Fall 2016 Acceptances, Interviews, and Rejections Thread

[any5]

12 minutes ago, gingin6789 said:

@any5 Thanks for serving up some mindful truth! That's good, RESPECTFUL advice, and I do appreciate it.

that wasn't meant for you specifically. It is general words of wisdom. Take it with a grain of salt, coming from an average advice giver.

[gingin6789]

16 minutes ago, sociologyapp2016 said:

I think, gingin and goofy, that you are conflating two different things: 1) the reality that rank/prestige of graduate school matters in academic sociology, and 2) critiquing that reality.

While I'd wholeheartedly agree with you in the latter cause..denying the former doesn't make much sense at all.

I'm totally aware that rank matters. I've heard that fact/warning many times haha. My problem was how condescending and rude they came across in the forum, really, and how they're kinda snickering behind our backs. Ehhhh just doesn't feel right to me. And I'm also aware that mean people exist, and that the Internet provides anonymity that facilitates meanness, but I'm also sick of just sitting back and taking it. 

Also the notion that if you choose a better fitting program that is ranked lower, you're automatically doomed for failure, no hope!I've also heard that some of the more prestigious programs with the "big names" don't really have mentorship that allows you to thrive, and some of the mid-ranked programs have good mentorship ,teaching training, and ability to publish a bunch while in your PhD program.

I guess my point is, rank should hold some weight, but not all the weight in making a decision O_O 

I hope that made sense.

(Plus, I realize my original response post was incredibly emotionally-charged, only semi-comprehensible, and kinda rude, too.) 

@any5 I see! Well, thank you, in any case!

Edited February 12, 2016 by gingin6789

[brokenwindow]

11 hours ago, goofylemon said:

I kindly suggest again to the folks here to not being too obsessed about ranking, talk about your interests. I see so many folks here talking about "aha! top 10", "well, top 20/25". It is meaningless unless you have no idea about your research interests. When you are about to graduate, TT positions/job talks will perhaps look at (in order of priority) #1 your publication #2 who is your adviser, #3 your recommendation letter, and maybe well then your program. 

I received two top-10 offers this year but declined them right away to choose Brown. With my interests in family, social demography, urban soc, China and life course/aging, No place will beat Brown, despite its ranking is a 25. Look, I am not even talking about money.

Whoever advised you to make this choice gave you terrible advice. If your goal is a tenure track job at an R1,  being in a top 10 program will give you enormous advantages over anyone at Brown. It shouldn't be that way, but that is  the way it is. 

There is actually a thread on a message board for sociology professors in which they are discussing how sorry they feel for you for making such a terrible choice. If there's any way for you to still accept those Top 10 offers, I highly encourage you to reconsider your choice. I don't think it's too dramatic to say that you are on the verge of ruining your career before it's even started. 

[any5]

3 minutes ago, brokenwindow said:

Whoever advised you to make this choice gave you terrible advice. If your goal is a tenure track job at an R1,  being in a top 10 program will give you enormous advantages over anyone at Brown. It shouldn't be that way, but that is  the way it is. 

There is actually a thread on a message board for sociology professors in which they are discussing how sorry they feel for you for making such a terrible choice. If there's any way for you to still accept those Top 10 offers, I highly encourage you to reconsider your choice. I don't think it's too dramatic to say that you are on the verge of ruining your career before it's even started. 

Choices aren't binding until April 15. If you make a (perceived) bad decision you can always change tack. Unless you've outright rejected other acceptances in order to clear up their wait list. But you are by no means beholden until April 15th .. this is a tacit agreement that the Graduate School Council (or whatever it's called) has mandated.

Edited February 12, 2016 by any5

[gingin6789]

Sorry to change the subject, but congratulations to the Princeton admits!

[HopefulFutureSoc]

Claiming P admit. Thanks!

[brokenwindow]

50 minutes ago, kelris said:

 

gingin I think this is key. checking in and weighing the options with the people who care about you and that you personally trust.

Even if they have no relevant experience in the current sociology job market? 

I can see why the negative advice from current sociology professors would be a bitter pill to swallow, since it contradicts your short term desires. But after your initial anger subsides,  I hope that your rational side takes over and you realize that these experts are very familiar with the current sociology job market and how the market compares for graduates of, say, Wisconsin versus Brown.

In a nutshell, sociology is a caste system, and the vast majority of people move down one caste in their first job (*if* they're lucky enough to get a tenure track job, which most aren't). A few remain in the same caste.  A tiny,  tiny number of people move up a caste. So it's not impossible to succeed from the lower caste, but it's extremely, extremely hard (and incredibly much harder than if you had accepted your opportunity to become high caste).

[brokenwindow]

28 minutes ago, any5 said:

Choices aren't binding until April 15. If you make a (perceived) bad decision you can always change tack. Unless you've outright rejected other acceptances in order to clear up their wait list. But you are by no means beholden until April 15th .. this is a tacit agreement that the Graduate School Council (or whatever it's called) has mandated.

I think she rejected the top 10 offers.  Which is just so,  so crazy and self destructive. I guess maybe she can reapply next year. 

[gingin6789]

7 minutes ago, brokenwindow said:

Even if they have no relevant experience in the current sociology job market? 

I can see why the negative advice from current sociology professors would be a bitter pill to swallow, since it contradicts your short term desires. But after your initial anger subsides,  I hope that your rational side takes over and you realize that these experts are very familiar with the current sociology job market and how the market compares for graduates of, say, Wisconsin versus Brown.

In a nutshell, sociology is a caste system, and the vast majority of people move down one caste in their first job (*if* they're lucky enough to get a tenure track job, which most aren't). A few remain in the same caste.  A tiny,  tiny number of people move up a caste. So it's not impossible to succeed from the lower caste, but it's extremely, extremely hard (and incredibly much harder than if you had accepted your opportunity to become high caste).

I know this is a response to kelris' response to me, but I should have mentioned that the advice I've been getting have been from profs who have been recently hired/have been on the job market recently. 

I appreciate your advice, and I know my initial reaction post to that other forum post was very emotionally charged and bitter.

I've always been taught, and I firmly believe: take rank into account and consider it seriously, but don't go *exclusively* by rank when making your decision.

[brokenwindow]

Hm I don't know what your choices are between. My very extreme reaction is to the person who is choosing Brown over two top 10 programs. If her goal is to become a professor at a research university,  there is simply no way to justify such a decision. 

Fit comes into play when you're choosing between two places of approximately similar rank. Or, I guess,  if your goal is not to become a professor. If they admitted you,  you're probably a good or at least good enough fit. 

What types of places are you choosing between? 

 

58 minutes ago, gingin6789 said:

I know this is a response to kelris' response to me, but I should have mentioned that the advice I've been getting have been from profs who have been recently hired/have been on the job market recently. 

I appreciate your advice, and I know my initial reaction post to that other forum post was very emotionally charged and bitter.

I've always been taught, and I firmly believe: take rank into account and consider it seriously, but don't go *exclusively* by rank when making your decision.

 

Edited February 12, 2016 by brokenwindow

[gingin6789]

1 minute ago, brokenwindow said:

Hm I don't know what your choices are between. My very extreme reaction is to the person who is choosing Brown over two top 10 programs. If her goal is to become a professor at a research university,  there is simply no way to justify such a decision. 

Fit comes into play when you're choosing between two places of approximately similar rank. Or, I guess,  if your goal is not to become a professor. The reality is that most large universities will have somebody who can chair your dissertation committee (unless it's really really marginal or radical stuff). Unless there's NO fit, you can usually make it work at the higher ranked place.

What types of places are you choosing between? 

 

 

I'm choosing among mid-ranked programs, really, and they're all ranked pretty similarly. I guess that's why I'm prioritizing fit so much more since, as you mentioned, fit is more salient when rank is similar. 

[brokenwindow]

1 minute ago, gingin6789 said:

I'm choosing among mid-ranked programs, really, and they're all ranked pretty similarly. I guess that's why I'm prioritizing fit so much more since, as you mentioned, fit is more salient when rank is similar

 

Yeah,  *that* is when fit matters. Like if you're choosing between Brown and CUNY, it could be,  can you imagine yourself becoming Alba's favorite student of the year, or would you rather do social demography of Chinese laborers at Brown .

Btw you're the Lehigh masters, right? I remember lurking your posts last year.  That's so great that your second round worked out!  Congratulations! 

[gingin6789]

6 minutes ago, brokenwindow said:

 

Yeah,  *that* is when fit matters. Like if you're choosing between Brown and CUNY, it could be,  can you imagine yourself becoming Alba's favorite student of the year, or would you rather do social demography of Chinese laborers at Brown .

Btw you're the Lehigh masters, right? I remember lurking your posts last year.  That's so great that your second round worked out!  Congratulations! 

I am in the Lehigh masters, yes! However, my first round was the Fall 2014 application season, which was very successful (fortunately!)! So, you may have me mixed up with someone else, but still, thank you for your congratulations!

[brokenwindow]

I am probably getting details wrong, but I remember thinking you made a smart choice of a fully funded masters at Lehigh. It stuck in my memory because i have a friend who did the same program (and is now in a good phd program).

 

Anyhow,  congrats again. All that stuff about top tens etc was really tailored to someone who's gunning for a job at Princeton or some place like that.  As you well know,  there's a great big world of fulfilling jobs outside of top 10 R1s.

Edited February 12, 2016 by brokenwindow

[gingin6789]

2 minutes ago, brokenwindow said:

I am probably getting details wrong, but I remember thinking you made a smart choice of a fully funded masters at Lehigh. It stuck in my memory because i have a friend who did the same program (and is now in a good phd program).

Yes, I did make that choice. The funding is awesome, my mentors have been fantastic, the teaching opportunities I've received have been indispensable, and I have four publications in the works.

It made me an even better candidate for PhD programs than I could have ever dreamed of.

Oh really? That's cool! Maybe I know your friend!

[seekingsun]

36 minutes ago, brokenwindow said:

Fit comes into play when you're choosing between two places of approximately similar rank. Or, I guess,  if your goal is not to become a professor. The reality is that most large universities will have somebody who can chair your dissertation committee (unless it's really really marginal or radical stuff). Unless there's NO fit, you can usually make

 

I'm at a top-five department.   The admissions committee considers fit EXTREMELY carefully when they decide who to admit.  There are very strong applicants who do not get admitted because the department does not see how they would help shepherd the research interests of the student.   If they admitted you, they are confident that there are faculty (usually at least three) who are 1 - enthusiastic about your application, and 2 - believe they can help you achieve the project that you proposed.   

I just want to put it out there that these faculty may be more able to determine FIT than an undergraduate applicant.   For that reason, I would err towards the higher ranked programs.   Obviously if you go to visit days and everyone seems unhappy, or really competative, or the faculty you meet are super weird, then you might consider other options.   But the fit has been considered in reviewing your application and they think you are a good fit!

Edited February 12, 2016 by seekingsun

[brokenwindow]

3 minutes ago, seekingsun said:

I'm at a top-five department.   The admissions committee considers fit EXTREMELY carefully when they decide who to admit.  There are very strong applicants who do not get admitted because the department does not see how they would help shepherd the research interests of the student.   If they admitted you, they are confident that there are faculty (usually at least three) who are 1 - enthusiastic about your application, and 2 - believe they can help you achieve the project that you proposed.   

I just want to put it out there that these faculty may be more able to determine FIT than an undergraduate applicant.   For that reason, I would err towards the higher ranked programs.   Obviously if you go to visit days and everyone seems unhappy, or really competative, or the faculty you meet are super weird, then you might consider other options.   But the fit has been considered in reviewing your application and they think you are a good fit!

Yeah that's a great point. 

[brokenwindow]

14 minutes ago, gingin6789 said:

Yes, I did make that choice. The funding is awesome, my mentors have been fantastic, the teaching opportunities I've received have been indispensable, and I have four publications in the works.

It made me an even better candidate for PhD programs than I could have ever dreamed of.

Oh really? That's cool! Maybe I know your friend!

Impressive resume! Yeah I think that seems like such a cool program. It's definitely on my radar of great ways to transition into a social science PhD.

My friend finished Lehigh a year or two before you started...

[gingin6789]

8 minutes ago, brokenwindow said:

Impressive resume! Yeah I think that seems like such a cool program. It's definitely on my radar of great ways to transition into a social science PhD.

My friend finished Lehigh a year or two before you started...

Thank you!! I think so, too. We just need to advertise the program more, which I was sure to do in the other thread concerning funded master's programs! 

Oh I see!Still, cool connection :-)

[puton]

Anyone claiming the princeton acceptance?

[ConsciousKid]

I haven't received my rejection from Harvard yet. I know its coming just wondering why I haven't received it yet since 20 people received theirs today. Do you think because I applied to a joint Ph.D. program (Sociology & Social Policy) it takes longer?

[gingin6789]

3 hours ago, puton said:

Anyone claiming the princeton acceptance?

@HopefulFutureSoc claimed one earlier.

@ConsciousKid could be! Variations in programs can make a difference, I would think.

[gingin6789]

Brandeis waitlist post on the board do tellllllllllll. 

*freaks out a bit but tries to stay very optimistic!*

[2016Applicant]

Hi guys! I am considering contacting UCSB to ask about the status of my app since I haven't received any news and it seems many others have. Any recommendations on what to say, who to contact, method of contact, etc?

Thanks so much!!

[123letsgo]

@consciouskid, to my understanding, the way the social policy admissions works is that they have to go through the social policy program first, then their top choices are then presented to the sociology/government programs to see if they'll take you too.  So it's a longer process, because they have to go through two committees for review.  Not very comforting, I know.  But at least there's a reason for the long delay.