ohhello

Those numbers are specifically for the Northwestern Sociology Ph.D. program - scroll down to sociology. Right now I'm trying to find data for UCSD, Berkeley, and Rutgers, but it hasn't been so easy. Northwestern had a link to program stats on the front page of its graduate school website.

The email said the department only had 4 fellowships. So if they accepted 20 of the 40 interviewed, it seems like quite a bit of us are on the wait list.

I will probably decline! I love the faculty and the set up of qualifying papers, but I can't go without some sort of guaranteed fellowship funding.

So I'm starting to dig into the specifics of several Ph.D. programs I've applied to and have reached the point where I want to find information about completion and attrition. I thought asking the forum to share our collective knowledge concerning completion/attrition (and perhaps demographics) might prove more fruitful than doing a point-blank google search. Would anyone like to share what they know concerning the completion/attrition and the sociology Ph.D.? For instance, is it weird that the completion rates for the 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004 Northwestern cohorts after 6 years hovered around 0-9%? And for both the 2000 and 2001 cohorts, the completion rate was only 45% after 10 years?

Does anyone else on this board not even really care about professorships-- or "professional development"? I think I should, but I can't bring myself to care that much about the specifics.

@largo I would assume a rejection since they've already conducted interviews. Right now they are in the process of sending out offers and it seems like they don't submit offers without an interview.

Open house is on the 28th and 29th of March. But, I'm equally if not more excited to visit my friend in St. Louis... Personal reasons abound for Northwestern.

Going to cafes, a good latte, hanging with my family, reading outside, running for several hours, running on the coast, walking around, trying food with friends, listening to music, daydreaming about ways to destroy the achievement gap, having Skype sessions with friends, delicious ice cream... Sigh.

Received an admission email from UCSD today, and saw that other people were admitted as well. They're still working on funding arrangements.

What about people waiting on wait lists? I keep playing a little voice in my head: "Well, we think your application and fit are stellar, but we're really hoping to admit someone else. If they don't take our offer, then maybe we'll offer you a spot? In the meantime, you don't get an invitation to our campus visitation day. Regards." And this voice is so degrading! And I've been interviewed once and waitlisted twice, no clear acceptances, no clear rejections. Anyone else in the same uncomfortable, self-deprecating boat?

@jenjenjen You can take the Palo Alto Caltrain to the Millbrae Caltrain, and from the Millbrae Caltrain transfer to the Millbrae BART (they're separated by 1 flight of stairs and a short bridge), and from the Millbrae BART travel to the Berkeley BART. Total cost should be like ~$10, and you can buy Caltrain/BART fare tickets at every station. Near the Berkeley BART is an AC Transit bus stop - you can take the 51B line up to Telegraph Avenue for $2.20 (Barrows Hall is near Telegraph and Bancroft) or foot it east toward campus (15-20 minute walk to Barrows).

Part-time RA at an education non-profit.

Anyone else apply to UCSD?

@SocialGroovements I think you summarized the qualitative differences between top and lower-ranked programs well, at least according to one of my letter writers. According to one of my letter writers, if you want to make the rounds in the ivory tower, it's much easier for you to find a placement if you come from a highly ranked program. Also, the "quality" of your cohort may also influence the quality of your graduate studies, and top-ranked programs tend to have higher quality graduate students (not sure what my letter writer meant by "quality" - but I think it was used in the holistic/intellectually diverse sense).

I'm not sure how these visitations are structured, but if the point of these visitations is to tour the campus, Berkeley's sociology department is not much to look at (it's on the fourth floor of an ugly building). Of course, it has amazing faculty, but the campus itself is made up of a haphazard array of buildings. Stanford's campus is much more uniform - and, in my opinion, much more interesting to walk around - but the area surrounding it isn't as entertaining as Berkeley's Telegraph/College/Shattuck Avenues. If you're flying down and taking public transportation, you can take the Caltrain from Stanford to a BART station (not sure which), and from that BART station travel to Berkeley BART. You can take the same Berkeley BART station to Oakland International or SFO.

The research topics listed leave much to be desired... At least include an "other" category.

Looks like all the acceptances and wait lists have been sent out. Now we'll have to wait for the wave of rejections next week. Time to consult some chocolate.

The interview was cordial and friendly - it made me more excited about the Rutgers program. They'll send out admission results in around 2 weeks.

Exactly at noon, PST.

Here to claim a wait list.

Waitlisted for Wisconsin as well.... Arrrrghhhh I just want this to be over with. I need ice cream.

I think it would be good practice to rely on your research statement over your "diversity"/personal statement to pull you through the admissions process. Remember, you're applying to a sociology department for graduate studies. You can't rely on the "I was incredibly disadvantaged and yet I somehow pulled myself out of destitution through pure will and determination" narrative; you wouldn't have the capital necessary to apply for a PhD if you were truly disadvantaged. And if you do mention your personal history, you have to be more reflexive, and you must somehow relate your history to what you want to study - especially given that some departments don't even request or care for a diversity/personal statement.

One of my letter writers told me that adcoms "don't give a s***" about your personal background/history unless it somehow relates to what you want to study. It's good to keep this in mind.

Hmmm?

Apt metaphor.