fields&charts

my undergrad is Film Studies / Philosophy. My MA is in the Social Sciences (interdisciplinary, but sociology primarily). Because my graduate experience is in the field to which I applied for doctoral study, I don't feel that it was much of an issue. That said, I've had more than a few folks raise their eyebrows over my undergrad major despite the fact that my MA is squarely within the discipline. From my experience this makes grounding your interests in the current concerns of the discipline even more important for your SOP. Link your interests to current debates or a particular trajectory of research in the discipline in order to show that you're reading journals regularly (and if you aren't, then now is a good time to start) and that you're dedicated to studying (and producing) sociology.

I'm in this situation with Davis and LA. waiting on this information is driving me nuts. I have a definite offer elsewhere, but I would absolutely love to go to Davis or LA if they offer tuition remission and the TA/RA offer is sufficient to eke out a meager hermit-like existence.

Yeah, mine still has no decision, though I'm fairly certain it's going to be a rejection.

Congratulations!

If any of you applied to U of Chicago and were rejected, yet received acceptance into their MAPSS program, I would recommend seriously considering the program, especially if you receive a tuition discount (generally they offer 1/3, 2/3, and, very rarely, full tuition remission). It's a great program to a) refine your research interests, develop a track record of doing well in graduate courses in your discipline, and c) write a strong MA paper for use as a writing sample. That said, if you receive funded PhD offers elsewhere, I would not recommend the program.

This is incredibly wise advice.

in no particular order blade runner society of the spectacle sociology is a martial art the exterminating angel the holy mountain the gospel according to st. matthew big trouble in little china after hours sans soleil tropic of cancer (with a very young Rip Torn as henry miller)

According to their website they try to do this, but it isn't guaranteed for every admitted student. I guess I'll find out by the end of the month. It's a relief to already have some options and to still be waiting on five other applications.

No word on funding until later this month, but I received notice of acceptance to UCLA and UC-Davis and I am positively thrilled!

wow, why would someone do that? on the other hand, how do you "know for a fact" exactly? I applied to Berkeley as an insane longshot "eh, well, I mean, the fit is there, but my numbers aren't" kind of application, so I'm counting it as an inevitable rejection.

Results search: http://thegradcafe.com/survey/index.php?q=emory+sociology Thread about the interview process:

Please don't take this as me being argumentative, but there are three other/interviews listed in the results section for Sociology. There's another thread about the Emory-Sociology "group interview" process that sounds terribly stressful. I can't find it though. Oh well, Emory has Tim Dowd (just published "what's sociological about music" with Bill Roy from UCLA in ASR; history of work on cultural capital/cultural labor in the music industry), but in terms of fit, it's not the best match. You already have an admit though right? don't even sweat it!

Well, it's an educated guess. According to the results from the past few years, the department typically sends out invitations to a group interview/campus visit in late January. Acceptances are then given out (or not) to those handful of invitees. Because the group interview/campus invite has already been sent and I was not part of that group of lucky individuals, I assume that it is safe to count that as a rejection. I'm assuming the original poster has made the same deduction based on the available evidence. Is this a 100% rejection? No, but I'd be willing to say it with 10% confidence that not receiving an invite to the group interview tends to lead to a rejection. ;-)

I have one that is probably a reject (same school as you) and I was bummed out about the other day. It's just one school, but yeah, it still stings and doesn't sit well with me. That said, I have 9 others in departments that seem to be better suited given my interests (cultural sociology/production of culture). That said, I applied to a quite a few high ranked departments (5/10) and so I'm worried that those might have been foolish choices (though in terms of "fit" they're seemingly perfect choices). Cheer up, this could be your third time through this insane process.

so by the looks of it Emory sent out its initial invites to be interviewed and by the looks of last years acceptances those are the last of the potential acceptees. things are picking up and so far...hmph.

When you speak of the UC program, I'm guessing you're speaking of Chicago's MAPH's program? I suppose I can't speak for the Humanities MA, but the Social Sciences equivalent does offer some 1/4 - Full tuition on a very competitive basis. That said, per credit the Chicago programs are less expensive than comparable programs at Columbia, NYU, etc and quite frankly seem to actually care about the students a bit more than either of the two schools in Manhattan. For instance, I was able to review the flaws in my PhD app with the department head who was also quite eager to recommend reading materials for the Summer to prepare for the Fall. Also, the advising staff are very helpful in steering students away from flakey or problematic readers for thesis papers. I'll be attending the MAPSS program in the Fall, unfunded. I'm doing this mostly because a) due to previous business successes I can afford to do it with very little debt and as a social science degree, I may, depending on whether or not I'm able to gain research experience while in the program (this is actually my one major concern and essentially might make my time there less than worth it), I should be able to get a public or private sector job earning more than I am currently capable of making. Now would it be more financially sound for me to pursue a professional MA, yes, of course. Of course my ideal future is to go on for a PhD, as you said, who knows if that will happen. As it stands now, I can do nothing to improve myself on paper beyond what I've already tried. As far as my experience goes so far, students are not barred from any courses and generally have an easy time getting access to faculty. This may all change in the Fall when classes begin. I have read very little, if any, good things on this board about Columbia's terminal MA programs and have had at least two friends who expressed dissatisfaction with Columbia's American Studies and Islamic Studies terminal MA programs. I realize that this is often frowned upon and therefore I shy away from talking about it. Realize that in doing an unfunded MA of any sort you will often be scoffed at by PhD students, though maybe not faculty, and most certainly by friends and family. If anyone has any venom to spew at me, by all means do so. I applied to 5 schools, got pawned off to the consolation prize MA at two, accepted at two other MA programs, and rejected elsewhere. I chose one of the "consolation prizes" as some you call it because it seemed to offer me access to better faculty and a better learning environment.

yeah i got that same draper email today. I've been admitted to some other MA programs after being rejected by all the PhD programs I applied to. The deadline for accepting admission for the other programs is May 1st. They're cheaper and I wouldn't have to move, so I guess I'm not even thinking about the Draper program. Anyone know anything about it though? American Studies at NYU was kind of my top choice, but I don't know that I can justify moving there and paying for an MA when I can stay in Chicago and do more or less the same thing.

Sorry, I only used the terms that both you all put inside quotations because that is the way a recommender of mine framed it when explaining things I might want to consider. I suppose my biggest concern has more to do with having valuable input from advisers available to me than anything else.

Oh I understand that very much, I guess it just seems iffy all around, but maybe working towards something that isn't just another application is better than nothing.

hmm, so you have an MA? I'm in this crummy spot where I got rejected from everywhere as a PhD student and got accepted by three schools as an MA student with not real funding to speak of. Two of the admits are at sort of brand-name, top-tier institutions, but their MA programs look kind of suspect and I might run the risk of being a second-class citizen for a year or two there which is not appealing at all. The other program has no PhD program and so MA students are sort of the focus of the department. I'm leaning towards attending that school even though it doesn't seem to carry the weight of the other two in terms of name recognition. My other thought is to just say no to all of them and forget this altogether. Should I even bother getting an MA in something that's fairly useless in terms of a direct career path (i.e. it's not a professional program) if it means incurring debt? I have zero debt from undergrad so I wouldn't be digging myself further into a hole, but it just seems sort of pointless. Honestly I can't begin to think of going through the application process again next year.

I lived in Pittsburgh about 8 years and have only been away for about 7 months. Good neighborhoods that you'd want to live in near Pitt or CMU include: Bloomfield/Friendship (avoid crossing Penn Avenue into Garfield if you're new to town/don't know anyone, but on Penn might not be too bad. Garfield is coming up with the strip of art galleries and whatnot, but it can still be kind of iffy), lower Lawrenceville (maybe between 39th and 49th is alright, nice houses and fairly cheap, $500-$600 for a 2 bedroom). I used to live in Bloomfield and total rent for a three bedroom house with a garage and a backyard was $890 a month. Shadyside is nice as well, but more expensive. Squirrel Hill is nice as well and it seems to be a bit of a go-to neighborhood for graduate students. Greenfield is a nice quiet neighborhood that's mostly residential and fairly safe. That said, yes, like any urban area crime is something that happens. People get mugged, cars get broken into, etc, but in general things like gang violence and violent murders are uncommon (I'm not saying they don't happen, but they're not really an everyday event in most places). Avoid Oakland. Yes it's close to the schools you may be attending, but it's the college neighborhood and so unless you're really interested in being surrounded by undergrads doing their college-student-being-loud-and-living-in-filth shtick, it's probably not a good place to live (also rent is relatively high and most places are in poor condition). Polish Hill can also be nice, but it's somewhat difficult to escape from if you're using public transportation. The more central East end neighborhoods I mentioned above all have buses that go downtown and to Oakland, decent places to eat and shop, ok places to get coffee and study, and some ok nightlife, but they're also relatively quiet and reasonably safe. Honestly it depends on what you're looking for. As far as "open late", most coffee shop/cafes are open until midnight, most restaurants until 10pm, a handful of diners run all night, and well, bars close at 2am. What you're seeing isn't the recession hitting the area hard, but a city that never fully recovered from steady population decline resulting from the collapse of the steel industry. For a city of its size it's actually alright. There are a lot of arts related events going on most nights, a somewhat thriving music scene, and a decent array of food options. That said, yes it's not LA or NYC. It's not Buffalo either.

well the wait is over and I am rejected as I thought.

I actually sent in an app there last week as a sort of extra back up, though I did get admitted to an MA elsewhere, rejected by another, and rejected by a PhD elsewhere. The due date was the 15th, but they do have both the April 1st and march 15th listed as due dates on their website. I think it is way less selective and I'm not sure how helpful it would be in that it may be difficult to receive good advising and it may take a lot to get the attention of faculty since you're not their primary concern (i.e. the program is not connected to any specific department). Still, it's a fine school. I asked one of my recommenders who teaches there if he knew anything about the program and he said "No I don't, but I'm sure it's fantastic". He did his PhD there and works there so I guess he sort of has to say that. Ha.

I'm inclined to agree with the above statement. If you haven't heard anything by now you're probably out. At this point all the "don't give up until..." statements are kind of worthless. Accepting rejection is the first step on the path to recovery. Wait until the letter comes in the mail and then email the programs to see if they have any advice to offer regarding the weaknesses of your application.

Is anyone still waiting to hear from the American Studies program? I saw a few folks emailed them and got notification of rejection via email. Should I just do that? I'm assuming that I'll be rejected as it was sort of a long shot to begin with. Maybe I should just send an email with my name and application # that says "rejected?" and then they can just reply with a short email that says "rejected". Who should I contact? GSAS's people will probably just say "we do not disclose blah blah blah".