2023 Fall Sociology Applications - Support, Advice, Results, Etc

[SportySpice]

I decided to start this thread as I am beginning the process of applying to (mostly) Sociology PhD programs for Fall 2023!

Edited August 10, 2022 by SportySpice
Update!

[cappuccino336]

Hey! Thanks for starting this thread, I was dying for the upcoming cycle thread to get started, haha. Sportyspice, what kind of sociology/program are you interested in? I’m largely interested in biomedicalization, gender and sexuality, bioethics and discourse analysis and I’m looking at Princeton, Yale, NYU, CUNY and Rutgers. Sending good vibes out for app season! 

[deadinside]

Jesus, have the applications started yet? Don't the processes start in September? 

[lkaitlyn]

Not applying this cycle, but wanted to wish everyone good luck! Always feel free to reach out if you have questions about the app process or want someone to scan over an SOP or something. Also happy to answer questions about NSF or UCI. ❤️

[GradSchoolGrad]

I know nothing and nor do I pretend to know anything, I'm asking just out of curiosity as I mentor college students of academic career pathways. One of my best friends is a Sociology PhD on his 5th postdoc (yes 5th - no joke), and he was telling me that the Sociology discipline faces 3 problems in America:

1. Oversaturation of interest (stories of applying for tenure track positions in R2s just to hear that there are 50+ or 100+ better applicants. 
2. Decreasing money to fund research for sociology at large
3. A philosophical civil war that is dividing faculty and PhDs (basically those that put primacy on individual identify vs those that emphasize class or collective economic well-being... sorry if I'm hitting in broad strokes as I'm sure its is more complicated than that) and have scared away prospective PhDs who care about sociology angles that don't fit neatly in either camp to other disciplines (economics, history, public policy, political science, psychology, and etc.)

What sociology PhDs are doing now to avoid being stuck in Post-Doc or Adjunct hell if they want to stay in academia is apparently seek opportunities with business schools, leadership institutes, and ethics programs. 

Again, just the view conveyed from one Sociology PhD from a top 35 ranked sociology program (per US News) who went to an ivy for undergrad. 

Could someone give me a fair shake about what is accurate, less accurate, and dead wrong about what has been conveyed to me? 

Edited August 12, 2022 by GradSchoolGrad

[whooshboosh]

On 8/10/2022 at 8:12 PM, anxiousbutalive said:

Jesus, have the applications started yet? Don't the processes start in September? 

Yes, the process starts in the fall, but there is little change (if any) year-to-year on what programs ask for. It is not unheard of for somebody to begin writing personal statement drafts during the summer, especially if they are in school and have no classes during this time. 

 

On 8/12/2022 at 3:02 PM, GradSchoolGrad said:

Could someone give me a fair shake about what is accurate, less accurate, and dead wrong about what has been conveyed to me? 

I'd say 1 and 2 are accurate. Lots of people want to get a sociology PhD and tenure-track jobs are becoming less frequent over time as universities will close tenure lines when somebody retires or leaves. As for the 3rd point, this is always a problem with sociology: We're just such a giant field that there will forever be battles between conflicting views. I don't think it is necessarily a negative, though. I haven't heard any stories of individualists vs collectivists, though this doesn't mean they don't happen. 

[SportySpice]

On 8/9/2022 at 8:13 PM, cappuccino336 said:

Hey! Thanks for starting this thread, I was dying for the upcoming cycle thread to get started, haha. Sportyspice, what kind of sociology/program are you interested in? I’m largely interested in biomedicalization, gender and sexuality, bioethics and discourse analysis and I’m looking at Princeton, Yale, NYU, CUNY and Rutgers. Sending good vibes out for app season! 

Hey! I'm interested in gender and sexuality, sports studies, kinship, and migration. I'm looking at USF, Columbia, UMich, and then Emory for WGSS. Good luck to you!

Edited August 21, 2022 by SportySpice

[cappuccino336]

On 8/21/2022 at 7:12 PM, SportySpice said:

Hey! I'm interested in gender and sexuality, sports studies, kinship, and migration. I'm looking at USF, Columbia, UMich, and then Emory for WGSS. Good luck to you!

I just graduated Columbia GS (undergrad), if you have any general questions about the campus or some sociology faculty i know, feel free to ask!

[saffasrass]

Hey everyone, just wanted to bump this post in case anyone lurking has questions or concerns about applications, especially last minute before the deadline for many programs tomorrow. I applied and was offered admission for the 2021 cycle, and now I'm applying to finish my degree at another program that fits my research agenda better. So I both have some experience and am also going through the process again.

[deadinside]

Good luck to everyone!! I'm hella nervous tbh

[cappuccino336]

For those of us applying this cycle, could you give a sense of what the process was like from the time you submitted to your acceptance? When do you typically start hearing back from programs? Any ‘pro tips’ or trends you noticed in those who fared better than others? Hope you find what you are looking for. 

[saffasrass]

19 hours ago, cappuccino336 said:

For those of us applying this cycle, could you give a sense of what the process was like from the time you submitted to your acceptance? When do you typically start hearing back from programs? Any ‘pro tips’ or trends you noticed in those who fared better than others? Hope you find what you are looking for. 

I applied the first time in the crazy mid-Covid 2021 cycle, so my experience was definitely a lot different than it was previous years and likely will be this year. But usually the earliest you'll hear from programs is very late January/early February. Schools that do interviews will start sending out invites then, and some schools that don't do interviews will send out acceptances in early February. The biggest tip in general for sociology programs is research fit honestly. Are there at least two faculty in the program who would be good advisors? Does your department claim your research area as one of their substantive areas? So a strong SOP definitely is very important. After that, it varies by program. So the main 'pro tip' is be well rounded and able to articulate what is is you want to research.

[cappuccino336]

On 12/3/2022 at 5:27 PM, saffasrass said:

I applied the first time in the crazy mid-Covid 2021 cycle, so my experience was definitely a lot different than it was previous years and likely will be this year. But usually the earliest you'll hear from programs is very late January/early February. Schools that do interviews will start sending out invites then, and some schools that don't do interviews will send out acceptances in early February. The biggest tip in general for sociology programs is research fit honestly. Are there at least two faculty in the program who would be good advisors? Does your department claim your research area as one of their substantive areas? So a strong SOP definitely is very important. After that, it varies by program. So the main 'pro tip' is be well rounded and able to articulate what is is you want to research.

Awesome. I am keeping my expectations exceedingly low, since PhD admissions feel statistically equivalent to winning the lottery (lol) but I am grateful to have a hazy timeline. I'll be honest, this process and "what they are looking for" has been extremely opaque to me, so fingers crossed I understood locating and conveying my research interests with faculty properly. 

Where are you currently, and where do you hope to go, if you don't mind me asking? I am applying to schools in and around Manhattan (CUNY grad center, NYU, Rutgers, Princeton, Yale) to prioritize keeping my son in his current school. In that way, my options and research 'fits' were limited, but I do feel particularly good about some of them. 

I am anxious to hear about other people's feelings and position in their process. I have been a total mess! 

[saffasrass]

On 12/5/2022 at 11:37 AM, cappuccino336 said:

Awesome. I am keeping my expectations exceedingly low, since PhD admissions feel statistically equivalent to winning the lottery (lol) but I am grateful to have a hazy timeline. I'll be honest, this process and "what they are looking for" has been extremely opaque to me, so fingers crossed I understood locating and conveying my research interests with faculty properly. 

Where are you currently, and where do you hope to go, if you don't mind me asking? I am applying to schools in and around Manhattan (CUNY grad center, NYU, Rutgers, Princeton, Yale) to prioritize keeping my son in his current school. In that way, my options and research 'fits' were limited, but I do feel particularly good about some of them. 

I am anxious to hear about other people's feelings and position in their process. I have been a total mess! 

I'm currently at a small, struggling department in the Midwest. When I applied they were a top 50 program, but they've been sliding in the rankings, which is reflected in diminishing funding opportunities and an impending exodus of some junior scholars.

Since being admitted, I've added a couple more co-authored publications, won some small fellowships, honed my research interests, gotten summer funding through two RA positions, and secured letters from my committee members who are well regarded in their sub-fields. So, I'm aiming high and targeting schools with strengths in gender, knowledge, culture, political sociology, and methods (or some combination thereof). I'm sending out 9 applications, and if I only get one, it'll still be a better fit than my current situation. I'm lucky to be single and childless, so the only things limiting geography of where I'm applying is not wanting to be in an anti-LGBTQ+ state in our current political climate.

What are your research interests?

[cappuccino336]

1 hour ago, saffasrass said:

I'm currently at a small, struggling department in the Midwest. When I applied they were a top 50 program, but they've been sliding in the rankings, which is reflected in diminishing funding opportunities and an impending exodus of some junior scholars.

Since being admitted, I've added a couple more co-authored publications, won some small fellowships, honed my research interests, gotten summer funding through two RA positions, and secured letters from my committee members who are well regarded in their sub-fields. So, I'm aiming high and targeting schools with strengths in gender, knowledge, culture, political sociology, and methods (or some combination thereof). I'm sending out 9 applications, and if I only get one, it'll still be a better fit than my current situation. I'm lucky to be single and childless, so the only things limiting geography of where I'm applying is not wanting to be in an anti-LGBTQ+ state in our current political climate.

What are your research interests?

I’m interested in biomedicalization, bio sociology, and queer theories of gender/sexuality and embodiment. In total I have 5 applications. I too would not be able to do my research, or be a researcher,  in a space that is anti-LGBTQ+ so I really hope you find the opportunity you are looking for. And that programs will also see that it is warranted! 
 

Did you interview at all in your last cycle? If so, what was that like?  

[saffasrass]

On 12/6/2022 at 4:12 PM, cappuccino336 said:

I’m interested in biomedicalization, bio sociology, and queer theories of gender/sexuality and embodiment. In total I have 5 applications. I too would not be able to do my research, or be a researcher,  in a space that is anti-LGBTQ+ so I really hope you find the opportunity you are looking for. And that programs will also see that it is warranted! 
 

Did you interview at all in your last cycle? If so, what was that like?  

That's awesome! Crossing my fingers you get into one of your five choices! I feel like Yale in particular would be a great fit for you (and me too!)

I was invited to Notre Dame's group interview on Zoom, which did also have one-on-one sessions with potential advisors, and was waitlisted a week or so after. I also interviewed at my current institution. But yeah, I feel like most schools don't seem to interview in sociology.

I'm working on wrapping up my last four applications today. Did you already finish yours? It's always interesting to see how wildly different each school's application process is. I'm so ready to be done writing about myself and my history for a while after this!

[cappuccino336]

18 hours ago, saffasrass said:

That's awesome! Crossing my fingers you get into one of your five choices! I feel like Yale in particular would be a great fit for you (and me too!)

I was invited to Notre Dame's group interview on Zoom, which did also have one-on-one sessions with potential advisors, and was waitlisted a week or so after. I also interviewed at my current institution. But yeah, I feel like most schools don't seem to interview in sociology.

I'm working on wrapping up my last four applications today. Did you already finish yours? It's always interesting to see how wildly different each school's application process is. I'm so ready to be done writing about myself and my history for a while after this!

I wrapped up my applications last week, just waiting on one or two more recommendations to come through. It was fairly liberating, but also welcomed the dreaded stress of waiting…and through the holidays no less lol. 
 

It is interesting that sociology as a discipline may conduct interviews less frequently, although I have seen most of my programs have interviews listed in the results section from previous years. Cross that bridge if and when I get to it though! 
 

I am extremely excited to be done with the applications as you said, writing about oneself becomes onerous under these conditions. In the meantime, just eager to hear about everyone else’s progress!! It is notably quieter on this yearly cycle forum than before…. 

[saffasrass]

2 hours ago, cappuccino336 said:

I am extremely excited to be done with the applications as you said, writing about oneself becomes onerous under these conditions. In the meantime, just eager to hear about everyone else’s progress!! It is notably quieter on this yearly cycle forum than before…. 

Looking back at previous years, most of the chatter started in mid/late December. I feel like we'll likely see more people trickling in as they switch from submitting applications to waiting for decisions. 

[twolucky]

applied this year also. sending all the good vibes!!

[twolucky]

Hi all,

I am looking for advice on remaindering the person to submit LOR. I still have one more LOR needed and just sent that person an email reminder this Monday about the Dec. 15 deadline. Yet, the letter is not submitted at this point even though I got a "will do" response. I think some programs, if not many, are flexible about the deadline for LOR, but I am wondering what I should do if there is no letter submitted after today. Do I need to send that person another email reminder this late afternoon. And how should I communicate with each program about this situation. All thoughts and ideas are welcomed.

Many many thanks

[saffasrass]

26 minutes ago, twosweet said:

Hi all,

I am looking for advice on remaindering the person to submit LOR. I still have one more LOR needed and just sent that person an email reminder this Monday about the Dec. 15 deadline. Yet, the letter is not submitted at this point even though I got a "will do" response. I think some programs, if not many, are flexible about the deadline for LOR, but I am wondering what I should do if there is no letter submitted after today. Do I need to send that person another email reminder this late afternoon. And how should I communicate with each program about this situation. All thoughts and ideas are welcomed.

Many many thanks

If the application portal has an option to send a reminder email to your LOR that's definitely one option. Some schools also do have a grace period for late LORs, although they don't advertise that. Best option, I think, is to just wait until 7 P.M. today or so and then send a reminder link/follow up email saying something like "hey there, you should be getting a new link for your LOR submission due tonight. Thank you again so much!"

It's frustrating I know, but professors often wait until right before LORs are due to submit them. Good luck, and try not to worry too much about it!

[cappuccino336]

37 minutes ago, saffasrass said:

If the application portal has an option to send a reminder email to your LOR that's definitely one option. Some schools also do have a grace period for late LORs, although they don't advertise that. Best option, I think, is to just wait until 7 P.M. today or so and then send a reminder link/follow up email saying something like "hey there, you should be getting a new link for your LOR submission due tonight. Thank you again so much!"

It's frustrating I know, but professors often wait until right before LORs are due to submit them. Good luck, and try not to worry too much about it!

To add to this, one of my letter writers had something come up and anticipated her letter being late for one of my Dec. 1st deadlines, so she wrote to me saying, and I quote “I’ve been doing this for 25 years, the deadline is for you not me.” So, assuming the letter gets in close thereafter, I wouldn’t worry about it. Seems likely committees will not begin reviewing anything until they return from their holidays. But definitely don’t be afraid to push if you feel the response from your writer is not adequate! 

Edited December 15, 2022 by cappuccino336

[deadinside]

Well, at least you didn't forget to pay the application's fee to a University with all other documents uploaded... yup, that's me with Toronto haha 

[twolucky]

7 hours ago, cappuccino336 said:

To add to this, one of my letter writers had something come up and anticipated her letter being late for one of my Dec. 1st deadlines, so she wrote to me saying, and I quote “I’ve been doing this for 25 years, the deadline is for you not me.” So, assuming the letter gets in close thereafter, I wouldn’t worry about it. Seems likely committees will not begin reviewing anything until they return from their holidays. But definitely don’t be afraid to push if you feel the response from your writer is not adequate! 

Thank you all for your thoughtful responses and comments!! I just started to see the letter submissions now. :)

[twolucky]

3 hours ago, anxiousbutalive said:

Well, at least you didn't forget to pay the application's fee to a University with all other documents uploaded... yup, that's me with Toronto haha 

Hope their admission office helped you process the fee issue. Finger crossed for you!