style? Does it mesh with what you want in an adviser? Are the other people you are interested in tenured? Are they willing to work with you? How do they mesh with you? If your answers to all of these questions are positive, I'd go with school 2. It will also allow you to diversify your experience as compared to school 1. But this is just my 2 cents. Location is not so important to me. If it is to you, maybe this is a deal breaker!
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On 3/17/2017 at 11:38 PM, wknd_worrier said:
Out of curiosity, what were some things that made you guys so confident in your decision? Any insight on post-admit visits/what to expect/things to look out for? I'm just in a position where I formally declined one offer I felt certain wasn't a good match, but still have 4 schools that I don't feel ready to cross off the list (2 stand out ahead of the other two right now, but I was offered a university fellowship at one school I applied to that was much lower ranked than all the others and spoke to my POI there and I really liked her and got along well with her, but my POIs at the two programs I'm leaning toward are a bit more in line with my interests and were very nice via email so I'm a bit conflicted). I'm visiting the two programs I think my decision might ultimately come down to in about a week and my only comparable experience is UCI's pre-admit interview weekend so any insight would be much welcomed— if you don't mind of course
I second this sentiment. Very interested to hear what others have to say!
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On 3/17/2017 at 8:02 PM, Rliggs said:
Hey guys! Was hoping to get some advice on this:
I got into three different PhD programs, all that I really like. One of them (USF) accepted me, but gave me an offer without funding. I talked with a contact at the school to gauge what this meant (are mentorship opportunities the same? success with external funding? how successful have unfunded students been in the past at securing research and funding?). He seemed to be incredibly optimistic, telling me that many students choose to attend USF unfunded and all have eventually received external or school based funding (based on their hard work) and that there are plenty of research opportunities. I really like USF, but I have funded offers at other schools. Does anyone know if being unfunded is has terrible as I originally thought? Any suggestions? Is it worth the uncertainty? Do you know anyone who has done it? What struggles are involved? Any advice is very much appreciated!
Personally, I would not go somewhere unfunded if I had other, funded choices. The intensity of a PhD program usually means you will not have any time to work. This means you would have to borrow not only for tuition, but also for living expenses (unless you have a spouse or parent or something you can live with who is able to support you). IMO it is not worth going into debt to get a PhD, based on the competitiveness of the job market and the amount you will make coming out of school with a PhD (e.g. it will likely take a very long time to pay back the amount of debt you will have). If I had to choose between going into a PhD program unfunded or just getting a job and putting my PhD dreams on hold, I would probably pick the getting a job part. If I had to pick between 2 funded schools and 1 unfunded, I would definitely go with one of the funded ones. This is just my opinion, so please don't take it as gospel. But I do want to preface it to say that it has been heavily influenced by advice I have received from my major professors over the years. All of this advice has pretty much been consistent with what the previous poster said. From what I remember, the reasoning for it has been due to a combination of the reasoning I have typed out here, along with this reasoning: that if a school really really wants you, they will find a way to fund you. You want the school you go to to look at you as an investment, be invested in your future, and treat you as a priority. Of the few students I know who went to programs unfunded, the main complaint has been that they have other peers who were funded at their programs and that it can feel like the funded students are given priority. But if everyone in the USF program is unfunded, that probably won't be the case - so take that with a grain of salt.
Good luck making your decision! I hope this helps! Again, this is just my opinion, so don't take it as gospel! ;-)
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On 3/6/2017 at 2:06 PM, wknd_worrier said:
Anyone like the idea of making a new thread for decisions? I know there's lot over in the general decisions forum, but it might be helpful to make a thread within the C&CJ forum to discuss stuff like factors being taken into consideration w/ choosing, post-acceptance communication w/ faculty/DGS/etc., & other miscellaneous stuff related to the post-waiting stage?
I just feel like with this being centered a lot around waiting for decisions it might be shitty/annoying to have this thread used for those types of discussions simultaneously.
Just a thought! What do you guys think?
I think this is a great idea! I will be watching it anxiously as I try to make decisions.
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Alright what days will you be there?
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Hi! You 2 still want to try to plan something at ACJS?
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On 2/21/2017 at 11:35 AM, OptimiscallyAnxious said:
For those of you that already have offers, what are some of the biggest deciding factors as you all weigh your offers? How are you making your decisions?
Great Q! I'm wondering the same. My priorities at the moment:
1)Fit with # POIs and their current work
2)Ability to publish with faculty
3)Existing research-practitioner partnerships with opportunities for student work
4)POI mentorship style/availability (how busy are they - will they have time to meet? Does their apparent mentorship style mesh with mine?)
5)Program Quality/Job placement after PhD
6)Attrition Rate for program
7)Comp Style/Pass Rate
8)Expectations for assistantship and type of work (GA/TA/RA, etc)
9)Funding
10)Quality of life/program style (What's the program like? Cutthroat? Supportive? Competitive?)
11)Location
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Hi! I think it is a really good idea to look into this stuff before you decide to go the PhD route. If you are interested in higher education, from what I have heard the job market in CJ is actually really strong at the moment. However, who knows will it will be in 5 years. Here is a website to help you:
http://www.adpccj.com/surveys.html --> Reports from the ADPCCJ (association of doctoral programs in criminology and criminal justice) which include job placement info as well as other relevant stats about grad school from the last 10 years
http://www.adpccj.com/documents/2016survey.pdf --> Direct link to the 2016 report.
From the 2016 report:
"Figure 7 shows that not only is the employment rate among recent graduates [from the doctoral programs included] very high – 94 percent are known to be employed in a tenure-track academic position, a local, state, or federal research agency, or a private research firm – but also that academic positions are by far the most prevalent mode of employment for almost 60 percent of graduates."
I was in your shoes 2 years ago, albeit without my MS yet. If you have any questions, send a PM!
- GradGirl90, waitnhope and Square49
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I'm not presenting the poster specifically, but I am part of a research group that mentors undergraduates and 4 of them are presenting posters I helped them develop and that my name is on. This means I have to be nearby in case the undergrads presenting need help. So...kind of? Lol.
I won't be there near the beginning of the week, only coming in for Thursday and Friday.
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Me too as long as I can get away from the group I'm with! haha. Are you both presenting?
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20 minutes ago, PhDorBUST said:
@HedgieLove Yes I am in agony. Essentially stuck in bed, in pain, waiting. I'm actually a bit concerned that I died, didn't know it, and I'm in hell.
Yeah, UIC and SHSU will be making decisions in the next week or two so...all the things are crossed
In the meantime I get to have surgery! The anesthesia is what I'm really looking foward to; basically the most restorative nap EVER
Ahhh!!! I really feel for you. I had an unexpected surgery during my last application cycle and it was ridiculous. At least you will be out of it for a few days and probably won't care about anything. Maybe it will be like a vacation from the stress. It was for me kind of. Lol. Good luck with the surgery and the apps!!!
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1 hour ago, PhDorBUST said:
Do I think anyone meant to be braggy? Nope. Do I think people got wrapped up in their success and maybe forgot about those of us who are still waiting? Probably. Was it malicious? Of course not.
By the way, I edited my response because when I went back, I realized that I overreacted and took my anxiety out in the wrong place. This was a great lesson in not posting with a torn ACL before taking my pain meds
I apologized and tried to make light of it with a little self-deprecating humor. I know that I will end up in the program where I am supposed to be, as we all will.
While I love feeling like I'm so important that everyone gives 2 shits about what I think, can we drop this? If not, that's cool, but I'm out of it.
Like I said previously, my sincerest congratulations to those of you with acceptances with funding. I saw another person got into UC and truly think that is wonderful.
Oh god, the dreaded torn ACL. On top of apps!!! That is ridiculous. Rest up and feel better! On a better note, looks like UIC has started sending out notifications in the 1st or 2nd week of Feb the past couple years. So hopefully you don't have long to wait for that school at least.
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To get onto another topic - am I the only one who thinks the idea of only funding certain applicants is kind of a shit move by schools that do so? I personally feel like if you like an applicant enough to accept them then why the heck are you not doing your damndest to get them funding? I may be biased because in my previous field the majority of schools didn't do the accept without funding thing - they only accepted you if they could also afford to provide some type of monetary assistance.
Totally get if its just me but I just don't get it...the only exception I think for me is if a school accepts you without funding for the first year but kind of guarantees you get some later down the road if you got there (like in 2nd or 3rd year).
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Wow, so it seems like this thread kind of exploded since I have been here last.
I get the sentiment that some of you are expressing. The last time I applied, I applied to 10 doctoral programs and I didn't get into a single one of them. No "waiting list." No "acceptance without funding." A complete shut out. Meanwhile, my co-workers and friends around me each got into multiple programs and each selected the program of their choice. Rejection sucks. Period. It's a tough pill to swallow and it makes you feel like crap. Especially when you have worked your butt off on building your application for months (or years for some of us) and writing all your app materials forever. For me, I tried really hard not to take any of my rejections personally or let it get to me, but it's next to impossible sometimes. So I get why some people are lashing out. To those of you who application season is not treating well right now, I just want you to know that even if things don't go your way this time - don't give up hope. If you dream of getting into a PhD program, you can. If you get shut out and decide you would rather do something else, that's fine and you can do that too. Rejections don't mean you are shut out forever, they just mean you might have a delay/setback to overcome. I hope that everyone hears good news soon who hasn't been hearing the best. & Please treat yourselves kindly - application season takes a toll on you.
I do also want to say though that I also agree with Square. I don't think that anyone on this forum has been trying to do anything but express their statuses, celebrate their accomplishments, and hoping their info helps someone else who is eagerly looking for information about the programs they applied to. Can I see how people with multiple acceptances might come off as braggy? Sure. But I am also 100% sure that isn't their intention. We're all just excited and sharing it with people who have gone through the same process and therefore understand how big of a deal it is. Either way, thank you for letting us know that you have been put off by the way some of the acceptances have been being expressed. I will make sure to keep that in mind in the future.
TL;dr: This process is absolutely brutal, and this thread was created for support. That applies to acceptances AND to rejections/ acceptances without funding. Anyone who is experiencing a setback or who is frustrated by the whole process should feel free to post and express themselves! That is after all what this thread is supposed to be hear for.
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23 minutes ago, Brooke2016 said:
I was offered admission to South Florida. However, there was no mention of funding. I read the 2016/15/14 threads and it looks like if you are not offered funding in the initial email, chances are slim. Does anyone have any info?
Not sure. My initial email from SUNY didn't have info with funding, but it said it would come soon after and the offer came within a couple days. So it's possible! When were you admitted to USF?
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Anyone heard anything about Cincy? This wait is killer!
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On 1/28/2017 at 11:25 AM, Brooke2016 said:
I just got official word... no funding FSU.
I'm really sorry to hear that! Hang in there. Fingers crossed for better news for you soon!
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Hang in there @PhDorBUST!!
I'm going nuts. Literally making up songs about Cincy at this point. Cincy oh Cincy....
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6 minutes ago, Brooke2016 said:
While I've never "chased a high," I understand your analogy. Notifications come so unexpectedly and few and far between that when your email does show one, there is an almost instant dopamine dump (at least for me). This is followed by a temporary inability to read complete sentences so I look for key words such as "congratulations" "accepted" and "regret." If the positive keywords are identified, the euphoric feeling is amazing. I then return to homeostasis and I can read the entire email in detail.
Lol, I love your description. That is EXACTLY what it feels like for me too!
Deciding between 3 schools and totally lost. What would you do?
in Decisions, Decisions
Posted · Edited by HedgieLove
Hi everyone,
I am deciding between 3 schools for a PhD, and am in need in some outside opinions! Considering the following, what would you do, or do you have any advice about making a decision? All have a good track record of graduating candidates for tenure track positions (what I want to do after my PhD) and all schools are within the top 10 in my field. Thank you so much!
School 1
School 2
School 3
Any thoughts/advice are appreciated! Thank you so much!