nowayjose

So I'm reading the 2015 thread and getting a little annoyed. It seems there's a perception that of the 6-10 spots a program has, 4-8 of them are filled before applications are even read simply due to networking with certain professors (maybe having your profs call them, speaking with them directly, etc). How much truth is there to this? As an outside to sociology but with a pretty good GRE score (~100% verbal, ~70% quant), publications in my field, and two graduate degrees, I thought my profile was strong. Now it seems that at the top schools the pickings are super slim. What gives?