CeeB

I ended up getting wait-listed at UMD (eventually withdrew and accepted an offer elsewhere) this past application season. Based on my own numbers, I'd definitely suggest that you re-take the GRE. That program is pretty quantitative, so I would think a higher math score would be important. FWIW, my quant (160) and writing (5.0) score were a bit higher than yours. In regards to research, I had two publications under review (co-authored with faculty) at the time of my application, and, like you, my thesis used secondary data. I would suggest that you attend/present at some crim. conferences, if you haven't already. If you are really set on going to UMD, I would highly recommend attending the American Society of Criminology (ASC) meeting in DC this year and seeking out faculty (especially those you are interested in working with) and students from the program. It is an awesome opportunity to put a face to your application and could *potentially* help your chances. All of that said, if I learned anything about this whole process, it is that the whole thing can seem very arbitrary and make little sense. Some programs that I thought were a great fit, rejected me, and some programs that I thought weren't such a great fit, accepted me and made significant offers. And honestly, I thought I stood no chance of getting into UMD and I came pretty close... So, you never know! Good luck!

Just accepted UCSD's offer! I must say, it feels GREAT to be done with this whole process.

That is great news! Congrats

Thanks!! I really appreciate it

I really, really, really, would advise you not to pursue a graduate degree without funding. It is not worth it.

Anyone not accepting their offer from Maryland? Hanging out on the waitlist over here...

It doesn't have to be anything substantial. I know other students who presented research papers that they wrote for one of their classes. In my experience, it is not uncommon for people to submit abstracts before a paper is even finished (or started, in some cases). Last year, my paper was finished before I submitted my abstract, but my submission for the upcoming ASC is for a paper that is not even close to being complete. I wouldn't stress about lack of experience. We all have to start somewhere

Unless you already have $$ saved up, or have some external funding (parents?), I wouldn't count on being able to spend upwards of $5k on travel. That is also discounting the fact that you really can't afford spending your off-time traveling during the school year. The workload is no joke. The cost of living is pretty high in Maryland, and Irvine is about the same, if not more expensive. Not sure if it matters much to you, but these two cities are very different. College Park, like most urban areas (think Chicago, NY, etc.), can be pretty sketchy - something to consider if your GF is planning on joining you at some point. Irvine is more suburban, has a very low crime rate, and obviously the weather is way nicer. I applied to both schools as well, and I know my GF prefers Irvine for those reasons. If your biggest priority is seeing your GF more often, I would choose whatever school is closer to her. There's nothing wrong with that. Ranking is nice, but who is to say they won't change at some point? Both programs are great, so you really can't go wrong with either one. Hope that helps.

UCSD admits: I e-mailed the Grad Coordinator, and he says he expects to have funding info out before the Open House next week.

Yeah, it was MUCH bigger than I had anticipated. IIRC, there was maybe 5 or 6 professors (guessing based on age), one guy from the FBI, and the rest were students. To be honest, I think most people were there to hear from the others on the panel that didn't show up.. Most of the panels I sat in on were less than 10 people. I would definitely look into a regional conference for your first time just to get some practice and familiarity.. I presented at WSC (in Hawaii !) last year for my first time and it was a really good experience. It's a very laid back, supportive atmosphere compared to some others. ASC can be a little more intense and the discussions/Q&A's with the audience are definitely more critical.

At ASC, around 25. Oddly enough, I was on a thematic panel with 4 scholars from outside the US, and every one of them ended up canceling. So I was the only presenter. A little nerve-wracking, but it went well. I was a little surprised about the size of the audience. It was the first day and early in the morning, so a lot of people were stuck in the line to register and some probably weren't even awake yet.. I didn't expect anyone to show up At WSC and the other regional/smaller conferences (my first time presenting) there was around 10 or so people. I would definitely recommend a regional conference if you haven't presented before. It is a lot less formal and the audience is much friendlier..

No invitation necessary. Generally, people just submit an abstract for their paper individually, or they submit their abstracts with others if they already have a panel formed. The deadline for abstract submissions for ASC is next Friday. I presented at ASC this past year in SF and have been to/presented at a couple other regional criminology conferences if you have any questions about it. Here is the link for more info, if you're interested: http://asc41.com/Annual_Meeting/2015/2015meeting.html

I have a friend/former classmate at UCI currently. She lives in grad housing with a roommate, which cuts the cost of living by quite a bit. I think either stipend is doable, but it really depends on what kind of lifestyle you prefer and how careful you are about spending. I have survived the last two years on a ~14k stipend as a TA in my masters program and I live semi-comfortably.. I live in a decently sized 2 bd/2 bath apartment with one roommate. After rent, I would say most of my money is spent on groceries/food. Of course, California is more expensive than AZ, but if you're willing to live a certain way I think you can make it work.

Just got an e-mail from Maryland - waitlisted

Did you hear from Maryland yet? Saw a couple acceptances on the results page.

If anyone is interested, I've been told the SOC PhD program at Western Michigan has pushed back the application deadline.. Apparently, they are looking to improve next year's cohort.

Awesome. Thanks for doing that. I'm waiting on them too.

My advisor told me the norm for admissions decisions from Crim PhD programs is late February/March.. No idea why it takes so long.

Welcome to GC! I'm waiting to hear back from Maryland as well. Good luck!

Nothing yet. The letter attached in the second e-mail I got from the department says "The Admissions Committee is working diligently on funding arrangements and information regarding financial awards will come in a separate communication as soon as it is available."

It is prospective students, like you and I, not the schools/departments that post in the results thread. To post to the results page, you just click "submit results" at the top of your screen and fill out the information. Sorry to hear you didn't get accepted to CUNY. Many of us are in the same boat, if that makes you feel any better.

That's awesome. Seems to have worked for you.

That's good advice, I think. Although for me, personally, the only program that has accepted me so far is the only one (out of 5) that I had zero contact with prior to applying. Lol. I definitely agree with others that this process feels so arbitrary.

Hang in there! This whole admission process can come down to luck of the draw. I talked to a friend who is at one of the programs I applied to, and they had an unprecedented number of students from ivy league schools with several publications, and close-to-perfect GRE scores apply this year.. Of course, not many of us can compete with that! Honestly, getting your MA might be a good idea if you want to get into those top programs. I know getting my master's gave me really valuable research/teaching experience and it shows them that you can succeed at the grad school level.. Or, you could always take a year off, publish a couple more things, attend/present at some conferences, improve your SOP (have everyone and their mother proofread it), and re-apply to more programs next time around..

I am not sure about the job prospects for Psychology, but I have been debating between Crim/Sociology programs myself. I have been told by multiple professors in both fields that the job market in Crim is very strong right now and is growing.. I haven't seen any numbers to support this claim, but I think it says a lot when Sociology professors (and Psych in your case) say the same thing. That said, I would look at (or ask about) the graduation placement rates for the programs you're considering as this will probably give you a better idea.. I can imagine both of the programs you mentioned have good placement rates, so it might come down to other factors, like funding.