socieconomist

I'm also headed to Davis in the fall - I spent a couple days out there last month. Lots of housing in West Davis--almost exclusively complex style appartments. Overpriced for everything... it's a college town in the middle of rural nowhere... 1200 min for a decent 1000sqft appartment. Price gougers expect student loans to cover the costs apparently... I'm going to do the more difficult work of looking in the towns that surround Davis. Might be a longer bike ride in, but I figure I'll be a) healthier have more $$ left over from my stipend at the end of the month. complications are larger furniture pieces and dog... meh... will make it work!

UC Davis

@ThisSlum - http://huff.to/ysZOSP <——my latest HuffPost piece; posting as promised.

Above goes for me as well. I've also been an adjunct prof for a little over 2 years at this point & I do not accept active student friend req's but after they're not in my courses, I have no prob accepting former student friend req's....assuming i actully liked them - lol. - my fb wall isn't much used for personal stuff unless it's professionally related anyway; It's basically a political blog.

I'm with the above. I actually don't live in Detroit. I live in Cincinnati. My partner is a professor at UDM and finishing her MFA at Cranbrook, so we lease a place up there year round and we commute every weekend (headed up there tomorrow actually after I give a presentation at a conference here in Cincinnati). I think Detroit is a cool place. Hamtramck is a fascinating little enclave. Mexicantown (I'm Hispanic) is a wonderful little part of town regardless of whether one is or isn't Hispanic... mmmm.. yea, and again, what bettycraft said.

Yea - buying my ticket to go check out the area in March was definitely a first material step for me (us). I think setting foot in CA will really make an impact. I don't think it'll make the transition any easier... but who knows, it could.

I agree w/whoever said only you know what the right choice is. I met my partner in a similar situation...she was graduating from Penn State (i graduated from there the previous year) and we literally met the day before her graduation (i was in town). I was living and working in philly at the time and i swear to you I quit my job and moved back to state college for the summer to pursue the relationship - lol - one of the crazier moments of my life. by the end of summer, i convninced her to move to dc w/me (separate apartments, but you know how that works out) even though she'd never considered DC an option. May will make that 7 years ago, we married the summer after my first year in grad school and really we both rely on each other (financially and emotionally) to do some pretty cool stuff (professionally and personally). being super-successful and having a solid relationship need not be mutually exclusive. that's a myth. rather I find that they can be mutually reinforcing. personal experience is the better our relationship becomes the more successful we each become in our respective fields. neither one of us could do what we do, in the ways we do, w/o the support of the relationship. that's just how we roll -- sometimes it pays huge dividiends to take the risk on the relationship. and btw--i also don't think you base your decision on this, but that doesn't mean it ought not be ONE of the factors, weighted in a way that only really you can determine of course. but people decide on grad schools for all sorts of crazy reasons: prestige, family expectations, nothing better to do, they're really not capable of doing anything else, they LOVE it, etc. etc. Pursuing a relationship doesn't really sound that crazy in comparison to some of these. Eh.. just my two cents!

My partner and I are going through the emotional ups and downs of moving. We're actually very well established in Cincinnati, our current city. Friends, colleagues, connections out the wazoo. Our primary concern, no matter when we move, is developing a reliable community... *sigh... again. ---> this will make the 7th major move in 13 years. What one gains in the attainment of one's hopes and dreams, one often sacrifices in a variety of other areas of life... sadly... Anybody else relate? Alternatively - if you're feeling spectacularly and uniformly thrilled about relocating and associated next steps, also post away! Hope to see a range of sentiments, expectations, and possibly exit strategies. Thanks to all for sharing!

I'm also moving east to west: Cincinnati to Davis. I suppose my partner and i will move in aug at the latest... we're fortunate to have a few friends in the bay area so I'm hoping transition won't be too rough... but I think that's my primary concern no matter when we move, developing a reliable community... <--- see new topic on how folks are feeling about relocating.

@abc - congratulations on a top choice acceptance (I know what that feels like) which school was it? which school are you waiting on?

Sorry! my partner and I both did our UG at PSU, so I can uniquely understand the loss

@ThisSlum - Gracias! Politics/Policy/Culture as it relates to the Latin@ community, but mostly Politics & Policy. I'm really excited - good times keep on coming! Hopefully I'll find time to put a piece together over the weekend, then I have to kick it to my editor... but I think the turn around is pretty quick... will post upon publishing something.

I won't requote the above - but that's what I'm replying to. I will say that I also post only intermittently b/c of people being from different walks and in different stages of application process. But - I really found this to be an interesting source of anxiety, which really reminds me that people who go to grad school do so for ALL manner of reasons and come from ALL different backgrounds and I'd like to think that the relative strengths/weaknesses of folks in a specific department can compliment the others. 1) i'll pm you b/c i feel weird putting it out there about me in light of what has been said. But in short, if you were accepted, you're supposed to be there...you're seriously that good! You should feel confident that the admit committee knew what they were doing when they picked you. And congratulate yourself for the great and no doubt difficult work getting to this point! 2a) As opposed to a "terrible fear" of failure, an "appropriate fear" of failure can be an excellent motivator to succeed. 2b) when I was younger, much less mature in so many ways, my problem was rather an intolerable fear of success. What would it mean if I actually lived up to the potential others saw in me? I think it held me back in ways I probably still don't even realize. In the end, you just put one foot in front of the other...that's it...that's really all you can do. And, what I find... is it works. And success is surprizingly not all that scary... it's kinda fun even 3) This is oversimplifying, and I apologize ahead for it, but really? Put your Tv on Craig's List. 9-5's melt your brain (as does Tv), and if you're headed into PhD land, you clearly recognize how terrible melty brains are. I've been married for 4 years in May & that will mark 7 years in domestic partnership. I got married during my first round w/grad school (M.A.) and as I go into this round, my partner and I will likely be with child by autmn of this year. We're also homeowners, professionals, adjunct professors at great institutions of higher edu on the side, etc. I think the biggest mistake phd'ers make is seeing themselves as "students" instead of "junior colleagues" which is probably more appropriate in terms of terms & in light of the amount of work you'll (probably) be doing. Grad school (in my point of view) is work. It's a next phase in an upwardly mobile career. I find that folks who treat it as such, end up being very successful. I do think I'm a case in point. Ironically, again for me, grad school will actually be toning it back 3 or 4 notches... I'm going to enjoy the hell out of the 4-5 year R&R (*wakes up from dream - yea right! as if they'll be any downtime - lol - I always fill downtime w/more work). Alternatively, I also often see grad students get through PhD's and they've done very little along the way. We've all had crappy professors. One of my colleagues, in fact, is herself super-hesitant on returning to finish her PhD b/c, as she put it, she doesn't find PhD'ers to be all that smart...or accomplished...or anything really...and she doesn't want to be influenced by what she sees as lazy people. (said person is a young, rising all-star in the policy arena and one of my closest friends) Honestly, there are plenty of examples of these "best and brightests" who fit my colleague's description. But there are plenty of folks to counter those examples as well, and again, those folks are in this game to work. As far as treatment--I find that Profs, like anybody, treat students who behave like students as students and those who behave like junior colleagues as just that. But there will be some pretentious Prof who will surely snub the nose at you regardless of all the work you do or have done prior to grad school...who cares! chin up and walk on! 4. 6-9 years! I won't even contemplate my max further than your min. Perhaps a recalibration would help your mid-life crisis?? Also... consider job prospects more broadly when the time comes, which for all of us is a looooooong way off anyway. Among everything else currently happening, how can one even add that to the stress list. But still: policy, politics, consulting, think tanks, as you said re post docs, start a non-profit (where's your social entrepreneurial spirit!? ) You will be among the top 1-2% formally educated in the country... put ur brains to good, practical use and get a job you bum! <---semi-truthful humor ---> I'm sure you're no bum. anyway - I have no idea if any of that is useful, sorry if it isn't, but it is the perspective of at least one person who is not have similar emotions regarding acceptance. Best of luck! and Congrats again on be so awesome that you're in cohoots w/folks you see as humbling! PS - Be less humbled!

YES! I was just offered the opportunity to write for Huff Post on a continuous basis! <-- adding to my list --> woohoo!

@sociology27 - thank you for catching that - I apologize - the wiki thing was xdartveganx i think...? ill werk on my litracy - lol all - this thread really makes me appreciate the policy world.

@ dizzidawn: YES! @sociology27: I'm really not trying to be offensive... but you posted wiki links as evidence, and you're criticizing me as embarrasing? (ironic) Beyond that... we're missing the point b/c there's no point. You've pontificated w/o substance. You illustrate "egalitarian" examples by showing us incompitent terrorists? (I'm sorry, but that's what is illustrated). You sideline the whole "terrorism" bit by waxing euphemistically that they "may be considered a bit extrem" (a bit? they had a bomb...it blew up... people died). You (thankfully) make the point that we can't study their dynamics b/c they don't exist, but then that leaves us with accepting a few poorly written wiki paragraphs as sufficient evidence of who knows what. The only comment (not point) I see you making is: the system is hirearchized, we're all reifying it, and you have a (somewhat odd & mostly inarticulate) moral dilemma about it. *shrugging shoulders...so what? anyway... this is a silly conversation. I do truly wish you the best outcome on your own terms, and that you are able to resolve in any way the contradictions of concern.

also see: http://www.mesacc.edu/dept/d10/asb/origins/dewaal/human_egal.html 2nd paragraph.

from the link you just posted: "In July 1914, radical anarchists who frequented the Ferrer Center, and loosely associated with its adult education program, plotted to bomb the mansion of tycoon industrialist John D. Rockefeller. On failing to enter the Rockefeller estate, they took the bomb back to the Lexington Avenue apartment of Louise Berger (a school habitué and an editor of the Mother Earth Bulletin), where it exploded, killing four people, including three of the bombers, and wounding many others, and brought political notoriety upon the Ferrer Center.[3]" *ahem... wow... i can't tell you how impressive this example is... the school is most famous for their attempt to blow up a fat cat... at least they didn't attempt to stick their bomb in their underwear - or maybe they did and that's how they ended up blowing themselves up instead of the fat cat - lol also, apparently the longevity of these schools was about 5 years or so except for one that appears to have operated for about 25 years... and again I didn't say academic culture has to be anything. I simply said it is stratifying, and you buy into it. again...not sure why that's such a problem. oh... and i don't really buy that they were non-hirearchical just b/c wikipedia says so... get me an ethnographer in one of these joints and show me some data! (i guess suggesting scholarly data is "better" than wikipedia, though, would be reproducing stratification... oops.)

that's fine... all academic cultures do. is that less blanketed?? (since that was the main point anyway - so try not to digress too much) I mean seriously? it think it's a bit pretentious to apply to the top schools in the country - or any school since a phd from anywhere will put you in the top 1-2% most formally educated class and then go... "hm... i may be reproducing various forms of stratification. how do I not reify the structures in question?" if you're that worried about it, pick the worst school you get into - or better yet - don't go to any school - of course... well... that won't really do anything to the structure at all... it'll just leave you w/o a phd and the system will continue quite well w/o you. haven't you read 'learning to labor'... edu is one of the 6 agents of socialization in our society... it's set up w/an expressed intent to stratify. by applying to schools you're saying you want to be one of the best and brightest, and I'm not really sure why that's a problem.

ps - i also can't believe i actually took the time to read all that...

no matter what, academia would find a way to stratify. it's cultural truth: all cultures stratify...including academic culture. just pick the best program! whatever that means to you - lol

my partner was all over this site when she applied to grad school... it drove her insane... and so it also drove me insane. so i made myself a deal to not consult this site until after I had applied. and then i only checked here and there up until i wasn't hearing anything back - which now we all know was a trend - but b4 we knew that we all went collectively mad and so that didn't help anything... it just of course made my partner relive her insanity from 2 years ago... which didn't go over well. I'm a VERY confident over-achiever... and so I think if this site made me go crazy, then negatives likely outweigh positives in my opinion. (but that's just my experience)

"Preschools" -- > lol ---> grad school is challenging wherever you go. def not preschool... that said, i think it's hilarious that you said that - i literally laughed out loud.... Anyway - UC Davis (where I'm headed) not top 15. I couldn't be happier about living there for the next how many ever years - I have no question about the rigor of the program - it's just a great fit - so... Pleasure to meet you! I'm good company (I may be bias - but that doesn't make the claim inaccurate! )

those article bullet points on integration posted by jenjenjen seem to be in line with my experience. my m.a. program had a phd track and i went with terminal m.a. for various reasons but particularly b/c i wasn't well integrated in the dept. Even though I was a t.a. for 2yrs w/mult profs, i really only got on well w/a few who were looking at econ sociology, one of whom left the dept. in my 2nd yr. nobody studied what i did, so just not a lot in common. the dept. only got an immigration scholar in my final year and it was a quant scholar. he's a great person and i keep in touch regularly. but yea.. anyway.. i agree. i think going back to finish my phd now is great b/c i'm acquainted w/faculty from program. and mult ppl are in the same field as me. and i'm in wine country so uh that's awesome! (edit addition) and i'm in a totally dif place in life - i did my m.a. btwn 25 and 27yrs old - i'll be 31 when I start this fall. a ton of development has occurred since leaving my last program, which i think will a) actually facilitate integration and simultanesously makes it somewhat less important to me. Academic/scholar is only a part of who I am. I gotz other stuff to do, too! lol - i think for real, being able to balance academia w/the rest of life is huge and I've got that down solid. eh.. just additional thoughts, fwiw.

@ nwebb2 - Does location play into your decision? Bowling Green is in the middle of nowhere... yikes! My partner is a prof at University of Detroit Mercey but our home is in Cincinnati, so I literally pass Bowling Green on rt75 2x every other week or so... Bowling Green also helped draft the section of SB5 (anti-worker legislation in Ohio that mirrored WI) that tried to take away union rights of state university professors. Booo! (it wasn't their sociology dept that drafted it though!) Congrats on V-Tech!