PoliticalSociology

That's interesting. One of my top choices said they don't negotiate, but another offered me an additional modest scholarship when I asked. I wonder if there are any other things you can negotiate besides TA load and increasing the dollar amount?

I've narrowed my decision down to 2 schools, which is a big accomplishment for how indecisive I am! I'm still having follow-up calls with a few professors and students just to make sure I have considered everything. It's challenging because the two schools are so different and therefore hard to compare. But I keep reminding myself that both seem great, and the opportunity to spend 5-8 years learning and doing sociology research is just so fantastic. What about you?

I heard Cornell cancelled too. I think that's almost everyone from now on. Plus classes have been canceled for undergraduates at most of these schools too.

I know someone who decided not to because they have at-risk family members. I expect more will cancel later in the month, and it would be especially bad if visit days were in April instead.

Anyone else going to UCI's visit day this week? I'm excited but also nervous!

Yeah I wonder about this too! I've been living in the US for a time, but I'm not from here and certainly don't know anyone near the schools I'm thinking about. My guess is there will be some bonding between students coming from this kind of background, while other students with more established social networks will keep to themselves.

Great thread! I think asking about the financial details is important, particularly when payments come in (e.g. August vs October) and health insurance. I'm also just excited to nerd out on research topics with people, learning what research other people are excited about, what sort of approaches are most common at the school (e.g. qualitative, Bourdieu), and what people think of my ideas. I think it would also be nice to make connections with fellow prospective students, even if we end up at different schools. These are the people we'll be hanging out with at conferences, on the job market with, and perhaps working in the same department in the long-term.

I'm excited to see people from this forum at visit days! I know most probably don't want to share which ones due to anonymity, but it will be nice hanging out in person with others who shared this exciting yet anxious experience.

That is weird. 12 for a cohort of 10 certainly seems more in like with historical standards, though I don't think 6 would be out of the question if, for example, the previous year had an unusually large cohort.

Congrats on your one acceptance! That's very impressive, regardless of where it is. In terms of your best option, if you want to try to get into a better PhD program, you could do decline that offer and do various things to improve your application: get more experience, get a Master's degree, retake tests, or get more feedback and improve your essays. If you want to start a PhD immediately, you can take that offer and just keep in mind that getting a tenure-track job is really tough (for any soc program, not just programs below the Top 25). If you are interested in quantitative research, for example, you can develop those skills and get a job for an NGO, the US government, or even a tech company.

Does anyone know when NYU's visit day is? I think they're announcing decisions soon, but I want to go ahead and book flights for other visit days if possible.

Any explanation on the Princeton acceptance? Strange to just see one posted...

Congratulations! That's amazing. There's so much randomness in this process, both in which applications get noticed by whom at what time, but also in the varying fit and interests of soc programs. This seems especially true if the professor who inspired you is at Yale, so it's great that the stars aligned with your interests and their interests. Sounds like you'll have a very fruitful time at Yale.

Welcome! One post is always hard to interpret. It looks like there were three on the Result page on Friday, so that probably was a wave of acceptances. And in 2019, it looks like rejections came out only a day or two after acceptances. So maybe you'll hear back in either case tomorrow? Good luck!

Based on previous years, I think Cornell and NYU might send out acceptances this week! Good luck, everyone!