Fall 2017 Applicants

[Beals]

Hiiii all,

I've applied to 5 programs total, 3 of which are soc: Northwestern, NYU, and University of Toronto.

I'm surprisingly calm, but I think once the first soc acceptance gets sent out and I still havent heard anything.... well, then I'll start getting antsy. 

[theorynetworkculture]

Checking in to register my anxiety as well. I'm a senior atm, and last semester was rough. I really ought to be enjoying this winter break, but I find myself refreshing my email (and here) even though I know no news is likely coming for the next couple of weeks. 

I'm mainly interested in theory and culture, with secondary interests in network analysis, collective action, and organizations. I've applied to a whole bunch of top 20 programs. My interested are quite well represented at most top programs, and given the nature of the job market "caste system" it didn't really seem to make sense anywhere else (or so my advisor tells me). I'm a decent candidate on paper, but damn if all this doesn't set me on edge. Here's hoping someone says yes.

[IncomingPhD2017]

Yo! This is also my 2nd round applying. Since my first time, I've gotten a MA in Sociology (I only had a minor in sociology from undergrad.) This means I now have more soc classes under my belt and far better letters of recommendation. I also have a published paper from undergrad, which I think is one of the strongest parts of my app.

I'm interested in digital sociology, culture, and theory. I've applied to UPenn, Yale, Harvard, UConn, CUNY, UCSD, Texas A&M, Penn State, Duke, and NYU. I am feeling nervous, although I am the person who's been contacted by PSU, so that feels pretty good! 

Best of luck to everyone. We only need 1 acceptance...

[theorynetworkculture]

31 minutes ago, IncomingPhD2017 said:

Yo! This is also my 2nd round applying. Since my first time, I've gotten a MA in Sociology (I only had a minor in sociology from undergrad.) This means I now have more soc classes under my belt and far better letters of recommendation. I also have a published paper from undergrad, which I think is one of the strongest parts of my app.

I'm interested in digital sociology, culture, and theory. I've applied to UPenn, Yale, Harvard, UConn, CUNY, UCSD, Texas A&M, Penn State, Duke, and NYU. I am feeling nervous, although I am the person who's been contacted by PSU, so that feels pretty good! 

Best of luck to everyone. We only need 1 acceptance...

That sounds amazing, congratulations. What's digital sociology?

[Bunny38]

What type of writing samples did you all submit with your applications?

[IncomingPhD2017]

3 hours ago, theorynetworkculture said:

That sounds amazing, congratulations. What's digital sociology?

Thanks! It's an interest in all things digital, like social interactions online and online communities & groups (think Reddit, Twitter, Imgur, Tumblr, Youtube, Twitch); methodologically it can involve using big data, web scraping and other data mining techniques (though I haven't actually utilized these in my own work, which is much more qualitative).

The ASA section that most aligns with Digital Sociology it is the long-winded "Communication, Information Technologies and Media Sociology" section, which is why I shorthand it with "Digital Sociology."

 

2 hours ago, Bunny38 said:

What type of writing samples did you all submit with your applications?

I submitted a section from the literature review of my MA thesis as my main writing sample and a published paper as supplemental.

[Bunny38]

Great! I did the same thank you- I gave a section of a research paper, a section of a published paper, and a citation for a second published paper.

[freeuser]

Anybody applying to Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana or U.Chicago? No love for the midwest this year! (except Northwestern apparently!)

[c11m07]

9 minutes ago, freeuser said:

Anybody applying to Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana or U.Chicago? No love for the midwest this year! (except Northwestern apparently!)

Michigan, Wisconsin, and UChicago are all on my list!

[c11m07]

6 hours ago, theorynetworkculture said:

Checking in to register my anxiety as well. I'm a senior atm, and last semester was rough. I really ought to be enjoying this winter break, but I find myself refreshing my email (and here) even though I know no news is likely coming for the next couple of weeks. 

I'm mainly interested in theory and culture, with secondary interests in network analysis, collective action, and organizations. I've applied to a whole bunch of top 20 programs. My interested are quite well represented at most top programs, and given the nature of the job market "caste system" it didn't really seem to make sense anywhere else (or so my advisor tells me). I'm a decent candidate on paper, but damn if all this doesn't set me on edge. Here's hoping someone says yes.

I've been out of undergrad since 2011, but when I reached out to one of my professors/the head of the soc department, he gave me similar advice. He said I was unlikely to find a tenure track job without a degree from a top program-- that's just the reality. Fingers crossed!!

[THS]

6 hours ago, theorynetworkculture said:

Checking in to register my anxiety as well. I'm a senior atm, and last semester was rough. I really ought to be enjoying this winter break, but I find myself refreshing my email (and here) even though I know no news is likely coming for the next couple of weeks. 

I'm mainly interested in theory and culture, with secondary interests in network analysis, collective action, and organizations. I've applied to a whole bunch of top 20 programs. My interested are quite well represented at most top programs, and given the nature of the job market "caste system" it didn't really seem to make sense anywhere else (or so my advisor tells me). I'm a decent candidate on paper, but damn if all this doesn't set me on edge. Here's hoping someone says yes.

 

 

I get you with the checking of e-mail.  It is hard to not do!  Once your term starts back up it will get easier to wait.  My advice, just try to keep busy busy busy.  On days I don't have stuff going on: I work on thesis edits for 5 hours (small stuff at this point), go for a 5 mile walk in the neighborhood (walk because it takes longer than running and we are talking about taking time), after shower do another hour of thesis edits, and then read, knit, or make a complicated dinner, and then find a good/complicated show or book on tape.  The waiting is the worst and nothing really makes the low key wondering go away- with this being my second time around keeping busy is the best medicine. 

Edited January 5, 2017 by montanem

[theorynetworkculture]

4 hours ago, Bunny38 said:

What type of writing samples did you all submit with your applications?

I used a term paper I wrote in my junior year. It's ~ 20 pages. It's polished insofar as I have the tone of a sociological article down, but the "research" itself is undistinguished undergraduate work.

2 hours ago, freeuser said:

Anybody applying to Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana or U.Chicago? No love for the midwest this year! (except Northwestern apparently!)

I applied to Michigan, Wisconsin & Chicago, along with UCB, UCLA, Harvard, Duke, NYU, Northwestern. 

1 hour ago, montanem said:

I get you with the checking of e-mail.  It is hard to not do!  Once your term starts back up it will get easier to wait.  My advice, just try to keep busy busy busy.  On days I don't have stuff going on: I work on thesis edits for 5 hours (small stuff at this point), go for a 5 mile walk in the neighborhood (walk because it takes longer than running and we are talking about taking time), after shower do another hour of thesis edits, and then read, knit, or make a complicated dinner, and then find a good/complicated show or book on tape.  The waiting is the worst and nothing really makes the low key wondering go away- with this being my second time around keeping busy is the best medicine. 

Thanks for the advice. I definitely try. Not looking forward to the anxiety escalating and cascading in the coming weeks though.

[csot]

Lots of people applying to NYU (as expected). 

[kris10mb]

10 hours ago, Bunny38 said:

What type of writing samples did you all submit with your applications?

I submitted the introduction, data/methods, and results section of my M.A. thesis. I figured showing them that I am good at "sociological math" might help the fact that might quantitative GRE score isn't as high as I would like it to be.

11 hours ago, IncomingPhD2017 said:

Yo! This is also my 2nd round applying. Since my first time, I've gotten a MA in Sociology (I only had a minor in sociology from undergrad.) This means I now have more soc classes under my belt and far better letters of recommendation. I also have a published paper from undergrad, which I think is one of the strongest parts of my app.

I'm interested in digital sociology, culture, and theory. I've applied to UPenn, Yale, Harvard, UConn, CUNY, UCSD, Texas A&M, Penn State, Duke, and NYU. I am feeling nervous, although I am the person who's been contacted by PSU, so that feels pretty good! 

Best of luck to everyone. We only need 1 acceptance...

 

Congrats, yo! Very happy for you  

[Illusio80]

14 hours ago, theorynetworkculture said:

Checking in to register my anxiety as well. I'm a senior atm, and last semester was rough. I really ought to be enjoying this winter break, but I find myself refreshing my email (and here) even though I know no news is likely coming for the next couple of weeks. 

I'm mainly interested in theory and culture, with secondary interests in network analysis, collective action, and organizations. I've applied to a whole bunch of top 20 programs. My interested are quite well represented at most top programs, and given the nature of the job market "caste system" it didn't really seem to make sense anywhere else (or so my advisor tells me). I'm a decent candidate on paper, but damn if all this doesn't set me on edge. Here's hoping someone says yes.

My relationship with sociology has been a long odyssey.  I am looking at things differently this time in a number of ways.  I am shooting "lower," on average, this time because last time I got annihilated by applying only to top 20 departments.  But really, this time I have applied to every school that I honestly thought was a great fit for me.  It's possible that I won't get a tenure-track job in the end, just like that possibility exists for every one of you, but it's a certainty that I won't get a job in academia if I don't get in anywhere.  As far as the anxiety goes, I've already had opportunities to come to terms with that.  It's a bit like facing your mortality.  I think you can only really live once you swallow the fact that you will certainly die, and likewise, that you may not get in anywhere.  I'm still not sure what another career is for me.  In that sense I am very invested in this winter's results.  However, I am so far doing a lot better psychologically than last time.

Culture, theory, politics -- represent!

[THS]

3 hours ago, Illusio80 said:

My relationship with sociology has been a long odyssey.  I am looking at things differently this time in a number of ways.  I am shooting "lower," on average, this time because last time I got annihilated by applying only to top 20 departments.  But really, this time I have applied to every school that I honestly thought was a great fit for me.  It's possible that I won't get a tenure-track job in the end, just like that possibility exists for every one of you, but it's a certainty that I won't get a job in academia if I don't get in anywhere.  As far as the anxiety goes, I've already had opportunities to come to terms with that.  It's a bit like facing your mortality.  I think you can only really live once you swallow the fact that you will certainly die, and likewise, that you may not get in anywhere.  I'm still not sure what another career is for me.  In that sense I am very invested in this winter's results.  However, I am so far doing a lot better psychologically than last time.

Culture, theory, politics -- represent!

 

Good luck this time around!  Like someone said above, we only need one acceptance & as you point out there is more to life than this one plan we imagined for ourselves.  

[Illusio80]

2 hours ago, montanem said:

Good luck this time around!  Like someone said above, we only need one acceptance & as you point out there is more to life than this one plan we imagined for ourselves.  

Thank you.  As I said, for me, I don't know what that other life looks like, but I do suppose it's there.

[ruilinch]

On 2017/1/5 at 2:34 PM, Jeremia-h said:

Hi folks,

Bachelor in Industrial and Systems Engineering (minors in Economics, Music) from Ohio State. 160 v 159 q 4.5 w GRE, mediocre research experience (but it's there), 3.4 GPA, looking into Economic Sociology, Stratification, and Mobility research interests. I applied to (Fall '17) Berkeley, Princeton, Harvard, NYU, Columbia, UCLA, Washington, Irvine, Brown, CUNY, USC, and SUNY Stony Brook. Here's to hoping for the best for all of us!

Looks like our backgrounds are somewhat similar. I learnt from one of my professors that it is very important to explain the reason why you changed fields/majors and decided to apply to Sociology. 

But I totally got it. After taking some courses in economics, you just couldn't help finding other fields such as economic sociology more interesting and more inspiring. Is that why you changed major? What you are looking for is an interdisciplinary approach?

[barf]

Yoo 169 verbal, 162 quant, 4.5 analytic writing (except at Duke where I have a 5.5 from another GRE), 3.1 GPA, good research experience, strong SOP. Looking to study sociology of knowledge, culture, genocide and war studies, collective memory, media, and interested in content analysis for methods. Applied to a lot of places, and I can slowly feel my stress levels rising. 

[THS]

10 hours ago, Illusio80 said:

Thank you.  As I said, for me, I don't know what that other life looks like, but I do suppose it's there.

At least we have what, like 4 months, til that's a real worry to consider so I guess we all just wish eachother the best and do everything possible to distract ourselves til (hopefully/knock on wood) some good news arrives. (I am feeling hopeful today!) 

[Illusio80]

9 hours ago, barf said:

Yoo 169 verbal, 162 quant, 4.5 analytic writing (except at Duke where I have a 5.5 from another GRE), 3.1 GPA, good research experience, strong SOP. Looking to study sociology of knowledge, culture, genocide and war studies, collective memory, media, and interested in content analysis for methods. Applied to a lot of places, and I can slowly feel my stress levels rising. 

Nice job on the GRE, that should turn a few heads!

[barf]

15 hours ago, Illusio80 said:

Nice job on the GRE, that should turn a few heads!

hope so my dude cause man I mega tanked my GPA with calc and language courses

Anyone know when schools sent out acceptances/rejections? Also, this waiting has me on Nexium, what heartburn relief are you all using?

[Illusio80]

2 minutes ago, barf said:

hope so my dude cause man I mega tanked my GPA with calc and language courses

Anyone know when schools sent out acceptances/rejections? Also, this waiting has me on Nexium, what heartburn relief are you all using?

Click on the Results tab at the top.  People post acceptances and rejections there anonymously.

I'm old school, it's Alka Seltzer for me.  :-)

[barf]

35 minutes ago, Illusio80 said:

Click on the Results tab at the top.  People post acceptances and rejections there anonymously.

I'm old school, it's Alka Seltzer for me.  :-)

Alka Seltzer huh, that's very neo-Weberian with some Durkheimian post-structuralist touches. I also sense some Geertzian influences??

[Illusio80]

4 minutes ago, barf said:

Alka Seltzer huh, that's very neo-Weberian with some Durkheimian post-structuralist touches. I also sense some Geertzian influences??

Are you some kind of spy?  LOL

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