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Kevin, I felt really good after visiting Albany even though I was not very interested in the department before. Everyone there seemed very happy and nice. I felt they would make sure I'd succeed. I was also impressed by the number of first/second year students publishing with faculty members. CUNY is great, but it can be difficult to get professors' attention and students are all over the place working. I've taken many PhD level sociology classes there, so you are welcome to PM me if you have any question. I feel Northeastern has a smaller department? Maybe you'll get more attention there. I'm ready to commit to Albany as soon as they offer me funding even if I get off the waitlist at UConn or UPenn or Temple. The only thing that could change my mind is a generous funding package from NSSR (very unlikely). Congratulations! I remember you were quite stressed during the process. I'm happy you are excited to move to a great city and attend the program you like.

Thank you for the advice, Kevin! I'm very frustrated because I couldn't put my research interests first and just applied to schools around NYC. I think I have decent research experience. I'll try to get my master's thesis or a class paper published. I wonder if I can get a job in research sometimes soon... I get extremely nervous talking to people, especially professors. How do you network? I wouldn't turn down any acceptance if it comes with funding that's enough to cover all the expenses. Albany told me I'm pretty high on the waitlist for funding. UConn and UPenn told me to wait until mid-late April. Temple told me to accept an offer from another school if I have one. Does s/he commute to Albany from NYC?

I'd love to join if I decide to go this year. This is a great idea, Kevin!

How's everyone doing? I got waitlisted at UConn, UPenn, Temple. Got no funding from Albany and the New School, and got rejected from CUNY after the interview. I have already declined the Columbia MA offer. Albany told me most likely I'd get off the waitlist for funding, but it's only 16k. I called to decline the offer, but they stopped me form doing so. My GRE is 320 and my GPA is around 3.6-3.7 in both undergrad and grad. My partner is willing to move to a city off the New Haven line if I get off the waitlist at UConn. Should I retake GRE and try again next year? I would like to get into Columbia or NYU or CUNY with funding because I can't relocate. Is it impossible?

Don’t go into debt if you want to pursue a PhD at CUNY in the future. Also, be aware the sociology department only fully funds 8 students/year. I know a few people who got their master’s degree at a CUNY college or the GC and went onto pursue a PhD in sociology or ciriminal justice at John Jay/the GC. Two of them didn’t get funding and work part-time. PM me if you have questions.

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.

Sorry for the late reply. My partner can be oblivious at times, but he’s very supportive and kind. Today we discussed all the options including renting a cheap small room near the univereiry and coming home every weekend. In the end, I realized that I wouldn’t be able to pay for my share of our current apartment, the room, and bus tickets. My stipend wouldn’t be able to cover all those costs. This was my first/last chance applying. I’m a bit sad, but will try to focus on writing my master’s thesis and look for a job later. I hope I can find a job related to my field of study in grad school. I’m going to decline the admission next week. My partner is supportive of my decision. He thinks my GRE scores are to blame, but it’s too late now. I’m not too sad about the rejections from the two prestigious programs in my city. If there’s a chance in the future, maybe I’ll try applying again in Europe.

You'll need to find roommates who are ok with having a dog. Also, some buildings are not ok with pets. Probably you'll have to pay an extra deposit if you decide to bring your dog. Your first year stipend is not enough to cover all the expenses if you want to live alone. With 38k, it's definitely possible to live in a studio.

I really don't recommend signing a lease without looking at the apartment in person. You'd want to know what the neighbourhood is like at night, see if the lobby/stairs are clean, etc..... I suggest that you find a sublet online/book a hostel room/book an Airbnb for your first few weeks. Come here a few weeks before your classes start. You won't want to be stressed from apartment search and moving. It is definitely possible to find a studio for $1600/month in Manhattan if you don't mind living uptown (Washington Heights or Inwood, maybe Hamilton Heights as well. If you don't have a good credit score, it can be difficult to find a landlord who is willing to rent an apartment out to you. Some owners are ok international students without credit history if they have guarantors or can put down 2-3 months worth of rent for a deposit. Also, be prepared to pay a broker's fee. You are welcome to PM me if you have more questions.

I didn't get the name of the person with whom I spoke on the phone. Why don't you contact Penn State, UPenn, and Vandy? When I called CUNY, they were nice enough to tell me that all the acceptances had been sent out. Maybe Penn State and Vandy can at least tell you when you can expect to hear from them?

I don't live too far away from the bus stop in NYC, and the bus will drop me of right in front of the campus. You are right. It's going to be more like a 4 hour commute each way. My partner and his dream as a scientist will always come first, but that doesn't mean I will do my best to find a job that I can be happy at. I used to clean houses and wait tables. While I can't say I enjoyed cleaning rich people's apartment, I enjoyed working as a waitress. Now I'm hoping to find a less physically demanding job with a master's degree, but my point is that I wouldn't mind working as a cashier or a waitress if necessary. I am passionate about my research and was sure I wanted to get a PhD, but maybe it is not a good idea. I wanted to make it work, but I have to compromise on something, obviously. Thank you for your advice.

I'm going to take full advantage of the visit day and ask current students and faculty questions. I think it would be a good idea to rent a room and stay there from Monday to Thursday and spend the weekend in the city. I would have to take loans to pay for two apartments, though. I used to commute 4 hours/day for 6 years, so I'm used to reading and sleeping on the bus. At my current school, people don't really communicate with each other, but you have a good point. I would like to learn from my colleagues and talk to them about their/my research interests. I'm honestly not too concerned with the long-term aspects of my career. It would be great if I could continue to do research after PhD, but my partner comes first. I've been very curious and passionate about some topics and decided to attend grad school. At first, I thought I'd be just happy with a master's degree, but I have realized that I want to learn more and do more research. Thank you for taking the time to write another long post. I appreciate it.

I have been living in NYC for a long time. I don't know how much your yearly stipend is, but it's possible to make it work if you get more than $25k/year. You'll probably want to look for an apartment with roommates in East Harlem, Washington Heights, Inwood, Hamilton Heights, Bushwick, Sunset Park, Prospect Heights, Crown Heights, Astoria, Long Island City and some other neighborhoods. You can also live in Jersey City. It's a quick commute to NYU on Path. Buy groceries in Chinatown and Trader Joe's. If you don't go out too often, you should be able to save money. Just be prepared to spend around $1000/month for a decent room. Maybe you'll get lucky and find a good deal, but who knows. A monthly unlimited ride metrocard costs $121. I share a small 1 bedroom apartment with my boyfriend and rarely eat out. My monthly cost of living is around $1500. If you have more questions, please feel free to ask.

I called UPenn and Temple today because I need to tell Albany if I'm really interested in attending (I believe people with funding offers will start declining their offers soon) as soon as possible. I didn't think I'd get into UPenn because of my ok GRE scores, but was hoping to get into Temple. According to the nice lady who picked up the phone, Upenn has already made their decisions, but is waiting to get those offers approved by the graduate school. They are hoping to send out all the decisions somewhere between late February and mid-March. I was told to call back in a week. Temple assured me that I have not been rejected, and told me to call back next week.

Your questions helped me organise my thoughts. Thank you. 1) It is realistic, I believe. 2) I have two projects in mind, and one of them does not depend on outside factors. I probably cannot do ethnography without external funding. However, I can complete the other project anywhere (collecting data online). 3) If I can read/sleep on the bus, I guess so. I need to check which course I need to take first. I'm going to ask questions on the visit day. 4) I believe it is possible to rent a room at a reasonable price. 5) I would be taking the bus. 6) There are cheap buses to the campus leaving from the city we live in now, so it doesn't make sense to move. 7) The relationship is very important to me. I am willing to do whatever I can to support him. I'd be willing to clean houses or work as a cashier if needed in the city he gets a postdoc position.