surefire

I just used this GIF in the Brown topic but I feel like more people would like it:

Admissions committees would be complete idiots if they didn't accept either of you--I was first laughing, then utterly amazed at your wit and powers of (re)invention. Thanks for the intellectual laughs. Cheers.

One of my students was writing about Julius Caesar and wrote: "Then Brutus got all up in Caesar's face and shanked him. Caesar was all like 'et tu, Brute?' which pretty much means PARTY FOUL." Might be one of the best things I've read, ever. haha

Also, I hope you all know about this lovely site: http://shitmystudentswrite.tumblr.com/

I just used my last one to up-vote this ^
Now I have to eat reputation ramen for the rest of the day.
Worth it.

Excellent! A few from some Law and Society courses (note: Canadian court system context).

- "Juries act as fact-fighters" (I think that the student meant "fact-finders")
- "This illustrates the redundancy of preliminary herrings"
- "...and anyway, the only reason that lawyers like plea bargaining is because it speeds up their day so they can leave early and go golfing with the judges".

And, the example that I continuously cite for new TAs, when they wonder if they are getting through to the students. This one is a "laugh to keep from crying" type of response...

- "Personally, I think the 6% wrongful conviction rate is an acceptable statistic. If 100 people are convicted, and 94 of them actually do it, then in the grand scheme of things, the other 6 have to take one for the team, so to speak. Yes, I do realize I would be singing a different tune if it were myself or a family member in that 6%, but let's hope it never happens, right?"

Take one for the team...*shudders*
It wouldn't be so bad if the majority of these students weren't going on to BECOME LAWYERS!
Anyway, I try to keep that example in mind when I'm trying to cultivate critical thinking with the undergraduates.

Fail not applications, full of anxiety, our thoughts are with you
Blessed art thou among other applicants and blessed is
the fruit of thy labours, acceptance.
Holy graduate co-ordinators, gatekeepers of decisions, pray for us refreshers
now, and at the conclusion of the work week. Amen.

I just used my last one to up-vote this ^
Now I have to eat reputation ramen for the rest of the day.
Worth it.

Fail not applications, full of anxiety, our thoughts are with you
Blessed art thou among other applicants and blessed is
the fruit of thy labours, acceptance.
Holy graduate co-ordinators, gatekeepers of decisions, pray for us refreshers
now, and at the conclusion of the work week. Amen.

Seriously. We should petition for an increase... how are we supposed to live in gradcafe on this meager +1 stipend?

Our Adcomms, who reign (pre)academia, hallowed be thy names; thy decisions come, thy will, alas, be done, for us, and for those accepted; give us this day our daily decision, and forgive the spelling mistakes on our apps, as we forgive those who misspell against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us an acceptance, for thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for now and through March. Amen.

Excellent! A few from some Law and Society courses (note: Canadian court system context).

- "Juries act as fact-fighters" (I think that the student meant "fact-finders")
- "This illustrates the redundancy of preliminary herrings"
- "...and anyway, the only reason that lawyers like plea bargaining is because it speeds up their day so they can leave early and go golfing with the judges".

And, the example that I continuously cite for new TAs, when they wonder if they are getting through to the students. This one is a "laugh to keep from crying" type of response...

- "Personally, I think the 6% wrongful conviction rate is an acceptable statistic. If 100 people are convicted, and 94 of them actually do it, then in the grand scheme of things, the other 6 have to take one for the team, so to speak. Yes, I do realize I would be singing a different tune if it were myself or a family member in that 6%, but let's hope it never happens, right?"

Take one for the team...*shudders*
It wouldn't be so bad if the majority of these students weren't going on to BECOME LAWYERS!
Anyway, I try to keep that example in mind when I'm trying to cultivate critical thinking with the undergraduates.

Alternatively, we could be selected based on the quality of our participation on grad cafe. Sounds fair to me.

First, congrats.
Second, every life decision of mine gets a pro/con list! I love knowing that others segment their life in this manner as well!

I would say, if the funding pans out, option 2 - hands down!

The academic incest thing is a big no-no, from what I gather. It is worth considering, however, that most of the scorn that I have been party to with regards to this course reverbates within and around academic circles. That is, I can't say whether or not it would be considered disadvantageous "out there", in a non-academic employment setting. Thus, you might find yourself in a bit of a conundrum with option 1: you say you would have to go into academia, but the academic sector is where you are most likely to encounter the stigma attached to those that do undergrad and grad school at the same uni. So, your options may not only be limited as far as WHAT sector (academia) but also WHICH institutions in that sector (i.e. the ones that don't get hung up on your unilateral backround). With this in mind, I maintain that doing grad school away from your undergrad uni helps you to 1) grow as a person AND academic (you mention the narrow research thing, that would put me off...) and 2) keep your opportunities open (non-academic options remain open and academic options are more promising... hey, maybe you WILL want an academic career down the line, 5-ish years is a long time to get comfy).

Also, I would not be discouraged if the supervisor role is undetermined/untested. These alignments are always a risk. You just have to remember that the prof. is in your employ, as you are in theirs. If the relationship doesn't work, there are ways to renegotiate or switch supervisors entirely.
One of my thesis committee members didn't even have her PhD finalized when I started working with her. She is now swamped with students and I'm known as one of the first in her "brood". She's kind of an upstart and is producing interesting research NOW, and I appreciated what that dynamic did for my work and opportunites. This, for me, was preferable than having an extremely established tenured prof., one that is distinguished but producing less. Because this committee member of mine had so much going on, the students that she had had ample opportunity to get in on pub authorships. Sure, she had less funding than a tenured prof, but she spread the funding around to a boatload of different projects. She was like Oprah with the publications and conferences (YOU get a first authorship! YOU get a first authorship!...)

That, however, is my experience. You may require an additional list for "Priorities"; break it down into "must have", "would ideally have" and "could live without" columns and see which option best fufills these.

Good luck!

HOLY SHIT. At my lowest point (see above), I get a call from UVA. I'm in. Goddamn! Time for a beer or three. Idealists can win! I'm rooting for all of you.

I'm still operating under complete radio silence. Did I even apply to programs? Maybe it was all just an illusion.

Personally, I feel "HELLA" pissed!! I didn't know these emotions were in me. I feel like I don't want to even know if I got in anymore, keep your lousy decision...wait..let me see it first.

AHHHHHHHHHHH PULLING MY HAIR OUT

haha, I think this is what the republicans are referring to when they talk about pampered teachers and their crazy benefit packages.

YOU'RE BANKRUPTING OUR COUNTRY!

While it's true that the utility of this approach is mitigated by the decision timelines of other graduate programs, I can appreciate the move on the admission committee's part. When I was part of an adcomm, we had prospective students who were not only applying to other grad programs, but also law school, wherein the timelines are different. I think that we extended two offers that resulted in the response: "Oh yeah, I accepted a law school admission offer last month, sorry, the PhD was kind of Plan B".

Offers are crafted, not just based on the individual merit of applicants, but also with consideration to how the cohort will get on together. The adcomm kind of builds a little dream team and when offers are stilted (and were really never prioritized to begin with, to the contradiction of fervently-phrased SoPs), it kind of throws a wrench into things... That being said, it is appreciated and respected that students are trying to make the best possible decision (that is, informed and well-suited to their interests/goals). Adcomms don't take it personally if you don't prioritize/accept their program and, really, they would ideally want people who WANT to be there and are EXCITED by the offer.

Think of it this way, adcomms are just trying to make the best decision as well; that is, informed and well-suited to their interests/goals. This e-mail strategy appears to be contributive to their efforts to this end.

Good luck!

I've had several people PM me asking advice regarding admissions based on their credentials, so I thought that I'd just start a thread in case others want to jump in on this as well. This may be unsolicited advice for some, but I wanted to put it out there as food for thought.

Many people seem to be very concerned with applying to the "big name" schools but have entirely discounted the smaller programs, and also seem to be somewhat insulted at the suggestion that they should include lesser known terminal MA programs in their search. In my opinion, it all boils down to one simple question.

Are you seeking admission to a graduate program because you want a degree with a certain name, or because you genuinely want to pursue graduate studies in Sociology?

If the answer is that you want the name, that's fine. I wish you all the best in the application process.

If the answer is that you just want to pursue graduate studies, I encourage you to at least add the smaller schools and the terminal MA programs to your list.

Here's another way to look at it:

How will you feel if all of your responses come back with a rejection? Would you regret not having applied to smaller programs that could give you the experience you need to apply successfully next time?

Some of the best advice that I was given by a faculty member was this: If you're applying to PhD programs to satisfy your ego or to prove to someone else that you're better than they are, it would be a better use of your time and money to seek some therapy.

Hand on head, followed by

I made these to express my frustration.

Enjoy!

Accepted at University of Florida in Sociology. Funding information to come. Stoked!

Gellert! I feel obliged to inform you that a little gremlin of self-doubt seems to have taken up residence on your back. I think that he has been writing on your behalf of late...
I always read your posts and think that you sound very clever and self-possessed; you'd make a great addition to a grad program!

Let yourself have a little bit of whimsy and daydreams, don't let the little gremlin live there rent-free!

I actually took a gap year and worked in an industrial kitchen before going to do my MA; it was one of the best years of my life and I would make the decision again in a heartbeat. There are a litany of reasons why this was the best decision for me.

I was on a merit-based scholarship through my undergrad that covered my tuition. This was clearly awesome, but I still needed to get a job to cover the living expenses. I picked up work at a local cajun/french restaurant and worked there through the entirety of my BA. I attended classes by day and worked nights; there was little procrastination because there was simply no margin for dicking around. The job helped me to feel connected to both my academic and local communities and I discovered a treasure trove of artists and musicians and activists and thinkers in both camps. I articuated theory and stretched my mental faculties in class and then went to the kitchen dressed like a pirate, swearing like a sailor and completing the purposeful, stressful, satisfying task of just FEEDING people. I felt like a total bad ass.

In the last year of my BA, I knew that I wanted grad school, but I also knew that my undergrad didn't have a lot of graduate level offerings, so I would have to leave the institution and the city. I really didn't have time to do the research and applications and the plotting that would be required to make an informed decision about where I wanted to go.

So I stayed for a year. And it was awesome.

I spent more time in the kitchen, where I started dating one of my co-workers (we're engaged now). I had grown close to a lot of the chefs, we had sweat and bled and screamed in the kitchens together and that kind of proves a quick catalyst for bonding. Now that I wasn't in school, we could hang out after hours and I spent many nights getting to know the unique backrounds of these kitchen mercenaries (it's all very Down and Out in Paris, and very Kitchen Confidential, if anyone gets those references). I spent more time at ALL of the things that I didn't have time for in my undergrad; if my friend had a gallery opening/rock show/poetry slam I was THERE, cheerleading and soaking it in. I read ALL of the fun things I had never gotten around to. I stayed up late. I savoured cups of coffee and tried to cycle everywhere because, hey, I wasn't in a hurry. I got caught up on all the movies and music. I accepted all invitations for outings and engagements. I made people care packages just because. I grew an herb garden and learned how to play chess. I volunteered EVERYWHERE; where before I had always made small offerings of support to organizations, now I had actual TIME to give (these activities doubled as great CV-builders).

I was able to spend the appropriate amount of time researching and applying to graduate school, the kind of time that the process demands that I wasn't in a place to spare during the last year of my BA. I found a program that I adored, and I got in. I have to say, even though I had a great time during that gap year, I missed school pretty quickly (which, to me, served as an affirmation that I was meant to return). Regardless, because the application process is so lengthy, the prospect of grad school never seemed far from my mind, and the year went quickly. I was able to leave the city for a new educational endeavour, refreshed and satisfied that I had squeezed every ounce of fun out of my job and undergrad community.

That's my experience! I'm actually on, what I guess you would call, an additional gap period. I finished the MA and decided to work a "grown up" job for a little while before applying for the PhD. The decision this time around was largely about getting familiar with my options and capacities - I wanted to explore my avenues so that I could never say that I didn't try those routes. I didn't go back to the kitchen, though i was tempted. I've since held contracts with the private sector, government and the non-profit realm. This has led me to a discovery that resembles the one I made during the first gap year: that academia is where I want to be.

I hope that you figure out what's right for you, and that the road that gets you there treats you kindly.