Fall 2017 Applicants

[barf]

 

8 minutes ago, Illusio80 said:

Are you some kind of spy?  LOL

With your interests... is Alejandro Baer on your wish list?

Yeah absolutely. I applied (extremely) broadly but Minnesota is one of the schools I'd fit in well at as far as specific areas of interest go. Gabrielle Ferrales, Alejandro Baer, and Joachim Savelsberg would be great to work with.

Geertz huh. I really like Geertz but man The Interpretation of Cultures was a slog. It read like it was published in the 1870s.

[Illusio80]

9 minutes ago, barf said:

 

Yeah absolutely. I applied (extremely) broadly but Minnesota is one of the schools I'd fit in well at as far as specific areas of interest go. Gabrielle Ferrales, Alejandro Baer, and Joachim Savelsberg would be great to work with.

Geertz huh. I really like Geertz but man The Interpretation of Cultures was a slog. It read like it was published in the 1870s.

Good luck!  

Huh, I thought Thick Description and the one on the Balinese Cockfight were beautifully written.  If you think Geertz is a bad writer somehow, try Garfinkel or Bourdieu.

I actually also like Ward Goodenough, whom Geertz attacks.

[barf]

11 minutes ago, Illusio80 said:

Good luck!  

Huh, I thought Thick Description and the one on the Balinese Cockfight were beautifully written.  If you think Geertz is a bad writer somehow, try Garfinkel or Bourdieu.

I actually also like Ward Goodenough, whom Geertz attacks.

Wouldn't say a bad writer but it's really clear it was written 50 years ago, it felt needlessly complex. I dunno maybe it seemed like it veered too close to philosophy writing, if that makes any sense?

[theorynetworkculture]

On 1/8/2017 at 8:13 AM, barf said:

Wouldn't say a bad writer but it's really clear it was written 50 years ago, it felt needlessly complex. I dunno maybe it seemed like it veered too close to philosophy writing, if that makes any sense?

Social theory is always going to read closer to philosophy than the rest of sociology. But I find it a lot less laborious than the majority of continental philosophy (Bourdieu is clear, Foucault is still all right, Althusser, Lacan, Zizek, et al. are more difficult). I find Geertz to be a great and clear writer myself. My all time favorite theory piece is probably Sewell's 1992 AJS piece, "A Theory of Structure."

[Illusio80]

23 minutes ago, theorynetworkculture said:

Social theory is always going to read closer to philosophy than the rest of sociology. But I find it a lot less laborious than the majority of continental philosophy (Bourdieu is clear, Foucault is still all right, Althusser, Lacan, Zizek, et al. are more difficult). I find Geertz to be a great and clear writer myself. My all time favorite theory piece is probably Sewell's 1992 AJS piece, "A Theory of Structure."

There are times when I can fall into Bourdieu's stream of consciousness and follow his thought, but overall I find his writing rather dense.

I enjoy reading Sewell too, but you should check out Martin's criticisms, such as "Life's a Beach but You're an Ant" (or something like that), and especially "Thinking Through Theory."

[LAG6]

I've applied to University of Michigan at Ann Arbor (my first choice), UMass Amherst, Rutgers, and the University of Buffalo. My main focus is cultural and political sociology. 

[Illusio80]

21 minutes ago, LAG6 said:

I've applied to University of Michigan at Ann Arbor (my first choice), UMass Amherst, Rutgers, and the University of Buffalo. My main focus is cultural and political sociology. 

Cool, good luck!  Cultural and political here too, but none of those schools, this time around.

[jojokitty47]

If you applied to UWisc-Madison check your email! They want to confirm everyone has correctly sent in their applications.

[mcpphu]

Hi all. I received an email from UChicago to interview, but I didn't realize they do interviews. Is this a somewhat bad sign that I'm close to the cutoff point and they are trying to decide? Or do they interview a lot of candidates?

[theorynetworkculture]

On 1/14/2017 at 6:43 PM, mcpphu said:

Hi all. I received an email from UChicago to interview, but I didn't realize they do interviews. Is this a somewhat bad sign that I'm close to the cutoff point and they are trying to decide? Or do they interview a lot of candidates?

I was just invited to do a Skype interview too. I don't know what to read into it either.

[AmityDuPeuple]

My interests are varied (I come from an interdisciplinary background). I am most interested in comparative cultural sociology using the sociology of food as my starting point for interrogation. My past research has focused on the US and France and I hope to continue this for my dissertation though I would be willing to branch out to other European countries. 

I've applied to nine schools, but haven't heard back from any of them yet. 

[Worktime Calzone]

Hi everyone

Interested in the Sociology of Social Movements and Work. I used a rolling scholarship I was supposed to get this semester to apply to 12 programs >.> 

Know any good Sociology jokes?

[kris10mb]

One of my favorite sociology jokes:

Why does Karl Marx hate Earl Grey tea?

Because all proper tea is theft.

[sociologicalpizza]

I'm stalking these threads because I desperately need something to occupy me while waiting for decisions ? Im interested in gender and education, I applied to a bunch of places but top choices include Columbia, Brown, Indiana Bloomington, and Brown. 

[draco.malfoy]

1 hour ago, sociologicalpizza said:

I'm stalking these threads because I desperately need something to occupy me while waiting for decisions ? Im interested in gender and education, I applied to a bunch of places but top choices include Columbia, Brown, Indiana Bloomington, and Brown. 

Same here. I applied to UCLA, UC Berkeley, Northwestern, Michigan, Yale, and UVA... and so far, I've heard nothing but crickets. Eek.

[AmityDuPeuple]

I just received an email from Notre Dame inviting me to their Perspective Students Visit Days. It's not an acceptance, but it sounds promising. In the email it said not to think of it as an interview, but as a recruitment. 
 

I was accepted to my MA programs without interviewing. Does anyone have advice (even though this isn't an interview)? I feel like it is even more intense than an interview would be; it is three days long. 

[lisota]

Hi, everyone!

I am international applicant with 2 undergraduate degrees - Economics and Engineering, took a grad program in Sociology already, but a bit dissatisfied about it. Mediocre GRE  (v151 q159). Some experience (a couple of independent research projects, 4 local peer-reviewed pubs plus extras), a couple of local awards. 3 academic lors. In love with sociology since 2003, but could only pay little attention to it – had to work and make a living. Interests: family issues and economics (distribution of power and resources in families), life course (maturity, aging), lifestyles, environmental sociology, national-scale traumas, qualitative methods, field research. Upset about my applications, feel like should have tried better.

Wishes: be everyone offered admission to their best fitting program! Stay relaxed and let it go. Best luck

Edited January 25, 2017 by lisota

[EvelynD]

I'm waiting to hear from MSU! Í did my BA and MA in anthropology/archaeology, and I'm very interested in their human-animal studies program. I don't think my chances are thát great, I've already gotten a couple of rejections and I'm beginning to doubt if they think I'm experienced enough to change fields. But we'll see!

[lisota]

17 hours ago, EvelynD said:

I'm waiting to hear from MSU!

 what is MSU?

 

[royalbench]

Has anyone applied to the UMASS Boston Sociology PhD program?

[AmityDuPeuple]

@royalbench You might want to check the acceptances/interviews/rejections thread. It is a bit more active than this one. 

http://forum.thegradcafe.com/topic/85946-fall-2017-acceptancesinterviewsrejections-thread/?page=9#comment-1058441970

 

[sociological]

Hi everyone, checking in. Sociology student at a well known institution and department. First choice is Michigan, with Wisconsin, Penn State, and Cornel trailing right behind (interested in social stratification). I have an abundance of research experience... one low-level ready-to-go sole author publication, another one currently in the works with a strong well known professor, and I have two separate intensive Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REUs) under my belt, all quantitative experience. I have decent verbal and writing GREs, but a pretty poor quant score. Fingers crossed.... bracing for the worst. I fully expect my GREs will be keeping me out, but am applying to private research jobs to cover the damage for at least a year :).

Also considering Ohio State and Minnesota to be rejections, though I've heard nothing. Wishing you all the best! I appreciate this community quite a bit. PM me if you're also seeking private research work; can we share what we learn.

 

[EvelynD]

Still no word from Michigan State!

[mayyam]

Hey everyone,

Does anyone know if UCONN Sociology already released the results of the Sociology PhD program? I have been looking for that. Someone here has posted that s/he heard from them. Ugh. I haven't. 

Also, if anyone knows how many students they accept?

 

Many Thanks,

M

[AmityDuPeuple]

6 hours ago, mayyam said:

Hey everyone,

Does anyone know if UCONN Sociology already released the results of the Sociology PhD program? I have been looking for that. Someone here has posted that s/he heard from them. Ugh. I haven't. 

Also, if anyone knows how many students they accept?

 

Many Thanks,

M

You can check out the results page. It looks like there have been a few acceptances. 

http://www.thegradcafe.com/survey/index.php?q=UConn%2C+Sociology

Also, the Acceptances/Interviews/Rejection thread is a bit more active than this one. You might be able to figure out who it was that got accepted and talk to them (or maybe an insider) about what might be going on. (Ignore the preview. Apparently I am technologically inept this morning.)