Fall 2016 Acceptances, Interviews, and Rejections Thread

[gingin6789]

Shay, I am indeed presenting! Oh wow, a ski trip sounds fun! I've never been skiing before!

As for MyLife's post, two years ago, I applied to only three programs straight out of undergrad, and one of the programs was a terminal M.A. (I ended up attending the terminal M.A. program in the end!).

I ended up being accepted with full funding to two of the three programs. So, it's entirely possible that MyLife will be accepted to both, depending on MyLife's application!

However, MyLife, do consider Pennywise's advice. My two cents: if Vanderbilt is a good fit for your research interests, definitely consider applying, as their deadline is January 15th AND there is NO application fee!! 

[MyLife2016]

Hi  everyone. I've read all of your responses and had to let you all know that I have seriously laughed at myself for sending out two last minute applications. I spent time talking with one of my recommenders (my department's director who I'm also supporting as a GRA) and was told to consider it practice at the very least and use any feedback for next year's application cycle if necessary. Also, I may send in one more before the deadline. Thanks for the info  !!!

Reading this thread has been informative and calming. Thanks again everyone .

Edited January 7, 2016 by MyLife2016

[Shamon]

Apply for practice?  Good heavens, I only want to go through this once.

Btw, I'm a former Bostonian so feeling very nostalgic by Shay's choices - gosh I miss the Northeast.

[MyLife2016]

6 hours ago, Shamon said:

Apply for practice?  Good heavens, I only want to go through this once.

Btw, I'm a former Bostonian so feeling very nostalgic by Shay's choices - gosh I miss the Northeast.

LOL !!! Say it again for the people in the cheap seats near the back.  ITA

[Shay825]

9 hours ago, Shamon said:

Apply for practice?  Good heavens, I only want to go through this once.

Btw, I'm a former Bostonian so feeling very nostalgic by Shay's choices - gosh I miss the Northeast.

Just submitted a last minute app to Vandy - told my friends and they laughed their butts off because I'm a die-hard UF Gators fan. I'm hoping to get into a Boston area school, because i absolutely love it here. Ultimately, though, I'll go to whichever school accepts me and offers the best funding. I'll cry buckets and definitely miss Boston, if I have to move.

[gingin6789]

9 minutes ago, Shay825 said:

Just submitted a last minute app to Vandy - told my friends and they laughed their butts off because I'm a die-hard UF Gators fan. I'm hoping to get into a Boston area school, because i absolutely love it here. Ultimately, though, I'll go to whichever school accepts me and offers the best funding. I'll cry buckets and definitely miss Boston, if I have to move.

Is there a rivalry between those two schools? *knows nothing about college sports* I'm glad I know now! Thanks!

It's cool to know you're applying to Vandy though! We can be Vandy buddies! 

[Shay825]

13 hours ago, Shamon said:

UF's primary rival school is FSU, but FSU isn't part of the South East Conference, Vandy is. When it comes to SEC Football, all schools in the Conference are rivals. Have everything complete for my Vanderbilt application, just worried that my Profs won't submit the letters in time. 1/3 have replied to the links that I sent this morning. I'm probably worrying for no reason and creating additional stress that I don't really need, but grad apps have me acting a tad neurotic.

Edited January 8, 2016 by Shay825

[Shamon]

So apparently GRE scores really do matter according to this new book on the PhD admissions process

"The Secret Lives of Ph.D. Committees 

A new book shows the stark realities of how graduate admissions get made."

http://www.slate.com/articles/life/inside_higher_ed/2016/01/elite_graduate_programs_behind_closed_doors_a_new_book_reveals_all.html

[soc13]

16 minutes ago, Shamon said:

So apparently GRE scores really do matter according to this new book on the PhD admissions process

"The Secret Lives of Ph.D. Committees 

A new book shows the stark realities of how graduate admissions get made."

http://www.slate.com/articles/life/inside_higher_ed/2016/01/elite_graduate_programs_behind_closed_doors_a_new_book_reveals_all.html

Sigh. I think most of us had accepted this but hoped it wasn't true Based on my discussions with faculty at programs I was applying to, it was important to the committee (and these weren't top 10, more 10-30). I can only presume it's worse in the top 10.

Edited January 8, 2016 by mm3733

[redhillgirl]

My POI read my SOP and thot it was "very strong" and said it means that I'll definitely go thru the crucial 1st cut and to the pile of apps that are taken seriously. 

I'm just wondering after that 1st cut, how many % of apps are left?

[redhillgirl]

4 minutes ago, sociologyapp2016 said:

I'm sure it varies a lot, and there's definitely no magic formula. A professor at my school in a similar discipline said that they first skim the Statement of Purpose to discern whether the applicant actually has a head on their shoulders. If not, then they throw it out without reading their file any further. For example, if it's obvious the applicant can't write (which apparently is very common), or if they don't have a clear research agenda, etc., then they don't look further. If they do pass the threshold, then they start looking at Letters of Rec, GPA, etc., to start narrowing down the pool.

However, it is possible, probably likely, that there was a GRE/GPA cutoff before the professors even began to read the Statement of Purpose. Most schools/programs do, after all, receive hundreds of applications, and they need to whittle down the pool in some way. At least for the top 20 programs, I think they almost definitely use GRE cutoffs. FertMigMort in the AMA stickied thread confirmed this for her top 20 program, not to mention the recent Higher Ed article that also confirmed the same thing. So I imagine that schools probably do something like:

1. First cut: Use GRE (and/or GPA) cutoff to get rid of the no-chance applications. That might cut it down to around 40%-60% of applications.

2. Second cut: Start to actually look into individual applicant files, but not too in-depth. Skim SOP, Letters of Rec, GPA, etc., to get a sense of whether the candidate is competitive enough for a potential admission. Thrown out if not. This might cut down the pool to about 10-30% of total.

3. Third cut: At this point, the remaining applicants are all competitive. But since there aren't enough open slots, the ACs start to read carefully into all components of the applications to make the final calls.

Thanks @sociologyapp2016! Yes I thought more or less so. Wondering what the GRE/GPA cut-off are for top5/top10/top 20 programs tho?

[Dragonborn]

Hey Guys !!!!, 

 

I am Murthy from India and I really need to know  whether I can get admission in Texas A&M college station ? with the below profile.

GRE: 307/340; AWA 3.0

TOEFL: 104/120

CGPA: 6.78/10 (not really top of the class)

Work Ex- 18 months experience with Hyundai Rotem

[sociologyapp2016]

1 minute ago, redhillgirl said:

Thanks @sociologyapp2016! Yes I thought more or less so. Wondering what the GRE/GPA cut-off are for top5/top10/top 20 programs tho?

For the most elite programs, I imagine that sub-50% percentile will break your application. And that's a conservative guess. 

But it's hard to place exact numbers beyond that. My guesses aren't any better than yours. But I think quant scores especially sink a lot of applicants to the top programs, whether it's via cutoff or not.

[sociologyapp2016]

5 minutes ago, Dragonborn said:

Hey Guys !!!!, 

 

I am Murthy from India and I really need to know  whether I can get admission in Texas A&M college station ? with the below profile.

GRE: 307/340; AWA 3.0

TOEFL: 104/120

CGPA: 6.78/10 (not really top of the class)

Work Ex- 18 months experience with Hyundai Rotem

Maybe, depending on your Statement of Purpose, Writing Sample, and Letters of Rec. What you showed us doesn't really tell us anything.

[Dragonborn]

22 minutes ago, sociologyapp2016 said:

Maybe, depending on your Statement of Purpose, Writing Sample, and Letters of Rec. What you showed us doesn't really tell us anything.

Hey thank you for replying, my LOR's and SOP I guess are quite general , not standing out of the crowdish type; how hard is it to get in to Texas A&M college station ?

[sociologyapp2016]

42 minutes ago, Dragonborn said:

Hey thank you for replying, my LOR's and SOP I guess are quite general , not standing out of the crowdish type; how hard is it to get in to Texas A&M college station ?

Not as difficult as many other programs, but not a shoo-in by any means.

What's your verbal GRE score? I know you said the total is 307/340, but what are the verbal/quant individual scores?

Edited January 9, 2016 by sociologyapp2016

[Dragonborn]

2 minutes ago, sociologyapp2016 said:

Not as difficult as many other programs, but not a shoo-in by any means.

What's your verbal GRE score? I know you said the total is 307/340, but what are the verbal/quant individual scores?

 Verbal is 149 and Quant is 158

[sociologyapp2016]

1 minute ago, Dragonborn said:

 Verbal is 149 and Quant is 158

A 149 verbal, 3.0 writing, and 104 TOEFL sounds like your English proficiency will be in question for the Admission Committee. Your odds don't look good. Unless your Writing Sample/SOP can put those doubts to rest, but it doesn't sound like it, judging from your own assessment.

[redhillgirl]

1 hour ago, sociologyapp2016 said:

For the most elite programs, I imagine that sub-50% percentile will break your application. And that's a conservative guess. 

But it's hard to place exact numbers beyond that. My guesses aren't any better than yours. But I think quant scores especially sink a lot of applicants to the top programs, whether it's via cutoff or not.

 

My quant score is pretty mediocre: 155. But my verbal is 166. argh I'm starting to get really worried

[mrbmrbmrb]

I just got notified yesterday that I was invited to interview with Rice in February.  Anyone else going to be there or know what to expect?

[gingin6789]

@ mrbmrbm etc congratulations!! Very happy for you! There's been no visible movement in sociology results besides an interview at UVA! Hopefully more Rice folks come forward! 

[Shamon]

I applied to Rice but no news. Congratulations mrb!

[socilinda]

10 hours ago, redhillgirl said:

My quant score is pretty mediocre: 155. But my verbal is 166. argh I'm starting to get really worried

I know it's easier said than done but try not to worry about your scores. The final decision on your application will depend on so many different factors that you may not be aware of right now. There are so many things that impact these decisions and most are not even in your control.

For example, you could have the best overall application and not even get a wait list spot if the person you're wanting to work with is no longer taking on students, planning to go on sabbatical, facing issues, involved in the politics of the department, is not sitting on the admissions committee, etc. Conversely, you could have a lower GRE score and still get a spot if the person reading your application happens to like what they see.

6 hours ago, mrbmrbmrb said:

I just got notified yesterday that I was invited to interview with Rice in February.  Anyone else going to be there or know what to expect?

Expect to be wined and dined! They'll fly you in and most likely reimburse you for your expenses. Expect to be super chatty because everyone will want to know about your research and why you're considering Rice. It might be a good idea to read faculty bios and a few papers by the folks you're interested in working with. It will be very similar to an academic job interview so expect lots of meeting professors and shooting the breeze with them. The point of the interview weekend is for the faculty and grads to get to know your personality. They obviously like what they see on paper so now they want to make sure you're not a weirdo.

Don't worry though--most are just excited to get to meet you so they won't interrogate you or ask you any tough questions about theories/stats. However, you should be as knowledgeable about your own research area as possible. For the rest of the time, they will probably take you on a tour of the university, city, and/or library/department, and local bars and restaurants. 

Again, they're not keeping detailed reports on you or watching your every move. They just want to see if you're the kind of person they want around for the next five years. 

Congratulations on your invite and good luck!

Edited January 10, 2016 by socilinda

[sociologyapp2016]

11 hours ago, redhillgirl said:

My quant score is pretty mediocre: 155. But my verbal is 166. argh I'm starting to get really worried

Northwestern admits average 157 on their quant, according to their website. And since all the other schools you're applying to are its (more or less) peer programs, it doesn't sound like your score will singledhandedly sink you.

[gingin6789]

I experienced what socilinda described in her description of interview weekends during a "recruitment visit" two years ago. I guess they are very similar! Great to know, as a few of the programs I'm applying to do interviews