PoliticalSociology

I think there are at least two types of rankings we should think about if we're deciding where to go: one is the prestige within sociology (approximated by the USNWR rankings) and the other is the general prestige of the institution. Both matter. Sociology prestige depends a lot on small historical quirks (e.g. which departments had superstars 30 years ago, which were founders of sociology as a discipline even longer ago than that) but is department-specific, such as if a school funds its natural sciences very well but not social sciences. There is also placement ranking, which I think might be the most important of the three, which directly tells you where students get academic jobs. Unfortunately that probably depends a lot on self-selection of 'top' students into certain programs. This is the most useful placement ranking in my opinion (https://www.socjobrumors.com/topic/updated-placement-ranking-2014-2019/page/6). Scroll to the end of the thread for the most current rankings. Here are the top 11: 1. NYU: 0.97 2. Harvard: 0.86 3. Duke: 0.84 4. Michigan: 0.67 5. UCLA: 0.66 6. Arizona: 0.65 7. Princeton: 0.64 7. Columbia: 0.64 8. Cornell: 0.6 10. Northwestern: 0.58 10. Upenn: 0.58

I am very uncertain how much prior contact with POIs helps. I have read mixed opinions, and my guess would be that unless you really hit it off (e.g. you happen to share a niche research interest and have prior publications on that), this doesn't make a big difference. I think GRE scores can matter a lot though. Did you retake? There might be cut-offs, formal or informal, that you didn't make. So if this year doesn't pan out, that seems like it could be the most important aspect.

Sorry to hear that! If you talk to some sociologists, they'll say this is a blessing in disguise because of how crappy the job market is right now. I also know plenty of people who got a full round of grad school rejections and then got in years later, such as after working as a research assistant. It sucks to be rejected though. Take some time to appreciate the non-work values you have in life, whether that's family, friends, a nice hobby, or just loving yourself. Those will be around whether you go to grad school and get a great job, go to grad school and don't get a great job (as is common), or don't go to grad school at all ?

It looks like UW-Madison sent out a ton of acceptances and rejections just now! Congrats to everyone who got in, and to those who didn't, there are plenty of other exciting opportunities out there, whether in sociology grad school or elsewhere ?

You can also edit your comment, FYI It's probably fine, but the only real benefit would be easing your anxiety a little, right? Is that worth potentially annoying someone? Idk.

I had an interview, and it was also very casual like MFSocio's. I would still prepare for intense questions about research literature, but keep in mind many interviews will turn out to be quite informal. Also, looks like there was a UChicago interview notification today (from the results page)! I wouldn't give up on any program this early. I think the interviews will keep streaming in for at least a week or two.

I'd rather not say for anonymity, but it's nothing interesting. Just a nonstandard part of the materials I submitted.

It was an email from POI, which means people might not get them at the same time or even the same day. I got a logistical email from U Chicago about an hour ago (not an interview or rejection, just a confirmation of a weird part of my application).

Thanks for that info, passere, and congrats on your acceptance to UCLA

Congratulations! That's a great school.

Just wanted to add a resource for people: This and some other threads in Waiting it Out have people talking through their experiences with the waiting and the anxiety. For someone like me without many friends applying to grad school, it's nice to hear what other people are going through. Kind of like group therapy lol.

What did the email say? Now I'm worried I will be rejected from UCLA because I didn't submit transcripts properly...

Thanks for the encouragement ? Who knows. Also important to remember that they aren't all sent out on one day. Last year it seems that acceptances were distributed from Jan 11-Feb 5. I wonder if that's them waiting to see their % yield and not admit too many people, but wouldn't most students wait to commit until they hear back from other schools? I don't know.

Oh, you got in? Or just saw it on the results page? If you did, congrats! I haven't heard anything, so maybe not me. Oh well.

That's better than nothing! Thanks for the tip.

Another question: Does anyone know what time of day decisions are typically sent out? It might help if I can concentrate my anxiety to a particular time each day, such as if I know decisions usually aren't sent out in the morning.

Do you mean sending them in from your previous schools? I didn't do that, but I did upload a scanned copy of my undergraduate transcript in the application system. Perhaps the one you uploaded just didn't look official enough. I know they are sometimes required to have the student's name, date of birth, or maybe even the university seal or an official signature. I'd just do whatever UCLA asks of you. Good chance if you submitted some record of your grades, they won't really care about specifics. I know schools can still consider incomplete applications. Maybe they will just require more documentation if they accept you and you decide to enroll. Good luck!

I didn't.

I wish you the best of luck! Computer science and sociology is a neat intersection and probably very in demand.

I think UCLA might send out some acceptances on Friday, Jan 10. Last year they did Jan 11, and it was also the Friday of the second week of January. But who knows for sure!

There's a psychology forum that has more answers for Social Psychology. Interviews are more common in psychology departments, though I'm not sure exactly how common.

I think University of Chicago does. I don't know any other American programs that do (I only applied to American programs).

I don't know of any sociology programs that have already sent out interviews or acceptances, but yes, there are certainly a lot of programs that don't do interviews. You can look through the results from last year and see that for some schools, nobody mentions interviews.

@annetod, that's interesting. I've heard a lot of people say how terrible the sociology TT job market is, but personally, I would be open to a non-TT job. I think it's good for students, even at Top 10 programs, to remember that there are lots of great sociology jobs outside of TT or even just outside of TT R1.

Thanks for starting this thread! I applied to about 10 schools and am also feeling anxious. Maybe you could a meaningful project that takes a substantial amount of your time. Something you can look back on and see as a significant accomplishment, like learning a new instrument, going on a silent meditation retreat, writing up a theoretical paper/essay, or building something with your hands. That often feels better than just bouncing around between smaller hobbies, or worse, refreshing Grad Cafe! Just an idea. I think that's right. The University of California schools seem particularly early. And University of Chicago sent out interview offers Jan 18-20 last year.