KevinJHa

@KevinJHa You're one of the coolest and nicest people on this board and, hell yeah, I want to stay connected with you and all other likeminded, collegial folks! Congrats on Northeastern - if I end up at Brown, we'll be neighbours.

This is a great idea. I'd love to connect to people in our cohort (regardless of school). 

So I had an idea I wanted to pass along to this thread.
Considering how dense the network of sociologists is, I figure it could be cool to start a GroupMe (It's a free group texting app) for gradcafers who are interested. Even if we all end up going to different schools and have different research interests, there is a high probability that we'll be at similar functions, conferences, and meetings down the road. 
 
This would give us a space on our phones to:
(1) Casually chat in real-time
(2) Share information on upcoming conferences, meetings, social gatherings, etc.
(3) Share our final application decisions
(4) Ask each other questions and help out each other out when we're in need
(5) etc.
 
Obviously this is just an idea I wanted to pass along, but if people are interested I could start it up. All you would need to do is download GroupMe and then DM me your phone number so I can add you to the group.
 

Haha thank you <3 I only have one school left to hear back from unfortunately but at least I got in somewhere! How're your apps going?

I am sorry! I keep hoping to see you get an acceptance from a great school, I know you will get good news soon! 

^ Yea, personally I was thinking about getting some sociology credentials so that I could move into an administrative role into one of those positions like "Vice Provost of Diversity" if I wasn't able to work as a professor.  It's sounding like no matter which way you slice it, going back to school isn't a guarantee in sociology just like law.

Whatisyourhistory--I don't believe you can accuse one of fortune-telling, then pose an alternate future.
 
If you guys truly think that your only hope upon PhD completion is hopping from adjunct to adjunct position, it would seem idiotic to continue pursuing a PhD--yet you are and do not seem to be idiots, which makes your argument unserious from a critical realism standpoint.
 
Perhaps you're right.  Good luck with the searchcoms.

It's true, right now it's a bit rough.  States are cutting funding, the slow pick up from the recession, etc--but demographically, the baby boomers are preparing to retire which should open up a significant amount of jobs in the future.  It'd be foolish to base your job prospects 7 years from now on the job market of today.

Thank you! I'm talking to the graduate director today and have a million questions including funding!

As a former student who attended the program a few years ago, the short answer is "probably not."
If you're interested in getting into a PhD program in sociology, an MA degree can allow you to build connections and conduct more research so you can build a stronger academic profile. However, you would be better off going to a program that provides more financial aid, preferably a full ride. The Columbia MA program generally does not offer any financial aid to those admitted. A few students get some financial assistance, but still not nearly enough to cover the cost of tuition+living expenses of about $75,000.
Of course, in academia rankings do matter, so you may feel tempted to attend the MA program at a prestigious university over, say, Florida State University. The problem is that for the vast majority of the students that attend the Columbia MA sociology program, the amount of money they pay does not come even close to the returns obtained from graduating. Most students either end up in top 30-50 sociology PhD programs (which they could have gotten into with a fully funded, even if lower ranked, MA program), or they drop out of the field entirely and get a job that did not require them to spend so much money on an MA degree. If prestige of the MA program is a big concern to you, you should take a look at the Chicago MAPSS program, which offers more money (up to full tuition) and also places students better after they graduate.
Yes, there are a handful of students from the Columbia MA program who go on to get offers from Top 20 sociology PhD programs. But you should know that these students are a very small minority. It would be a bad idea to presume you would be one of the exceptions. This is especially the case if you don't already have a strong academic profile. If you think the Ivy League name is going to override your low GRE scores and get you into Wisconsin or Stanford PhD, think again. It's not going to happen.
What are some issues with the Columbia MA program? They include (but are not limited to): 1. The faculty (the tenure-track/tenured ones) does not want to waste time with the MA students. There are exceptions, obviously, but for the most part they want to focus on their own research and advise their PhD students. So at the end of the 1-year program, many MA students can't even get a strong letter of recommendation from even one faculty from the program. 2. Lack of time. One year isn't enough time to come up with a research proposal, carry out the research, and write up an MA thesis. Most people end up with MA theses that aren't particularly well written. (Note that many full funded MA sociology programs are two years, not one, so it gives you more time to write a stronger, polished thesis.) 3. The program - including the MA coordinator - does not care about what happens to you. It's important to keep this in perspective: programs like this doesn't exist for the purpose of placing students into top PhD programs or landing them great nonacademic jobs. Instead, it exists to collect your tuition money. In return, it is willing to give you access to resources which you can take potentially take advantage of. That is the hard truth, and you certainly should not expect any hand-holding or detailed directions about how to maximize your returns if you were to attend the program.
All in all, the MA sociology program at Columbia is likely not worth it. I cannot generalize this to everyone (especially if you come from a wealthy family and the cost is no issue at all), and there is no doubt that for some people, the program will be well worth it. But I will say that if you do choose to attend, you should go into it fully aware that there is a very good chance you will eventually come to regret it.

Hi friends! This may be the wrong thread, but I just deposited at UNC! I am now looking for roommate(s) and would be thrilled to live with some Sociologists! Anyone planning on UNC?

Also congratulations everyone on the acceptances  Like someone said prior this really has been a BRUTAL application cycle.

I’m with you in spirit @2733amh, my husband came home with an entire valentine’s cheesecake last night bc “pregnant women don’t eat flowers” ? 

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

Got an email last night with an acceptance at Utah, with funding TBD. 

@Want_PHD @cam_soc hey guys im sorry the open house finished last night and I had to go straight to New York to CUNY's open house -- havent had a chance to post. Once I get home I promise ill provide a detailed post about my experience with NE.

@Want_PHD @cam_soc hey guys im sorry the open house finished last night and I had to go straight to New York to CUNY's open house -- havent had a chance to post. Once I get home I promise ill provide a detailed post about my experience with NE.

Don't do that to yourself! I've spent the better part of a decade on the grad school grind. I went from a near-undergrad-flunky to being competitive for Ivy PhDs. I've been in some really dark spots, so I know the struggle better than almost anyone, but never give up. Start climbing. (And wait until admissions season is over before your start torturing yourself)

Received my first rejection this morning from Brown! 7 more schools to hear from, trying to stay positive.

Just checked results in the last two years, harvard, yale, and boston university will probably send their unofficial acceptance within this week.
So nervous now!

Hey to the person who got waitlisted to Columbia who said if we didnt hear by today we got rejected -- could you provide a little more information?

Aww thanks so much qeta <3 

Best of luck to you, @KevinJHa! I am sure you will impress Northeastern folks with your knowledge and enthusiasm! Sending lots of good vibes.

One thing I've found extremely helpful to ask during interviews, and that I definitely plan to ask as many people as I can during my upcoming visit, is "what do you wish you had done in advance of starting the program?". I think it gives a really good insight for what daily life in the program feels like, it gets grad students and professors mentally picturing you in the program, and you get great advice out of it! (So far all of my answers have been "learn to code/get better at coding", which is more or less what I expected since I'm computational sociology, but that is almost always followed up with ideas on how to do that more effectively, with links to online resources and such).

A closely related question would be: what is the best way to approach attending the open house of the only program you got accepted to? (Considering that it's looking very likely I'll only have gotten accepted into one program.)