Interviews/Acceptances/Rejections Fall 2019

[TheBunny]

1 minute ago, bandanajack said:

This spoke to me. I majored in journalism and sociology in undergrad. All of ug I spent prepping to be a journalist. During my last semester I realized I loved sociology and academia more. It's great when you can figure out what you are really passionate about, but not always an easy process. I wish you the best!

 

Just now, sociopolitic said:

I'm really glad to hear that you're happy with where you're headed! I actually have a background in political science as well, so our interests might be pretty similar (in terms of being interested in the role culture plays in politics) but I personally found that political science programs don't allow for as much focus on culture as I'd like. Sociology is great about allowing interdisciplinary work though, so maybe I'll see you at conferences one day! Best of luck!

Thank you for your good wishes!

[cornetto]

I have received a letter from Columbia saying "While the faculty of the Department of Sociology was not able to offer you admission to its doctoral program, it has decided to offer you admission to the MA program, beginning in the Fall 2019 semester. Although your application to the doctoral program was strong, the Faculty Admissions Committee was able to admit only a small percentage of this year's extremely competitive PhD applicants. The program to which you have been admitted culminates in the degree of Master of Arts." 

[bandanajack]

13 minutes ago, socquant said:

Compassion and understanding to all of you

I think this should be the sociological equivalent of "May the force be with you." And I love it.

[tobe_newbee]

2 minutes ago, thedudeabides said:

Thanks, buddy. I'm gonna try my best. And I hope you do too. 

At the point that I'm at right now, I doubt I'd feel any real "joy" from getting an acceptance - it'd probably just offer some relief, and that's it. But i'll take that over getting nothing at all. 
 

Haha, I know exactly what you are saying! Yeah, if I will get an acceptance letter finally, it would be "relief" rather than extreme joy.... AND we really need it!!! 

[utley24]

45 minutes ago, thedudeabides said:

I'm on the verge of a breakdown right now, and I can't tell you guys how sick I am of trying. 

Last year, I applied to 6 places in the US (I'm an international student with an MA), and to 6 other places in my own country. I got rejected by all 12 of them in the end, despite being waitlisted at one US institution, and being interviewed by several domestic ones. 

This year, I've applied to 10 places (9-US, 1-EU) - and all I've gotten so far are about 6 rejection letters, with an implied 7th one on the way. It's only my safety schools that are yet to get back to me. What makes things worse is that I've been unemployed for two months, and none of the applications I've sent out for contractual positions seem to be working. People around me (friends, family) are constantly asking me what my "Plan B" is, and I have no answer for them, because I don't want to settle for anything lesser than a university-level academic career. I know that anything other than this would just make me feel very frustrated. 

I feel like I've let my references down. I feel like I'm burning stacks of money on applying time and time again (and international exchange rates don't help). And I've never had a worse case of impostor syndrome than I'm having right now. I've faced terrible depression and anxiety in the past, and it's taking everything I've got to not pick up a couple of bottles of alcohol, or start smoking again. 

To make things worse, I'm also sick right now (I've had a terrible case of food poisoning over the past two days), and I had an accident about three days ago that really messed up my car as well. Having to move back in with family has been limiting - and though I'm grateful for accommodating my parent has been, it's frustrating in its own way to be moving back in as a 28-year old. 

I feel like I'm getting nowhere. And I'm sorry if I sounded like I whined a lot - I didn't have any other space where I could vent and have people understand me. Pretty sure many of you are experiencing similar/worse situations. Hugs to those of you who are - I'm with you in solidarity. 

I'm with you, friend. Hang in there. 

[socionut]

1 hour ago, utley24 said:

I know I said I would stop checking this, but I'm glad I did, because these sentiments are both well-articulated and depressingly true. So many people are blocked out of this world altogether because grad programs don't offer anywhere close to adequate financial supports. There are so many barriers in place because universities see PhD students as disposable cheap labor, and it perpetuates the systematic inequalities we see throughout academia.  

Good luck.

So wait, this guy gets to be a total dick to someone for no reason, like nothing happened? Like, @jriveracal apologizes for rightfully being stressed, and this guy doesn't have to? he gets to reply to her post like "oh, this is what i meant all along?" what bullcrap.

[socio1251]

1 hour ago, tobe_newbee said:

Hi, friend... I'm also waiting for USSD and UVA and didn't receive any of them yet.. Personally, I'm curious if USSD actually sent out all of their decision letters (including rejection), cause there was only ONE rejection posting in result page... and it doesn't seem to make sense to me. Of course, well, it would be still possible only one of them posted there. I feel you. Getting used to being rejected is so sad.. 

@tobe_newbee@SocFreshI posted the UCSD rejection. It was a generic email from DGS in midnight (it was a weird time to send an email, so maybe they're still deciding the waitlist?) Good luck to you both!

BTW, I received rejection emails in three subsequent days, so I feel you all. I thought I would be okay after thinking over the worst circumstances at the beginning of this week, but it was still hard to deal with this. I am always unconfident about myself and this whole process exacerbates my self-recognition. 

[tobe_newbee]

9 minutes ago, ALieNNatioN said:

@tobe_newbee@SocFreshI posted the UCSD rejection. It was a generic email from DGS in midnight (it was a weird time to send an email, so maybe they're still deciding the waitlist?) Good luck to you both!

BTW, I received rejection emails in three subsequent days, so I feel you all. I thought I would be okay after thinking over the worst circumstances at the beginning of this week, but it was still hard to deal with this. I am always unconfident about myself and this whole process exacerbates my self-recognition. 

Ahhh... I am sorry to hear that and thank you for informing us. Even I am still waiting for their (hopefully positive) decision, I decided not to expect too much because it is too painful to receive bad news, I mean, repeatedly. And same here, this process is really getting me lost my confidence. 

[bandanajack]

"Dear Graduate Student,

Our office has recently been made aware of the following Assistantship Opportunities. Please click the below for further information in regards to application process and contact information."

----

Just received this email... lol way to give me a heart attack Lehigh. I hear nothing from them for two months. I email the DGS, heard nothing back. Then I get this and they address it as "graduate student." 

Well... I will happily consider your GA positions once you admit me. ?? (Also, that typo)

[socionut]

On 2/13/2019 at 4:13 PM, utley24 said:

For what it's worth, I actually agree with your premise that celebrating/bragging on this site can be in poor taste, since so many people here are primarily anxious and dealing with rejections and/or difficult decisions. I think this forum ought to primarily be for information exchange and commiserating--although claiming acceptances is fine when done appropriately and lends credibility to the results board...but because this is all anonymous, we can't really properly actually celebrate the individual's accomplishment, so bragging about one's wealth of acceptances really just serves to make other people feel like shit while signaling that some person out there is having a swell time with this process. Nobody really comes out ahead there. 

That being said, you were a dick about it when you could have just said something simple like "Hey congratulations, that's great, just be conscientious that a lot of people reading this board are nervous and dealing with rejections of their own".

Don't be a dick. And go Google the Streisand Effect while you're at it. 

Remember this? The dick just a couple weeks ago called out someone else for being a dick when they could have just said "just be conscientious that a lot of people reading this board are nervous and dealing with rejections of their own"

practice what you preach, or sit down. pls and thx

[Derriduh]

2 hours ago, socionut said:

So wait, this guy gets to be a total dick to someone for no reason, like nothing happened? Like, @jriveracal apologizes for rightfully being stressed, and this guy doesn't have to? he gets to reply to her post like "oh, this is what i meant all along?" what bullcrap.

I worry about how you (and the other hyper-sensitives in this thread) will fare in an employment context. Here's an uncomfortable truth: workplaces can be, and often are, dysfunctional, "toxic" places where demands for an unearned and unnecessary apology will be justifiably dismissed as sanctimonious whinging. I'm also concerned with how this species of posturing arms the moronic, bloviating conservatives who trash our set of disciplines in the popular discourse. (As someone else in the results thread noted.)

My original comment is a perfect example. I was cranky that day. I admit I could have/ought have chosen more sensitive, less confrontational language to express (what I believe is) a reasonable point. The pushback I received in that narrow and limited context is warranted. Yet, the issue has been continuously revived by additional posters, ostensibly unrelated to the original dispute, for the sole and express purpose of attacking me personally. I've been labelled a dick, an asshole, a Trump supporter (lol, I'm Canadian and extremely liberal), unintelligent and a liar - by individuals who were unharmed by my original (admittedly distasteful) comment. Save for my original comment, every post I've made, both here and in the results section, has been in response to someone who berated/admonished me unprompted.

 To the original poster, provided they are reading this thread: I apologize for my inelegant and aggressive phrasing. I appreciate how overcoming an obstacle/set of obstacles elates one to the point where forethought of others' emotions is not practical. I ought have exercised more restraint myself. With that said, to this poster and others: there is a certain dignity in humility that seems largely lost in the reactions on the board and this forum. It is justifiable and expected to react positively - even vocally - to perhaps the greatest success you've achieved in life. Simultaneously, though, your application cycle cohorts are experiencing soul-crushing defeat. Be considerate of how you comport yourself (the irony is dripping, here - I know.) Regardless of the underlying circumstances, openly deliberating over which elite institution you'll choose translates as tone deaf to a sufficiently large proportion of your peers - as demonstrated by the respective up/downvotes - that I feel comfortable in (re)asserting that it's a tactless move. 

Now, I have wasted enough cognitive/emotional overhead responding to this thread and the results board for a single lifetime. My defensiveness has morphed into arrogance and calousness, two traits which I'd rather not exhibit. This will be my last negative comment, here or otherwise. 

To the admits: congratulations! To the rejections: I was rejected from all 12 programs to which I applied last year. This year, I have been accepted to every program (thus far). Write like mad, publish everywhere you can, go to conferences, harass professors, and reapply next year. You'll be successful. 

 

Edited February 22, 2019 by Derriduh

[socionut]

44 minutes ago, Derriduh said:

I worry about how you (and the other hyper-sensitives in this thread) will fare in an employment context. Here's an uncomfortable truth: workplaces can be, and often are, dysfunctional, "toxic" places where demands for an unearned and unnecessary apology will be justifiably dismissed as sanctimonious whinging. I'm also concerned with how this species of posturing arms the moronic, bloviating conservatives who trash our set of disciplines in the popular discourse. (As someone else in the results thread noted.)

My original comment is a perfect example. I was cranky that day. I admit I could have/ought have chosen more sensitive, less confrontational language to express (what I believe is) a reasonable point. The pushback I received in that narrow and limited context is warranted. Yet, the issue has been continuously revived by additional posters, ostensibly unrelated to the original dispute, for the sole and express purpose of attacking me personally. I've been labelled a dick, an asshole, a Trump supporter (lol, I'm Canadian and extremely liberal), unintelligent and a liar - by individuals who were unharmed by my original (admittedly distasteful) comment. Save for my original comment, every post I've made, both here and in the results section, has been in response to someone who berated/admonished me unprompted.

 To the original poster, provided they are reading this thread: I apologize for my inelegant and aggressive phrasing. I appreciate how overcoming an obstacle/set of obstacles elates one to the point where forethought of others' emotions is not practical. I ought have exercised more restraint myself. With that said, to this poster and others: there is a certain dignity in humility that seems largely lost in the reactions on the board and this forum. It is justifiable and expected to react positively - even vocally - to perhaps the greatest success you've achieved in life. Simultaneously, though, your application cycle cohorts are experiencing soul-crushing defeat. Be considerate of how you comport yourself (the irony is dripping, here - I know.) Regardless of the underlying circumstances, openly deliberating over which elite institution you'll choose translates as tone deaf to a sufficiently large proportion of your peers - as demonstrated by the respective up/downvotes - that I feel comfortable in (re)asserting that it's a tactless move. 

Now, I have wasted enough cognitive/emotional overhead responding to this thread and the results board for a single lifetime. My defensiveness has morphed into arrogance and calousness, two traits which I'd rather not exhibit. This will be my last negative comment, here or otherwise. 

To the admits: congratulations! To the rejections: I was rejected from all 12 programs to which I applied last year. This year, I have been accepted to every program (thus far). Write like mad, publish everywhere you can, go to conferences, harass professors, and reapply next year. You'll be successful. 

 

you're an idiot. i'm merely calling for equity here. @utley24is the only one being hyper-sensitive in this thread. i think it's dumb as hell that he got to throw a hissy fit until @jriveracal(who has every right to be anxious) felt forced to apologize, and then he got to stand even higher on his pedestal afterwards. if someone needed to apologize, it was him.

also, no one in this thread is "openly deliberating over which elite institution" they'll choose (the only "open deliberation" there's been has been over institutional support for parents. the poster to whom you refer didn't mention any departments at all in the comment which prompted this whole hissy fit in the first place. 

also, how self-absorbed are you to make this about you? sad truth: no one here feels bad for you. especially when you're preaching sensitivity in a thread where you referred to someone's writing as "tortured." are you legitimately trying to start a pity party about how YOU'RE being singled out for your asinine behavior? protip: dont be an ass. 

Edited February 22, 2019 by socionut

[Derriduh]

4 minutes ago, socionut said:

you're an idiot. i'm merely calling for equity here. @utley24is the only one being hyper-sensitive in this thread. i think it's dumb as hell that he got to throw a hissy fit until @jriveracal(who has every right to be anxious) felt forced to apologize, and then he got to stand even higher on his pedestal afterwards. if someone needed to apologize, it was him.

also, no one in this thread is "openly deliberating over which elite institution" they'll choose (the only "open deliberation" there's been has been over institutional support for parents. the poster to whom you refer didn't mention any departments at all in the comment which prompted this whole hissy fit in the first place. 

also, how self-absorbed are you to make this about you? sad truth: no one here feels bad for you. especially when you're preaching sensitivity in a thread where you referred to someone's writing as "tortured." are you legitimately trying to start a pity party about how YOU'RE being singled out for your asinine behavior? protip: dont be an ass. 

I would pay good money to watch you in a workplace! Haha. 

"But Mommy, HE DIDN'T DO WHAT I WANTED!"

[socionut]

48 minutes ago, Derriduh said:

 

Now, I have wasted enough cognitive/emotional overhead responding to this thread and the results board for a single lifetime. My defensiveness has morphed into arrogance and calousness, two traits which I'd rather not exhibit. This will be my last negative comment, here or otherwise. 



I guess you really are a liar, then, huh?

[Derriduh]

Just now, socionut said:

I guess you really are a liar, then, huh?

I'd argue that's a factual observation. Or, as you'd likely put it: id assert that the nature in which that comment has been written was factual, dickhead.

[socionut]

2 minutes ago, Derriduh said:

I would pay good money to watch you in a workplace! Haha. 

"But Mommy, HE DIDN'T DO WHAT I WANTED!"

you should consider a career as a farmer, given how excellent you are at building strawmen. first claiming that there's open deliberation over which elite school to attend, now framing me as a toddler when in reality i'm just observing that the real douchebags in this thread don't apologize for being douchebags. the commenter to which i was originally referring falls into that category, and it would seem you do as well. 

take your pathetic pity party elsewhere. no one feels bad for douchebags. 

[socionut]

2 minutes ago, Derriduh said:

I'd argue that's a factual observation. Or, as you'd likely put it: id assert that the nature in which that comment has been written was factual, dickhead.

>tries so hard to be clever that he fails to communicate anything meaningful

>ends sentence with "dickhead" just for good measure

[Derriduh]

1 minute ago, socionut said:

you should consider a career as a farmer, given how excellent you are at building strawmen. first claiming that there's open deliberation over which elite school to attend, now framing me as a toddler when in reality i'm just observing that the real douchebags in this thread don't apologize for being douchebags. the commenter to which i was originally referring falls into that category, and it would seem you do as well. 

take your pathetic pity party elsewhere. no one feels bad for douchebags. 

You should consider a career as a farmer, given your abject lack of wit, terrible writing, and total infacility for dialogue. 

[socionut]

4 minutes ago, Derriduh said:

I'd argue that's a factual observation. Or, as you'd likely put it: id assert that the nature in which that comment has been written was factual, dickhead.

also, I don't think you understood what I was saying. that you're a liar is a factual observation, indeed. you told us you were no longer going to be polluting this forum with your garbage, and yet here you remain.

[markhame]

Ok can you guys stop now

 

Also derriduh why do you think farmer is an insult?..

[Derriduh]

Just now, markhame said:

Ok can you guys stop now

 

Also derriduh why do you think farmer is an insult?..

I grew up in a rural community. Farming is quite fine work. 

I "think" it's an insult because of the obviously insulting way that socionootz deployed the term. 

[socionut]

Just now, Derriduh said:

You should consider a career as a farmer, given your abject lack of wit, terrible writing, and total infacility for dialogue. 

wow, you're a complete fucking bigot. and some social scientist, given that you think you can make valid inferences about me based on less than a dozen posts on an online (anonymous) forum. WHAT RELIABLE DATA YOU HAVE

[Derriduh]

Just now, socionut said:

wow, you're a complete fucking bigot. and some social scientist, given that you think you can make valid inferences about me based on less than a dozen posts on an online (anonymous) forum. WHAT RELIABLE DATA YOU HAVE

*insert Inigo Montoya GIF*

[socionut]

Just now, Derriduh said:

I grew up in a rural community. Farming is quite fine work. 

I "think" it's an insult because of the obviously insulting way that socionootz deployed the term. 

never said it was an insult. i was just making a dumb joke. apparently it was still too intelligent for you.

[Derriduh]

Just now, socionut said:

apparently it was still too intelligent for you.

Truer words were never spoken.