nyghtfalls

sweet denial... this is precisely why I'm not buying into the academia cult... consider other fields of employment besides becoming a professor. it'll let you sleep better at night! ;-)

hello! I will be attending the University of Wisconsin Madison Reasons: With the exception of the winter weather, everything there is pretty much perfect (well, for me). And I loved it, the receptive and warm feel of the campus, people, and faculty especially was a feeling that I couldn't shake out of me. The hugest factor in my decision was that I received funding, though.

i disagree with everyone on this forum. while i understand the fact that you are in a position to get an MA at Chicago or somewhere else, you must consider how soon you are to reapply for a PhD program. Will you wait until the finish of your MAPSS @ chicago in the spring of 2010, apply for Phd programs in the fall of 2010, and enter a PhD program in the fall of 2011? if you plan on doing this, then cool. if, however, you plan on applying for PhD programs this coming fall, in my opinion, you will be in no better position then you are now. bear with me! the reason I say this is that, more likely than not, when you reapply for Phd programs THIS semester, your transcripts will be exactly the same (as you will not have grades from UChicago/New School/wherever until the end of December or maybe even January depending on when classes end and grades are posted). Secondly, will the profs @ Chicago know and vibe with you well enough to write you fantastic rec letters? If so, great! If not, then that's something to think about. That being said, if you plan on reapplying this fall, don't spend money on a Master's program. Otherwise, feel free. Also note that Chicago rarely takes students from their MAPSS program into their PhD program, which is pretty bogus in my opinion, but it depends on what your plans are. my last reason for not going to MAPSS, is that, quite frankly, you deserve better! yes, this sounds pompous. but, everyone knows how Masters students are treated compared to doctoral students, and imho, i wouldn't pay 25 grand to be treated like an urchin (especially considering Chicago's um... interpersonal environment, shall we say). you deserve a program that will fund you completely for doctoral study and support you... i don't believe in shelling out dough for a degree that belongs to merely 1% of the population (again, pompous, i know). i probably missed the whole point of your original post... but that's my piece if it helps.

hey dude! fancy meeting you here, lol. :-) it's definitely a wait list letter, but it seems to me that you are highly ranked on it. if you're really interested in going, let them know that so they can bump you up! i was accepted in Suny Albany with a proviso that i have to give them my decision by March 27th. I will not be accepting their offer, but i def encourage you to poke and prod them if albany is at the top of your list. good luck! :-)

i agree 100%. people GET YOUR PHD and GET THE HELL OUT. THEN, do some hot work. But then again, my purpose here is a little different. I'm not necessarily hung up on landing a career in academia... i more so like the sound of the UN or the State Department, somewhere in Obama's administration perhaps? Assuming that I can get the hell out of grad school in time.

hmm, well hey, my mentor went to UMichigan with not an inkling of what PhD programs were about and he was out of there in 5 years... so if he can do it, i damn sure am gonna try. lol, when i asked him how he did it, he chuckled and said, "because ignorance is bliss." how gangsta is that?

sorry forgot to answer the second part of your question. it would be impossible to list all the program I applied to because i applied to ALOT. but ill list the ones to which I gained admission: UIUC, UIC, Northwestern, and UW Madison. I think that each place brings something really special to the table which will allow me to really build my skills. To be down right honest, however, Madison seems to have the most resources, especially for what I am into. For example, they have the CDE for demography and a fantastic stats and methods core all around, which makes social scientists VERY marketable. But they also seem to be the um.. dare i say... "snootiest". So that's something to consider.

hey there! YES, it is so refreshing to see someone else who embraces careers outside of academia as well as those within. I am strongly considering this path as well. I was thinking that I would like to work in a think tank or do some consulting/contracting. I was also thinking of working as an analyst for the city or the federal government. Also, don't underestimate other places like the State Department, the United Nations, and other cool places to use your skills. I'm not the guru of job prospects, but I am definitely open to talking about this with you more if you like! Maybe we can come up with ideas together. :-)

in addition to the discussion on funding, is anyone else utterly disturbed that some people on the job market from UW Madison have been pursuing their PhD for 9 to even 15 years? wtf?! again, perhaps this is my naivete, but i really can't see myself in any graduate program for more than five years. i REFUSE! am i being unrealistic? and furthermore, is UW Madison worth it? i suppose it's up to the individual, but please feel free to share your thoughts my fellow gradcafe'ers.

slothy, perhaps i don't know a thing about phd programs, but i've always felt that your fate in any these places is of your own making. Berkeley is a fantastic school to "fall back on" and with the faculty and resources there, it'll be sociological heaven. if you're afraid of getting lost then pound the pavement for attention. even in the smaller programs, no one is going to chase you down. you still have to stand against the odds (whatever they may be) to get noticed and get yours. i hope that if things dont work out with the other schools that you will be able to choose Berkeley with a smile. it's a great choice to have... especially in an economy so incredibly crappy. buck up, dude and good luck!

apparently, hardboiledegg is the oracle of Harvard graduate admissions... :roll:

apparently, though Harvard doesn't seem to keep its word about anything. First it was the interviews, and now it's about acceptances and denials... stop playing with my heart, Harvard University!! lol

Technically, if you haven't accepted the offer to attend their school all professors should remain Professor (fill in blank). We don't really know them yet. Or I could just be conservative that way.

U Michigan's program is phenomenal. IMHO, don't get bogged down in the Ivy game/big name school game so much (if you have those options available to you) as UMich is next in line behind UWMadison and Berkeley for being one of the top Sociology programs in the country. Plus their research clusters are SICK! My mentor went there, and he's fantastic, so I'm probably speaking from a very biased perspective. Congrats, and good luck! :-)

hey stephen! yup, I'll be there at the Open House! The name's Nisha (from NYC) by the way. I'm kinda nervous, what are we supposed to do? I never know what to say to faculty, in all honesty. I hope they aren't expecting a spectacular display of intellectual prowess and interest because I'm DEFINITELY on my Senior Spring right now... me AND my brain, lol. :-)

SWEET! Fiji here I come.

don't despair. i received a decision via email two days before the link even appeared on the ApplyYourself site. I'm sure they're doing rounds because I was notified on... Friday, I think? Other people I know haven't received any decision yet, whether accepted or rejected. have faith! :-)

lol! sorry if i offended anyone's delicate sensibilities, but i really enjoy the term "intellectual nutsack". i guess cuz it's mine, but all the same... please don't feel as though you have to defend or prove yourself, migrationdude. that wouldn't be fair to you. and please dont get the impression that im attacking you. trust me, im not doubting you or your skills, and anyone who says you're a fraud is a jerk. also, let's acknowledge the fact that you didn't start this thread, so who's to blame you for posting an answer to the question that was asked? my overarching point is (more politely) is that i have this thing about people being put on pedestals, whether they deserve it or not. we spend so much time trying to be like other people that we forget how freakin' awesome we are and we regret that which we bring to the table (particularly that which we bring to the "doctoral student table"). that's it. deuce! ::drops the mike::

meh... i dunno! do stats really help? i think that to a certain degree admissions committees make qualitative judgments about students' applications in addition to making quantitative ones. also, not to be a hater and not to take any successes away from migrationdude, but in general, we should try not to hang off people's intellectual nutsacks (too vulgar?). im sure that statement is going to come off the wrong way, but that's just as well. imho, fawning isn't beneficial to anyone involved, and it just makes us feel a tad like poo poo. but if i don't sound too contrived after saying all of that... still, congratulations migrationdude! zya nee!

perhaps :-) that might be my nerdy attempt at being wild and dangerous for once in my life (insert devilish giggle).

yeah, slothy! fight the power. to waitinginohio: let's just say that I like to keep my options open. I don't believe in the idea of "wasting money and time" if you've got the drive and capacity to make things pop. ;-) in truth, at the end of the day, the PhD is not only for those interested in academia... it is more so for the people that can handle it. what they do with it afterwards is pretty much fair game, imho. but perhaps that's just my naivete, lol!

before i start preaching, i have to qualify this post by saying that this forum is full of people (myself included) who really don't know what the hell we are talking about half the time (though we like to be douches and think we do). none of us are on admissions committees, nor do we have PhDs, so please PLEASE do not take any one person's opinion to heart! :-) like they say, opinions are like assholes... everyone has one. okay so, having said that, let's get to mine... my opinion that is, lol. maybe I'm just a hopeless optimist, but in my opinion, you should start packing your bags and getting ready to move, because she's BOUND to get in somewhere. Even though her background is not in Sociology all of her other awesome qualifications (i.e. Master's degree, experience in developmental projects, teaching, etc) are bound to impress admissions committees at at least one of the schools. As for the GREs... typically, for people coming from a multicultural background these scores matter a little less (a LITTLE, not a ton) but it really depends on how her GREs came out. Did she at least break 1000? If so, then I would say don't worry too too tough. If not, you might hit some challenges. Also recognize, however, that any good Sociology program realizes that the GRE has only mild explanatory power in regard to one's success in graduate... and for all intents and purposes, mild correlations alone hardly hold up (at least statistically) in the field of Sociology! In conclusion, don't worry! With all of her qualifications, I think your fiancee has a phenomenal chance of getting in. Start packing, and report back the good news when you get it! :-)

for those of us who may not find ourselves in migrationdude's glorious position (congrats!), I just HAD to post this! someone emailed it to me yesterday, and it's priceless. lol. I made a couple of edits of course. :-) Dr. Robert J. Sampson Chair of the Sociology Graduate Department William James Hall, Sixth Floor 33 Kirkland Street Cambridge, MA 02138 Dear Professor Sampson, Thank you for your letter of February 16. After careful consideration, I regret to inform you that I am unable to accept your refusal to offer me admission to Harvard University's Sociology Graduate Program. This year I have been particularly fortunate in receiving an unusually large number of rejection letters. With such a varied and promising field of candidates, it is impossible for me to accept all refusals. Despite Harvard's outstanding qualifications and previous experience in rejecting applicants, I find that your rejection does not meet my needs at this time. Therefore, I will assume the position of a new graduate student in your department this August. With much humility, I also reclaim the five year fellowship, $25,000 stipend, tuition remission, and healthcare as well as your complimentary portfolio of hot sexy masseuses that was previously withheld from me. I look forward to seeing you in August! Best of luck in rejecting future applicants. Sincerely, Nyghtfalls i don't care HOW this looks to people... I'm rolling on the floor laughing.

just got rejected from berkeley with the PHAT CC on everyone else's email. They sent out a mass email so that you could see who was in the reject pile along with you, lol! That's OD. ah well, c'est la vie!