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That's stunning to me, early May and they still have slots to fill?? Wow. Sorry, nothing to contribute, I just bounced over here from my usual haunts on the sociology board. Hope you get in there or somewhere else you like.

Congrads hopeful! Bookstore or comm coll teaching job (even a low paying adjunct job) sounds pretty good right now, at least for a semester-year!

There's an old thread from this board dealing w/this question from 2012 here: I am in the same boat as you Che, not easy doing this, albeit it's easier than if you were in polisici or something, at least you have more choice. I applied to several of the schools listed at the link I gave you and basically struck out, perhaps for personal reasons. Am trying again for this Fall, but it is tough getting into that list of schools. Would be neat to meet you if we somehow wind up at the same program. Cheers and good luck!

The Chibber's good.

Thank you for the reminder on the last 1 history. I should check out the Anderson too. Am preparing two talks for a semi-academic conference in NY at the end of May, one on Badiou, the other partly inspired by David Harvey on India. Last year i got offered publication of an article based on my talk at the same conference, hoping lightening strikes twice this year.

History, I find the debate educational, for me anyway, and therefore quite valuable. The debate is alive, for the moment anyway, b/c it isn't settled, we don't have a consensus on these issues and I don't think that's possible. Some of us at least are still figuring out where to go in terms of a wide variety of issues, including our career prospects when we come out of hopefully a phd. I like all it gives me to think about at least. I hope roll is right, but alot of what Gilbert points out, for example, is largely true. I'm not sure who you have in mind as a clown, I don't see any, maybe it's just me. That said, yes I'm grateful for the feedback of sociologists and if that makes this board special, I guess we're fortunate, but I would hope at least that debates like this wouldnt drive them away, it's at least useful to some of us still trying to get into programs anyway.

And btw, if this makes me appear elitist... I dunno what to say, my response would be simply, why don't we all deserve the same access to resources students at top 20 schools have? It isn't the reality, but it damn sure isn't fair, and I wouldn't wish that on your or other members of this board any more than I would myself, that isnt conducive to a top level education. Which we all deserve.

Roll, with all due respect, while much what you say is true, the job market is just horrible. And I'm sorry, but I don't think you can deny that all that money the big schools are sitting on doesn't have a dramatic impact on one's career prospects. I'm thinking of my own situation atm when I say this, about which I may reveal more later, including about what I'd like to study, which I haven't much to date on this board. But I think it can and to some level does apply to most people. It is NOT crap to be concerned about your career prospects and the doors top 20 programs open in many and maybe the most popular fields is undeniable. It isn't the kiss of death, you're right, and fine it depends on what you do w/the opportunities you get within or beyond your school. And I'm not knocking what you and your colleagues have accomplished, but part of the reason for the fear is to be blunt it's fucking scary out there job-wise! There are no two ways around it. At the very least it is that much harder if you go to one of the schools w/o the 2-40 billion dollar endowments that range between say an nyu/berkeley at the low end and harvard at the top. Library collection size matters, location matters, prominence in the field matters of your committee members matters, your level of funding matters, etc. Maybe it doesnt to you, maybe you're also right that it's more on what/how you do than anything else, but (repeating myself again probably) it's ALOT harder and can worst case scenario ultimately be a career killer, which no one on this board wants. I don't wanna be rich, my fear is I don't go to berkeley (my dream school), this won't be a viable career no matter how good my work is. I may be paranoid, quite possibly, but you can't realistically dismiss such fears and concerns as crap if you want your argument to be taken seriously. And re: organizing, fine, go for it. NYU students had the 1st and only grad student union in the country for many years till the administration decertified it. I know my data/info is dated, so I'm sure you or others can update me on that, perhaps someone who's at or has graduated from nyu. But remember this happened at what i've seen posters on threads past call the top marxist soc dept in the country, the best for professional training in the subfield anyway. I know the two facts may not be directly connected, but what does/could that tell you?

Gilbert, thanks for the extensive, honest and balanced reply. What I take out of that ultimately then is what I started out with, get a phd (or even just a masters) in econ or don't go to another social science phd program unless you get into a top 20 program w/5 years of full funding. If you want a job w/a modicum of security you can live on anyway, unless you wanna work in the private sector.

Gilbert, question, where are you coming up with the assertion that upward career mobility prospects are better w/a sociology than an econ phd? I could always jump over to the econ board to ask there I suppose, but that seems the total opposite of EVERYTHING I've heard to date from basically everyone. Econ probably is the best social science degree by some margin to get if your primary concern is job security and/or money, no? And I would think for upward mobility too, no? Maybe, I'm nitpicking, but I'd think almost any other social science would've been a better comparative example.

Mr Prof: Am in a similar situation, applied to 8 phd programs, only got 1 unfunded acceptance which w/my already large student debt load I simply couldn't accept, albeit alot of these were due to my finishing my ma thesis late and so only having about half those schools look at my completed app. For anyone rereading my sob story for the umpteenth time, am grateful for those who've offered advice so far and a couple people who have privately offered to help. That said, am taking notes on responses to your post and of course wish you luck over the next year.

May 1st? Wow.

Reapplying in Fall if I survive the year (no work atm) b/c only acceptance was to Binghamton w/o funding, and where not even sure i wanna go, and which I've therefore turned down. Wish it was within an hour or some major city, which it ain't.

Thanks Darth, as well as previous posters.

I wanna tweak this question and ask how do you turn down an offer when you have no others b/c even this one gives you no funding? And I suppose I'd add this is a place I may want to reapply to in the Fall, will decide over the summer I guess. What exactly should I say and how long should an email be, roughly? May provide more details here in future, but need to notify the school by the 15th so any feedback over the weekend would be appreciated. And I should add, the school's about 4 hours from here and while I strongly considered visiting, I ended up deciding not to, which in retrospect I think was a mistake, but due to my shaky financial situation wasn't sure what else to do. Thanks again in advance for any feedback.

Dumb question, but wouldn't you rather be in LA? Warning, I met a former prof who left b/c it comes across as something of a patriarchal department. Unfortunately, I get the vibe the school is a bit conservative that way, but it will get you a job and it's as good as any demography dept in the country, b/c you can work in what I guess is America's most diverse city! Brown may be better for development....I dunno, if the bruins are funding you and you like the school, I don't see how you can turn that down, of UC schools I fit UCB, not ucla. But your case is different. Congrads and good luck.

Having just only gotten an unfunded acceptance at a very low ranked school (which I obviously can't accept w/my debt load from my recent Masters program) and several other rejections, all of this is Greek/Chinese to me. How do you get into a top 20 school again? I suspect I'm getting the whiny rep by now, well things are desperate. Would be happy atm just to be into a top 30 program funded at this stage, but even if I'm able to reapply in the fall, would be sharing Whatishistory's boat: I fit into a a few top 20 schools (particularly Berkeley) which from numbers on their site takes an "astronomical" nearly 10% of applicants. I use that word ironically. In all honesty, despite the drop in funded acceptances at many elite and even good schools since the 08 economic meltdown, I'm older than most of you and recall acceptance rates from the 90s still generally being 5-10% at the phd level, i.e. it's always been low in the living memory of any of us, no? So yes, it seems you need to be einstein just to get in. Not to freak anyone else, but I'm permanently freaked out! Oh and how to network again, that too seems like greek to me.

Thanks socgirl, I finally inquired and no, I wouldn't be getting any funding. It stinks, but at least I now know.

Thanks for the info socgirl, I need to contact the dept myself after being admitted last week b/c I didn't get any funding and didn't get in anywhere else. I'm therefore quite ambivalent about what to do and it affects my plans at least over the next year since I really lack much of a plan b and my finances aren't great. But in light of your decision and info Leo provided last week, I probably better get on that and at least get up the guts to ask them some questions. Socgirl, where did you decide to attend if you don't mind me asking? Good luck to you!

Meh, I just finished an MA at NS in another dept, but I know people in the sociology dept. You can post questions here or IM me if you want and I can ask my friends or possibly put you in touch. Hit me up if you want and congrads!

Thanks Leo, will await you're report. What is the POI, the faculty who contacted me? I'm considering visiting later in the month or early April. Are you staying with a grad student in the dept and do you think they might be able to find such an arrangement for me too, despite my lack of funding? I figure 24 hours is enough time to visit, but would need accommodations. Maria, correction, just got the thumbs down from NYU this afternoon. Blah. Hope you get/got in!

Thanks, I called York today and got the same answer as you, that we're all wait-listed. As a US person, the odds are longer for me, but there's a glimmer of hope. Good luck.

NYU? Lucky, I don't know where you're from or live, but the west village is pretty safe these days, it's a VERY wealthy area and, while I know it's easy for me as a guy to say this, NY in general is still the safest major city in the US by a good margin. Not all areas, for example, what you say about the Morningside Heights area near Columbia U is true. You probably wanna be more cautious there since despite the ongoing gentrification of nearby Harlem, they do have ongoing crime issues. And the NYU area isn't perfect and I suppose as a woman, it may just be safer to either go at home with other people when possible at night or take campus shuttles and such, but even so there's a big difference between that area safety wise and the other areas you refer to. That said, again, in regard to all those other areas you have a point.

Asterix and theory, thanks for the info. If we haven't heard anything back to date does that likely mean reject or possible waitlist? I got my 1st sociology acceptance today but w/o funding, it really isn't viable. Am strongly thinking about calling york and the other program haven't heard back from tomorrow.

I had given up a while ago about my prospects, but.... I just into Binghamton, albeit w/o financial aid. This is my first acceptance, so this is a mixed bag. Nonetheless, am quite happy someone at least wants me, just wish there was a means of livelihood attached. So my question to Leobixy and others is when did the BInghamton visiting day happen and did anyone go, what were your impressions? And what kind of things did you ask them? Also, would it still be viable for me to try visiting maybe later this month or something? I know there's a separate thread on the visit/questions topics, will probably repost there. Congrads all, if I can get in somewhere, I know the rest of ya'll still waiting can too!