Guest Guest Posted April 11, 2006 Share Posted April 11, 2006 Hey everybody. I've never posted before, but I feel overwhelmed with my decision process. Anyway, I'm an undergraduate at the University of Wyoming, graduating with degrees in history and philosophy, and after having applied to 6 schools, and gotten into all of them, am having a hard time making a decision. Despite the difficulty, I have narrowed it down to the MAPSS program at UChicago, where I got a full tuition scholarship, the Notre Dame sociology department, where I got a good stipend and health insurance, and the University of California-Riverside sociology department, home of the eminent Jonathen Turner. My main interest is social theory, and continental philosophy, so the latter school makes the most sense interest-wise. Anyway, I just wanted some advice, especially about the MAPSS program. My attraction to it extends from the possibility of using it as a "jumping off" point into a top-ten program, given my decidely non-elite educational background. In anybody's experience, is this possible? If so, do you think I would be a fool to pass the opportunity to go to UChicago? Or do you think I would be a fool to pass up the bargain of going to Notre Dame, and getting a PhD with little, or minimal debt? I appreciate any thoughts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest Posted April 11, 2006 Share Posted April 11, 2006 Hey everybody. I've never posted before, but I feel overwhelmed with my decision process. Anyway, I'm an undergraduate at the University of Wyoming, graduating with degrees in history and philosophy, and after having applied to 6 schools, and gotten into all of them, am having a hard time making a decision. Despite the difficulty, I have narrowed it down to the MAPSS program at UChicago, where I got a full tuition scholarship, the Notre Dame sociology department, where I got a good stipend and health insurance, and the University of California-Riverside sociology department, home of the eminent Jonathen Turner. My main interest is social theory, and continental philosophy, so the latter school makes the most sense interest-wise. Anyway, I just wanted some advice, especially about the MAPSS program. My attraction to it extends from the possibility of using it as a "jumping off" point into a top-ten program, given my decidely non-elite educational background. In anybody's experience, is this possible? If so, do you think I would be a fool to pass the opportunity to go to UChicago? Or do you think I would be a fool to pass up the bargain of going to Notre Dame, and getting a PhD with little, or minimal debt? I appreciate any thoughts. If your aim is to get into a top ten school, the University of California-Riverside Sociology Department sounds as your best option. I have a MA from a non-elite school, but I have volunteered as a RA for some good professors in my field. They helped me with letters etc and for the fall, I am admitted to three really good programs (with fellowship). If I were in your situation, I would go to a school with interesting people. I would also look for a place where I could be involved in interesting projects and get some research experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest Posted April 11, 2006 Share Posted April 11, 2006 Thanks for the advice. The only problem is that the UCR thing is a PhD deal, not an MA. I could always go there, and leave after getting the MA, but I think I might have trouble getting recommedations, were it to become known that that was my plan all along. Really, I think if I go to ND or UCR I will be in it for the duration. So my choice is basically between an MA from UChicago, and transfer into a PhD program there (which is not guaranteed), or a PhD program elsewhere, or a PhD from UCR or ND and hope that if I still want to be an academic, these credentials won't work against me. Anyway, this dilemma is kicking my ass, but thanks for the advice, and congratulations on your placement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest Posted April 12, 2006 Share Posted April 12, 2006 matthew, i am going thru the exact same decision making process right now!! i was accepted into BC's MA program w. out funding, and another PhD program without funding for the first year. I am trying to decide between the twoa nd its so hard! i have heard being a MA student at BC can be a bit difficult as most of their focus is on their PhD students, but it is a great way to ensure getting into a good PhD program. The PhD program I've been accepted to isn't the best, but I think I'll be happy at either place, i Just really don't know which place is the best for me. I sort of wish I only got into one program as bad as that sounds! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lol Posted April 12, 2006 Share Posted April 12, 2006 hey all - still no word from Notre Dame or Oregon or USC. I'm pretty much just sloooooowly falling apart at this point. With 3 weeks left until graduation, I'm not getting shit done. !!!! frustration. :twisted: :shock: :shock: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shellybe Posted April 12, 2006 Share Posted April 12, 2006 hey all - still no word from Notre Dame or Oregon or USC. I'm pretty much just sloooooowly falling apart at this point. With 3 weeks left until graduation, I'm not getting shit done. that sucks! have you emailed notre dame? or any of the others? you should try to get the guest above to hurry up and reject his offer from ND so you'll have a chance. :wink: just kidding, guest, i know it's an impossible decision to make! at least april 15th is right around the corner, people will have to decide and you should get definite answers within the next couple of weeks. i know that doesn't help you get any work done either! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest shelly Posted April 23, 2006 Share Posted April 23, 2006 i hope this thread hasn't died. i got some EXCELLENT news thursday. i called and asked if i could get a research assistantship for the summer, fully expecting to be turned down, but i wasn't! the prof i called emailed me back in an hour with a yes. they said they rarely have such a position left, but this year they just happen to have one and i can work in my area of interest: education! now i'll be starting my program in a month and i don't have to worry about getting a job for the summer. (I probably will get a part time job, but i don't have to stress about finding one) i'm so excited to get started on the right foot, but i'm more nervous of course since i'll be starting so soon. i don't have the details yet...like who i'll be working with, what the research is, my start date, etc. i can't wait to find out! the faculty member i'll be working with is supposed to contact me soon. but i do know it's 20 hours per week for 10 weeks. my fiance moved friday so now our apartment is all set up and ready for me to move in in 3 weeks. that was exhausting (i went with to help of course) and expensive. but the RA position really helps bring down my stress level. now i just need to get all of these papers done so i can graduate in 3 weeks. how is everyone else's planning going? and, Yin, what did you decide to do? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rising_star Posted April 23, 2006 Share Posted April 23, 2006 Congrats Shelly, that is fantastic news. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yin-bodhi Posted April 24, 2006 Author Share Posted April 24, 2006 CONGRATS, Shelly!!! I also got some AMAZING news today: UMSL has offered me an assistantship that includes a tuition waiver and $7,000 a year!!! I said "yes" and I am so excited! I didn't think I would get to go anywhere!!!! Bad news: I have to take three summer classes so I can graduate "magna cum laude" (you need a certain amount of credit to get this honor and I'm only a couple of classes away). So, NOW I have to take three first term classes and cram in everything so I have enough time to move to UMSL and get ready to go for fall. I won't even have my degree by then (OSU- quarters; UMSL-semesters) but it's not a problem. I am going to see my advisor tomorrow to have her fill out a form to try and get me my degree after I'm done with classes and so UMSL knows I'm done with everything. Obviously, I won't walk for graduation, but I should be able to pick up my degree before then. When I woke up today, I didn't think I was going to grad school. I had an interview at Sears to make $7.11 an hour selling jewelry. When I got home, I checked my e-mail and I was offered the assistantship. I jumped up and down when I saw $7,000 (not even knowing it was also a tuition waiver as well). When I saw it had BOTH, I was soooo happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rising_star Posted April 24, 2006 Share Posted April 24, 2006 Yin, that's really awesome. How imperative is it that your graduate magna cum laude? I'm just asking because cramming in 3 courses seems like a lot. CONGRATS!! Ooohhh plus St. Louis is a bigger city so more job opportunities for the boyfriend. YAY! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest shelly Posted April 25, 2006 Share Posted April 25, 2006 yaaay! that is awesome news! congrats and congrats on the magna cum laude too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yin-bodhi Posted April 25, 2006 Author Share Posted April 25, 2006 Yin, that's really awesome. How imperative is it that your graduate magna cum laude? I'm just asking because cramming in 3 courses seems like a lot. You don't think it's worth it? :?: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rising_star Posted April 25, 2006 Share Posted April 25, 2006 I'm not sure it's worth it since PhD programs will care more about your master's work so why try and raise the status of your undergrad diploma. You already have a great GPA and such. I dunno if I'd do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yin-bodhi Posted April 25, 2006 Author Share Posted April 25, 2006 I didn't go see my advisor today. Now everyone (but my mom) has me re-thinking this.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mnemosyne9 Posted April 26, 2006 Share Posted April 26, 2006 Yin- what great news! I went to Portland over the weekend (April 21-24) and visited my new department- everyone was absolutely fantastic, friendly and put me fully at ease. They seem really happy to be there, and the department has no Ph.D. at the moment, only an M.A. program, so there's no "master's students are inferior" problem. Portland itself is gorgeous and I'm really happy with the whole situation. I found out something else too- only about 18 students were admitted to my program, and only 4 got funding offers, including me! I was so surprised and flattered when they told me. It also means we'll have a small cohort and hopefully that will make things a lot easier. I also met with my possible advisor, and talked about maybe doing research on the pharmaceutical industry as regards mental illness (she studies pharma in general, so it fits her work well). I'm so excited!! PS: I STILL have no word from Toronto, but I don't care at all because when I visited Toronto the department was kind of stiff and cold, not friendly like Portland State at all. I am absolutely 100% sure I have made the right choice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mnemosyne9 Posted May 1, 2006 Share Posted May 1, 2006 But too damn late! I accepted my offer at Portland State a full month ago, and just now I get an email from Toronto saying I was highly recommended by the committee- WTF? If they wanted me so bad, they could have told me a month ago. They've had my application since December for heaven's sake! Originally, I really REALLY wanted to go there, but if this is how they treat MA applicants before they are even students, how will they treat them once they're stuck in the program?! Portland State's soc dept was the friendliest, nicest group of people I could have asked for, and I'm completely happy to be going there. So, if anyone reading this is waiting for word from Toronto's MA program, another slot is now open, good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yin-bodhi Posted May 3, 2006 Author Share Posted May 3, 2006 Mnemosyne9- I'm so happy for you! I'm also glad I didn't apply to University of Toronto. They were pricks at the grad school fair here when I talked to them. I just wasn't impressed. I signed up for classes today at UMSL. I am a little upset because this is supposedly one of the only places in the nation you can study conflict but they only are offering an undergrad class in conflict and grads can't get credit for the class anymore since it was changed around. Their International Studies graduate certificate is also hard to get because a lot of the classes are at the undergrad level... WTF? How can you have a graduate certificate based off of undergrad classes? I don't get it! Oh well, we will try to work something out... However, everyone has been helpful. I like the chair of their department. I am going to e-mail the guy I want to be my advisor and pray he's a nice guy because he's the only person there who studies what I want to study. He's my Proseminar prof, so things HAVE to work out. I'm taking Proseminar, Stats, and Selected Topics in Social Policy. I might change the last one depending on the topic. I might take Sociology of Minority Groups instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest shelly Posted May 4, 2006 Share Posted May 4, 2006 i haven't gotten any info about registering for classes yet. or about my summer assistantship. i can't wait to find out this stuff! yin, i hope your adviser's nice. i'm worried about the same things. eek. good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yin-bodhi Posted May 16, 2006 Author Share Posted May 16, 2006 Updates, anyone? Well, I'm going to start classes in the summer. I will take Stats and class on Conflict in Organizations. My last final is the 8th and classes at UMSL start the 12th (they're 8-week classes). I will have very little time to move; but I think this is for the best. I talked my one professor into letting me take the final on the 5th and I'm trying to talk the other one into letting me take his final on the 6th. This way, I would have three extra days. However, my Physics instructors (they're not professors) are being impossible! They say that if they let me do this, then they would have to let others take their final early. Come on, this is for GRAD SCHOOL. The other kids just want a couple more days of summer; I'm moving to another time zone! Why can't they work with me??!? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mnemosyne9 Posted May 16, 2006 Share Posted May 16, 2006 Not much new for me. I got a little official letter of admission from PSU, but nothing I didn't already know. I have one final exam tomorrow and then I'm all done, and graduation is Sunday. We're not moving until July so I'm pretty relaxed. I think PSU new grad students enroll sometime in June, so I'm just keeping an eye on the mail til then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest shelly Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 i graduated, got married, and moved this week! i have a meeting today in my department and i have to fill out paperwork for my summer stipend. i'm a little nervous about that... but excited! no internet access at home for now so that can be frustrating. internet makes finding your way around a new place so much easier! well good luck to everyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agapelust Posted May 27, 2006 Share Posted May 27, 2006 Quote (yin) Sociology- University of Indianapolis Eastern Michigan University American University IUP William Paterson University Of New Jersey Im new here, but I am currently in the MA program at IUP. The faculty are awesome. Let me know if you have any questions! I know it is a little late now - I wish i would have caught you ealrier while there were GA positions still open, but it is not very expensive and cost of living in western PA is really cheap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Soc1 Posted June 5, 2006 Share Posted June 5, 2006 Hi everyone, I'm starting in the MA program in sociology in the fall in a program that accepts about 5 PhD students a year, and then accepts a few MA students - basically the ones that they don't feel would cut it as PhD students, at least not right away. There's no funding available for MA students, so only about 2 or 3 students actually go a year. I managed to get a GA that covers full tuition + $14 stipend, so I'm so excited to go bc my other options were at not-so-good schools with minimal funding. From the get-go, the program has been totally PhD focused, and I already feel like I have to prove myself and work extra hard - which is fine, don't get me wrong - I'm just a little nervous and feel like I am kind of inadequate. Is anyone else in this situation and feel the same way?? Is this common to most programs? Are you going to work extra hard to try to form relationships, etc. with faculty? The director told me that I was "on my own to pick advisors, set up course work, etc because I'm a MA student, not a PhD student". Just looking for a little MA support if its out there from other doing the same thing!! Thanks;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mnemosyne9 Posted June 5, 2006 Share Posted June 5, 2006 Yuck! I hate to be such a downer but I am really glad I chose a young program that has no Ph.D. yet, so I could get attention and advising as a Master's student. I feared exactly that, that as a MA student only I would get the dregs left over from Ph.D. students if I went to another program. Good luck, I hope things work out for you, but I'm sure happy to be going to my program! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yin-bodhi Posted June 8, 2006 Author Share Posted June 8, 2006 Guess who starts her Masters Degree on Monday? That's right! I'm taking my stats class and "Conflict in Organizations." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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