Darth.Vegan

Not in environmental sociology either.

I am hoping for 80-85th percentile. Enough to get my application thoroughly reviewed anywhere.

I am sensing a little bit of a problem here. Did you focus on only your quantitative experience on all your applications? I really hope that you have been tailoring your applications to the programs you have been applying to. CU-Boulder is one of the strongest environmental sociology programs in the country, you should really have been talking up your interest in environmental sociology in your application. I am planning to apply to 15 programs next cycle, while some parts of my SOP will be the same, I plan to tailor my SOP's and my applications for each program and I am asking my letter writers to do the same. I also plan to contact at least some faculty at each program 6 months before the deadline. From what a very well known professor in environmental sociology and social movements had to say on the subject:

That just makes me not want to apply to Columbia. Getting a good score on a standardized test only means that you are good at taking standardized tests. If the professors at Columbia don't know that, that's pretty scary.

Supernovasky: Have you considered looking for jobs doing research? It will more than likely require you to be willing to move somewhere else, but it could be just what you need. Believe it or not, these jobs do exist, just not everywhere.

This obsession over GRE scores is nonsense. The average GRE score at UT-Austin is 1231 The average GPA is 3.68 You didn't get rejected for your GPA or GRE score. http://www.utexas.edu/cola/depts/sociology/graduate/admissions/faq.php It is somewhat about luck.

Seriously, only 2 programs and only in the top 5?

Boston College has a Feb 1st deadline http://www.bc.edu/content/bc/schools/cas/sociology/grad/programs.html Brandeis is March 16th http://www.brandeis.edu/departments/sociology/grad/index.html And Columbia is March 15th http://sociology.columbia.edu/admissions

I know everyone says this, they certainly do to me, but relax. You have only been rejected from one program. If you get rejected don't give up hope, just apply next year and cast a wider net, why only 5 programs? I plan to apply to 15 next cycle. 3 are MA programs. Do you have your MA yet? If not, there are still some MA programs accepting applications for a little while longer. Why not apply to some of those? Sure you'll have to borrow some more money, but it will greatly increase your chances of funded PhD programs in the next cycle. All in all though, relax, you still have 4 programs to hear back from.

I really don't think it's a matter of being perfect. While having a stellar GPA and GRE score will increase likelihood of acceptance, you can get into top programs, even top 10, without them if you stand out in other places!

I don't have any "well known" professors writing me letters. At least two however came from top ranked programs (Austin, Madison) and still know a number of people in those specific departments. I am sure for those departments it won't matter, hopefully it won't matter for other departments either.

On job the job placement front. I do think there is a really strong correlation. That said, one of the PhD students (in poli sci, unranked department) from here, got a visiting professor position at Williams College which will hopefully turn into a tenure track position somewhere... It helps that his advisor is really well known in critical theory circles and got him the interview.

I can feel the anxiety in these posts. I don't know if I should feel lucky or not that I am applying next cycle. That said, the acceptance anxiety is building rapidly for the internships I applied for.

I wish you luck. I am studying for the GRE now too and I hate it. It really seems so pointless, I am using up precious time studying for the GRE that I could be using reading more literature for my soc. classes and working on my research. You know the kinds of things that would ACTUALLY help me in grad school. Hope it all works out (for the both of us!). You sound really competitive.

You need to remember that the percentile ranges of the verbal and quant sections are very different. A 580 on verbal is 85th percentile. A 600 on quant is 47th percentile.

Chuck, I feel like you sort of answered your own inquiry here, which might of been the point. The reality is that rarely is a "fair admissions process" an actual reality. I have talked to numerous advisers all of which have encouraged me to reach to potential advisers as much as possible. While a potential adviser taking an interest in a potential grad student does not ensure one will get into a program, it certainly can help.

Hey everyone, I am applying to two different undergraduate research internships for the summer. Anyone here been accepted to one of those before and have any advice for the application? I know they are super competitive, at times more so than grad school.

Honestly when are schools going to drop the GRE requirement? We are social scientists for goodness sake's! We know that doing well on a standardized test only means that you are good at taking standardized tests!

So I am applying next cycle, I plan to contact all the professors I would hope to work with at the schools I am applying to. I am also using this as an opportunity to take some schools off my list. If it is a school I am not sure about applying to, and potential advisers either don't write me back or don't seem interested I won't apply there. Now if it's one of my dream schools I will apply there even if they tell me I have no chance! haha.

As far as knowing you're getting good letters is concerned... I am confident in the letters being sent on my behalf because the people writing letters for me either offered without asking, or have gloated about me all over the department. I have also had professors that earned PhD's from top programs (e.g. Madison, Michigan, UT-Austin) tell me that they think I would do extremely well in grad school, including the very programs that they themselves went to. It also helps to specifically ask for excellent letters when approaching potential letter writers. It may seem crass, but trust me it isn't. You generally shouldn't ask for a letter from someone you only took one class with, and never spoke to outside of class. Building relationships with letter writers is important in my opinion. A professor may even think that you are a great student based off interactions in one class, but it may not be enough information for them to really write a meaningful letter. I go to a very large public research institution, but I haven't had any trouble building deeper relationships with faculty. I would say the one thing that makes it more difficult is that you have to seek it yourself.

I plan to apply to 15 schools next cycle. 2 of those have faculty that fit my interests really well, but I feel totally not stoked about the idea of only getting into either of those places, yet I am applying anyway.

Would you mind giving me an idea of what your stats and experience were when you applied? I can do an MA without a solid funding offer, but would need good funding for my PhD. I would probably go for the MA and then try again in the next available cycle for a well regarded PhD. program with funding.

Applying next cycle! here is my preliminary list. Will be narrowing this down in March and April based on which faculty write me back and seem interested. Hope to apply to about 15 programs (12 PhD 3 MA). Research interests in social movements, environmental sociology and globalization. PhD. Programs: Stanford #5 University of Wisconsin-Madison #2 Harvard #5 UT-Austin #14 University of Michigan-Ann Arbor #3 NYU #14 Cornell (Development Sociology) #17 Boston College (automatic consideration for M.A. program) #41 Brown #25 Boston University #57 UC Santa Cruz #54 University of Oregon #57 U-Mass Amherst #31 Brandeis #48 UC Irvine #27 CU Boulder M.A. Programs: University of Chicago #5 (MAPSS) Columbia #11 New School #57

I never took the SAT's which means I have no real basis for how I will do. I am also super rusty on the math. Also lets be honest we almost never see those GRE words in sociological literature. Many of them I have never even seen before, haha. I am sure I will do ok ( I plan on taking 2 classes), but I think anywhere near a 1400 ( the average at many top programs) is a long shot. I am speaking on the panel on student/faculty mentor relationships. I am excited, plus even though I am not presenting my own research I think it will look good on my CV and create some good networking opportunities. So anyone have idea what a competitive GRE score for a top ranked terminal MA program would be? Obviously lower than PhD programs but how much lower?

I am particularly interested in Columbia and MAPPS (at U Chicago), also what about lower ranked programs like The New School and Boston College? No GRE scores yet (this is my biggest worry, and while I am hoping for a PhD. program I am hoping I will have some good options like a Columbia MA if I can't quite get into the PhD. programs. Applying to 15 (12 PhD, 3 terminal MA) University of Hawai’i at Manoa 2010-Current, Senior Standing, GPA 3.94 B.A. Currently In Progress, Class of 2012 Major: Sociology GPA 3.87 Minor: Political Science GPA 4.0 Distinctions: Honors Program Alpha Kappa Delta Deans List (Spring 2010, Fall 2010, Spring 2011, Fall 2011) Awards: Department of Sociology Merit Scholarship (Fall 2011, Spring 2012) ASUH Academic Achievement Scholarship (Fall 2011) Grants: UROP Research Grant 2011 Portland Community College 2006-2009 GPA 3.2 Major: Sociology GPA 3.5 Distinctions: President’s List Dean’s List Current Research: Working as a research assistant and on an honors thesis No presentations outside of honors forums yet, but I am speaking on a panel at the Pacific Sociological Association meeting in March.