rf1979

UofC is ranked much higher than Yale for Sociology, although Yale of course has a much higher general "prestige" factor, particularly among those who aren't in academia, because it is an Ivy. I have also heard that UofC can be cutthroat, because the department basically structures the program in a way that grad students have to compete for funding. Academic placements among Yale PhDs have been notably less impressive than UofC. I would say if you were really concerned about getting an academic job after receiving your PhD, go to UofC. If you are more risk-averse and would consider jobs outside of academia, go to Yale.

Me too... I read that and felt very sad. I don't think you should give up your dream. There's so much chance to the admissions process that it's hard to know what the outcome will be, regardless of your profile and stats. I've known people who applied three times (and one person who applied four times) to grad schools, and finally got admitted in the last try. Never give up!

I received funding that consists of a fellowship the first year and then TAships in subsequent years for my PHD program. My question is, how are taxes dealt with? If my fellowship is $18,000 for the first year, do they take out for federal, state and local taxes? What about when I get paid as a TA later? Thanks in advance for your answers!