csot

Feeling grateful and relieved that my 4th (and final) recommender got her LoR uploaded. I'm reading through my essays again and realizing that I could've said some things a little differently, but what's done is done. I just have to sit back, pray that the reviewers take interest in my application, and hope for the best! Best of luck to everyone.

If it makes you feel any better, I got accepted to two different programs last year (ranging from top 10-30), and my quant score was only 155. Some schools probably do look more closely at quant than verbal because they want to make sure you will be able to pass their stats sequence, but for a lot of programs, this score is only ONE part of your application. Keep your head up!

I feel your frustration. I asked my recommender to write me a letter toward the end of November. Usually they just ask for notice 2 weeks in advance. I gave notice 6 weeks in advance, but it still hasn't been uploaded...

Don't worry. You're not alone. Here's the original thread with posts from other members:

I uploaded my verification of predoctoral status, but it wasn't anything fancy. I think (or at least, I hope) the fellowships office just wants to confirm that you REALLY have at least 3 years left to complete your program. I created a table and organized all the courses I was taking over the next few years. That way, they could see what classes I'll be taking (and how they overlap with my research proposal). I think "projects" could include research projects that you collaborate on with faculty members. "Plans" could include participating in research camps over the summer to supplement your coursework, going abroad to do any fieldwork that you might plan on completing, etc.

Today's the deadline for the application. How is everyone feeling? Thank you so much! Likewise!

I recently submitted my application. I had my materials reviewed by a recipient from a few years ago, so I hope my essays (and letters of recommendation) are strong enough. I know it's a really competitive fellowship.

I tried to summarize the report for the top 25 programs. Please feel free to correct any mistakes. Schools whose ranking improved: Harvard (+5) University of Michigan - Ann Arbor (+3) UCLA (+1) Columbia (+1) New York University (+5) University of Texas at Austin (+3) University of Minnesota - Twin Cities (+3) University of Washington (+3) University of California, Irvine (+2) Brown (+1) Schools whose ranking worsened: Stanford (-1) University of Wisconsin - Madison (-5) University of Chicago (-2) University of Pennsylvania (-1) Indiana University - Bloomington (-3) Duke (-1) University of Arizona (-4) Yale (-2) Schools whose ranking stayed the same: Princeton University of California, Berkeley University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill Northwestern Cornell Ohio State University Pennsylvania State University University of Maryland - College Park

That's awesome news! I'm hoping you get off the waitlist soon and are able to attend.

From what I've read, these are the pros and cons to Wisconsin and Penn. Wisconsin: Pros: more highly ranked, good job placement, lots of faculty researching the same areas you're interested in (possibly better mentorship?) Cons: less competitive funding package, heavier TA load, less diversity Penn: Pros: competitive funding package, more diversity, easy access to other metropolitan areas (e.g., NYC), prospect of joint PhD degrees Cons: worse job placement (according to rank and compared to other top 20 schools), some senior faculty have recently moved elsewhere There are probably a lot more to each, but this is what I could think of for now. I hope his helps!

The graduate administrator at my program emphasized wearing walking shoes since we'll be getting a tour of the campus and walking a lot to attend sessions in different buildings.

I haven't gone to any visit days yet, but I will be attending UT Austin's recruitment event next month. Is anyone else going? Also, if anyone else was curious, I contacted the graduate administrator, and she said to dress comfortably (either nice casual attire or business casual would be best).

Do you know if UPenn will be sending out anymore acceptance or waitlist notifications? It's fine if I got rejected because I've been accepted to other schools, but it would be nice to have some closure.

I didn't realize it until a few hours ago either. Yeah, not everyone observes the holiday, so we'll see what news we hear tomorrow.

Do we anticipate a lot of schools being closed tomorrow in observance of Presidents' Day?

For my phone interview, my POI asked me about what drew me to pursue a graduate degree in sociology (I didn't major in sociology in undergrad), how I plan on carrying out my research if I get accepted (surveys, interviews, field observations, etc.), whether or not I prioritized one school over another and if this school is one of my top picks, and then she asked me if I had any questions for her about the program. I wasn't asked any questions about current trends or my subfield. However, it wouldn't be a bad idea to prepare for those types of questions (if you have extra time tonight). Hope it goes well!

Congrats on your acceptances! This is a sociology thread, so people in the psychology forum might be able to help you out more:

I don't know of any places to "avoid", but I would recommend checking out what resources are available at every school you get accepted to. For example, is there a gender and sexuality center? Are there trans-friendly organizations where you can find social support? Are gender-neutral bathrooms accessible? Are there any counselors/psychologists at the mental health center that specialize in LGBT issues? Do some of the doctors at student health have experience working with trans* patients? There might be other factors that are important to you too.

Still holding onto hope because last year, acceptances to Penn were sent out in waves. Congrats to those who have been admitted!

Congratulations to the UVA admits!

Haha! The only school I'm still waiting on is Penn. Hoping to receive that important email by the end of this month.

It's less common but still happens. A couple of schools sent out weekend notifications last year too.

I'm not sure, to be honest. The list I generated was just for schools who we haven't heard any acceptances from yet. Hopefully we have more clarity over the next couple of weeks.

There was an acceptance on the results board on February 7th.

I'm not sure about this week, but these are the schools (in the top 40 USNWR) that we are still waiting to start hearing acceptances from: University of Michigan - Ann Arbor, Harvard, Northwestern, University of Pennsylvania, Johns Hopkins University, City University of New York, University of Massachusetts - Amherst, Vanderbilt, University of California - San Diego, and University of Virginia