Cornell development sociology

[Lev Bronstein]

Is it really selective? How is it compared to their comprehensive sociology department. JW.

[living_in_paradise]

I'm in and pretty excited about it, but I think it's more of a niche thing. I'm dead set on doing research on development, so it's a good fit for me, and I think I'd thrive in that kind of environment. Plus Cornell has an interdepartmental committee system, where you can have secondary advisors from outside your home department, so there's plenty of chance for interaction (I would guess) between soc and dev soc people.

As far as comparing it to the broader soc department, I'm not sure. I think development sociology's probably a little less selective (they take about 1/3 of applicants, according to their website), and my guess is that they're a bit more likely to take people on life/work experience than on numbers. I think placements are decent (but pretty wide ranging), but I'm not sure how they compare to soc.

Bottom line, if your thing is development, environmental, or rural sociology (or something similar) it's probably a good place to be. All in all, it's probably not so much the ranking of the program that matters, but once you do when you get there (and whether you finish).

By the way, if you're in and considering the program, PM me and we can compare notes. Best of luck.

[swip]

I also applied and haven't heard anything. Could you tell me if you heard any details on number of admits, and funding?

[living_in_paradise]

Sorry - I should clarify that I got an unofficial email from the DGS (who happens to be a potential advisor and someone I've been in contact with for a while). Nothing official has gone out, to my knowledge, and I think my situation is a bit of a fluke.

Funding (my funding at least) is TBD. I'm waiting on a federal fellowship, the results of which won't come out till mid-March. If I get that, I'm made in the shade. Otherwise, funding might be tight. They generally have small cohorts (of 4 or 5), and I was told that they usually fund everyone, but that this year could be exceptional.

Hope that helps.

[horkheimer]

May I ask what GRE score you received to get accepted (quant, verbal, and writing)?