Fall 2018 Applicants

[conquistadora]

I figured I'd go ahead and start this thread. I know it's a bit early, but who's ready? 

This will be my second cycle. I was rejected from four schools this past cycle, but according to one of my favorite songs, "You've got to lose to know how to win" (Aerosmith /\A/\). I know what I need to do this time around. I'm ready. 

Were you rejected this year? Or will this be your first time? What schools are you considering?

Good luck everyone. A year from right now (2/24/17) we will have good news to share with each other. 

[toinfinityandbeyond]

Getting ready to apply for Fall 2018, just took the GRE today!!

Thinking about: Stanford, Duke, Notre Dame, Indiana, University of Georgia, and Purdue 

Interests: Education, Social Networks, Social Psychology

[Jacobin]

On 2/24/2017 at 2:25 PM, conquistadora said:

I figured I'd go ahead and start this thread. I know it's a bit early, but who's ready? 

This will be my second cycle. I was rejected from four schools this past cycle, but according to one of my favorite songs, "You've got to lose to know how to win" (Aerosmith /\A/\). I know what I need to do this time around. I'm ready. 

Were you rejected this year? Or will this be your first time? What schools are you considering?

Good luck everyone. A year from right now (2/24/17) we will have good news to share with each other. 

Conquistadora,

What schools did you apply to? And, if you don't mind me inquiring, why do you think you did not receive acceptances? What changes have you made to your application?

[syza]

My first time applying. Looking forward to this!

Schools I am considering: UC Berkeley, UCLA, U Michigan, Northwestern U, U Wisconsin-Madison, Columbia, and NYU.

Interests: Historical Sociology, Economic and Political Sociology, Environmental Sociology, Sociology of Health and Medicine, Sociology of Science and Technology, and Sociology of Knowledge.

[conquistadora]

On 4/30/2017 at 9:00 PM, Jacobin said:

Conquistadora,

What schools did you apply to? And, if you don't mind me inquiring, why do you think you did not receive acceptances? What changes have you made to your application?

Hi Jacobin, Sorry for the late reply! I applied to UMass, UConn, UAlbany, and Harvard ( just because). I believe I was not accepted due to my GRE scores. I once worked in Grad Admissions (Masters, not doctorates) and the GRE (plus other exams) were looked as just a formality. I should have put much more effort into attaining a higher score. I recently retook the GRE, but will need to take it again. I am going to do a prep course and pray I get high enough scores to even be considered.

I will probably have one better LOR than before and I am also adding a second writing sample ( current work in progress). 

Do you have any other tips or advice? 

[conquistadora]

On 5/8/2017 at 11:21 AM, syza said:

My first time applying. Looking forward to this!

Schools I am considering: UC Berkeley, UCLA, U Michigan, Northwestern U, U Wisconsin-Madison, Columbia, and NYU.

Interests: Historical Sociology, Economic and Political Sociology, Environmental Sociology, Sociology of Health and Medicine, Sociology of Science and Technology, and Sociology of Knowledge.

Awesome choices! Best of luck to you! 

[syza]

4 hours ago, conquistadora said:

Awesome choices! Best of luck to you! 

Thanks!

Which depts/schools are you looking at and what are your interests?

[Jacobin]

On 5/16/2017 at 8:45 PM, conquistadora said:

Hi Jacobin, Sorry for the late reply! I applied to UMass, UConn, UAlbany, and Harvard ( just because). I believe I was not accepted due to my GRE scores. I once worked in Grad Admissions (Masters, not doctorates) and the GRE (plus other exams) were looked as just a formality. I should have put much more effort into attaining a higher score. I recently retook the GRE, but will need to take it again. I am going to do a prep course and pray I get high enough scores to even be considered.

I will probably have one better LOR than before and I am also adding a second writing sample ( current work in progress). 

Do you have any other tips or advice? 

Nothing beyond what is commonly reiterated on these forums: a strong writing sample (personally, I suggest something you have published in a good journal, if possible), careful fit with program, contact with POIs, a well-written and imaginative personal statement, etc.

[conquistadora]

On 5/17/2017 at 1:23 AM, syza said:

Thanks!

Which depts/schools are you looking at and what are your interests?

Umass & UConn definitely, if my GRE scores are high enough I'll look more into other schools. I would like to focus on the Sociology of Education. 

[conquistadora]

7 hours ago, Jacobin said:

Nothing beyond what is commonly reiterated on these forums: a strong writing sample (personally, I suggest something you have published in a good journal, if possible), careful fit with program, contact with POIs, a well-written and imaginative personal statement, etc.

Have you contacted any POIs? Do you have any advice on that..? 

[Carly Rae Jepsen]

First time applying as well. Very nervous. GPA is great, I plan to take the GRE in a few months.

Top 3 choices right now: UNC Chapel Hill, Brown, NYU.

Considering: Duke, UPenn, Hopkins, Penn State, Tulane, Stanford, NWU

Backup: UGA Athens

I think Brown especially is such a long shot. But I need to try this.

[ello_pomelo]

First time applying! Interested in health/demography.

Looking for warm weather, so considering: UC Berkeley, UT Austin, Duke, UNC Chapel Hill, UVA, Vanderbilt, UPenn & Penn State.

GPA is fine but research experience not so advanced. Debating whether or not to add lower-ranked schools. Already took GRE but nervous it's not high enough for these schools. 160V (85th percentile), 160Q (75th percentile), 4.5W. Should I take again?

[conquistadora]

On 5/24/2017 at 4:41 PM, ello_pomelo said:

First time applying! Interested in health/demography.

Looking for warm weather, so considering: UC Berkeley, UT Austin, Duke, UNC Chapel Hill, UVA, Vanderbilt, UPenn & Penn State.

GPA is fine but research experience not so advanced. Debating whether or not to add lower-ranked schools. Already took GRE but nervous it's not high enough for these schools. 160V (85th percentile), 160Q (75th percentile), 4.5W. Should I take again?

I think your GRE scores are great! I aspire to earn those scores. I think as long as your LOR's and Personal Statement are good you have a good chance. 

[infovore]

I'm working on my list of schools to apply to right now. I am applying to science studies-type programs, programs with a lot of support for interdisciplinary work. I know that I want to do some mix of sociology/philosophy/history of science/medicine, but narrowing it down from there is hard. My two "definites" are UCSD (Sociology - Science Studies) and Northwestern; I'm also looking at History and Philosophy of Science and Medicine at Indiana - Bloomington, and History and Sociology of Science at UPenn.

My BA is in Psychology, though I did take some sociology classes. I don't have any philosophy or history coursework, I just am interested in more training in those approaches after doing a lot of independent reading on my area of interest.

To be honest, I'm not even sure I want to go into the field of sociology -- a lot of sociological theory seems either so convoluted to be meaningless or of limited use. For example, most of the classic theorists just seem kinda useless to me, while some of the crit theory just seems so intentionally confusing that it's hard for me to take seriously. On the other hand, I love Latour, who a lot of people might put in the bucket of "intentionally confusing and overly convoluted," so go figure. I take a pretty pragmatic approach to theory, drawing from different fields as it seems useful, and there is certainly some sociological theory that I find useful. As for methods, I have no problem getting trained in quantitative approaches, because even if I'm not using them myself they are helpful for analyzing other social science research, and while some qualitative methodologies seem hand-wavy I probably will end up using some of them in my own work. So I have a pretty ambivalent feelings, but I'm starting to realize that choosing a disciplinary "home base" is really going to be about who will accept me, not based on the raw percentage of work done in that field that I appreciate. There is a pretty big tent in terms of the range of theoretical and methodological approaches that are considered "Sociology," as far as I can tell. Is that obnoxious to say?

Edited May 31, 2017 by infovore

[Blaubaer]

16 hours ago, infovore said:

I'm working on my list of schools to apply to right now. I am applying to science studies-type programs, programs with a lot of support for interdisciplinary work. I know that I want to do some mix of sociology/philosophy/history of science/medicine, but narrowing it down from there is hard.

I have a similar position regarding your idea of sociology as a big tent. My BA is in Communication and I am about to graduate from MA in Media and Political Communication (Sept. 2017). I am considering switching to Sociology in PhD because I have grown a particular interest in deaf/ disability studies, a field relatively less investigated by communication scholars.

Do you have a particular research question? That will probably guide you a lot in deciding the theoretical and methodological canons. As for me, I am currently using critical discourse analysis in my master thesis to detect statist ideology hidden behind the propagandistic stories of deaf Chinese promulgated by state agent. For the PhD I want to explore how the relationship of Chinese state and deaf citizens have been shaped and transformed through top-down government projects and bottom-up actions. In order to answer this broader question I’ve pinned down political sociology as the framework of inquiry and comparative-historical analysis + ethnography as empirical methods.

That being said, I am still trying to carve out a coherent research idea in my SoP, alongside with reasoning why I want to switch my focus from communication to sociology. Last year I also tried to apply to Cultural Anthropology but it didn’t work. So hopefully the second time is a charm!

[Eduparna]

On 5/1/2017 at 6:30 AM, Jacobin said:

Conquistadora,

What schools did you apply to? And, if you don't mind me inquiring, why do you think you did not receive acceptances? What changes have you made to your application?

I want to know which school you want to apply? I mean according to your stream check well reputed & affiliated school & then Join

[WorldPeaceMaker2010]

On 5/16/2017 at 8:45 PM, conquistadora said:

Hi Jacobin, Sorry for the late reply! I applied to UMass, UConn, UAlbany, and Harvard ( just because). I believe I was not accepted due to my GRE scores. I once worked in Grad Admissions (Masters, not doctorates) and the GRE (plus other exams) were looked as just a formality. I should have put much more effort into attaining a higher score. I recently retook the GRE, but will need to take it again. I am going to do a prep course and pray I get high enough scores to even be considered.

I will probably have one better LOR than before and I am also adding a second writing sample ( current work in progress). 

Do you have any other tips or advice? 

I got into the first three of those. Let me know if you need help this cycle

[conquistadora]

On 6/8/2017 at 1:15 AM, WorldPeaceMaker2010 said:

I got into the first three of those. Let me know if you need help this cycle

Thank you! I will message you after I take my next GRE ( probably late August). You will be busy starting your program at UMass! <3 Maybe I will see you there next year though! ( Fingers crossed!) 

[HMcneil]

Hey! I am applying again this cycle as well. I got rejected from UA, UMinn, UM, UMass and waitlisted at WSU. I think it was my GRE scores ? and I am preparing to greatly improve my scores. The strongest aspect of my application is undergraduate research publication, so I was disappointed. 

Still researching programs that better fit my research interests. 

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

research interests: criminal justice, criminology, social stratification, deviance and social control 

[infovore]

In sociology is it standard practice to email professors at graduate programs you apply to? I know in psychology it definitely is, but I'm unclear how important it is in sociology.

[RoxieB]

I am putting together application packets. I don't feel very confident about my chances. My research interests are in gender, stratification, and labor markets. I am passionate about Marxist Theory and my favorite journal is Gender, Work, and Organization. I am not fussed about prestige of my program, but a good fit and funding is a must. 

My short list is 

1. Ohio State
2. Nebraska, Lincoln
3. Florida State University
4. Indiana, Bloomington
5. North Carolina State
6. Wisconsin, Madison (which seems incredibly unlikely...)

The good parts of my application:

• 3.68 overall GPA.
• GPA in my major is 3.86. 
• department wide awards
• research experience
• Submitted manuscript as second author for a peer reviewed publication
• Scholarships
• Undergraduate Research grants
• Small Regional Conference Presentation
• Strong letters of recommendation leveraging faculty social networks
• Intern for department, and student worker for Women's and Gender Studies for two years

The weak parts of my application:

• Low GRE scores (151 verbal and 142 quant. Cannot afford to retake, still waiting on my analytic writing score)
• Public Commuter College - Low Prestige, small department, not known for sociology
• Older, non-traditional student. Schools may question if I am worth the investment.

I don't know if anyone will accept and fund me. I hope so. I read/lurk on these forums obsessively. I see everyone's outstanding GRE scores and high-prestige undergraduate degrees and it shakes my confidence a bit. I am sure you all will do well and be turning down a surfeit of offers this spring.  

 

[sociology92]

Hey y'all good luck this year

 

I'm hoping to transfer with a masters after my advisor switched schools. I'm currently in the phd program at NC State, but hoping to find a place that's a better match for my research interests. I'm interested in gender, qualitative research, and social psychology.

The schools I'm applying to are

1) UT Austin

2) Emory University

3) University of Oregon

4) Vanderbilt University

UT Austin is a bit of a reach as I have pretty average GRE scores, but I'm hoping that they like the my masters sample enough to consider me.

I've only taken the GRE once back in 2014, and really regretting I didn't bit the bullet and take it again!

Good luck all!

 

 

 

[KevinJHa]

Wow deadlines are so close is this real life?

This will be my first time applying, I aim to study migration, race and ethnicity, and urban studies. 

I am banking a lot on getting accepted into a program. The schools I am considering are:

1) Harvard

2) CUNY Graduate Center

3) Columbia

4) Princeton

5) Yale

6) Northeastern U

7) U Mich

8) UPenn

9) Boston University

I have selected these schools as they are great fits for the research I have done and will continue to do if accepted. A lot of scholars that have inspired my work are also faculty here.

The pros:

-I have a decent amount of research experience: RAship with a distinguished professor of sociology at CUNY who is huge in my intended field of study, a research internship at nonprofit, a UG research project and a grad level research project.

-I have a publication

-I have presented my UG research at ESS 2017

-i have four stellar recommendations

-My statement of purpose is extremely strong

-my writing sample is also strong and a graduate level research paper

-In addition to a BA in sociology I have a graduate certificate in Data Collection & Management with a 3.8 GPA

-I am auditing a Phd immigration course at CUNY

-Deans list, honors society in UG

-i have met many faculty and maintained connections

 

The cons:

-GRE score: 160V 144Q 4.5AW (the quant score is gonna effin kill me, no time to retake)

-My UG gpa is 3.42 which i feel is just below the acceptable range

-Im nervous AS HELL. ive put too much into this to be rejected :/ my heart couldnt take it haha

-im sure there are others i cant think of right now.

 

Anyway good luck folks, i wish you all the best and hope to hear some good news from yall this April

[syza]

On 10/27/2017 at 12:27 AM, KevinJHa said:

-My statement of purpose is extremely strong

 

Sounds exciting Kevin! Good luck.

One question though: why exactly do you think it's an extremely strong statement? Mind sharing your thought process? I am still quite anxious about nailing mine.

[KevinJHa]

@syza

 

Thanks, you too!

Sure I'd be happy to!  I'm feeling confident in my SoP because I've watched it grow for numerous drafts, gaining greater specificity every pass. My first draft, though I was proud of it, didn't work to my strengths. I was merely telling admissions committees what I've accomplished and what my goals were rather than showing- much like my pros and cons list. For example, in my first draft I mentioned that I had done research on X and Y but didn't bother to explain these projects in the fine, calculated detail that's expected nor why it was important to sociology. I believe they want to know the whys, the hows, its implications for the (sub)field, and what you're going to do with it in graduate school.

I also realized I used concepts ambiguously. For example, my introductory paragraph used the word globalization but didn't explicate what I meant or connect it at all to my research interests or goals for graduate school. I took those out and aimed to be entirely relevant from the start.

I also feel I played to my strengths. For example my first draft buried the most qualifying component of my application in the middle - my research experience. With a professor's advice, I immediately hit them up front with this information in a way that demonstrated the research experience rather than just name dropping. Then I connected what this experience taught me to how I was going to use it for future research in graduate school. I also mentioned funding very briefly, I heard this gives adcomms confidence in your understanding of the logistics of research. 

Another thing I've done recently is download the course catalogs for every school and made lists of what faculty teaches what topics. This helped me because I'm tailoring my SoP to every school and I don't mean by just replacing block paragraphs. A piece of advice I got was to demonstrate how YOU would benefit from attending institution X and make it less about how great you are. So from start to finish I talk about faculty, what each one could teach me to become a better scholar.

Lastly, I've sent it to multiple professors and friends and critically engaged with every bit of criticism I've received. It really helped me feel confident in my final draft. I just want highlight how important it was for me to ask other graduate students and faculty to review it for me. I couldn't have refined it this much if it weren't for their advice and suggestions.

These are just somethings I've done recently and I am very happy with my statement. If you want me to give you some critiques on yours, feel free to PM me!