sociology27

I read a really apropos quote today that I just want to share with you all (especially those of you who've been rejected)... "I discovered that rejections are not altogether a bad thing. They teach a writer to rely on his own judgement and say in his heart of hearts, 'To hell with you.'" -Saul Bellow

8/410 seriously makes me want to gag. And stanford's taking more than 10 percent... messed up world.

anddd the silence grows more ominous...

It's okay. Not like worrying/anticipating affects the outcome of anything.

congrats. I was also accepted and I think there's a high likelihood that's where I'll end up. What are your interests/background?

why do you assume 6 spots left? Are they only taking 8 or are they shooting for a cohort of 8. I gotta believe theyre gonna take about 20 if theyre shooting for 8.

so, just to be clear... have we heard of any domestic acceptances yet?

For me there was a link on the bottom of the website saying "view decision"... if you don't have that, maybe you're still in the running? Or maybe they're just uploading the rejections slowly.

why does almost every thread just get highjacked by GRE discussions? We get it, nobody likes them. I don't think committees care for them that much either. I had higher GRE scores than almost all the people posting acceptances to places I got rejected. I think its US who over analyze and exaggerate their importance.

Northwestern reject here. Just checked website. bummerrrr.

well, I guess my fears were justified... just impulsively checked the website and la-di-da, there she is, a nice standard rejection letter just for me. So it goes.

But the list changes/is longer than this list indicates. It just means that they award doctorates and receive a lot of government money for research.

http://www.washington.edu/tools/universities94.html

okay, the "top 50" was not meant to be a strict, objective classification (hence the question mark). I just mean that yes there of course is a difference in prestige between 25 and 75, duly or not. Beauty is in the eye of the hire-er, but it's not completely subjective. And the R1 research university stuff, that's just what I want. That wasn't meant to mean "this is the highest thing one can possibly shoot for, oh ye noble research institutions how I exalt thee."

Just for kicks, I thought we could all just throw in the one (or two) things we would consider the most important if we were on a committee. Maybe this conversation will help the process be a little better thought out 10 years from now (as some/most of us will be on committees at that point). Try not to list every thing imaginable as that would kindofff defeat the purpose. And don't be afraid to say GRE scores or something like that if you really mean it/can back it up with a reason. I would look closely at 2 things I think: GPA/Coursework and writing sample. I don't understand why writing sample isn't taken that seriously. I think it shows the applicants writing ability, interests, ideology (if read carefully), theoretical leanings, and ability to think critically. Anyhoot, that's my 2 cents. Just trying to pass the time here....

Everyone is saying that this is a subjective decision but I think one question can really tell you which way to lean... what do you want to do with your degree? There are a lot of great jobs out there for PhDs from lower ranked schools. BUT, if you're intent on being a professor at an R1 research university, I'd say take the year and take another shot at it. It seems like you can be a better applicant than you were this year. There's no shame in taking an extra year; in the long run, it means that you might do 44 years of sociology work instead of 45. I'm not saying that it's impossible to come out of a lower (maybe under 50?) ranked school and be a professor. And I'm definitely not saying (like I've heard some people say, ridiculously) that if you don't go to a top ten school you're fucked. All you need to do is look at the websites of places like CUNY, Rutgers, USC (just some places I applied), UCSB, UCSD, etc. to see that if you produce you can still land professorships at great (not just good) schools. BUTTTT, going to a school pretty far down in the rankings list is just going to make it more difficult, significantly so. So if you can avoid it, I don't think you should put yourself in that position. But like I said... if you want to be a research analyst or work for government or an NGO, I think LSU would definitely do the trick.

alright, somebody has to claim that acceptance. NYU and Harvard are giving me heart attacks the past few days. And Northwestern punched me in the chin. So I need some more info.

Ugh, it's frustrating to know NYU stuff went out for the international applicants but nobody's heard yet domestically. They should have just done them all in one day.

congrats Marx. I'm trying to stay optimistic. But let's be real; 9 out of 10 times (prob. more), if you're not in the first wave, you're not in at all. But I'm not complaining. I threw out a bunch of apps, got into a few schools, got rejected from a few, got waitlisted, and still havent heard anything from others. So there are people who haven't been as lucky as I have. I won't be complaining if I end up where I've already gotten in. Cheers

fuck, shit, ass sorry, I was hoping for this one for personal reasons. I hope not all acceptances went out, but once again I have that feeling in my stomach that I'm rejected. Anyone want to claim it?

Does someone want to claim the Michigan acceptance on the results survey? Did you get in off the waitlist or is this just a late posting?

And it looks like it's from yesterday? huh!? And only one? Can someone step up and claim it with info. like who it came from and when?

you're a master of the histrionic clips

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!

Was accepted to today with 5 years funding. It was a personalized email though so I wouldn't worry if you haven't received on yet.