ThisSlumgullionIsSoVapid

That's how many applications they get for their entire grad school...not just sociology.

^ If you go to preview profile you can see what it looks like to the average person trying to search your profile and you can see what it looks like to various people. It gives an option where you can type in their name and see your profile the way the see it. That's how I check what's visible in mine all the time.

Have you decided where you're going?

When you submit your official decisions go ahead and post in this thread. I'll keep updating the main post so we can see where everyone is in one spot. Let's not post in here for anything but official decisions though so I don't have to sift through too much clutter ------------------------------------------------------------------- MashaMashaMasha - University of Washington

Ya I've read something about that. Except, what they're doing is against facebooks terms of service. I believe I've read an article of an application asking for someones log in so they could see if they were professional online (obviously a clear break of the terms of service). You aren't to give out your private information to anyone and even then if it was going to be forced upon me I was just delete the facebook and reinstate it months later after already getting the job (and changing the name when I do so).

^ I'd suggest not waiting that long either. You want to give yourself enough time to take it twice in case you aren't happy with how the first one turned out. You can learn and adapt from the first one and go back and re take it. Maybe take your first one late summer and your second one mid-fall (august and november?)

Advice for the GRE: Get into routine and get into routine early. If you're a night owl you need to snap that relatively soon. Your exam will be 8am or 1pm (I think). You'll want to start a routine of waking up at some certain time, having a good breakfast, and getting your mind warmed up by doing some reading and math questions in the morning. Also, start getting used to doing some practicing at all times of the day, with an emphasis also on the time frame that you'll be taking your exam. I made the mistake for a while of just doing a lot of night work because that's what I was used to. That back fired on the first time I took my gre. Anyways, get in routine and get used to eating breakfast if you don't already now - it will pay off. Also, attend a conference if you can and meet a professor or two that you want to work with. Many that I met were really impressed that I was at conferences as an undergrad and that I was actively socializing with faculty.

Where?

I thought about this but the only thing that would be "judged" on my facebook would be some pictures I posted that are (to me) pretty funny but to others could be offensive. I also tend to post some pretty opinionated political rants every now and then but it shouldn't really be an issue. If they're my "friend" then they should already know how I am as a person in terms of how opinionated I am and how my views are aligned. I'd be iffy of approving a faculty member (or grad student) if they haven't had any real conversations with me to get to know me as a person yet (or if I thought they'd be offended by political/religion rants). I'm sure Goffman would have loved to chime in on the social networking era.

There will be people turning down the offers soon. I know one person that will be so sit tightly and hopefully it gets redirected to you.

You're going to end up in a top 20. Your application is stellar (pending your GRE scores). Even with average gre scores, the rest of your application can make up for an average GRE score. I highly doubt you're going to need any masters back up programs and even if you do, you should go to one that is fully funded with a stipend. I don't see the pay-off of MAPSS being worth $45,000 in tuition and another $15,000 for living considering you don't have much you'd need to compensate for. Just make sure you can clearly express why you're a perfect fit for whoever you want to work with. I may have under estimated the part of stating the case of why ___ university a little bit on some of my applications.

If you're on a waitlist for a program you really want to get into, don't jump the gun and accept to a program before the deadline. In fact, I would probably wait til April 14th to submit an official acceptance to a place seeing as how most places ask for a final decision by the 15th. You might regret accepting somewhere if a program contacts you last minute that a spot opened up because people started turning in their decisions.

I thought about it because it is just a one year program and would help with getting into higher ranked schools but I'm not sure I would be able to stomach $30,000 of loans for tuition (on top of my $30,000 for my undergrad) and another $12,000 for living expenses.

Accepted into MAPSS with 1/3 tuition aid

I got 1/3 tuition aid bleh

rejected from university of chicago's phd program but accepted into the masters program Hmmm...

Definitely not a so-so person to be on a wait list. Different departments have different needs. It might be that one professor already has 3 or 4 people wanting to work with him/her and because of that they want to bring in people with other research specializations. It doesn't mean you are any less competitive. Also, just think that there are hundreds of people applying to programs... being on a wait list does not mean you are so so, it means you are WAY better off than the other few hundred that got straight up denied. There are other things that come into play that can decide between wait list and who got a straight acceptance. Shit, to be honest, I'd be stoked if i were to get even a wait list at a top 20 program so for someone to say that they are just a so-so because they are waitlisted at a top program makes me want to slap them up side the head. Just think of all the people that don't get into a single program, not a top 10, not top 20, not top 50, not even masters programs they apply to as back ups.

That's not necessarily true. There are people who apply via an acceptance hierarchy. I have had conversations with people who received a top 20 acceptance and because of that immediately withdrew their applications or turned down the acceptances they received from a 50-60 ranked program. It doesn't mean they wouldn't want to go to those higher ranked programs if they were admitted it just means that realistically since they got into a more favorable school they already know they aren't going to trade a #5 ranked program for a #65 even though they might like the cities, programs, professors, etc. from both. That is a selfless thing to do in my opinion because that quickly opens up a spot for someone else; it also allows those people who might have been on a waitlist to be bumped up to an acceptance and then be invited to an invitation weekend. I think it is kind of selfish if you knew off the bat you weren't going to go to the 65 ranked program but just used them to go check out the campus for a free visitation weekend - especially when that trip would have been way more valuable to someone who would actually accept the offer from the program to attend.

Ya, that's what I was referring to

Anyone have any information on attainable funding outside of the given stipends and federal loans?

no way Don't go without funding

Lots and lots of elbow patches.

I can only speak on behalf of my knowledge of the UC system but the UC's pay once a month.

I'm waiting on Purdue as well.