1too3for5

Not to sound sour, but at the end of the day, what was your first choice? You applied to all these schools for a specific reason (as you have listed these on your SOP). 

Please remember that as long as programs are selecting who (not) to admit and students are choosing where (not) to go, departmental prestige is associated with many individual-level factors related to productivity in graduate school and job "placement." I'd love to see this acknowledged at least once in a while, rather than the (implicit) assumption that incoming students are just blobs of clay "trained" by their programs and stamped by their prestige. OK, rant complete.

Hi,
It's great to hear you. I think online sociology program is also good for career. The main point is your interest, if you are interested in this course then you should go with it. To apply online sociology program, please check:https://www.cbuonline.edu/degrees/bachelor-of-arts-in-sociology

I think if your concerned that you don't have a 'clinical background' in sociology, it's probably best not to take out a student loan to pay for an online masters.  I think you might want to look more deeply into what sociologists do, then perhaps reconsider your position.  At the moment, it sounds like what you want is an MSW or masters in social work.

York University, which is in the Southern/East corner of Canada in Toronto (close enough to Northeast US) has a very strong Marxist presence at all levels of Sociology. It is basically a pre-req to be a Marxist scholar in order to be a professor here. Think about it! Tuition for international students is expensive, but funding opportunities are great and still probably cheaper than any American institution.

I am starting a masters program in Sociology in just a few weeks. Once I receive my MA degree, I would like to go into the data analysis/statistics field. 
I have been looking for data analysis positions to view the requirements and what the jobs entails. I have noticed most positions require several years experience. I am new to this field and do not have any experience. Would submitting a cover letter with my skills and abilities be enough to become employed without experience? I would like to work in the field now while completing my degree so that I can gain experience, but it seems impossible being able to gain experience without having any to start with. 
Im somewhat worried that I wont be able to get a data analyst job once I receive my degree because I dont have the required experience. 
Please help!! Im worried....

This is, quite frankly, shit advice, given by someone who has obviously not begun to experience the consequences of their decisions.
As I have said at length elsewhere, a poor funding package is not simply a temporary inconvenience without future repercussions. Nor are these repercussions "merely" financial; a poor funding package will adversely affect your scholarship. If you're instructor of record for a course every semester, and your colleague at an Ivy* has to simply TA for 3 years, which of you do you think will have a better dissertation? When you have to scramble, beg, and borrow to get to your regional conference, your Ivy colleague has a $3k pot of money they can simply ask for every year, is spending every summer at their archives, and is also at that conference. Because they make a livable stipend, they can afford to drop $50 on the conference dinner for your specialist subfield, and thus schmooze with all the senior professors in that field. If you do not have the same benefits, you are at a massive structural disadvantage. 
If you are not offered (1) a livable stipend for 5 years, with health care and a clear means of obtaining 6th year funding, (2) reliable, regular, and easily identified internal avenues for research, conference, and travel funding, and (3) a package with a moderate to light teaching load, like TA-ships with a sabbatical year, do not attend that program, even if it means not going to grad school.
 
*NB: "Ivy" here is shorthand for "highly regarded and well funded program". I recognize there are many of these that are not technically Ivies.

I was once told that strong GRE, LoR, GPA, and Research Experience are the biggest factors (yes, of course writing sample and SoP are important, but I'm quoting here) and that you should have 3/4. So if one is weak, the other three need to be strong. As far as MA vs undergrad GPA, I don't think they care about your undergrad GPA once you have a Master's, and from what I've heard to get into a PhD program your MA GPA should be close to a 4.0. I don't know a lot about that though, just what I've heard bumping around here. I'm going straight from undergrad to PhD. I will say, though, you're going to see a lot of people on this website saying "i dont know if i can get in I only have a 3.8 GPA' and be like wtf am i doing here- don't. I JUST graduated with a 3.6- like I barely made it there- and I got into essentially my top choice program (I had a couple of top choices). I'd agree with @rising_star, very poor grades may keep you out but great grades will never get you in. There's so much more that they're looking for. I'm in the US btw.

Hey PonderingSoc,
 
The PhD in Europe usually works a little differently, which is also why applications usually require other materials than in the US. I'm not doing a PhD here myself, but I know people that are. With PhDs (at least) in continental Europe, you are usually applying for a much more specific research project. This means, that most of the time you are also applying to a specific PhD position surrounding a certain field of research within sociology and that you are less free to completely change direction. Since this is the case, more fleshed out research proposals (compared to personal statements in the US) are usually expected from admissions committees.
In regard to the competition, I would argue that it can vary immensely. Given that  you are applying to a specific PhD position, you might get lucky in that it is a field not a lot of people are applying for. The opposite might just as well be the case though. As opposed to the US, you also mostly only take about a semester worth of classes and then start working on your research right away, usually leaving the PhD to be a bit shorter than in the US as well. As far as I know, GRE scores are hardly ever needed, even though this might be different in the UK. In genera, what I have written is probably more applicable to continental Europe, whereas the UK seems to stray halfway between the States and the rest of Europe.
 
Hope this helps!

>>>The PhD for computer science is not considered thatttt long, especially compared to other fields.
Well, > five years is an objectively long amount of time  That being said, the prof I talked to did say it was cool to drop out after 2 years with an MS if I wanted to, and Princeton is cool with you leaving for upto two years in the middle if you so desire.
>>>This is a very good program, and you had a lot of rejections. The chances of getting into another program in another year may be just as bad, if not worse.
It is a great program with some really great ML theory faculty, absolutely. And they're hiring more this year! Absolutely, ML PhDs are just real hard to get into.
>>And there is no guarantee your experience in the working world will be as great as you think it would be.
Yes, I understand that, but there exists the itch to see what the big bad world is like. It's also true that I haven't found a job I'd be thrilled with yet, but there are interviews with some exciting startups lined up, so I'll have to take it from there, if I do decline.

I am sure you would have very little trouble getting good internships (Google, FB) during the summer if you decided to go to Princeton.

you should get on the phone ASAP. It is probably an administrative oversight but still.

Sorry to hear about this situation. I think the PhD Coordinator of X University acted poorly in this case and that would be a huge red flag. 
However, the CGS resolution is not legally binding and there are no consequences for breaking it. So, unfortunately, there isn't much you can do. In my opinion, when Universities behave poorly like this, the best we can do is "name and shame" so that others know about this bad behaviour. But you will have to be careful about how you to do it so that it doesn't reflect poorly on you or make you liable to libel lawsuits. It might be best to wait until you are more established in your career to do something about it.
For more immediate advice, here's what you should do: 
1. Don't reply to X University any further. 
2. Wait and see what other results you get (perhaps Y University). If you get an offer from another school that is equal to X University or better, then take it. Breathe a sigh of relief that you escaped the terrible situation at X University. Imagine if you had accepted X University earlier on and not realise the people you would be working with!
3. If X University is your only offer in the end, you have a tough decision to make. As the Dept Chair and Director says, the offer is still valid because the school doesn't let them withdraw offers, but if you take it anyways, you are going to be fighting with them the entire time. But at the same time, that admission spot is your right---you've earned it. I would only considering taking the spot if you are able to contact professors in the department and have them on your side. Otherwise, I'm not sure it's worth the fight.
In the future, you could write to the CGS to let them know what happened. I'm not sure if anything is actually done, but it could be worth letting people know. You could also write to the Graduate School or other administrative bodies higher up than the Department at X University to let them know. You can write to faculty in that department to let them know. You could write to students, postdocs, staff etc. to let them know. 
However, doing any of this comes at a risk to you! You're new to the field and being public about this can hurt you. So, you might wait until you are more established and have more protections before you tell your story of what happened at this school. It's up to you.

I second the "name and shame" solution, but as TakeruK mentioned, it's important to maintain total anonymity (or some other ways to protect yourself). Writing to CGS would also be a good solution. Although the university is not legally bounded to follow the 4/15 rules, I'm guessing CGS wouldn't be happy about their behavior.
 
IMO Anonymity is the key. If you choose to disclose this situation to anyone (by the way, sorry to hear about this situation! It's awful.), use a non-identifiable email account and disclose as little personal info as possible.

You should tell them. There is no harm in telling them. They can easily look you up anyways as this fall, you will be listed in your new school's directory. And if they are interested in you as a student, telling them where you will be would help them keep an eye out for your work. So just write something like:
Hi X,
Yes, I will be attending the Y program at Z University this fall! I hope to see you again at conferences in the future!
LAS22
(or something to that effect).

Oh no! That sucks. So sorry. 
@light10491 I'm calling my POI later today and then accepting on the portal. Tomorrow is my day to celebrate!!

He would love to have you work with him because he enjoyed having you as a student, genuinely believe you have potential, and would be thrilled to be the one to help you reach it. But the purpose of teaching isn't to constrain students; it's to guide them while they discover their own paths. If your professor is indeed a quality mentor, then he should understand that. You aren't "betraying" him by going elsewhere; you're taking his legacy elsewhere. Think of your teacher as a parent. How many parents wish with all their hearts that their kids would stay close to home and spend time with their family? But how many parents would be upset at their children for achieving great things elsewhere? As long as you express your appreciation and respect for your mentor and let him know how much he's helped you along the way, he needs to understand your decisions.
Also, I highly recommend watching the episode of Sabrina the Teenage Witch called "The Four Faces of Sabrina." If you can see how ridiculous Sabrina was for trying to please others in choosing colleges, then perhaps that'll make your communication with your mentor easier. In any case, best of luck! 

I think the sooner you tell him the better it will because because a lot of the other top candidates may not have committed to a school yet, so he still have a chance to get a top candidate to replace you.
I think it would be appropriate to thank him for his time and commitment to helping you launch your educational path and career (if he played that kind of mentorship role. I wasn't sure based on your post). Then tell him what makes the admissions offer to his school so attractive (basically compliment him and the program/school). Then tell him it was a very difficult decision to make but you unexpectedly received an offer you couldn't refuse (which explains why you changed your mind about the school later on).
I wouldn't mention that it's a better school or department than your alma mater. But if there are other factors that went into making this decision that you are comfortable in briefly mentioning then you could do that next. For instance, if they were offering you very little money and this school is offering a lot, you could say "due to financial reasons, I have decided to accept another offer." But be careful using that reason if the financial offers are similar because they might offer to match it. Or if they offered you a strong funding package, then I wouldn't use funding as a reason. You might say something about wanting to grow professionally and academically, being exposed to new ideas in a different academic setting and wanting to expand your professional network.
Once you let him know, I think you will later on feel a sense of relief. I'm sure this has happened to him a number of times in the past. That's why he's been working so hard to recruit you, right? But this is probably the first time you're in this kind of situation so understandably it is making you feel uncomfortable and stressed. Good luck and let us know how it goes!

They are both great schools and my advice is this.
Your ability to find a teaching position when you are out (at any school at all) will depend on the quality of work you do in the program you attend.  You'll be able to do better work if you go to school/live in a place you enjoy, where you can be happy.  You are about to make a 5ish year descision to live somewhere, since you have choices I'd make it about that.  Both are highly ranked/fantastic programs and both afford you an excellent step up when you finish your degree.  I'll add that money is important to consider too, so don't discount the award/stipend amount in your consideration (my MA only paid $980 a month and I didn't have time to get another job on top of teaching and school so I struggled for 2 years).  At either university it will be about what you can do with the opportunity, the placement rating doesn't guarantee anything (which it sounds like you are highly motivated/have a plan and are going to do fantastic so the small difference between the two shouldn't make a difference).  
Also...I always find it helpful to talk it out with friends/family/your partner.  This is a huge choice and I am sure many people will have different takes than I do.  
Best of luck and congrats!!!  

From my experience, be as careful as possible: I found it really easy to burn bridges with these things. In fact, I recently ran into the program coordinator/graduate recruiter at a department where I declined admission over two years ago... And she said she still remembers being really upset that I declined. It's worth noting that you may well burn bridges simply by declining an offer, and you want to minimize that as much as possible.

Fields can be small, and keeping good connections is really helpful.

As was mentioned earlier, it's not like you'll make or break their year by not coming- but if they've taken the time to put together visits, financial packages, etc. they've already invested a decent amount of time in you, and you should be courteous and somewhat personal in declining, imo. Especially if you're in the running/have received fellowships, etc.

I wrote mine emphasizing my choice based on research fit. It was the easiest way to go, and got the best response, I think. I sent e-mails to PI's I'd met with (that I was particularly interested in working with), as well as the program director/DGS. Declining based on fit is a professionally respectable choice- declining based on financial packages, location, weather, etc. are all less so.

I still keep up with people from schools I did not attend, and I think the connections you make in the application/admission process can be quite beneficial down the road.

Just like anything, it's not a big deal unless you make it a big deal.  They won't "know what it is like" to be an academic, but I don't know what it is like to be a doctor, or be in the military, so everyone has to get used to differences.  The main thing is, if you are a deep thinker, you may want someone else who is a deep thinker.   This may be harder to find outside of academia, but it isn't impossible.

Hi all, I'm still waiting to hear back about my Curriculum & Teaching Masters application, and in the meanwhile, I'll appreciate if any current students or recent grads can provide perspectives on the quality of the C&T Masters program in particular. The TC thread in this forum from two years ago has several people saying that some departments tend to be diploma mills that are basically cash cows for the university (http://forum.thegradcafe.com/topic/61468-teachers-college-2015/) with TAs teaching a lot of the courses, while others provide a much more satisfactory experience with classes taught by professors at the cutting edge of their fields. Does anyone know where the C&T Masters program falls along this spectrum? And how it stands up to Penn GSE's teaching, learning and leadership program? I'm an international student, and the govt. scholarship I've applied to only allows me to nominate one admission offer that I want to receive funding for, and I have to choose between the two (assuming of course that I get into TC, which is a big if).  
I know that I won't receive much funding from TC, but that's not really a concern as I'll only be able to go if I receive an external scholarship that covers all tuition and accommodation costs.  

Speaking as someone who has been rejected from all their apps except for ONE waitlist: TAKE YOUR TIME <3 it's kind of frustrating to see fellow waitlisted people tell all the acceptees to hurry up, despite the desperation and heartache. Even if I somehow get into this one school, I'm going to take my sweet ass time to accept because it's a huge decision. If I had more options, I'd take even longer. My cohortmate from my MA program just came home from two whirlwind weekends of school visits and she is so tired, I really hope she doesn't rush to make a decision as we're both scrambling to write our theses and finals which are upon us next week.
Just some cheerleading for y'all. I'm so proud of everyone's accomplishments!

Thanks, that's a good point

I was also thinking this as well.... NYU hasn't been without some turnover either.