sociologygradgirl

I don't think schools outside of the top 40 are a waste at all. The school you attend undeniably matters- but so does the research you produce and your mentor. If a school outside of the top matches your research goals and you have several people there to work with, then apply! I think it would be better to go to a #50 and publish 5 articles with well respected scholars than go to #30 without a lot of support and end up with few or no publications. My MA program was at a R1 and I saw the hiring of three people. Two came from great schools. One came from a completely unranked public university but with 7 publications, a grant, and a notable mentor. So it's not impossible outside of the top 40. Especially if you find a great fit that will help you get a lot done while you are there.

@Ladril. Yes, University of Georgia Athens.

Declared at UGA What a relief this is over....

If the rank of UGA is concerning you, you should ask them for a listing of job placements. Most departments will gladly hand over that information. If they are ranked lower but placing people in jobs you would like to have, then I wouldn't be so concerned about their name recognition.

I think any of the UC schools have a decent amount of name recognition.

oh, to answer the question about my MA: it is at an unranked R1 school.

I decided to stay at my undergrad institution for an MA. I did not get into any "good" PhD programs from undergrad. I thought that if I stayed, it would give me a leg up. I already knew the faculty, so I would have people to work on research with immediately. For me, this was the best decision. I got an RAship and was able to work on two other research pieces in addition to my thesis while I was here. One turned into a co-author pub, the other was just a presentation, but filled in a CV line nonetheless. This application cycle, I got into 3 out 5 programs, all in the top 50 or higher. I know the research helped, I think putting up some grad grades helped as well. Also, most of the schools that accepted me are willing to take some of my MA classes (Stats, Theory), so it wasn't really time wasted and I'm not repeating anything from having done it.

It's not for the department- I know research match was why I was admitted. This is for a competitve, university-wide fellowship.

I have not declared to any school let because I am still in the process of trying to leverage for fellowships and such. At my current institution, I just found out I ended up winning an award for my thesis. Should I email prospective schools and tell them this? Or would that sound too cocky?

Still haven't made a decision... This sucks... My mind might cave in... and I have to present at NCSA and defend my thesis right when a decision is due... ugghhhhhhhhhh

Is anyone else facing a difficult decision between two (or more) programs? What is swaying you in one direction over the other? Or any other criteria youa re using to make your final decision....

I seem to have the opposite plan of everyone else. I am moving east to west, so the extra time is GREAT! But, I plan on staying put for as long as humanly possible. I have been here for serveral years now, and have more connections here than I would anywhere else. Connections = a better chance to land a job for the summer, work there as long as possible, save as much money as possible before entering foriegn territory.

any additional details would be greatly appreciated!

i literally just got an acceptance email! there is a visit day on March 16th.

Well, it's looking more like Tuesday at this point. Assuming we won't hear anything on Monday with the holiday and all...