sociologo
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Posts posted by sociologo
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If you are seriously considering it, contact whatever office handles on-campus employment to see if there are any Graduate Assistantship positions available. The university I attend has a lot of GA positions outside of TA/RA positions, either with student government, campus recreation, coordinating student orgs., etc. They frequently include some sort of tuition waiver. Definitely worth looking into..
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Demand they change their minds because it's your birthday? That's completely my plan if I get bad news later this week on my own birthday. Rational? Ha..
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On a more casual note, I'm developing an inferiority complex because I didn't even know what impostor syndrome meant before reading this thread.
This. Yeah I knew the feeling (oh boy did I know the feeling....), but nobody I knew I had used the term before. Welp.
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Personally, I think it can be really beneficial, as long as it is not too time-consuming or expensive. Figure out a way that your majors can complement each other.
I didn't double, but I did have two minors: economics and Spanish. Spanish was an easy choice for me because I focus a lot on Latin America; being able to speak and read the language is important. While many of my economics professors didn't really like me in their classes (liberal sociologist that I was..), it gave me a different perspective of how the systems were designed to work, as well as the basic underlying principles of economic systems.
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I rarely use my laptop in my classes. For me, it's too tempting to check my email (especially while waiting to hear back from schools...), and I generally just find I get distracted more easily. I also remember things better if I hand-write it during class. If I'm concerned about organization or the neatness of my notes, I'll type up my notes at a later time, which also gives me another opportunity to review them.
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This is going to be an obvious answer I feel, but I've worked the last year in a law firm in commercial real estate while living pretty prudently. So I assume that for my Master's that it is always better to shell out the savings I have than even consider taking out a loan. Yes?
Agree with michigan girl. You might need your savings for when you graduate and are looking for a job, so don't use all of them. I think it's fine to use the federal loans offered. They usually have low interest rates, and some of them don't collect interest while you're in school. I wouldn't have been able to live during my Masters without them, and I'm a fully funded student. The area I'm in is really expensive, so I mostly used them to help with my rent. Definitely stay away from private loans. They are awful to work with.
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I decided to go into a Masters after I didn't get into any PhD programs the first time around. I went with my current program rather than the other two Masters programs I was admitted to because the school I'm at provides full funding. It's a terminal Masters program at an unranked state school with little name recognition. However, the program generally met my research interests, and I was happy to be funded. The program is small - about 18 people total. I was challenged in my classes and was able to put together a much better writing sample than I had the first time around. I was able to better fine tune my interests. I also had the opportunity to build up my CV by presenting at conferences, research, RA/TA work, etc. At my current institution, I was able to teach two undergrad classes entirely on my own this year. I had a much better time applying this time around - 6 acceptances, 1 waitlist, and 4 rejections. If you want to know anything else specifically, just ask! I think there can be a lot of benefits to it, even if it's not the most appealing idea at first.
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April is mere hours .... hmm that # is still too much ... mere days aways ... they can't ignore you for ever :-)
I have a feeling they might try.
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60 is a small number?!
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The New School is notorious for not providing funding. To anyone. And NYC is an expensive area to live.
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This doesn't really help you but..... Pitt hasn't even given me an admissions decision yet. I've heard from previous years that they aren't that great at communication. However, I'm waitlisted for funding at other schools and was told by my current advisor that most likely I won't hear anything until really close to the April 15 deadline (or perhaps a bit after). And that's IF you hear anything.
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I await the day they reveal that Grad Cafe has been secretly a long term Psychology project
Oh my.
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Yeah, exactly. I feel like I will get blacklisted from the world of sociology if I rescind an acceptances after January 15. I feel guilty. But, like my advisor said, you really do need to do what you think is best for you and your long-term goals. Welp.
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Yeah, I wouldn't say it's worth it without funding.
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Depends on the type of funding. Fellowships, yeah probably not. However, RA/TA positions are usually more flexible.
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Ah, there are definitely schools that don't require you to publish and promote teaching instead. Yes, they are usually at smaller liberal-arts colleges, and no, they are not tenure-track positions. But hey, not everyone cares about tenure, and not everyone wants to do research. Some people really do just want to teach, and there are universities that will let them (Hey my small undergraduate institution!). You can definitely find them if that's what you're interested in.
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Do you have funding for the masters program? I think that makes a difference in what you decide to do.
I had the same predicament my senior year - I got rejected from all the PhD programs I applied to and accepted to a few Masters. The program I wound up at had full funding for Masters students but was a really poor fit for me in most other areas. At the time I was deciding to attend, I was less than thrilled. My undergrad advisor told me to just stick it out for the two years and "do my time." It is a graduate program and will challenge you to excel at a higher level academically. You can use this time to present at conferences, maybe work on getting a short article published, etc. If the program isn't exactly your research/professional interests, that can still work to your advantage. Taking some courses in things that don't interest you as much will allow you to be more well-rounded academically, and you'll be able to advertise yourself as having been trained in a wider variety of areas at the graduate level once you apply to PhD programs again. This was the advice given to me from my undergrad, and later my graduate advisor when I was having difficulty choosing classes (sorry, social psych. just isn't my thing - but hey, I'm well-rounded!). Hope that helps..
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Haha I was hoping for some assistance with this.... I did speak to my undergraduate advisor about it, and he gave me some advice. (I graduated almost two years ago - this guy is awesome.) He said that ultimately, you have to do what's best for you, and schools are going to realize that that's what you're going to do. Don't be afraid to wait until the last minute to make your decision - people are expecting you to do that anyway. Unless you are 150% sure you don't want to attend a certain program, don't decline because you don't know what might happen in the next few weeks, especially as some states/schools are facing such severe budget cuts. Granted, that stuff can still happen after you've accepted, but it's just something to consider. (yes, I know that's annoying to people on waitlists. Sorry. I promise I'm not sitting on any ultra-competitive schools.) He told me to literally hang out near my email all day on the 15th, so that I can see any offers as soon as (if) they appear. Gives you a little more time to consider them, and might prevent you from accepting one only to get off the waitlist at another a few hours later.
And if one does appear April 16 or 17, just email the department you originally accepted immediately and let them know that your circumstances have changed. He said they might be a little miffed, but that they know it happens, and will be more concerned with finding someone good to take your spot.
I actually had to rescind my acceptance to a masters program when I received full funding to one at the end of April in 2010. The first school gave me zero funding, so it was an obvious choice. I emailed them to say my circumstances had changed, and I was very sorry. They were really nice about it and actually offered to defer me until the next fall. However, this was an unfunded program, so they had less riding on me.... Feel like they might get a little more upset over a funded offer. But yeah, it can be done. Soooo I hope that helps..
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I'm exhausted: understatement of the year.
- canteaus and Semester Photon
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If you want to go into teaching rather than research, then that might not be such a bad thing. The key is to know what kind of setting you want to teach in.
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Email the housing department at the university you'll be attending - sometimes they have off-campus housing websites that are specifically designed to connect incoming students with potential landlords and/or roommates. I know for the school I go to, only students at the university can access the site. People who want to rent to students need to get approved by the housing office first in order to be able to access the site. Using a site like that, you're also more likely to get a roommate who is a student as well.
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Try emailing the department and politely tell them that you have another acceptance with an April 15 deadline. However, since a lot of schools have that deadline (including Temple), I have a feeling they know people need to know and soon.
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I moved about 1700 miles from New Hampshire to Florida for my masters program. It was definitely an intimidating process (I was only 21, so that might have added to it), but I think it is well worth it in the long run. The work load usually keeps you so busy that you don't have much time to think about being lonely. My department was made up of people who were already from the area and already had established social networks. My university has a graduate student association that sets up mixers for grad students from all departments, so I met most of my friends at those. It's good not to be afraid to go to things alone. Three semesters later, I'm incredibly happy with my decision. I've learned about a different area of the U.S., forced myself to experience things I might not have if I'd stayed in my New England comfort zone. There are ups and downs, but they always balance out. Now I'm getting ready to potentially do it again for a phd program....although maybe some people will think I'm crazy to do it multiple times.
Sh*t people say when you are applying to grad school
in Waiting it Out
Posted
......I've gotten that at least four times in the last week. I mean, I wish but seriously....?