hip2btriangle

Hey everyone, I'm struggling to find some programs or lists of MSW programs that offer strengths in children and youth, and ideally education/schools. Does anyone know offhand of some programs to check out? Thanks!

Okay, so I may be asking a really newb and stupid question, but I'm curious: I have had the fortune of not having to take out loans for any of my education up until now, and I'm starting a program now with guaranteed funding. I'm 99% certain I won't actually need to take out loans, but I've been told I should take out the max Stafford subsidized each year ($8500) to accrue interest, and then just return it all at the end of my program. Stupid? Smart? Thoughts?

yeah, um, i have played the queer activist role in a number of pretty hostile climates, so while i understand and appreciate your potential willingness to try and "get the concept," it doesn't really warrant you posting a reply to a question like this about safe spaces. grad school is often a time when major life issues pop up, and there's research somewhere that shows that mental health issues come about in grad school at an alarming rate, and when wrestling with coming out questions it's really important that queer people think this stuff through for their own well being. like what other people said, sociology as a discipline is definitely among the most queer friendly i've ever seen. i'm leaving a program in sociology at a school of education (where sexuality stuff SUCKS, by the way), and i'm starting a phd program where gender and sexuality are pretty commonly studied. a lot of questions about whether it's okay to come out or not really depend on your sense of the school climate. i agree that carrying the burden of the closet is one that can be incredibly stressful, so really do your homework about this one. look through the student list and see if there's anyone explicitly studying queer issues, and maybe email them. if you have a decent relationship with the grad director, maybe reach out to them. i did that when i was first admitted and they kindly connected me with queer resources on campus as well as a student or two that is actively involved in the community. if you're having trouble with finding all this info, you can PM me with info about the exact school you're going to and i might be able to see if i can look up school climate information or even local info about queer resources. it's a tough decision, but it sounds like you're working through it.

*schemes*

Too bad UCI won't let people with dogs stay in their housing. Sigh. I'm seriously considering moving to an adjacent (perhaps more affordable and slightly more lively) town like Long Beach and commuting. Anyone ever lived in that area? Is the commute do-able? If you're living off of, say, a $15-16k UCI stipend and need a car to commute, what would be a safe rent cap? I haven't had a car in 6 years, and will be paying for car insurance and car payments and all that adult stuff now for the first time.

it's my understanding that RAships are better overall, since it's actually a real opportunity to work on research and work with a professor in the context of doing research. i'm not sure if there's room to debate which is more work -- both i think can be pretty demanding depending on the kind of assistance you're providing -- but i've heard more people coming out with published work prior to submitting their master's paper by being a RA.

Ooh, my school offers a download of it for free! Thanks. Does this allow me to read PDFs and take notes while I'm reading out there in the world, though? I guess I'd still have to take notes and on paper and transfer them when I get home.

Hey all! I had kind of an odd question I've been thinking about for a while and haven't made much progress with it, so I thought I'd ask here: As a gift to myself for getting into a PhD program with a great funding package, I want to buy an e-book reader (Kindle, Nook, Tablet, whatever) to help with research. Mostly this will be for reading PDFs and on occasion some books. The reason I want an e-book reader is because when I start grad school I also want to start keeping a digital record of things I have read and also the notes that I take while reading. For example, how cool would it be to read a PDF or book on an e-reader and tag sections of the articles with a couple words so that in a couple years when I start writing a dissertation I can search by multiple tags to generate a reading list. Does this make sense? I've somehow convinced myself that this would be a wicked asset for a grad student and that the technology exists to do so. Does anyone know if any of the e-book readers on the market can do this? And if so, which would be the best? I admit I'm partial to the idea of the tablet because I'm an Applemonger, but I really just want whatever would be best to read books and PDFs (PDFs are very important) and tag while reading for later research.

Well, I'm finishing a MA program elsewhere, so I kind of have a lot of academic work to finish before I can really take a break for the summer. I'm doing a pilot study right now that involves field work and I'm literally reading 2 books a week in my subfield of interest (new media, children & youth, gender) and also reading other harder core stuff on methodology (mostly qualitative methods, books on interviewing youth and doing research on youth, ethnography stuff). Though NOW I'm tempted to read everything from the faculty in my department that I'm really interested in working with, so I may start that soon.

So I had a dream last night that two professors from my department (people I respect a great deal) randomly showed up at my apartment (across the country) and showed a really sincere interest in getting to know me and my work...they gave me books they thought I should read, and talked about all the cool research we'll do together over the next five years. Then, mid-conversation, they realized I wasn't ACTUALLY an admitted student and they took their books back and left. Needless to say I woke up not feeling so good. I think I'm nervous about starting a new program! I know some might think this post should go in the "Now Grads" general forum or whatever, but I feel some comfort in sharing this here among sociology-oriented folks. Anyone else terrified about starting a program? I'm the first person in my family doing not only the sociology thing but also the PhD thing, and as I'm talking with professors from the dept., looking up everyone's CV's...I think...holy crap! They're amazing, and really smart and accomplished. WHAT COULD I POSSIBLY HAVE TO CONTRIBUTE? I realize that I'm pretty much the spitting image of a nervous person about to start a grad program, but anyone have any tips to get out of this funk? I've started reading like 1-2 books per week just because I'm trying to "catch up" even though I don't even know entirely if I need to do that.

i do think there's something interesting to be explored here with regard to what counts as adequate preparation to be considered for the few spots in a phd program. i've basically put myself through college and even my current MA program through major scholarships when i could have attended much better ranked schools but i couldn't afford it. i really do think to some important degree that my chances for certain grad programs have been affected by that.

1) don't f up on the GREs (even though they say it's just one part of the application) 2) fit. make your SoP look like something people at these schools want to read.

no, actually; only in the past year did i start including tech/social networking with my research. but they're definitely on my radar! makes me bummed that i can't go to the ASA this year and see all this stuff. it was so much fun going to san francisco for the big event last summer.

hey socioanthro, not that this is necessarily a comfort, but know that there are people out there who apply much more widely than you have and are rejected by everyone. the people that announce all their successes here represent a very small minority of people here, and for most of us -- it's just about getting into one program so you can fulfill that dream. if it doesn't work out this year, talk about your application with as many people as you can who know something about the process, plan your year to enhance your application, and give it another go. if it's that important to you, you will succeed next time around and you will get in somewhere.

wow, thanks for the suggested literature. there's a developing sect of literature on technology and adolescence called "new childhood studies"; Mary Gray alludes to it in her recent book called Out in the Country -- she talks a lot about new technology and identity formation. anyone interested in adolescent development period should check out the newer literature on the construction of adolescence.