PostmodernPendulum

I just accepted Notre Dame's offer!!! I still haven't heard from from Toronto or Yale yet. My advisor told me not to assume they are rejections, so I'm trying not to. But the more I went over it in my head, the more I am convinced that Notre Dame is going to be the best place for me in so many different ways. Maybe I jumped the gun a bit, but I know I won't regret it. 
Now to celebrate! 

For what it's worth, I know Purdue is having their admitted students day today. But I don't know if that's only for PhDs, or MAs too. When I was applying for the MA two years ago, I was accepted into Purdue's program on Feb. 27th; but I'm sure it varies year to year. I still haven't heard from them, so definitely assuming I'm waitlisted or rejected this time around. Hope it works out for you!! 

I read on a news article once that something like 22% people get accepted to any PhD program and 48% to any master's program. But this was obviously not cited in a peer reviewed journal with any info on SD or sample size so it's probably completely useless. 

Olivie_via
Might you share your stats with us? 
I wanted to preface this message with, something is wrong with the admissions process. Something very, very wrong. Why do I say this?
I have spent the better part of my twenties trying to get into a Sociology PhD program. After 3 rounds, and roughly $10,000 later, what do I have to show for it? A beefed up CV. That is it.
When I initially applied to 10 PhD programs, I was fresh out of college with poor GRE scores and a gpa of 3.16. Only a couple of MA programs accepted me. I accepted an MA program, unfunded. Then, after grad school, I applied again. This time, with a graduate GPA of 3.77, 1.5 years of research with CDC, slightly below mediocre GRE scores, and a co-authored paper. Again, I was rejected from all 6 PhD programs. So I worked. During this time, I worked 4 more years, designing and conducting research with several state and federal agencies. In addition, I taught college level courses at multiple colleges. And I co-authored papers and attended conferences. I applied to 12 tier 1, 2, and 3 universities. I had everything, an MA, GLOWING LOR from professors and researchers, a perfectly crafted personal statement with a clear research goal, 6 years of research and teaching experience, articles, and conferences. Everyone thought I was going to get in. Friends and family assured me this was it, and always spoke as if I was going off to another state any time soon. Two months later, I have been rejected from all programs except one, and the one I got into has yet to offer me funding.
I have literally made every effort to get into a program. I even reached out to professors, spoke with them on the phone, and followed up in emails, discussing how we would be mutually beneficial. Despite this effort, I have been rejected by 11 more universities. In total I have been rejected 27 times over the course of 10 years.
Do not accept the statement "You are not made out for graduate school." Because look at me. I am your ideal candidate, who has made every effort to grow over 10 years, and I am still being met with a no.
Despite this, seniors are being admitted fresh out of college, with great grades, and little to no experience. Just follow these blogs to see who are getting in. A professional in their field, with years of actual, real world, research experience with state and federal agencies, is getting turned down for individuals with BAs and no real research or teaching experience. 
None of this makes sense, and there isnt much to do other than try and try again. Despite me saying I am done, its likely ill be back here again, applying and wasting money to a new set of schools. Just like I have done all through out my twenties.
Good luck.
 

I applied to 8 top-20 schools and didn't get into a single one, or waitlisted. I have a coauthored pub and worked at a big well known demography center. I can see (from my lay person acceptance-less POV) points of improvement, like producing a much better writing sample and doing better on my quant area of the GRE (though got above 90 for everything else).
I cried yesterday, because I'm a very neurotic future forward, long term thinker, and getting rejected from grad school was like... a shattered dream. Who am i, if not a future Dr./life long bookworm/baby sociologist?? As corny and pretentious as it sounds, academia was really important to me, my identity and my future. It's been hard as a first generation college student, to not read my rejections as a sign that: you're not only under-qualified, you can't even sell yourself or dress yourself up pretty on paper. 
At the same time, I recognize that academia is also one of the least meritocratic fields out there (let's be honest, entry level investment banking may be more diverse nowadays  -_-), kids from PhD families are most likely to get into these programs, the type of stuff you do in academia you can get do in many other jobs, and the growth we have in industry and other fields is bigger and more likely.
Sad truth is: I'm more likely to land a $70,000 entry level marketing gig right now (srsly) than get into Columbia, and I'm not sure what message to take from that. What I can glean is that I'm not quite sure this is a race I want to keep running in. 
I'm gonna swim around the corporate world for a bit (I'm 24 ATM) and if by my late 20s I start getting that urge to write a literature review, I'll reconsider reapplying. 

I think what the others said in terms of advice is solid and I don't think I have anything to add. This is my first round of applications and the only good news I got was a waitlisted spot at a lower ranking school. I've been wracking my brain everyday for the last two weeks about how to make sure this doesn't happen to me again besides just being BETTER-- I've even begun to consider switching areas of interest as to not compete with gender folks. I thought I was getting better and growing after a sad sad week but today I totally lost my shit and cried as if I had just received my top pick rejection letter again. I don't know about you, but being in Sociology makes me feel like I've found my purpose in life. It's so emotional for me. I just wanted to say, you're not alone, and we must be persistent! During our journey, we may find something better, or the right school will come along.

Olive_via
First, I'm really sorry that you're having a hard time with grad school applications. Your post saddened me and I don't even know you.  I'm a current PhD candidate and was on the admissions committee of my program this year so I think I have some general words of wisdom.  It might also be useful to note that I applied to 10-12 programs and got admitted to only 1 of them even though I was generally competitive for most of them. While I applied to only the top 15 schools, graduate school is competitive regardless of the tier of school.  I wonder if (1) you are applying to too few programs in (2) a particular geographical area.  I noticed that all the programs you listed are mostly in NY or in the Northeast.  It is possible that those programs are much more competitive because more people live in those places.  If you do choose to apply again, I would suggest applying to more schools all across the country inasmuch as they are good fits for you.  In the meantime, I know that there is not much I can say that can comfort you right now; it is difficult.  However, I believe that every disappointment is indeed a blessing in disguise - perhaps those programs are wrong for you.  Take this year to reflect on what you can do differently and apply again.  I wish you luck! 

Some brief concluding thoughts as I check out of this year's admission cycle. I found this site very useful throughout the application process. I trawled it when I was a younger undergrad interested in grad school, and it was a good relief valve during the application season. Not many of my friends and peers apply to graduate school, not least sociology, so it was great to have the forum. My experience is anecdotal of course, but I hope people glean something from it.
I applied to 14 schools in this cycle, and I was accepted to 5. All of them were ranked in the top 20. While I wasn't admitted to some of my top choice programs (namely, Harvard and Berkeley), I do have great options available. I'm writing this in the wake of a few rejections, so there may be a strain of ambivalence to my words, but I know that in more sober moments I am very thankful and humbled to have the options I do.
I have a reasonably strong application profile. Without identifying myself, I come from a top 10 liberal arts college. I'm currently a senior. My GPA is within the summa/magna cum lauda range. My GRE scores (verbal/quant/writing) are above the 90th percentile. I have worked as a research assistant, and have dabbled in an independent summer research. 
I applied only to top ranked programs that were strong in what I was interested in (culture/theory/networks). I thought I made a strong case for my admission in each case, but as you can see, I was far from uniformly successful. 
I'm passing on tips and advice that I have accumulated from all over.
Make sure your file is as strong as it can reasonably be. Low test scores can entirely break through application (though high ones don't necessarily make it). Prestige and status of your undergraduate institution matters. There might be very little you can do to change and affect this, but it is wise to cognizant of its effects on your application, and to try to accommodate for this as best as you can. Network early and often with your letter writers. Make sure they know who you are, and how/why you're dedicated to a career in academia. Apply widely! You cannot apply to just a select few and expect to get in, unless you're a bona fide star (and perhaps, even if). I imagine my application profile does not look too dissimilar to that of the modal "good" applicant: in which case you might expect a similar result from mine. Start early! Start preparing your writing sample and personal statements by June, if you can. I started in September or so, and I wish I had started earlier.

Just got rejected from Harvard, it's my last out of the three that I applied to (I know everyone calls me crazy for this, but I'm used to applying to only the one that I really like and feel I have the right for) and won't try for a doctorate again for the next few years. Surprisingly it's not as crushing as the Berkeley rejection for some reason.
I just want to thank you all for being in the same boat, sharing your superior knowledge of applications, interviews etc. and just stressing out and congratulating each other vocally on this forum board for me to read to relate to. No one I know applied to a Sociology phd and I don't come from a very academic hometown, either. You guys - along with friends from my masters who are now scattered all over the world - were the only people who gave me peace and companionship throughout this specifically stressful journey. 
Just wanted to put that out there because I was definitely a lurker and not a poster most of the time. Peace.

Yea, I agree with you that a lot are top flight programs- I didn't apply to anything ranked below 50 (I now kind of regret that).  I want to be a professor so I know my best shot at that is to go to one of the top tier schools...It can happen from a lower ranked program, but it will be harder.  When I apply next year I'll broaden my application list. 
 
Thanks  Yes I will totally go back and retake them, they seem to be, at the very least, the first way that schools take us into account.  

Yeah, I second that. Last year's admissions committee was all people I knew/took classes with/wanted to work with; this year's was a different specialty entirely, even though my work is still within the purview of the department as a whole. Still stings, but I've got other places thankfully.

I've been through B and C already (at a surprisingly fast pace) and have moved on to A. And I'm also trying to appreciate the gift of more time before I lose my life to academia again. 
@eloquentrivka - I would hardly take the small handful of rejections that we've seen (most of the folks I've seen on this forum that are already planning on the next cycle are those of us who only applied to 2-5 programs) as an indication that we aren't cut out for this route. I think, if anything, the drive to get back up and try again next time is an indication that we ARE made for this. Rejections come more often than acceptances for many things in academia - and life in general. Sure, if your GPA is low, your GRE scores aren't great, you don't have strong letters of recommendation, etc. you might want to consider looking at alternate paths...but I'm choosing to have faith in myself and my abilities. And I would encourage others to do the same.

I have heard from many professors that it's harder to be accepted into your alma matter.  I even heard one professor describe it as nepotism. 

Hey all. UCLA grad here. We've been receiving emails about hosting students to the degree that it wouldn't make sense to keep on admitting more students into the program. So, I think it is safe to say that all those who have been admitted, have been.

First, great topic.  I am out of upvotes again (too many people have had good news).
After being denied 5 times and making 1 waitlist I bought the kindle edition of Posselt's book and read the entire thing while waiting for my advisor to send back edits on my thesis.  I am now more worried than I was at the beginning of this application process.  In the book they refer to "diversity candidates" as "risks"- twice in quotes from Sociology departments, they defer to the GRE (even though studies prove this to be a terrible test of ability), GPA is no longer relevent (why did I work so hard?), and on the whole failed to look at all applicants in the holistic way that websites suggest they will.  Obviously she didn't study only Soc programs, but this book gave a lot of insight as to what is going on in those meetings and what a student who doesn't get in this year can do to improve their chances next year. 
I applied to 13 programs so I cast a wide net, and I am yet to hear back from 6 so fingers crossed.  Of course if I don't hear good news or make it off one of the waitlists I will apply again.  I think that is the most important message for people who are denied, in academia you will be denied things more often than you'll get them (funding).  After reading Posselt's book the plan is-  I'll study and retake my GRE's so that my quant score is above the 80% (my other scores are already there), I'll try to publish work from my thesis, I'll submit papers to conferences (I already have 3 papers I've presented), and I'll start reaching out to potential programs over the summer, and I'll continue to teach at the college level (at least at a community college as I'll have my MA).  I think it is important to add that you can do all the things you thought were right in this process and still not get in, as was essentially described by Posselt.  There are things you can't change, for example, like where you went to school (Posselt discusses the problem of elitism at length), or whether or not your application reminds them of a student who flaked out.  What you can do is not give up or that's my view on being denied. 

I'll claim the Yale acceptance. I'm thrilled. If people want to ask questions, I'll gladly answer. If you want to be pissed at me, it's okay. That's how I felt about all you UCLA admits Off to celebrate now, though!

I am going to claim another acceptance from TAMU(funding details to come).
This is my safe choice, yet also very happy to get admitted into.

Anyone else going through waves of anxiety?  Haha.  One day I'm fine and willing to wait- the next I just want to know!!  But as I mentioned earlier, I met with a professor yesterday who told me that most schools are still early in the process, and that it will likely be another month of decisions.

Type in your email, and it should show a password "Retrieve" button.  I remember I had difficulty finding out how to use the site the first time I logged on.

If you google "UCLA grad application status check", the first link will take you to a form if I remember correctly and it will give you a password and connect it to your application and then you just login and it gives you the status. 

If you google "UCLA grad application status check", the first link will take you to a form if I remember correctly and it will give you a password and connect it to your application and then you just login and it gives you the status. 

Thank you for this! I agree with whoever it was who said above that it is a bit confusing that they say decisions aren't made until March or April when most visit days are in March and you have to decide by April 15th. My UCLA app status still says no decision has been made. 
In other news, Yale accepted the second week of February last year... so maybe we'll hear something this week.

I would say most admissions notifications happen by mid-February/late February. With the exception of programs that have late or rolling deadlines. Also, most schools require you to accept/deny admission offers by April 15th. 

Nope! However, I know that the Admissions Committee has had a number of meetings. My professor contact there said that notifications of decision are likely to go out sometime during the week of Feb. 6th or possibly the following week (depending on how fast the admin staff can process everything). Hang tight!

Still no news from UC Davis?