strawberrypasta

PROFILE: Type of Undergrad Institution: medium-size public R2 (ranked ~400 by US News). very small sociology program (30 students who are majors or minors/2 professors) Major(s)/Minor(s): Sociology (with High Honors)/WGS Studies Minor Undergrad GPA: 3.79 Type of Grad: N/A Grad GPA: N/A GRE: 149v/151q/5.5w Any Special Courses: Grad-level Queer Theory Course, research-centered university Honors Program (12 credit hours), Advanced Qualitative Methods in Sociology Letters of Recommendation: tenured English professor that taught Queer Theory Course; tenured Sociology professor that has been my mentor for 3 years; tenured Sociology professor at T5 Sociology program who was my mentor at the summer research program I attended Teaching/Research Experience: 2.5 years in McNair Program, 8 conference presentations (3 at ASA, rest at regional sociology conference), sole-authored paper published in peer-reviewed journal, TA for 2.5 years, 4 guest lectures Other: President of university-level social justice organization, service on committees for ASA and regional sociology society, ASA Honors Program, Summer research program @ T5 program, outstanding graduate for CLA at my undergraduate university RESULTS: 8a/4r/1wl/0p Acceptances: Columbia, Georgia State, Northwestern, UCSB, UIC, Michigan, Minnesota, Penn Waitlists: UC Berkeley Rejections: Brown, Chicago, Texas, Wisconsin Withdrew Application: Princeton and Michigan State (already accepted my offer before results were sent) Attending: Michigan LESSONS LEARNED: Get a hobby. Especially when waiting for decisions to be sent out. Refreshing GradCafe does not count as a hobby!!! Set designated time aside to work on applications, and try to work in designated spaces. Don’t just work from home because it will be way too difficult to pace yourself and create healthy boundaries with your application. Start drafting materials as early as possible. Continuously update your CV throughout undergrad rather than waiting to try to remember everything you did retroactively. Also send your materials to as many people as you feel comfortable with showing to review. It doesn’t even have to be people in sociology, but just having extra sets of eyes can help catch silly grammatical/spelling errors, clunky sentences, and help you think about your application differently. Keep a personal/junk journal as you do your research in undergrad where you can document your feelings, ideas, etc. and try to write in it every day. This will be super helpful to look back on as you craft your application. Make sure you have a clear understanding of what you want your research to be and how you want to be known as a researcher. Make sure that your application is a cohesive story about this identity and project. It’s also really important that your SOP is well structured and easily readable in a short time. I was told by professors at the summer program that 90% of time in the first round is spent on the SOP, and that they need it to catch their attention from the beginning. It should also have clear topic sentences to begin each paragraph. From what I was told, the SOP should be (in this order): 50% research agenda for grad school, 30% your past experiences that make you the perfect person to carry out this research, 20% why this program is the best place to do such research.

I’m probably about to make a document with all of the questions I’m planning to ask! I would be willing to share the link if it would be helpful for anyone

Has anyone heard anything from Michigan State or Princeton? They are the last two I am waiting to hear back from and they don’t have very clear info on their websites as to when they send out decisions

Just saw that on the spreadsheet that someone marked they got an acceptance from Minnesota… can anyone else confirm if they have?

No worries! I just DMed you on here. I didn't realize GradCafe offered messaging.

Yes! Not knowing where I will be moving is killing me lol. I am a chronic overplanner so this is horrid haha. When is everyone planning on moving? I think I will be at the end of May or the beginning of June. It's a bit early, but my partner and I have an apartment through our university and we have to move out the day after they graduate. I would also love to hear more about your research! Not sure if you are on Reddit, but my username is the same if you want to chat about it through DMs.

Ooo awesome! I am ready to start hearing back. Kind of going crazy from the wait already haha!

Nice! We seem to be applying to a lot of the same ones haha! I applied to Brown, Columbia, Michigan State, Northwestern, Princeton, Berkeley, Santa Barbara, Chicago, UIC, Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin. What does your research center on? Mine broadly explores gender, family, and the life course.

Congratulations! I totally understand the feeling of anxiety, I have been obsessively reading over my statements and thinking about all of the things I. could/should have done differently. In any case, take time to celebrate! Do something you love and haven’t had time to dedicate to during the application season. Catch up on TV shows or movies or books you’ve been meaning to get to, go on a walk, make a nice meal, catch up with an old friend, etc. I am trying to find a hobby to pick up once I finish up my last application, but I haven’t landed on one quite yet. Where all did you apply to?!

It doesn’t show that for me either. I think it should be good though?

Mine is 743 words, not including my reference list.

I am! It has been very difficult to write tbh. I have written and rewritten it upwards of six times now, and am not feeling super confident with it. How is it going for you? I have also been struggling with shorter personal/diversity statements such as Princeton and Brown. It is hard to work within a 250-300 word limit.

Congrats!! Where all did you apply to? It is fine to submit applications without having the letters with it. As for a different deadline for the letters, I have heard some people say that, but I am not going to risk it with my applications. If you haven't heard from them in a while, I would send a follow up message soon, especially with this being a holiday week (if you are US-based).

Sorry for the late reply to this. I hope it is not too late to give my perspective... As for retaking it, I would not. I may be a little biased in this because I retook it and did the exact same. Do not waste your time, energy, or mental health retaking it (if I am not too late in my advice). 46th percentile may seem bad, but it really is not when you consider that even a perfect score puts you around the 90th percentile, and we are in a social science field. Most people who are above you are likely in STEM-oriented fields, or at least are marketing themselves as a quant-oriented social scientist. A lot of schools, including Berkeley, do not require the GRE scores to be submitted. So unless your score is completely outstanding, do not submit it to test-optional programs. If you are comparative/historical-oriented, and are applying to schools that do require GRE scores, just justify it by using another aspect of your application that may counteract that lower score. I am in a similar position, and it has been stressing me out, but I am combatting it by discussing an experience I have in quant methods that counters what my GRE score portrays. I am saying something along the lines of: [discussing personal factors, such as being first-gen and working multiple jobs] The impact of these challenges is most evident in my Statistics for Life grade and my quantitative GRE score. [a bit more information about my challenges in taking the GRE] These obstacles have only strengthened my resolve to improve my quantitative skills, demonstrated by my performance in [generic name for research course], in which I earned an A. This course provided hands-on experience in designing surveys, creating quantitative datasets, and using R to run statistical models – essential skills in pursuing a PhD in Sociology. Consequently, I believe my success in this course more accurately reflects my ability to excel in doctoral studies than my performances in earlier statistical coursework and the GRE, which does not assess statistical proficiency. The only caveat to this is that I would not put it in your statement of purpose or personal statement. Oftentimes, there will be a space within the application system itself to give the program more information or to fill in gaps in your application. You want your statement of purpose and personal statement to be as positive as possible and to focus on your strengths and what you will bring to the program. Alternatively, if one of your letter writers was your methods instructor, perhaps have them address your ability to succeed in basic quant courses in grad school. They are splitting hairs by the last 30-50 applicants; everyone at that point is a strong, qualified applicant. Do not give them any reason to put you in the deny pile, rather than the accept. Regardless, I do not think that your score is detrimental at all to your application. In fact, it's pretty decent (better than mine LOL) especially as someone who is not quantitatively oriented. It is a holistic application review and even at the schools who do require the GRE, I do not think it will be weighed as much as your writing sample, past experiences, or statements. I hope this helps! Good luck and do not stress. Know that you have done everything possible and you will end up in the place you are meant to be.

Hey everyone! I noticed there wasn’t a general discussion thread for this application cycle yet, so I thought I’d start one. Feel free to use this space to chat, ask questions, or share any experiences and concerns as deadlines get closer and we begin the waiting game!