living_in_paradise

Just got off the phone with Anthony. Apparently mine was a real offer, which is heartening. He seemed to think that this was an isolated problem (not that that's any comfort to you, architect81). I really hope it is, because I would hate for this to happen to anyone else.

Wow. Not what I would expect from the SSRC. That's so devastating. Hope you're doing ok. My fear is that more of us might be in the same boat. I'll try to get some clarification from them this afternoon.

like - what happened? just emailed them and tried to reach anthony by phone (no luck). Did they contact you or did you contact them?

wait - what? should i call them about my email offer? thought it was too good to be true...

I received a fellowship offer from SSRC via email on Wednesday afternoon, as did someone else at my university. So there were definitely mutliple emails that went out on Wednesday, but I have no idea if that's the whole batch of acceptances (the email said that they had made 80 offers in total). We're supposed to accept or decline the fellowship by May 1, so there's a possibility that additional offers will go out after that date. Hope that helps, and best of luck to everyone.

I got my application in about 15 mins before the final (extended) deadline, so I don't think that's the issue. But they might very well be sending out transcript requests in batches or waves for some other reason. I'm not sure if this is at all accurate, but my understanding is that they do an initial review, cull about half of the applications, and then send the remainder on to the final round of reviews in April. I'm not sure if everyone who made the initial cut gets a transcript request though. Anyone have a better idea of how this works?

The email came from idrf@ssrc.org (under the name of "ssrc"). The email didn't really say anything beyond asking for transcripts - which they want by Feb 15. Good luck to all those who applied.

Just got a transcript request this afternoon (1/31) at about 2 pm EST. Not sure if they send them out all at once or what, but thought I'd share that. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the SSRC doesn't actually make final decisions about awards until late spring, right? So a transcript request doesn't really mean anything, just that you're still in the hunt (just trying to downplay expectations).

Hmmm... my guess is that no one on this forum will be able to give you good advice on this question. It's just too personal, and it all depends on what you want out of life, and what you would like to be doing 10, 20, or 30 years down the road. If your life's ambition is to be an academic and a sociologist, take the offer at Penn State and don't look back. If you're not sure, and have professional ambitions that this job will bring you a step closer to achieving, then take the job. Likewise if you have very pressing financial issues that the job would help resolve. Long story short, take the job if it's what you really want to do, or go to grad school if that's what you really want to do in life. If you're really truly unsure, I'd vote for the job. At least you could walk away with a pile of money if you decide it's not for you. But if you're leaning towards school, though, don't let the money tempt you into a career that's not really in line with what you hope to do with your life.

Any opinions on Hasbrouck Apartments? I won't be able to visit Ithaca before August, so perhaps grad housing on campus is a safer option than trying to find something off-campus over the internet. Seems a bit pricey, though, and pretty unspectacular for the money.

I'll be going to Cornell for Development Sociology. The deciding factors for me were funding and program fit. Best of luck to all as you make your decisions and/or wait to hear about waitlists and whatnot.

I'll probably be there as well, doing a PhD in Development Sociology. Just got my funding package, and I'm very excited. Thanks to psycholinguist for all the housing advice.

I just saw that someone posted a rejection on the results board. That's a shame, but I guess it means that they're beginning to notify. Has anyone else heard anything? From what I've heard, class size will be about the same this year (4 or 5 in the incoming cohort). Funding is, of course, tight. That's about all I know.

1 University of California--Berkeley 2 Stanford University 3a Cornell University 3b University of Wisconsin--Madison 5 Princeton University 6a Harvard University 6b Northwestern University 8 Columbia University 9a University of California--Los Angeles 9b University of Michigan--Ann Arbor Source: http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandr ... onomic_soc I think you have to pay or login or subscribe or something for the full list.

Hi. I would suggest emailing the Director of Graduate Studies and asking about your status. I did and found out that I was in (unofficially) and I think others found out that they had not been accepted in the same way. In my dealings with the department so far, people have been very nice and understanding, and I really don't think it hurts your application in any way to ask about your status, especially if you've got a job offer waiting. On funding, though, I have no idea. My impression is that the funding situation is a bit shaky for next year (but I'm not sure if it's better or worse than at other schools and departments) and they might be waiting to make offers until they know exactly what's available. I was told that they generally fund every incoming student, but that this year could be exceptional, and they might not be able to make funding guarantees until after April 15. Hope that helps!

I'm not the person who posted today, but I was unofficially notified of my acceptance from a potential advisor a while back, and I've still not gotten an official email or letter. So if you've not heard, you've got reason to be hopeful. I'll let you know when I hear something official. What's your area of interest, by the way? I'm interested in Southeast Asia (specifically Vietnam), the political sociology of rural development, and land issues. It's a unique program, and I think it would be cool to be around other people doing development-related work.

Thanks for posting that! Hope your contact doesn't mind. I'm going to see what might be out there in terms of RA/PA positions, but it does sound stressful to live with the kind of uncertainty she described. Given that my significant other is coming along with me (with uncertain job prospects), we may need a bit more stability and, if possible, a guaranteed source of support. I guess the question is: how much better is Wisconsin (in terms of the experience and the value of the degree) than schools like Washington, NYU, Indiana, and Arizona? I don't argue that there's a difference, but I'm not sure if it's worth the cost (financial and otherwise). Any thoughts?

If it helps, there's a possibility I might decline UW's offer, but I won't know for sure for at least a few weeks. Oh, and to waitinginohio, have you heard anything more from Wisconsin on funding opportunities? Do we really have no other option but to wait until after April 15 to line things up? (Sorry to change the topic of the thread. You can PM me if you'd like, or post a reply to the Wisc. thread instead).

Just a follow-up: To those who were admitted to Wisconsin but not offered funding, have you had any luck lining something else up or heard anything promising from faculty there about assistantships for next year? I've been a bit lax in making contact as I've waited to hear the results of other apps, but now that I have a funded offer from another good school, I feel a bit more confident in feeling out the water and seeing what might be out there for next year. It's been a little bit off-putting, though, getting into such a highly regarded program but then being totally in the dark about funding. But I guess I shouldn't let that experience turn me off to Wisconsin in general, and that there might still some funding out there to make it a feasible option.

Sorry - I should clarify that I got an unofficial email from the DGS (who happens to be a potential advisor and someone I've been in contact with for a while). Nothing official has gone out, to my knowledge, and I think my situation is a bit of a fluke. Funding (my funding at least) is TBD. I'm waiting on a federal fellowship, the results of which won't come out till mid-March. If I get that, I'm made in the shade. Otherwise, funding might be tight. They generally have small cohorts (of 4 or 5), and I was told that they usually fund everyone, but that this year could be exceptional. Hope that helps.

I'm in and pretty excited about it, but I think it's more of a niche thing. I'm dead set on doing research on development, so it's a good fit for me, and I think I'd thrive in that kind of environment. Plus Cornell has an interdepartmental committee system, where you can have secondary advisors from outside your home department, so there's plenty of chance for interaction (I would guess) between soc and dev soc people. As far as comparing it to the broader soc department, I'm not sure. I think development sociology's probably a little less selective (they take about 1/3 of applicants, according to their website), and my guess is that they're a bit more likely to take people on life/work experience than on numbers. I think placements are decent (but pretty wide ranging), but I'm not sure how they compare to soc. Bottom line, if your thing is development, environmental, or rural sociology (or something similar) it's probably a good place to be. All in all, it's probably not so much the ranking of the program that matters, but once you do when you get there (and whether you finish). By the way, if you're in and considering the program, PM me and we can compare notes. Best of luck.

If it helps, the email I got was sent out at 4:30 on Thursday afternoon, so they might be sending out another batch Friday morning. They seem to have sent out a round of rejections already (three posted on the results board), so if you haven't heard either way there's a good chance you're still in the running.

Congratulations Pico! I just got an acceptance email as well, with a fellowship offer (about $1500/month, like the TA position). Not sure if I'll take them up on it (waiting to hear about a fellowship from another school), but it's great to have options. Good luck to all those still waiting to hear!

27 (...and graying rapidly. grad school's not going to help in that department)

Hi frogskin! Based on your previous post, your fiancee sounds like a pretty impressive candidate. As for GRE scores, I'm not sure what role they really play (if you search, you'll find lots of debate and discussion about the importance of GREs on this forum), but it probably varies from school to school. I'm sure some have general guidelines about minimum scores, and some have strict ones, but with all her other accomplishments, she'll probably have a pretty good shot at the schools she's applied for. I hope I get to meet her (or study with her) somewhere down the line. By the way, what are her areas of interest? I'm guessing gender and human rights from your previous post, but I'd love to hear more. What's her first choice in terms of schools? [i just saw what nyghtfalls posted on the other thread, and I wanted to say that I agree wholeheartedly. To any rational person (and I'm sure there are some rational people in academia, though perhaps they don't constitute a majority) years of accomplishment and experience are a much better indicator of potential success in a phd program than a three-hour multiple choice test. It might keep her out of some schools, but I'm pretty sure that some department will have the sense to accept her (and give her funding). Keep us posted on what happens.]