angelaxu

I was referred there too. I also applied to PhD in Sociology(subfield political sociology) at Columbia and referred to their MA program without scholarship. I'm struggling a bit about Chicago, since I do think it's a good program and I like the faculty profile there. But it still costs 50,000 with which I could do a lot of other thing.

Thanks a lot for both of you for the advice. Yes I am looking for RA positions, and I think there are quite a lot of things I could do since I speak both Chinese and Persian, and spent about a year in the Middle East.Wondering how competitive are those RA positions? Probably no less than PhD applications? I think fit might be a problem, but also as KAYKAY said, not having a MA from a top American university could be a big barrier, since all my references are from professors in Europe, who don't have much connection in the States. I also didn't apply to any programs below the top 10, which might be a strategic mistake too. But I do think if I go to Chicago and apply again, there is a good chance I will get into a decent place. But since a PhD doesn't guarantee you a good job immediately afterwards either, I might need to think whether it's worth to spend that 50,000.

Applied to 7 top Sociology PhD programs and the political science PhD at Uchicago. International Student. Offered MA at Columbia and UChicago(with half scholarship). I have a MA in Middle Eastern Studies already, not sure if it's a wise decision to go to UChicago and do another MA in Political Science and apply to PhD again this year. My parents are urging me to find a job instead, while my professors all said I should go for the MA. Any advice?

Oh really? I still haven't heard from them, but I think I am rejected since it seems that they have notified acceptance week ago...

Why is Harvard still using postal mail, and looks like it is only for rejections? Wondering how long it will take for the rejection letters to reach international students...

I don't know. It's very expensive and I already have fieldwork experience and am working independently on a research project now. Although my background is area study, I don't think it makes much sense to do another MA. That said, I do think a MA at Columbia helps you to get to a top PhD program afterwards, because I feel personal contact with professors really matters, and once you are in the top ones, you are in their circle. I did my BA in China and MA in Sweden,that partly explains why I got rejected to many programs. I had a GPA of 3.59 for my BA, it's not high but I did a double major at the same time. My MA GPA is 3.8+, and I have GRE 162/160/4. Plus I had half year fieldwork experience, and now working on a research project at the university of my MA. I have carefully studied each program I applied to and tailored my SOP accordingly. If I have to think about a reason why I got zero acceptance yet, I would only say it's probably the relatively low GPA of my BA, and the fact that I applied from outside of U.S. But if I have the money, I would definitely go for the Master at Columbia. I guess it also looks good on your CV even if you are not aiming for a career in academia.

Ok, was accepted to their MA. That's why.

Emailed Shamus Khan and he got back just now: "We have issued offers to our doctoral program; our decisions for our masters program are still pending. We receive several hundred applications for eight spots. In making decisions we must balance composition, interest areas, and fit. I am sorry we were unable to offer you admission to our doctoral program, but I wish you luck in your future sociological pursuits." But my online application still says "submitted". I guess they are too busy to send out all rejections at once..

ok, so no news yet from Columbia means rejection I guess..

Oh this is seriously driving me crazy...I don't think they usually call international students though.and looks like they haven't sent out emails yet. just don't have the courage to contact the department..

Wondering if that refers to international applicants too...?

I'd like to know too. I would assume not. Columbia is my first choice and I'm getting extremely anxious now...

btw, if i were you i will definitely go to Princeton and talk with the profs who you want to work with in the future. it is a precious chance and even though they said 'whether you go for the campus visit won't affect the final decision', I really doubt it... it will never be a better chance to know a student than talking face-to-face with him.

I am wondering if Princeton informed the short-listed all at once? In that case i think i am rejected by them.... it is really tough to go through this and i am quite down since i already got two rejections by now. it seems that i have no hope to be admitted to any other programs...i don't know if i should start to look for MA programs in Europe or Britain. maybe some of them are still open to application. anyone has suggestions? for a normal chinese student it is impossible to afford the US MA programs without funding and Europe and Britain is probably cheaper?

Is there anyone already got invitation of interview from NES of Princeton? I think the short-listed ones were generally decided at this time in previous years.