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Interviews/Acceptances/Rejections Fall 2019


sociopolitic

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3 hours ago, CalState said:

Anybody know what radio silence from UCSD might mean at this point?

It was a waitlist! For those of you who have offers you don't want, please decline so that I can also decline and we can get those offers to anyone who might be lower on the waitlist! (Assuming I'm not on the bottom, which I very well could be)

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2 hours ago, Fluffystuff said:

It was a waitlist! For those of you who have offers you don't want, please decline so that I can also decline and we can get those offers to anyone who might be lower on the waitlist! (Assuming I'm not on the bottom, which I very well could be)

Yes please! I just got waitlisted there, which tbh I'm really surprised by because I thought I would never have a shot there, but I would love to be able to attend! Hopefully I'm not at the bottom of that waitlist.

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Welp, thats it for me folks. Rejections across the board. I haven't heard back from Penn (Soc) or Harvard (SocPol) but I imagine those rejections are on their way. BUT I HAVE NOT LOST HOPE! I'll work for a year (meh), get a tutor for my GRE, give that another go, work on my SOP and try again next year! Congratulations to all those admitted! And for those who weren't admitted I hope I see you back here for another go! *finger pistols*

 

Speaking of SOP, would those accepted mind sharing their SOPs with me? I would love to see what worked for you all. Congrats again!

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Just now, Miners Canary said:

Welp, thats it for me folks. Rejections across the board. I haven't heard back from Penn (Soc) or Harvard (SocPol) but I imagine those rejections are on their way. BUT I HAVE NOT LOST HOPE! I'll work for a year (meh), get a tutor for my GRE, give that another go, work on my SOP and try again next year! Congratulations to all those admitted! And for those who weren't admitted I hope I see you back here for another go! *finger pistols*

 

Speaking of SOP, would those accepted mind sharing their SOPs with me? I would love to see what worked for you all. Congrats again!

Edit: If you're willing to share your SOP please message me! I would greatly appreciate it! Thank you!

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I just read this new paper, and would encourage everyone here to do the same: "How Much Do You Have to Publish to Get a Job in a Top Sociology Department? Or to Get Tenure? Trends over a Generation"

https://www.sociologicalscience.com/articles-v6-7-172/

"First, sociology departments are producing more PhDs but (at least the top) departments are not hiring more new assistant professors or promoting more assistant professors to the associate level."

"In the end, my conclusions leave me concerned that rising publication expectations—driven by issues related to the supply of new PhDs, the demand for new faculty, and the attractiveness of more lucrative interdisciplinary subfields—are doing long-term damage to the discipline and those who aspire to work in it."

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8 hours ago, Miners Canary said:

Edit: If you're willing to share your SOP please message me! I would greatly appreciate it! Thank you!

Me too! Would love to gain more insights from all of the successful SOPs! With no offer in my hands right now, I am considering re-applying in the upcoming circle. And I would really appreciate it if you are willing to share your SOPs via message!

Thanks a lot in advance!

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What are people's takes on thank you gifts for LOR writers? I have heard mixed messages on whether they are expected/appropriate. I will see one of my recommenders next week when I visit a school, and would like to get something for them, but not sure what to get or whether I should just not get them something. 

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7 minutes ago, socsoc19 said:

What are people's takes on thank you gifts for LOR writers? I have heard mixed messages on whether they are expected/appropriate. I will see one of my recommenders next week when I visit a school, and would like to get something for them, but not sure what to get or whether I should just not get them something. 

As an international student, I am planning to bring things from my home country via my family so I can give it to my recommenders who supported me in the whole process. Without them, I could not get into anywhere.

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30 minutes ago, socsoc19 said:

What are people's takes on thank you gifts for LOR writers? I have heard mixed messages on whether they are expected/appropriate. I will see one of my recommenders next week when I visit a school, and would like to get something for them, but not sure what to get or whether I should just not get them something. 

I think that is a great idea, though I don't think it is expected. If you are close with the prof and know something simple they like that would work. Like I'll probably get one of mine a six pack of Stella. He would love it. I guess it depends on your finances too, like a gift card to a decent restaurant would be great, but a little pricey. Or starbucks card, maybe. The more personal the better, but I think they know most of us are poor lol so I think they would care more about the thought than gift.

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49 minutes ago, socsoc19 said:

What are people's takes on thank you gifts for LOR writers? I have heard mixed messages on whether they are expected/appropriate. I will see one of my recommenders next week when I visit a school, and would like to get something for them, but not sure what to get or whether I should just not get them something. 

I'm not sure about gifting them - it'd probably depend a lot on your relationship with them - but I definitely did email all of my references, and got some really wonderful responses as well! 

But if one had to, I suppose a good book would probably be the best gift to give them; you can't really go wrong with that if you really know what they're like. :) I'm certainly gifting one of my former Professors a book, and she's certainly someone I'd consider both, a mentor, and a friend. 

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2 hours ago, socsoc19 said:

What are people's takes on thank you gifts for LOR writers? I have heard mixed messages on whether they are expected/appropriate. I will see one of my recommenders next week when I visit a school, and would like to get something for them, but not sure what to get or whether I should just not get them something. 

I think it depends on your relationship with them, but I think a small gift is always appropriate (though not expected)! It's super kind of you to be thinking of them with gratitude :)

 

I'm very close with my letter writers. I took one of them to a pinball arcade. For my other letter writer, I donated to a nonprofit that he really loves (Homeboy Industries). For the third, I got him a HydroFlask and wrote him a tongue in cheek card about how he doesn't have to use disposable cups anymore.  I think most people will just be happy that you're considering them and the effort they put in to help you. 

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Pretty down after rejected by all 14 programs. 

But still wanna give myself another shot in the next round of application. I think a part of my question is my SoP, as told by one of my POI.

Could any successful applicant share their SOP? Still a long way to learn from you and get better prepared. If you don't mind, plz message me. Thank you!

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7 hours ago, socsoc19 said:

What are people's takes on thank you gifts for LOR writers? I have heard mixed messages on whether they are expected/appropriate. I will see one of my recommenders next week when I visit a school, and would like to get something for them, but not sure what to get or whether I should just not get them something. 

One of my LOR writers also looked over my SOP several times, so I sent her a $10 tea sampler after applications were submitted. I plan on sending the other two a cool card (I got a set of "badass women" cards for Christmas) thanking them for their guidance over the years. 

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I'd be happy to look at anyone's SoP, either now or in the future, for any feedback that may be helpful. I worked on my SoP every day for three months and I would definitely say that it was what really nailed my applications. 

One thing I think that's worth mentioning is that I did not heed advice for keeping my SoP, "strictly business" as most people are prone to advise. My statement was extremely personal and linked my experiences with what I want to research. I actually only had one paragraph on why I was "qualified" to be admitted into their program [but I did describe my research experiences in-depth in my CV]. If you have a good reason to talk about what has led you to want to pursue whatever your research interests are, I would definitely find a way to talk about it in your SoP.

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9 hours ago, jriveracal said:

I'd be happy to look at anyone's SoP, either now or in the future, for any feedback that may be helpful. I worked on my SoP every day for three months and I would definitely say that it was what really nailed my applications. 

I second that! I didn't necessarily have quite the success that @jriveracal had, but I think I learned a thing or two over the course of this process. 

Edited by NReken
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I offered this in another thread, but I'll pop in here. I'm willing to look over people's SoP, CV, diversity statements, or any other documents that were required for applications. I'd rather help someone with their work instead of just sharing mine. I had some great assistance from my advisors and friends who went through a fantastic graduate training program at my university. This help brought me acceptance to 6 grad programs this year. I'm also happy to help you find some universities that will be a good fit for you. (Only applying to the top 10 is a quick path to rejection.) Just message me with your email address. 

Edited by ErikaFate
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I'd also be happy to look over SOPs and offer suggestions! I definitely took more of the "strictly business" route that @jriveracalmentioned. I still briefly touch upon the development of my research interests, but the majority of my SOP is spent outlining in rather broad strokes the research agenda that I hope to pursue in grad school and beyond. I also connected this proposed research to work that's currently being done in sociology. 

Please feel free to PM me! I'd love to read about everybody's research, and if I can be of any help, even better!

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On 2/28/2019 at 1:28 PM, socsoc19 said:

What are people's takes on thank you gifts for LOR writers? I have heard mixed messages on whether they are expected/appropriate. I will see one of my recommenders next week when I visit a school, and would like to get something for them, but not sure what to get or whether I should just not get them something. 

I'm not super close with any of my recommenders, but I'm definitely giving them thank you cards! If you're wore a gift is too much, I think a card is a good route to take

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On 2/28/2019 at 10:55 AM, ALieNNatioN said:

Me too! Would love to gain more insights from all of the successful SOPs! With no offer in my hands right now, I am considering re-applying in the upcoming circle. And I would really appreciate it if you are willing to share your SOPs via message!

Thanks a lot in advance!

Same here.

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I don't want to be "that guy" again... but what is the appropriate way to reject an offer?

Like after you fill out the form should you email anyone? For example, should you email the graduate chair/director of graduate studies? If you had a phone interview, should you reach out to that prof too or......?

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1 hour ago, jriveracal said:

I don't want to be "that guy" again... but what is the appropriate way to reject an offer?

Like after you fill out the form should you email anyone? For example, should you email the graduate chair/director of graduate studies? If you had a phone interview, should you reach out to that prof too or......?

Oh I hadn't even thought about this yet... I'll probably email whomever informed me of my acceptance a polite email that says something to the effect of "I'm honored by the offer, but after much thought I've decided to attend University X." Academic sociology is a pretty small world, so they'll likely find out where you're headed anyway -- might as well be the one the giving the news! Surely establishing an early reputation for friendliness and professionalism can't hurt!

Edited by sociopolitic
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