HMcneil

Can you elaborate more on your reason for choosing SUNY-Albany over WSU? I know you say ranking, but really the two are not substantially different in terms of ranking imo. Certainly not enough to pass up the fully funded offer. If you have an established relationship I think it's definitely worth inquiring about more funding, but I would not consider going into debt for SUNY-Albany at all, especially when you have a fully funded offer from what I believe most in sociology consider to be a peer institution.

It doesn't hurt to reach out to SUNY and request funding. I have discussed this a few times with people on this board, and many have had success calling up the admissions officers at schools and giving them some iteration of: "Your program is my top choice, but It would be really hard for me to attend without funding. How can we make this work?".
Of course every field is different, but from what I have heard from IR, Public Policy, Poli Sci and Anthropology Majors, this is something that can be done.

Hi @ThePastelCalico, I am sorry you're feeling so down about the Wisconsin rejection. I have also gone to schools that I regretted attending (ahem, McGill poli. sci.) and consequently am extremely stressed about making the right choice now. So I understand your feelings. At the same time, Wisconsin is a very highly ranked program that also admitted a very small pool of applicants this year due to funding issues. You not getting in only means that you weren't among the top eight applicants, not that you aren't capable of excellent sociology research. You must also take into account that you work on topics related to a very small subfield, as do I with my emphasis on sociology of development. Finally, I can't stress this enough: the academic caste system is real, whether one likes it or not. The only reason I could make the terrible situation at McGill work for me somewhat was because the McGill name (and my own research capacity) allowed me to network with folks at even higher ranked institutions through conferences, archival visits, and exchanges. Your supervisor and advisors/mentors at NC State can help you with this a lot. There are a lot of gatekeepers in academia who keep the caste system alive and thriving, along with many people who perhaps don't reflect on how the caste system is reproduced and thus end up benignly reproducing it. I have read about your research on this forum with a lot of interest and it seems great to me as someone who is also somewhat interested in environmental/ rural sociology. So keep doing the awesome work, take advantage of opportunities because signals of productivity and networking matter quite a lot, and use some strategies to get past the gatekeepers. We can also talk more via PMs.

I am sorry you feel this way. My initial reaction was what? you got accepted to three universities and you're still unsure? but when my bite of jealousy subsided I was able to see how you'd be bothered and would wonder what is it that UWM wanted that you didn't have. I was only accepted to one school and had to question their standards if they thought that I'm good enough. But that's not the point. The point is there are humans in those universities. They aren't gods or clairvoyants and I believe making the choice is just as difficult for them since they can't be sure they're betting on the best of the best either. People drop out from the best programs. And succeed in okay programs too. Look up a list of where world's Nobel laureates graduated from and you'll see it's a very broad range of schools. Some of those people got rejections too in their time and someone might have regretted turning down a renown specialist because one of their recommendation letters was not exactly stellar. It's a betting game for everyone, in a way. They way I look at it, it's not worth putting on a pedestal a school that didn't select you. Their rejection doesn't make it unreachably good. It's just that you're not the horse they're betting on and that's okay. Instead, I want the school that chose me to be really really proud of it some day. You can even choose which of the three schools will get to put your picture on their "distinguished alumni" wall.  

By the way, I'm looking forward to meeting everyone in future conferences. PM me! 
I would love to connect and make friends when we all start doing our thing!
I'm going to miss stressing out on here. HMU!
 

Just heard back from my top choice, acceptance at University of Albany, SUNY for Sociology and I even got a little baby scholarship. Have not heard from any other universities yet, but this is pretty much it for me. Anyone else in this thread attending??
 
Applied: Washington State University, University of Delaware, Colorado State University, University of New Mexico, The University at Albany, SUNY
Accepted (1/5): The University at Albany, SUNY
 

I am not a sociology major, but I took a sociology of ethnic relations course in undergrad and I really enjoyed reading Eduardo Bonilla-Silva's book called Racism without Racists. 

Congratulations! I just had to decline their offer because I wouldn’t be able to commute or rent an extra room and survive on the modest stipend. They are having a visit day on March 26th.

Hi guys! Just wanted to post a tip for anyone lurking here and considering moving to Albany for the upcoming year. I've lived in the Capital Region my whole life and have loved living here although I'll be moving in the fall for school. Anyway, wanted to put out that a great resource is alloveralbany.com, a local website which is really pretty emblematic of the community. It has information on food, things to do, local government, the neighborhoods, and they love interactive maps. They also take questions--essential things like "what's a good local plumbing service"--and put them out to the community for comments. Best of luck to any graduate students coming to the Albany area! 

I got in at Notre Dame!! Woohoo!!! International student from a developing country, applying out if my field. I can't believe it. I'm over the moon!

Congrats, @AnnaGG
 

As if it wasn't already obvious, I got not one but two emails today from Wisconsin informing me I've been rejected. But we've been knew about that rejection! 

This post moved me, and I am frustrated by the obstacles that we, in a structural sense, allow parenthood to create. I also deeply admire your grit, courage, and perseverance. I am currently involved in motherhood penalty-related research, and WOW does your situation hit home, especially "I guess I thought from an ideological standpoint, the ONE place that would be supportive of a working mother would be a Sociology dept but alas, nope nope nope."
I obviously don't have influence in the outcomes of this app cycle for you, but I do have tremendous respect, admiration, and frustration for your situation.

I am happy to share a good news with all of you that I just got accepted from Cornell  
I cannot believe it. I'm nauseous now...  
 

In at Brown! What a lovely early Valentine's Day gift.

Congratulations! Ithaca is a lovely city

Let's keep the friendly and supportive atmosphere, folks   I think everyone is stressed waiting to hear back, but we should treat each other with respect.

Looks like NYU won't make moves today. This will be the latest they've notified since the Results page came into existence... not that I've noticed. ?
 
Sending everyone honey badger vibes.

This is really random, but I've gotten so good at typing "gradcafe" with one hand in my URL bar. It's like typing in my own phone number lol.

I heard from the graduate coordinator today. Reaching out to departments about admissions decisions was encouraged in my program. Another grad coordinator in a different program assured me the inquiry was not at all a bother. 

I'm so anxious and impatient right now as well, with no acceptances yet it's hard to be present and mindful. To help reduce the anxious thoughts and feelings, I just bring my attention to my breathing or ground myself with my senses, either listening/looking/feeling. When the thoughts about my future appear (as they inevitably will) I try to just observe them rather than identify with them and place judgements on them or myself. When I am aware that I am thinking about the future again, I will just bring my attention back to the present moment. Something that also helps me is my spirituality, understanding that the universe unfolds exactly as it is meant to, and there are no "right" or "wrong" paths. Have you ever looked into chaos theory? It's the idea that we live in a inherently chaotic and seemingly random system, but when looked at over a long period of time, a pattern emerges. So underneath all the apparent randomness, there is order. I calm myself down by reminding myself that although life is scary and unpredictable, I can take comfort in knowing there is an interconnectedness and higher purpose for the challenges and obstacles we encounter in life. PLUS, it's only the beginning of February and possibilities are still in existent. Nothing is determined, we are living in a world of infinite possibilities, who the hell knows what will happen, just know that whatever does happen is meant to guide you in your journey. 

This is why I've been taking nyquil or melatonin every night to sleep