Irvine 2014

[Darth.Vegan]

Hi all, 

 

Congrats to those who were accepted into UCI's PhD program for 2014. 

 

I am a current first year and I am happy to answer any questions you might have about the program. For those of you planning to attend the visit, I look forward to meeting you. Feel free to post here or PM me with any questions are comments you might have. 

 

Take care

Edited February 6, 2014 by xdarthveganx

[turbodream]

so... you'll know where we can grab some good vegan food after the open house?

[Darth.Vegan]

That can definitely be arranged. Are you vegan!? There are 2 vegans in the first year cohort!

[turbodream]

No... I just dig vegan restaurants. I'm more about nutrition and the ethics of consumption in general so I greatly appreciate veganism. 

[Maleficent999]

Vegan corndogs...yes. Just yes.

[overlyresearched]

Hi all, 

 

Congrats to those who were accepted into UCI's PhD program for 2014. 

 

I am a current first year and I am happy to answer any questions you might have about the program. For those of you planning to attend the visit, I look forward to meeting you. Feel free to post here or PM me with any questions are comments you might have. 

 

Take care

 

I realize you are a first year so maybe don't have tons of insight into this, but what are your thoughts about placements from your department? Looking at the site it seems like somewhat of a mix. I really love the faculty at Irvine and have heard they are doing some really exciting stuff, but as I've also been admitted to some top-ranked schools I'm nervous about taking a risk on the opportunity for top-notch placements down the line.

 

I'm not sure I can make it to the visit day due to a work-related conflict, but am hoping to visit the department sometime in March either way.

 

Thanks.

[gretagarbo]

Perhaps it is shared somewhere in this forum, but I want to ask anyway: how much is the funding there and for how long?

[Darth.Vegan]

I realize you are a first year so maybe don't have tons of insight into this, but what are your thoughts about placements from your department? Looking at the site it seems like somewhat of a mix. I really love the faculty at Irvine and have heard they are doing some really exciting stuff, but as I've also been admitted to some top-ranked schools I'm nervous about taking a risk on the opportunity for top-notch placements down the line.

 

I'm not sure I can make it to the visit day due to a work-related conflict, but am hoping to visit the department sometime in March either way.

 

Thanks.

 

 

The overall feeling in the department is that the job placement is strong, especially relative to the ranking. Some of the less than stellar placements are a consequence of people that insist on staying in California. If you're flexible, you will be very likely to get a tenure track job out of this department. The placement statistics are also listed right on the website, a number of other "better ranked" programs do not publish their stats are only show a snapshot including their best placements. This is a very active and hungry department that regularly publishes in ASR, AJS and Social Forces. 

[Darth.Vegan]

No... I just dig vegan restaurants. I'm more about nutrition and the ethics of consumption in general so I greatly appreciate veganism. 

 

Well, that won't be a problem. There is veggie grill across the street from campus, and a pizza place with vegan cheese. Within 10 mins there is also Native Foods and Wheel of Life, among others. 

 

Perhaps it is shared somewhere in this forum, but I want to ask anyway: how much is the funding there and for how long?

 

The standard funding package is a guaranteed TA'ship for 5 years, stipend is 17k + tuition + healthcare, this is the minimum and is offered to all accepted applicants. 

 

That said, there is more funding to be had for competitive applicants, including summer funding and recruitment fellowships. 

[gretagarbo]

The standard funding package is a guaranteed TA'ship for 5 years, stipend is 17k + tuition + healthcare, this is the minimum and is offered to all accepted applicants. 

 

That said, there is more funding to be had for competitive applicants, including summer funding and recruitment fellowships. 

Thanks for the answer. May I ask a follow up: is this standard package sufficient for a grad student? (I don't have a clue about the living expenses there)

[Darth.Vegan]

Thanks for the answer. May I ask a follow up: is this standard package sufficient for a grad student? (I don't have a clue about the living expenses there)

 

It's doable for some people without taking on loans. If you share an on campus 2br and don't have car related expenses, it shouldn't be a problem. In general, this part of Orange County is definitely expensive, but the on campus housing prices are reasonable. 

[overlyresearched]

The overall feeling in the department is that the job placement is strong, especially relative to the ranking. Some of the less than stellar placements are a consequence of people that insist on staying in California. If you're flexible, you will be very likely to get a tenure track job out of this department. The placement statistics are also listed right on the website, a number of other "better ranked" programs do not publish their stats are only show a snapshot including their best placements. This is a very active and hungry department that regularly publishes in ASR, AJS and Social Forces.

Thanks. I'm hoping to go to the open house weekend but might have a work conflict. Either way I'll try to come visit the department in March sometime.

[Beltenebros]

Thank you for the help xdarthveganx and hello/congrats to everyone.  It sounds like we have lots of overlapping interests so I look forward to chatting.  It's also nice to know I won't be the only vegan in residence.   I do have a few questions: 1. Given your response above, do most students in the program live on campus or is it common to find apartments?  2. What kinds of/how common are summer research assistantship opportunities or otherwise?  Do many students stay through the summer or seek work/training elsewhere? 3. Do you know how those coming in with an M.A. (in Soc) have fared in terms of transferring previous coursework into the program AND how this has affected their trajectory (e.g., length of residence)?  4. We can talk about this at the Open House, but, I am interested in hearing about the options/opportunities available to focus on environmental sociology, how many students are doing so at UCI, and how folks with these interests fared in the job market.  Thanks again xdarthveganx and I look forward to chatting!

[Nito]

Thanks for all the info Darth! Looks like everyone is covering a lot of my questions! I, sadly, will not be able to attend the Open House, so any info about the housing/community/living situation is great!

 

I have three main concerns.

 

Given the somewhat larger size of the faculty, do you feel that there are any departmental "turf" issues? Or are faculty fairly collaborative?

 

And, are there sociological subfields or approaches that are off-limits or scoffed? I don't really feel like my own interests are "fringe," but do you feel faculty are supportive of endeavors into new or marginal areas of sociology? 

 

Also, somewhat related to the above, what does the overall support for inter-disciplinary work look like?

 

Thanks!

[Darth.Vegan]

Thanks for all the info Darth! Looks like everyone is covering a lot of my questions! I, sadly, will not be able to attend the Open House, so any info about the housing/community/living situation is great!

 

I have three main concerns.

 

Given the somewhat larger size of the faculty, do you feel that there are any departmental "turf" issues? Or are faculty fairly collaborative?

 

And, are there sociological subfields or approaches that are off-limits or scoffed? I don't really feel like my own interests are "fringe," but do you feel faculty are supportive of endeavors into new or marginal areas of sociology? 

 

Also, somewhat related to the above, what does the overall support for inter-disciplinary work look like?

 

Thanks!

 

1) I would definitely say that faculty are collaborative and work together often. That said, this can vary by specific faculty member and there are some competing perspectives in the department, such as world society and world-systems that would be worth looking into before you accept. 

 

2) I wouldn't say anything is off limits and you can generally find faculty support for whatever you want to do if your methodology is solid. That said, in my experience, this is a fairly normative department, and many of the faculty are determined to do work that will increase the status and prestige of the department overall. 

 

3) I honestly can't speak to how well inter-disciplinary work is supported. You may want to email some prospective advisors and ask, as well as more senior grad students

 

 

 

Thank you for the help xdarthveganx and hello/congrats to everyone.  It sounds like we have lots of overlapping interests so I look forward to chatting.  It's also nice to know I won't be the only vegan in residence.   I do have a few questions: 1. Given your response above, do most students in the program live on campus or is it common to find apartments?  2. What kinds of/how common are summer research assistantship opportunities or otherwise?  Do many students stay through the summer or seek work/training elsewhere? 3. Do you know how those coming in with an M.A. (in Soc) have fared in terms of transferring previous coursework into the program AND how this has affected their trajectory (e.g., length of residence)?  4. We can talk about this at the Open House, but, I am interested in hearing about the options/opportunities available to focus on environmental sociology, how many students are doing so at UCI, and how folks with these interests fared in the job market.  Thanks again xdarthveganx and I look forward to chatting!

 

1) Most students live on campus the first couple years, those that do live off campus mostly live in Long Beach or Santa Ana and commute. The surrounding area is quite expensive in comparison to on-campus housing. 

 

2) There are definitely opportunities available for summer RA's, but don't expect this in the first couple years. You need to build up a relationship with certain faculty members before this is likely to happen. That said, there is a call for summer funding every year that is fairly easy to get. 

 

3) There are a lot of requirements that can be waived if you have an MA already, but this is generally done on an individual course basis. I was able to waive research design because I took a graduate level methods class as an undergrad. 

 

4) There is a small but committed contingent of grad students working in environmental sociology. I don't have specific placement info, but there's no feeling that they have any harder time placing in the job market. I would email David Smith to talk about this, especially if you work from a world-systems perspective or similar. 

Edited February 10, 2014 by xdarthveganx

[Vegan Love]

Hello!

 

I am looking for vegan roommates and live walking distance to UCI. If you are interested, or know anyone interested (non-smokers), please email me, or pass my info to them. Also if you have any suggestions/resources on how I can get in touch with other vegans in Irvine, I would really appreciate it, thanks!

 

Vegan Love

[Vegan Love]

Hello!

 

I am looking for vegan roommates and live walking distance to UCI. If you are interested, or know anyone interested (non-smokers), please email me, or pass my info to them. Also if you have any suggestions/resources on how I can get in touch with other vegans in Irvine, I would really appreciate it, thanks!

 

Vegan Love

[Roll Right]

Vegan corndogs...yes. Just yes.

These are good? The vegan hot dogs that I've tried didn't really hook me.

[Darth.Vegan]

 

Hello!

 

I am looking for vegan roommates and live walking distance to UCI. If you are interested, or know anyone interested (non-smokers), please email me, or pass my info to them. Also if you have any suggestions/resources on how I can get in touch with other vegans in Irvine, I would really appreciate it, thanks!

 

Vegan Love

 

I've been vegan 18 years, but am not looking for a roommate. If you have other vegan related questions regarding Irvine and southern California more generally, feel free to PM me. 

[Maleficent999]

These are good? The vegan hot dogs that I've tried didn't really hook me.

I guess it depends who makes them, but yes they can be good. There's a restaurant in my hometown that does a lot of vegan options and corn dogs are one. So much nom.

[Roll Right]

I guess it depends who makes them, but yes they can be good. There's a restaurant in my hometown that does a lot of vegan options and corn dogs are one. So much nom.

Maybe I'll give them a try. I just have to find the first...maybe at whole paycheck.