ErikaFate

I offered this in another thread, but I'll pop in here. I'm willing to look over people's SoP, CV, diversity statements, or any other documents that were required for applications. I'd rather help someone with their work instead of just sharing mine. I had some great assistance from my advisors and friends who went through a fantastic graduate training program at my university. This help brought me acceptance to 6 grad programs this year. I'm also happy to help you find some universities that will be a good fit for you. (Only applying to the top 10 is a quick path to rejection.) Just message me with your email address.

Thank you!

This has got to be difficult! I think I would be pretty short with people for a while... it's hard to handle rejection. I have heard plenty of times that a department's PhD program will not take their own undergraduate or masters students. They want to bring in new students, have more connections, more diversity, and so on. They also want their previous students to expand their own networks by going somewhere else. I can imagine these connections are invaluable in research or whatever else... so much so, that they will reject their current students regardless of their ability.

Honestly, I wore jeans and a t-shirt for my last visit day, with some comfortable boots. I'm glad I did. There is a lot of walking as they show you around campus. The last thing I wanted was to cut the tour short because of my own needs. It was also raining a lot, so I had to wear my rain jacket over everything. I spent most of the time with other graduate students, who probably don't mind what I wear. Sociology is also accepting in this way, anyway.

I have nothing as well, for this school and Ohio State. I figure the acceptances went out already.

It's the same for me. I'm not sure what it means.

There are a few things you can do next year. It's best to apply to 5-7 schools. One top-tier, one lower-tier that is your back-up, and the rest in the middle. One of the most important things is fit. I am interested in gender and labor, so I didn't apply to any department that didn't treat this like a solid focus. Use any resource you can to lower your application fees. Take the GRE again! Your TOEFL score indicates that you know what you're doing. The GRE offers a half-price option, but I'm unsure if it's available to international students. If you're international, check anyway. Some of these discount options are open to people in the US and India. The Statement of Purpose is really important, as it shows your ability to understand what meaning you got out of your research/teaching experiences, and what your goals are. It shows that you know how to put a plan of action together. Ask people on this forum to help you sort through your documents and give you tips. It needs to sound a bit braggy and boastful about your accomplishments. It has to have a specific format as well. There are also professional organizations that will help you for a fee. I graduated in December, so I have a few months free if you want me to look over your stuff. You have the scores, I am sure it is just something else that is blocking the way.

This is all totally what my undergrad research project was about. Mothers are being denied an education because the university system is actively excluding them, *plus* our fellow students deny our realities. I was accepted in several schools, and I'm most likely going to choose the one that has a mix of benefits for my family. I have to factor in the cost of living, the area's school system and policies on autistic children, the stipend amount, and if they are offering healthcare. And for what it's worth, I'd recommend ignoring anyone who is trying to be the tone police. We can all be as happy or as mad as we want about this whole process. Demanding that others follow your idea of norms seems to be antithetical to being a sociologist, but what do I know? I'm just an autistic woman who thinks tone policing is akin to ableism.

I'm happy to help! Send me a message and we can exchange email addresses. I also used a book, "ASA Guide to Graduate Departments of Sociology" to help me find schools that matched my interests. It was really helpful. Without a good match, it's not likely that a school will admit you. If anyone is applying again, I can probably help you find a few schools.

I hope things turn around for those on this thread. I've noticed a trend that many schools are taking in fewer new students this year because of lowered funding. Also, even though some of us got in several schools, we can only accept one. So spots will open up. I also think it will be a good idea to ask people on the forum to review your SoP if you decide to apply again. Or you can ask a professor in another program... this statement doesn't have to show perfect knowledge in sociology, but it should claim boldly how hard you worked and how you know this dedication will help you accomplish goals in the graduate program. Also, make sure you apply to at least one lower-tier school, several middle-tier schools, and only one or two top-tier schools. There are over 4,000 universities in the US and so many are great in their own way. Sorry for rambling on!

The only reason I was able to apply to so many was because I applied for an application fee waiver for all of them. I hope that you'll be able to figure out a way to reduce the financial burden and apply again next year. There may be services locally to you that may help, and some universities also have a lower application fee of about $65.

Are there good resources on how to send back rejections to admission offers? And should I do this before I even visit a school? Some are not my top tier, but it matters to me how much I get along with my mentors over most other things. I have heard horror stories about graduate students and advisors not getting along.

I applied to 13 schools. It seemed like a lot to me, but I couldn't narrow my list any further. I have heard back from 4 schools: 2 admits, 1 waitlist, and 1 reject. I have been to one visitation day last month. I have a feeling that the University of Southern California is also a reject because one of my recommendation letters wasn't received in time. I really want to hear back from the rest since I have to get my house sold and figure out disability services for my kid. I'll just have to cross my fingers that I hear more soon.

UCSB called me up early last week to let me know that I was put on their waiting list. So I'd assume they already sent out their acceptances? I got their call only a couple of days after I got an acceptance from UCSC, so I have to wonder if the UC schools send out acceptances around the same time.