Fall 2017 Acceptances/Interviews/Rejections Thread

[ndrun]

39 minutes ago, kelris said:

I would not follow up--it's way too early in the application cycle. I applied to ND last year and they were the last of all schools to report; they also had one of the latest due dates. I feel like being in touch with people you know during the application process is always sticky and it's best to tread lightly.

Thanks for the response. Yeah ND admits at the end of February, after the interviews. The reason I'm concerned is that I didn't get an invitation to the interview weekend, which is virtually an acceptance. Some years all those invited are accepted. I also didn't get rejected so it seems like either I'm in limbo or my rejection hasn't been sent yet. Do you know of anyone whose every been accepted after not getting an interview? Seems unlikely. Or have rejections come in waves?

[AmityDuPeuple]

45 minutes ago, socnewbie said:

Hi everyone! New poster. So far I have been admitted to UT Austin, UW Seattle, and UCLA. I've been rejected from Berkeley and UNC Chapel Hill. Still waiting on 9 more schools.

My query: UT and UW offered subsidization for flights to recruitment events in their initial acceptance email, but UCLA did not. My flight to UCLA would be the most expensive, so I'm curious if anyone knows whether or not they offer subsidization, or if it would be rude to ask? They're one of my top choices, so I definitely want to make it to the recruitment event, but the ticket will cost upwards of $500. Thanks!

Welcome! And Congratulations on your acceptances. 

I don't think that it would be rude to ask about funding for visiting. Do they already have a recruitment event planned? If so, I think it makes it a little easier to navigate when asking for available funds. I think most programs have it in their budget, but may not be willing to advertise it. Expressing interest in a visit and inquiring about any available travel funds, in my opinion, only serves to show your desire to attend UCLA and your willingness to ask for the necessary aid you need to make it happen. This may reflect positively on you, as once you matriculate into a program you will have to be or become comfortable with asking for money via various grants and fellowships. 

I asked Brandeis for travel funding when deciding on my current MA program (it was not offered via email) and they were happy to help. That being said, I have noticed many programs do cap their travel stipend for prospective students at around $500, so you should be willing to pay the difference if need be. 

Also, don't mention your other visits and the funding they have offered. This doesn't come across well. 

You might want to check out this blog. I have found it incredibly helpful in other ways and there might be advice that is pertinent to what you are asking. She also has a book, The Professor is In (same title as the blog). As a disclaimer, I do appreciate what she has to say and much of it is incredibly useful, but there are times when she comes across as elitist and potentially classist. For example when discussing attire for campus visits she suggests purchasing $400+ boots because they look professional and keep your feet nice and warm. This is great, but I don't know many grad students who can drop that kind of money on boots. 

Best of luck! 

Edited January 30, 2017 by AmityDuPeuple

[theorynetworkculture]

2 hours ago, AmityDuPeuple said:

You might want to check out this blog. I have found it incredibly helpful in other ways and there might be advice that is pertinent to what you are asking. She also has a book, The Professor is In (same title as the blog). As a disclaimer, I do appreciate what she has to say and much of it is incredibly useful, but there are times when she comes across as elitist and potentially classist. For example when discussing attire for campus visits she suggests purchasing $400+ boots because they look professional and keep your feet nice and warm. This is great, but I don't know many grad students who can drop that kind of money on boots. 
 

I'm pretty sure that advice pertains campus visits for job market candidates, which is a vastly different affair, since there's the pressure to impress as a potential colleague. 

[Puncherkid]

5 hours ago, shaodiao said:

Me neither. I saw there were quite a few rejections this weekends. So, I guess not hearing is still good news.

Just received the official acceptance letter! Gook luck to you!

[oldacct]

16 minutes ago, Puncherkid said:

Just received the official acceptance letter! Gook luck to you!

Congrats! Did you get funding details? I was admitted via phone and told it'd be awhile before funding info. Was your acceptance by email or snail mail? 

[AmityDuPeuple]

1 hour ago, theorynetworkculture said:

I'm pretty sure that advice pertains campus visits for job market candidates, which is a vastly different affair, since there's the pressure to impress as a potential colleague. 

Agreed, though it doesn't hurt to take some of the advice as a grad student. 

[waitnhope]

Congrats on your acceptances! When is the recruitment event planned for UCLA? Or is it informal?

[MaxWeberHasAPosse]

5 hours ago, socnewbie said:

Hi everyone! New poster. So far I have been admitted to UT Austin, UW Seattle, and UCLA. I've been rejected from Berkeley and UNC Chapel Hill. Still waiting on 9 more schools.

My query: UT and UW offered subsidization for flights to recruitment events in their initial acceptance email, but UCLA did not. My flight to UCLA would be the most expensive, so I'm curious if anyone knows whether or not they offer subsidization, or if it would be rude to ask? They're one of my top choices, so I definitely want to make it to the recruitment event, but the ticket will cost upwards of $500. Thanks!

yes we offer subsidization.

[socnewbie]

20 minutes ago, waitnhope said:

Congrats on your acceptances! When is the recruitment event planned for UCLA? Or is it informal?

March 9-10 I was told.

[draco.malfoy]

On 1/27/2017 at 7:26 PM, AmityDuPeuple said:

Would you be willing to share the hard questions, or just generally what they related to? It would be help others prepare ideas beyond answers for the usual questions. 

Yeah, definitely. The first question they asked me was, with my interests in comparative-historical sociology, cultural sociology, political sociology, religion, nationalism and theory, etc..., the committee wanted me to talk about my comfort level with statistics and quantitative methods. I told them about the coursework I've taken, my grades, the topics the classes covered, and my experience using qualtrics, SPSS and multiple regression. The most important things, I think, in that answer was (1) I told them about the specific software I used and the specific statistical methods I used in my major project's analysis (chi-square, multiple regression, etc...), and (2) that the professor who taught the course is a renowned statistician and quantitative sociologist. I gave them context, essentially. I wish I would have told them about more specifics about my project, like how many participants I surveyed, how many responses I got back, etc. so that they would have a sense for the work and the experience, but that's okay. And with the professor bit, that was something my mentor encouraged me to do when answering questions like this because transcripts mean nothing in this day and age where A's are relatively easy to get (at least as an undergrad). They also have zero sense of what the course was actually like. Saying "advanced" in the SOP or something doesn't mean much to them. So I gave them a name, told them about her, made sure they knew it was not a TA, and so on. I gave them context for how rigorous the course was, and that helped. Side note: I also had a reference letter from this stats professor on purpose and asked her to give context for the class and to explain my performance. I also asked her to talk about how this says more about my abilities than my lower GRE quant score. 

Another question they asked me was, if my first choices for faculty to work with that I listed out in my application and SOP were not available to work with me, would I still want to go to the school. I think that's a valid question, considering sabbaticals, etc. It gave me the opportunity to show that there are more than just one or two professors in the department who are doing the kind of work I want to do, and that I am great fit for the department as a whole rather than just one person.

[oldacct]

Is there anybody on here that got accepted to Cornell's Sociology program? If so, do you know the visitation days?

[ndrun]

5 minutes ago, draco.malfoy said:

Yeah, definitely. The first question they asked me was, with my interests in comparative-historical sociology, cultural sociology, political sociology, religion, nationalism and theory, etc..., the committee wanted me to talk about my comfort level with statistics and quantitative methods. I told them about the coursework I've taken, my grades, the topics the classes covered, and my experience using qualtrics, SPSS and multiple regression. The most important things, I think, in that answer was (1) I told them about the specific software I used and the specific statistical methods I used in my major project's analysis (chi-square, multiple regression, etc...), and (2) that the professor who taught the course is a renowned statistician and quantitative sociologist. I gave them context, essentially. I wish I would have told them about more specifics about my project, like how many participants I surveyed, how many responses I got back, etc. so that they would have a sense for the work and the experience, but that's okay. And with the professor bit, that was something my mentor encouraged me to do when answering questions like this because transcripts mean nothing in this day and age where A's are relatively easy to get (at least as an undergrad). They also have zero sense of what the course was actually like. Saying "advanced" in the SOP or something doesn't mean much to them. So I gave them a name, told them about her, made sure they knew it was not a TA, and so on. I gave them context for how rigorous the course was, and that helped. Side note: I also had a reference letter from this stats professor on purpose and asked her to give context for the class and to explain my performance. I also asked her to talk about how this says more about my abilities than my lower GRE quant score. 

Thanks for this! I also have an interview with UVA and was curious about how to prepare. Do you think they asked about your abilities in statistics and quantitative methods because of your specific interests or is UVA known as being strong in quantitative methods?

[Puncherkid]

2 hours ago, sociologicals said:

Congrats! Did you get funding details? I was admitted via phone and told it'd be awhile before funding info. Was your acceptance by email or snail mail? 

Congrats too! It was by email with an official letter in PDF format. I was awarded a 20k stipend (plus free tuition and healthcare), and they indicated that other fellowships might also be available.

[oldacct]

12 minutes ago, Puncherkid said:

Congrats too! It was by email with an official letter in PDF format. I was awarded a 20k stipend (plus free tuition and healthcare), and they indicated that other fellowships might also be available.

Thanks for the info! 

[draco.malfoy]

25 minutes ago, ndrun said:

Thanks for this! I also have an interview with UVA and was curious about how to prepare. Do you think they asked about your abilities in statistics and quantitative methods because of your specific interests or is UVA known as being strong in quantitative methods?

I don't think that UVA is known for quant, but I think they want to make sure that I am capable of graduate level statistics because its required, etc. and an important methodology to have in your toolkit. I think that most programs would ask this sort of question of any student, but I'm guessing they asked me specifically because of my non-quant interests and my lower quant GRE score. Good luck with your interview!

[ndrun]

3 minutes ago, draco.malfoy said:

I don't think that UVA is known for quant, but I think they want to make sure that I am capable of graduate level statistics because its required, etc. and an important methodology to have in your toolkit. I think that most programs would ask this sort of question of any student, but I'm guessing they asked me specifically because of my non-quant interests and my lower quant GRE score. Good luck with your interview!

Ah. Makes sense. My quant GRE score isn't impressive either (155) so I'll anticipate a similar question just in case. Thanks!!

[HighlyCaffeinated]

Mondays: when I return to obsessively refreshing my email in hopes of admissions news.

[shaodiao]

4 hours ago, Puncherkid said:

Just received the official acceptance letter! Gook luck to you!

Congrats!

[AmityDuPeuple]

3 hours ago, draco.malfoy said:

Yeah, definitely. The first question they asked me was, with my interests in comparative-historical sociology, cultural sociology, political sociology, religion, nationalism and theory, etc..., the committee wanted me to talk about my comfort level with statistics and quantitative methods. I told them about the coursework I've taken, my grades, the topics the classes covered, and my experience using qualtrics, SPSS and multiple regression. The most important things, I think, in that answer was (1) I told them about the specific software I used and the specific statistical methods I used in my major project's analysis (chi-square, multiple regression, etc...), and (2) that the professor who taught the course is a renowned statistician and quantitative sociologist. I gave them context, essentially. I wish I would have told them about more specifics about my project, like how many participants I surveyed, how many responses I got back, etc. so that they would have a sense for the work and the experience, but that's okay. And with the professor bit, that was something my mentor encouraged me to do when answering questions like this because transcripts mean nothing in this day and age where A's are relatively easy to get (at least as an undergrad). They also have zero sense of what the course was actually like. Saying "advanced" in the SOP or something doesn't mean much to them. So I gave them a name, told them about her, made sure they knew it was not a TA, and so on. I gave them context for how rigorous the course was, and that helped. Side note: I also had a reference letter from this stats professor on purpose and asked her to give context for the class and to explain my performance. I also asked her to talk about how this says more about my abilities than my lower GRE quant score. 

Another question they asked me was, if my first choices for faculty to work with that I listed out in my application and SOP were not available to work with me, would I still want to go to the school. I think that's a valid question, considering sabbaticals, etc. It gave me the opportunity to show that there are more than just one or two professors in the department who are doing the kind of work I want to do, and that I am great fit for the department as a whole rather than just one person.

Great! Thanks for sharing! I feel like I could write a novella while trying to prepare for my impending visit. I'd like to be much more deliberate than what I have been; this definitely helps me feel better prepared to answer some questions beyond the basics. Thanks again! 

[a little-stitious]

Has anyone heard anything from Wisconsin? It looks like last year decisions came out the end of January so I've been checking my email all day long. 

[oldacct]

49 minutes ago, a little-stitious said:

Has anyone heard anything from Wisconsin? It looks like last year decisions came out the end of January so I've been checking my email all day long. 

 

I haven't heard anything yet. 

[rdrisms]

New poster, longtime lurker. Just received an acceptance email from UCLA. They tell you in the subject line so there is no anxious logging-in or anything. I suspect that they are sending acceptances piecemeal rather than in "waves." This is my first acceptance, after a rejection from Berkeley and a interview/visit invite from Notre Dame.

Other notes: UCLA was my undergraduate institution, so I'm definitely waiting on other schools (like Columbia and Wisconsin). Key interests are in race, education, and immigration. Best of luck for everyone else!

[Psychapplica]

On 1/25/2017 at 0:07 PM, kris10mb said:

I can only speak for one of those schools, but I have a friend who received an acceptance from NCSU two weeks ago. I still haven't heard from them, but ETS had a problem sending my full GRE score to them so they just got all my paperwork in last Friday (!!!!). The good-ish news is that they didn't do an interview. My friend just woke up one day and had an acceptance email waiting.

For those mentioning NCSU, would you mind sharing which program you heard back from (or your friend)? Thanks! I know some programs have different deadlines and some schools interview all programs/ concentrations on the same timeline while others do not. Just trying to see what's going on. Thanks again ? Congrats & well wishes to your friend 

[sociologicalnewbie]

Hi! anyone out there applying to Stanford?

[AmityDuPeuple]

4 hours ago, Psychapplica said:

For those mentioning NCSU, would you mind sharing which program you heard back from (or your friend)? Thanks! I know some programs have different deadlines and some schools interview all programs/ concentrations on the same timeline while others do not. Just trying to see what's going on. Thanks again ? Congrats & well wishes to your friend 

I think most, if not all, are talking about the soc program. This is a thread within the sociology forum.