kbirch

Wow. Ouch.

@Doberman - I wouldn't freak out yet (at least about not getting in... I can't stop freaking out about the process itself!) because I feel like a lot of time the applications are viewed and assessed in waves. Chances are, they're only halfway through or have more debate happening. Good luck!

One thing that s/he says that I disagree with is: If the applicant is interested in social work or activism, academic sociology isn’t a good fit. Is that necessarily true when you're applying to public sociology programs? I guess I agree if you're looking at Ivies or top-20 schools, but places focused on public sociology might look at this differently.

Have you looked at Michigan State at all? I don't know specifics, but they are big on environmental sociology. Also, I would try California, Oregon, and Washington schools, because they're generally environment-focused. Hope you find what you're looking for!

Ducksoup, MSU does have a great focus on environmental soc. I want to go there to study migration, refugee and immigrant experiences.

No particular order... Boston College Michigan State Loyola University Chicago (I would have Emory on here, but I'm thinking there's no hope left for me in Atlanta!)

Mine was also 2 pages single spaced... Long, but I had a lot to say!

I think my SoP was pretty bad, looking back on it. I've been teaching in a different state than the one where I did my undergrad work, so I was kind of shooting in the dark, an email back-and-forth here or there with my recommenders, but not much concrete help when it came to my statement. I didn't really describe my research interests with depth, either. My q. GRE score is reeeally low, too - I focused on verbal and not math at all so I bombed it pretty soundly. It's so hard to know what programs are looking for. I think that's why we're all going crazy - you can't just plug everything into a formula and say, "Ding ding ding, I'll get in here, here and here, but not there, there and there." It's a lesson in patience, I guess?!?!

I applied last year and sent emails out to all the schools (read: all) where I didn't get in, and one prof wrote back saying I wasn't specific enough in my description of my research interests. She said that, even if you change your research question, adcoms want to see that you know how to structure a research question & project. So, I think you're golden if you're feeling like you went too specific. Also, I question the importance of having well-known recommenders. I know it's great if you do have them, but how many of us went to liberal arts colleges, where it's pretty rare to have sociologists making ground-breaking research? My recommenders are great and wonderful as teachers, researchers, and the like, but 2 of them are young and not that extensive in terms of writing (yet). If that's a drawback, I think I'll be okay with not getting into grad school (well, let's be honest - probably not but I'd be madder at them than myself!) because it shouldn't be about name-dropping, in my opinion. You can become a great researcher and scholar at a lower-ranked school, in my opinion. This whole process drives me mad, though!!

I think it's easy to get trapped in the "well s/he got in, so will I?" game, but it's sooo ineffective. Granted, I am guilty, too, but, based on what I've seen on here and heard in conversation, each application is so different in terms of its strengths and weaknesses. People are getting into programs with lower GPAs than me or GREs but they may have awesome research ideas, or better LORs or maybe just the committee was in a great mood reading their application. I would say, as difficult as it is, try to let each application stand on its own. I teach middle school, so I'm getting used to (slowly) realizing how little logic there is in my classroom. Maybe this is also true for the grad application process?

Definitely not, Super! That was the first application I wrote this year (and I got started waaay late - I was planning on waiting another year to reapply but I was moved to 8th grade teaching and I realized it is NOT for me so I got back into the Ph.D. plan at the 11th hour). Also, it seems like we're interested in very different fields, right? I'm almost exclusively interested in qualitative methods and then 1960's-1970's type social change (feminist consciousness raising, etc.). Here's hoping we both have enormous success. : ) **And if not enormous, at least some... It only takes 1 school to like us, right?

Do any of these offer funding, though? I got into Boston College's Masters last year, and I think they accept a lot of applicants, but they don't offer funding.

Wow, y'all are applying to some intense programs! Best of luck. I'm also interested in migration, as well as gender and social movements. Primarily ways to create social change and empower young people to work for justice. I applied last year and had a pretty terrible first-try, so I've decided to go lower this year. That said, I'm sure some of you have suggestions for other places to apply and, since I'm assuming it'll be a "3rd times the charm" type of thing, let me know! I'll use it next year when I'm reapplying. I'm applying to: Loyola Chicago Oregon Michigan State Emory Boston College CU-Boulder UCSB I could definitely strengthen my application/list of places... I'm an elementary school teacher, so I work really long days and I'm working on an MAT (masters in teaching) right now, so I didn't devote as much time as I wanted to. GRE: 1330 and 5.5 (math much lower than verbal), GPA: 3.89. A couple of paper presentations, but no published work. Right now, I'm focused on not stressing out and remembering that, as much as it feels like it, it's not a live-die situation. I'm successful approximately 35% of the time.

Hey all, I'm in a similar, "What if no one accepts me?!?!?" freak out, especially since I applied last year and my application is strong, so I'm thinking if this year isn't it, I need to do some soul searching if I want to find a way to improve in a drastic way. I keep hearing people talk about funded Masters, and I'm wondering how I can find out more about those. How do you know if a masters program has good funding? What's the likelihood of applying and then getting funding/tuition reduction? I don't think going deep into debt for a sociology masters will necessarily be good in the long run, since I'll never make a ton of money... Thanks to anyone who has info on this! Good luck to all.

I applied to Emory, too, and thought I was a good fit... The hopeful in me is thinking maybe they're not done reviewing applications. Hopeful or deluded? Who knows at this point!

Congrats, AlexT! Best of luck. I also applied and am hoping for an interview... I feel like I have a good fit at Emory but it's so hard to get in anywhere these days. : / Here's hoping we all have some success!

Hey everyone, congrats on all your acceptances! :-) I have a question... I didn't get in anywhere this year and I was wondering if it would be okay if I emailed the DGS at the different schools to ask for feedback on my application. Is that an okay thing to do? I want to make sure my next round of applications are in improvement over this one.

I emailed probably 2 weeks ago (at least) and never heard back.

I would say UT-Austin is a really great bet, but it is very competitive. I want to study Latin American immigration to the US, and they have a strong program at University of Illinois Chicago. They are doing the Immigration Mobilization Project (I think that's what it's called) that looks really cool. Also, there's a prof there who does a lot of work on Filipino immigration to the States, I'm fairly certain. Good luck applying!

Same boat here... Only rejections and silence on my end. :-( I didn't apply to Johns Hopkins or Duke but I'm still waiting [for rejections] from Boston College and UI-Chicago. I called Boston today and they said they'll be in review... until April. I'd say my mood varies on the spectrum of hopeless and exhausted ---------> Tearing my hair out.

This is so therapeutic to read... I echo everything that has been said! I am so glad I am not alone. Haha

YES! I feel like a 1950's tv-show, where I am that pathetic girl sitting next to her phone with a party dress already on, judging all my worth on how much such-and-such Dream Boy School likes me and thinks I'm smart enough. Enough already!

I'm in exactly the same boat. I actually emailed on Thursday morning and still haven't heard back... I'm a teacher, so we have a 24-hour response policy with parent communication, so it's pretty foreign to me. I know there's way more applications than I have students, but I'm still way too far out of my comfort zone in grad school Purgatory!

Hey everyone... I am in the "waiting waiting waiting - how many times a day can you check your email without going completely off your rocker" boat. I've been rejected from one school and am waiting for the rest. How does calling to find out your status work? I called one school last Monday and they told me that they would be making decisions soon, and then on Thursday I emailed the chairperson but she hasn't gotten back to me. It's safe to assume her nonchalance with responding to my email signifies a rejection, but could I call again since I haven't heard? It's been a week... Basically, can I display the lack of desperation and insanity which I have reached, or should I keep it inside for a few more days?

This is so true... I was such a mess last night while I came to terms with the fact that I'm probably not in at my top-choice school, since others have received acceptances, and while I was wallowing in self-pity, people were like, "Why the hell are you upset? You haven't even heard anything yet. You have no reason to be upset yet."