Madelene

Hi @GCBrittany . $1000 is going to be really tough in Denver--probably impossible if you're looking for a two-bedroom--but if you go to the suburbs that is doable. There's a Facebook group worth searching through called Denver Creative Housing. There's always people looking for roommates or switching housing and is a good place to start to figure out cost/location. The DU area is one of the cheaper areas in actual city limits, since it's south of downtown.

Hey pinoysoc! My Stanford app was a little rough, especially as it was the first one due. I had to dig really deep though into faculty research to get a feel for the department strengths, for the exact research you've listed. I ended up falling in love with Karen Cook, but she's a rock star so I'm not sure what her availability is. I also found it really hard to figure out how much to flatter the department, since it's Stanford. Of course they know their prestige, but I don't want to schmooze to little or too much. What a weird, messed up game. How did yours go?

KevinJHa I've seen your posts and thought the same thing about you! Honestly, fit is what I'm most worried about. I know I'm qualified to be somewhere--my big fear is that I chose the wrong places at the wrong time, and there's just no way to know if that's the case.

This is so cool! Would anyone be interested in group goals? Like working towards something with another person/a group to sort of keep each other accountable? I'm trying to get back to strength training, learn the guitar, and make more art. Anyone interested in similar things?

I haven't contacted any professors, but have chatted with many current students. I know different schools recommend different processes--Stanford recommends you don't contact, while UNC recommends you do. I think Stanford's logic is that everyone should be evaluated on the same materials, without giving preference to those with the cultural capital to reach out in in formulaic ways.

Does anyone know which programs do interviews? I don't think any of mine do, since I don't think they mention interviews on their websites, but what do I know?

Hi! Does anyone have updated information about housing costs? I haven't seen any in a while. If admitted to UNC, I'm hoping to move in the fall. I will have a car and have heard good things about Carborro but am mostly just curious about rent costs. I don't need to live alone either--1 or 2 roommates is fine.

Hi all! Finally time to post because it's too stressful waiting alone! I applied to five schools (Stanford, UNC Chapel Hill, Princeton, UW Madison, and Michigan) and am concerned that 5 schools (all ranked highly) aren't enough. I have a very strong interest in the sociology of health and wrote an undergrad thesis on the topic with departmental awards and a 3.98 GPA (overall and in sociology major). My GRE scores weren't anything to write home about (V-162 and Q-159) but I'm hoping they'll be enough for one school. I feel pretty good about my writing sample (my thesis) but don't have any publications, as I went to a liberal arts college where professor research is secondary to teaching, although I did work as an RA for a publication yet to be completed. I also feel good about my letters of recommendation--three professors I've worked closely with and the president of my alma mater, who I work for now as a data analyst. I'm also not sure about my statement of purpose. I felt really good about it but asked too many people for advice and heard contradictory things, so who knows! I'm just trying to breathe and remember that even rejection doesn't mean this isn't the right path. Anyone have experience with these programs? I think Princeton is the odd one out in my list, as they are moving more towards urban sociology as far as I can tell. I have no clue what to expect but would love to chat with you all and worry with others instead of alone!