ricorico

hey, this is the OP. First of all, you all were right, I shouldn't have been so confident; I didn't get into either Berkeley or NYU, unfortunately  Lesson learned. But I did get in to one of my other top choices in California, which I'm really excited about too! Anyways, thanks to everyone for the critical feedback and sorry for writing an obnoxious post to begin with. Hope everyone else has had good luck this round...

hey, this is the OP. First of all, you all were right, I shouldn't have been so confident; I didn't get into either Berkeley or NYU, unfortunately  Lesson learned. But I did get in to one of my other top choices in California, which I'm really excited about too! Anyways, thanks to everyone for the critical feedback and sorry for writing an obnoxious post to begin with. Hope everyone else has had good luck this round...

hey, this is the OP. First of all, you all were right, I shouldn't have been so confident; I didn't get into either Berkeley or NYU, unfortunately  Lesson learned. But I did get in to one of my other top choices in California, which I'm really excited about too! Anyways, thanks to everyone for the critical feedback and sorry for writing an obnoxious post to begin with. Hope everyone else has had good luck this round...

hey, this is the OP. First of all, you all were right, I shouldn't have been so confident; I didn't get into either Berkeley or NYU, unfortunately  Lesson learned. But I did get in to one of my other top choices in California, which I'm really excited about too! Anyways, thanks to everyone for the critical feedback and sorry for writing an obnoxious post to begin with. Hope everyone else has had good luck this round...

hey, this is the OP. First of all, you all were right, I shouldn't have been so confident; I didn't get into either Berkeley or NYU, unfortunately  Lesson learned. But I did get in to one of my other top choices in California, which I'm really excited about too! Anyways, thanks to everyone for the critical feedback and sorry for writing an obnoxious post to begin with. Hope everyone else has had good luck this round...

hey, this is the OP. First of all, you all were right, I shouldn't have been so confident; I didn't get into either Berkeley or NYU, unfortunately  Lesson learned. But I did get in to one of my other top choices in California, which I'm really excited about too! Anyways, thanks to everyone for the critical feedback and sorry for writing an obnoxious post to begin with. Hope everyone else has had good luck this round...

Hey folks, I'm trying to choose whether to go to NYU or UC Berkeley for a PhD in Sociology. (I'm applying for Fall 2017 and I'm pretty confident I'll get into both.) My interests are labor, social movements, and comparative-historical sociology. There are good Marxist profs at both places that I'd want to work with, so the "fit" in that sense is similar. I realize that UCB has a higher ranking and that this prestige will presumably make me more likely to find a job eventually. But for personal reasons I'd much rather be in NYC for the next period in my life. Also, NYU's funding is amazing, they've had good placements in recent years, and many people say that the department will be in the top 10 soon. So I'm trying to figure out whether I would be making a mistake by (as I'm currently inclining to do) going to NYU over #1-ranked Berkeley. Any advice would be much appreciated!

Congrats! And seriously, I don't think you need to apologize at all. This was your first post and you deserved to be treated in a polite way, even though you had yet to learn about how PhD admissions work. Outright assuming that you were being pretentious (simply with your "pretty confident" sentence), from my perspective, is the last thing that a prospective sociologist should do. 

hey, this is the OP. First of all, you all were right, I shouldn't have been so confident; I didn't get into either Berkeley or NYU, unfortunately  Lesson learned. But I did get in to one of my other top choices in California, which I'm really excited about too! Anyways, thanks to everyone for the critical feedback and sorry for writing an obnoxious post to begin with. Hope everyone else has had good luck this round...

hey, this is the OP. First of all, you all were right, I shouldn't have been so confident; I didn't get into either Berkeley or NYU, unfortunately  Lesson learned. But I did get in to one of my other top choices in California, which I'm really excited about too! Anyways, thanks to everyone for the critical feedback and sorry for writing an obnoxious post to begin with. Hope everyone else has had good luck this round...

hey, this is the OP. First of all, you all were right, I shouldn't have been so confident; I didn't get into either Berkeley or NYU, unfortunately  Lesson learned. But I did get in to one of my other top choices in California, which I'm really excited about too! Anyways, thanks to everyone for the critical feedback and sorry for writing an obnoxious post to begin with. Hope everyone else has had good luck this round...

hey, this is the OP. First of all, you all were right, I shouldn't have been so confident; I didn't get into either Berkeley or NYU, unfortunately  Lesson learned. But I did get in to one of my other top choices in California, which I'm really excited about too! Anyways, thanks to everyone for the critical feedback and sorry for writing an obnoxious post to begin with. Hope everyone else has had good luck this round...

hey, this is the OP. First of all, you all were right, I shouldn't have been so confident; I didn't get into either Berkeley or NYU, unfortunately  Lesson learned. But I did get in to one of my other top choices in California, which I'm really excited about too! Anyways, thanks to everyone for the critical feedback and sorry for writing an obnoxious post to begin with. Hope everyone else has had good luck this round...

hey, this is the OP. First of all, you all were right, I shouldn't have been so confident; I didn't get into either Berkeley or NYU, unfortunately  Lesson learned. But I did get in to one of my other top choices in California, which I'm really excited about too! Anyways, thanks to everyone for the critical feedback and sorry for writing an obnoxious post to begin with. Hope everyone else has had good luck this round...

To "TheTruth1234":
 
This post is the worst brand of claptrap one could come across. Not only does it stink of elitism and cybernetics, but it is also grounded in fear and irrational projections regarding the future of individuals one has never met.
 
Where to begin? Well, first of all, to reduce the landscape of sociology programs to a mere "top 20" is completely rediculous. There are many more graduate programs out there beyond the "top 20", certainly offering many different specializations which are absent or merely touched upon at "top 20" schools , and thus are not necessary comparable to the "top 20" in some kind of academic litmus test. In other words, the "top 20" are only worth attending if they offer what you're looking for in terms of a specialization. If they don't offer what you want to pursue, then why the hell would you apply? Apply to a non "top 20" school! And if your answer is "ooooowoowowowowwowow the prestige, such prestige!!", then its likely that you're merely interested in accumulating status, which you think will lead to an accumulation of wealth. If that is the case, stay out of graduate school so those who actually want to develop and disseminate knowledge and critical insight may have a better chance at being accepted.
 
Second, if you think that the PhD's from the top 20 graduate programs in sociology are getting all the "good jobs" while the remaining PhD's languish in the "ok jobs", then clearly your measure of a "good job" is one dimensional at best. The prestige of a degree from the "top 20" may yield a higher rate of pay, and that is certainly important for "happiness" at some level, but I would rather accept a moderate rate of remuneration and enjoy teaching students at the state university I received my BA from. Theres no glitz, glamour or wealth to be found there, but I would appreciate the opportunity to give back to a community that supported me early on. If you don't mind selling your soul for a few extra thousand annually, be my guest.
 
I could go on and on, but I'll leave it here. You're free to support the elitist machine of academia. Your uncritical post already suggests that your an unquestioning bourgeois cheerleader...but don't impress your twisted perspective on the fledgling students who rely on this board for insight from others. This is a supportive community, not a divisive community. Perhaps that why your initial post was deleted....
 
And for those who think a PhD from outside of the "top 20" is a degree for teaching: If you think all of the research in sociology is completed by "top 20" PhDs, you're sadly mistaken. There are many non "top 20" PhD's who regularly publish, regularly engage in academic debates, and regularly work with communities to deal with current social problems.
 
I'm a graduate student in an unranked, newly established PhD program, and I already have two articles under review at two high impact journals, one which has recevied extremely positive feedback for an R&R, and I anticipate very good feedback for the other. I haven't even taken comprehensive exams yet! Aside from that, my program reimburses me for conference expenses every year, allowing me to present my work at ASA or any of the regionals I am interested in. Furthermore, my fellow graduate students and I throw a national research conference every year for graduate students who want to share their work with others. We usually get 100+ participants, which isn't bad for a small unranked program. The point of this anecdote: there are plenty of opportunities for non "top 20" folks.
 
What is this crap about non "top 20" programs being the kiss of death? Is everyone drinking the kool-aid? Pure ideological garbage.

Hey folks, I'm trying to choose whether to go to NYU or UC Berkeley for a PhD in Sociology. (I'm applying for Fall 2017 and I'm pretty confident I'll get into both.) My interests are labor, social movements, and comparative-historical sociology. There are good Marxist profs at both places that I'd want to work with, so the "fit" in that sense is similar. I realize that UCB has a higher ranking and that this prestige will presumably make me more likely to find a job eventually. But for personal reasons I'd much rather be in NYC for the next period in my life. Also, NYU's funding is amazing, they've had good placements in recent years, and many people say that the department will be in the top 10 soon. So I'm trying to figure out whether I would be making a mistake by (as I'm currently inclining to do) going to NYU over #1-ranked Berkeley. Any advice would be much appreciated!

Hey folks, I'm trying to choose whether to go to NYU or UC Berkeley for a PhD in Sociology. (I'm applying for Fall 2017 and I'm pretty confident I'll get into both.) My interests are labor, social movements, and comparative-historical sociology. There are good Marxist profs at both places that I'd want to work with, so the "fit" in that sense is similar. I realize that UCB has a higher ranking and that this prestige will presumably make me more likely to find a job eventually. But for personal reasons I'd much rather be in NYC for the next period in my life. Also, NYU's funding is amazing, they've had good placements in recent years, and many people say that the department will be in the top 10 soon. So I'm trying to figure out whether I would be making a mistake by (as I'm currently inclining to do) going to NYU over #1-ranked Berkeley. Any advice would be much appreciated!

Hey folks, I'm trying to choose whether to go to NYU or UC Berkeley for a PhD in Sociology. (I'm applying for Fall 2017 and I'm pretty confident I'll get into both.) My interests are labor, social movements, and comparative-historical sociology. There are good Marxist profs at both places that I'd want to work with, so the "fit" in that sense is similar. I realize that UCB has a higher ranking and that this prestige will presumably make me more likely to find a job eventually. But for personal reasons I'd much rather be in NYC for the next period in my life. Also, NYU's funding is amazing, they've had good placements in recent years, and many people say that the department will be in the top 10 soon. So I'm trying to figure out whether I would be making a mistake by (as I'm currently inclining to do) going to NYU over #1-ranked Berkeley. Any advice would be much appreciated!

Hey folks, I'm trying to choose whether to go to NYU or UC Berkeley for a PhD in Sociology. (I'm applying for Fall 2017 and I'm pretty confident I'll get into both.) My interests are labor, social movements, and comparative-historical sociology. There are good Marxist profs at both places that I'd want to work with, so the "fit" in that sense is similar. I realize that UCB has a higher ranking and that this prestige will presumably make me more likely to find a job eventually. But for personal reasons I'd much rather be in NYC for the next period in my life. Also, NYU's funding is amazing, they've had good placements in recent years, and many people say that the department will be in the top 10 soon. So I'm trying to figure out whether I would be making a mistake by (as I'm currently inclining to do) going to NYU over #1-ranked Berkeley. Any advice would be much appreciated!