Fall 2018 Applicants

[pinoysoc]

On 1/2/2018 at 4:25 PM, 2733amh said:

@abenz they are all sociology apps + a dual degree JD/PhD app at Northwestern. Georgetown is a JD. my career goals are to get into juvenile justice and mass incarceration advocacy and policy reform + at-risk youth and child welfare/protective services advocacy + policy so I applied to a mix of PhD and JD programs because both degrees can support me in that

That's awesome!

6 hours ago, capslock said:

Hi all! I decided to follow Madelene's lead and make the jump from long-time lurker to (hopefully) productive participant.  

I am four years out of school and have loved every twist and turn of my post-college trajectory. However, something in my gut (#ENFJ) felt like this was the year to throw my proverbial hat into the ring!

My research interests lie at the intersection of stratification & inequality and collective action & social movements. I am endlessly fascinated by the ways in which historically marginalized communities collectively identify and navigate social problems. Specifically, I am intrigued by the ways in which these processes might manifest differently across the U.S. urban/rural divide or when fortified by religious rhetoric.

I have submitted applications to eight programs and am trying to be as productive as possible with any anxiety during this time: whenever I catch myself perseverating over my chances of admission, I open Duolingo and go through French flashcards instead! I have also started training for a half marathon which gives me a healthy goal to work towards and makes me feel like I am actively accomplishing something in the midst of this liminal period.

Best of luck to all! Keep your heads above water and remember that you are so much more than whatever outcome results from this capricious process!

Hey @capslock ! Welcome! How was your journey in submitting all those dreaded apps?!?!?

9 hours ago, Madelene said:

Hi all! 

 

Finally time to post because it's too stressful waiting alone!

I applied to five schools (Stanford, UNC Chapel Hill, Princeton, UW Madison, and Michigan) and am concerned that 5 schools (all ranked highly) aren't enough. I have a very strong interest in the sociology of health and wrote an undergrad thesis on the topic with departmental awards and a 3.98 GPA (overall and in sociology major). My GRE scores weren't anything to write home about (V-162 and Q-159) but I'm hoping they'll be enough for one school. I feel pretty good about my writing sample (my thesis) but don't have any publications, as I went to a liberal arts college where professor research is secondary to teaching, although I did work as an RA for a publication yet to be completed. I also feel good about my letters of recommendation--three professors I've worked closely with and the president of my alma mater, who I work for now as a data analyst.  I'm also not sure about my statement of purpose. I felt really good about it but asked too many people for advice and heard contradictory things, so who knows! I'm just trying to breathe and remember that even rejection doesn't mean this isn't the right path. 

Anyone have experience with these programs? I think Princeton is the odd one out in my list, as they are moving more towards urban sociology as far as I can tell.

I have no clue what to expect but would love to chat with you all and worry with others instead of alone!

 

 

Hey @Madelene ! How did your Stanford application go? I applied, but the lack of information or even a page dedicated to research specialties made writing the SOP hard!

[pinoysoc]

By the way guys, we're much more active than last year's group! At some point, their convos died out, but I'm pretty sure we're such a lively bunch!

[infovore]

Somehow my UCSD Sociology-Science Studies app slipped through the cracks, it's due on the 10th and I'm waaaay behind, compared to where I was two days before all my December 15th apps were due. Kind of ironic how that goes. I thought I had more time, for some reason.

The word limit for the SOP is way higher than the others (2500 words) and the SOP prompt is more detailed and asks about stuff like, "How did you become interested in this field?" i.e. the kind of stuff I've been avoiding putting on every other SOP.

Edited January 9, 2018 by infovore

[pinoysoc]

7 hours ago, infovore said:

Somehow my UCSD Sociology-Science Studies app slipped through the cracks, it's due on the 10th and I'm waaaay behind, compared to where I was two days before all my December 15th apps were due. Kind of ironic how that goes. I thought I had more time, for some reason.

The word limit for the SOP is way higher than the others (2500 words) and the SOP prompt is more detailed and asks about stuff like, "How did you become interested in this field?" i.e. the kind of stuff I've been avoiding putting on every other SOP.

Hey @infovore 

Hopefully you get your application done for UCSD. I can attest that the UC's have the most stringent application process. 

And, welcome to the forum!

[Madelene]

15 hours ago, pinoysoc said:

Hey @Madelene ! How did your Stanford application go? I applied, but the lack of information or even a page dedicated to research specialties made writing the SOP hard!

2

Hey pinoysoc! 

My Stanford app was a little rough, especially as it was the first one due. I had to dig really deep though into faculty research to get a feel for the department strengths, for the exact research you've listed. I ended up falling in love with Karen Cook, but she's a rock star so I'm not sure what her availability is. I also found it really hard to figure out how much to flatter the department, since it's Stanford. Of course they know their prestige, but I don't want to schmooze to little or too much. What a weird, messed up game. 

How did yours go?

[capslock]

15 hours ago, pinoysoc said:

Hey @capslock ! Welcome! How was your journey in submitting all those dreaded apps?!?!?

Howdy! For as dorky and corny as it is to admit, I actually had a lot of fun putting together my applications! I tried to game-ify studying for the GRE to the point where I actually tricked myself into enjoying it most days. Lord knows how many SOP/writing sample drafts were eviscerated throughout the application process, but I was quite content with the resulting documents. At the end of the day, I know that my application was one of integrity and was unabashedly "me", so I trust that the departments from which I am rejected are ones where I may not have fit in  anyway.  

I think the most difficult thing was balancing work and the application process - it felt like I was holding down two full-time jobs for a while there. But this TED talk on commitment devices really put the whole process into perspective: for as awful as it was at the time to sacrifice social outings, weekend excursions, time with friends (aaaaaaand sleep), my current present self is SO HAPPY that I put my everything into my apps at the time and I sit now with NO REGRETS regarding the way I presented my application-self to the committees.

I hope everyone is finding some rest, relaxation, and time for self-care this week.  

[KevinJHa]

21 hours ago, CandideCoating said:

 

I just started doing The Joy of Painting with Bob Ross and joined a gym. 

amazing

[ThePastelCalico]

Long time since I've been to this board. Haven't been here since I got into my MS program in spring 2016, but I'm back and a hopeful candidate for a few schools. Really hoping for UW-Madison; my statement was strong and so were my letters, but I feel like my writing sample is weak when compared to the rest of my app. No telling though.

 

Hope everyone else is having a fun time waiting like I am. Also, any suggestions on other schools to apply to for environmental sociology? I don't feel comfortable with just four applications out there. 

[latemeg]

On 1/4/2018 at 12:05 PM, KevinJHa said:

I think its best to go in with the understanding that the process is pretty arbitrary, and there are lots of factors that we could not possibly control! Whatever happens happens, but I have a good feeling about all of yall <3

This is so true, and I'm trying to hold onto that thought! 

On 1/4/2018 at 1:56 PM, European Lumpi said:

This cannot be stressed enough. Every insight seems to point to the direction that after making it through the cut-off (whatever makes it through that), the process becomes completely random. At this point, there's nothing we can do other than keeping our fingers crossed. For every candidate with perfect stats, there is one that got in with motivation and experience.

Fingers crossed that I get to be one of the motivation/experience admits, then, since my scores are far from perfect. Oh, well. 

On 1/4/2018 at 6:01 PM, MintChocoChip said:

@latemeg I feel the same way with the quant scores and the lack of research experience on my part. However, like everyone is saying on this thread, there's only so much that we can control and we all have our other good points too. Let's cross our fingers and hope that we can begin the new year with some good news!

Finally finished my apps before the new year!! Unfortunately, I got sick, but I guess it'll force me to relax. Really loving all of the positive vibes here and hoping that everyone will welcome the new year with some good news about our apps! 

I am *so* ready to start hearing about everybody's results. If I don't get in, at least I'll get to see some of you get in. 

On 1/4/2018 at 6:10 PM, qualsoc2018 said:

I am super insecure about my quant score and I feel like that's the biggest thing that could tank me (I have a mediocre undergrad GPA but I have the equivalent of a 3.9-4.0 for 2 years of masters coursework, which I hope makes up for it), because I keep hearing from people that "they really look at the quant score in sociology since everyone has a good verbal score" and verbatim "you need a 160 quant or higher to get into X program that I applied to" and that all makes me scared lol

I KNOW, that 160 mark is killer. I retook it after subpar scores when I took it during undergrad, but didn't improve nearly to that 160 mark. 166V, 151Q (from a 162V and a 147Q)..

On 1/8/2018 at 11:02 AM, Madelene said:

Hi all! 

 

Finally time to post because it's too stressful waiting alone!

I applied to five schools (Stanford, UNC Chapel Hill, Princeton, UW Madison, and Michigan) and am concerned that 5 schools (all ranked highly) aren't enough. I have a very strong interest in the sociology of health and wrote an undergrad thesis on the topic with departmental awards and a 3.98 GPA (overall and in sociology major). My GRE scores weren't anything to write home about (V-162 and Q-159) but I'm hoping they'll be enough for one school. I feel pretty good about my writing sample (my thesis) but don't have any publications, as I went to a liberal arts college where professor research is secondary to teaching, although I did work as an RA for a publication yet to be completed. I also feel good about my letters of recommendation--three professors I've worked closely with and the president of my alma mater, who I work for now as a data analyst.  I'm also not sure about my statement of purpose. I felt really good about it but asked too many people for advice and heard contradictory things, so who knows! I'm just trying to breathe and remember that even rejection doesn't mean this isn't the right path. 

Anyone have experience with these programs? I think Princeton is the odd one out in my list, as they are moving more towards urban sociology as far as I can tell.

I have no clue what to expect but would love to chat with you all and worry with others instead of alone!

 

 

You and I both for UWM and UM! Sociology of health is my jam too. No publications here, but I have some brief RA and TA experience with good LORS (including from my sociology statistics professor, who hopefully vouched for my ~~wacky excellent~~ statistics skills). SOPs are my downfall, and I'm very much hoping committees will review my writing sample even if they're iffy on my SOP; the writing sample is probably the strongest part of all of my applications. 

[syza]

8 hours ago, latemeg said:

You and I both for UWM and UM! Sociology of health is my jam too. No publications here, but I have some brief RA and TA experience with good LORS (including from my sociology statistics professor, who hopefully vouched for my ~~wacky excellent~~ statistics skills). SOPs are my downfall, and I'm very much hoping committees will review my writing sample even if they're iffy on my SOP; the writing sample is probably the strongest part of all of my applications. 

Yikes! Make that three that are vying for UWM and UM for sociology of health. Hope it works out for all of us!!

[pinoysoc]

On 1/9/2018 at 12:06 PM, Madelene said:

Hey pinoysoc! 

My Stanford app was a little rough, especially as it was the first one due. I had to dig really deep though into faculty research to get a feel for the department strengths, for the exact research you've listed. I ended up falling in love with Karen Cook, but she's a rock star so I'm not sure what her availability is. I also found it really hard to figure out how much to flatter the department, since it's Stanford. Of course they know their prestige, but I don't want to schmooze to little or too much. What a weird, messed up game. 

How did yours go?

Hey! It went well. I finished it last November. I would love to work with Jeremy Freese and work for the Center for Population Health Sciences! I wish they were more straightforward with what the departments strengths are. Some current graduate students were working in health research so I'm crossing my fingers!

[pinoysoc]

20 hours ago, latemeg said:

This is so true, and I'm trying to hold onto that thought! 

Fingers crossed that I get to be one of the motivation/experience admits, then, since my scores are far from perfect. Oh, well. 

I am *so* ready to start hearing about everybody's results. If I don't get in, at least I'll get to see some of you get in. 

I KNOW, that 160 mark is killer. I retook it after subpar scores when I took it during undergrad, but didn't improve nearly to that 160 mark. 166V, 151Q (from a 162V and a 147Q)..

You and I both for UWM and UM! Sociology of health is my jam too. No publications here, but I have some brief RA and TA experience with good LORS (including from my sociology statistics professor, who hopefully vouched for my ~~wacky excellent~~ statistics skills). SOPs are my downfall, and I'm very much hoping committees will review my writing sample even if they're iffy on my SOP; the writing sample is probably the strongest part of all of my applications. 

 

20 hours ago, latemeg said:

This is so true, and I'm trying to hold onto that thought! 

Fingers crossed that I get to be one of the motivation/experience admits, then, since my scores are far from perfect. Oh, well. 

I am *so* ready to start hearing about everybody's results. If I don't get in, at least I'll get to see some of you get in. 

I KNOW, that 160 mark is killer. I retook it after subpar scores when I took it during undergrad, but didn't improve nearly to that 160 mark. 166V, 151Q (from a 162V and a 147Q)..

You and I both for UWM and UM! Sociology of health is my jam too. No publications here, but I have some brief RA and TA experience with good LORS (including from my sociology statistics professor, who hopefully vouched for my ~~wacky excellent~~ statistics skills). SOPs are my downfall, and I'm very much hoping committees will review my writing sample even if they're iffy on my SOP; the writing sample is probably the strongest part of all of my applications. 

 

11 hours ago, syza said:

Yikes! Make that three that are vying for UWM and UM for sociology of health. Hope it works out for all of us!!

Make that four of  us! Sociology of Health FTW!

[Len]

Hello!

I've been creepily stalking the forums for a while, but I want to join the party.

I just submitted my final application yesterday and am feeling none of the relief I thought I would feel... Anyone else completely paranoid that they have somehow screwed up somewhere in the application to the extent that it will be immediately rejected? Anyone? Perhaps I should have double-checked everything 80 more times before clicking "submit".

I'm applying for joint MA/PhD programs in Sociology (health and life course focus). I want to study DEATH. (Really though.) 

I'm also feeling like I have NO IDEA WHAT I'M DOING. Anyone else? Imposter syndrome is real. 

I'm oldish (almost 33), I earned a bs in Sociology in 2011, and I've done nothing in the field since... I think that makes me a "non-traditional" student. I did start a business that (inexplicably) became very successful. Then I sold it to do this. 

I have little (VERY little) research experience. One publication up for review. No Masters degree. My GPA is okay (3.73). My GRE's aren't terrible or great (93rd, 51st, & 93rd percentiles...damn you Quant). And I have zero experience in the field.

I do have three very good letters of recommendation, a strong writing sample, a (hopefully) strong SOP, a conference presentation, student paper award, and a whole heap of life experience. So there's that.

This is, without a doubt, what I want to do with my life, but my lack of experience and research has me worried. So now I'll join you all in the waiting game and try not to obsess too much. 

At least it appears I'm in good company! 

[pinoysoc]

2 minutes ago, Len said:

Hello!

I've been creepily stalking the forums for a while, but I want to join the party.

I just submitted my final application yesterday and am feeling none of the relief I thought I would feel... Anyone else completely paranoid that they have somehow screwed up somewhere in the application to the extent that it will be immediately rejected? Anyone? Perhaps I should have double-checked everything 80 more times before clicking "submit".

I'm applying for joint MA/PhD programs in Sociology (health and life course focus). I want to study DEATH. (Really though.) 

I'm also feeling like I have NO IDEA WHAT I'M DOING. Anyone else? Imposter syndrome is real. 

I'm oldish (almost 33), I earned a bs in Sociology in 2011, and I've done nothing in the field since... I think that makes me a "non-traditional" student. I did start a business that (inexplicably) became very successful. Then I sold it to do this. 

I have little (VERY little) research experience. One publication up for review. No Masters degree. My GPA is okay (3.73). My GRE's aren't terrible or great (93rd, 51st, & 93rd percentiles...damn you Quant). And I have zero experience in the field.

I do have three very good letters of recommendation, a strong writing sample, a (hopefully) strong SOP, a conference presentation, student paper award, and a whole heap of life experience. So there's that.

This is, without a doubt, what I want to do with my life, but my lack of experience and research has me worried. So now I'll join you all in the waiting game and try not to obsess too much. 

At least it appears I'm in good company! 

YASSSSSS!

Welcome to the party, @Len

The feelings you wrote about are normal. You're hearing this from a guy who has done this five times already!  If it makes it any better, usually all application portals have that check for missing/incomplete option before submitting those life changing things! lol

As for age, it doesn't matter! We'll be competing with "youngins" who are just about to finish their undergraduate degree and others who have an extensive CV of working, publications, etc. If you also think about it, there are others are coming from other academic disciplines other than Sociology. 

Like many have expressed on here, we can only hope for the best. I'm pretty sure we all have our personal strengths and weaknesses. Sometimes, it comes down to pure luck AND  fate. I personally opted to take a break after my getting my MA this past May because it's how my brain/energy for school works. I realized that I can't do a straight-up PhD program or else I would burn out and drop out. If I ended up going to a PhD program last Fall, I don't know how motivated I would be at the moment.

Of course, I have a lot of stake for this year. My GRE scores are horrible and expiring. Sadly, I don't want to retake them because I'm not such a great test taker. 

Let me know if you want to talk!

Congratulations on taking the first step!

[Len]

6 minutes ago, pinoysoc said:

YASSSSSS!

Welcome to the party, @Len

The feelings you wrote about are normal. You're hearing this from a guy who has done this five times already!  If it makes it any better, usually all application portals have that check for missing/incomplete option before submitting those life changing things! lol

As for age, it doesn't matter! We'll be competing with "youngins" who are just about to finish their undergraduate degree and others who have an extensive CV of working, publications, etc. If you also think about it, there are others are coming from other academic disciplines other than Sociology. 

Like many have expressed on here, we can only hope for the best. I'm pretty sure we all have our personal strengths and weaknesses. Sometimes, it comes down to pure luck AND  fate. I personally opted to take a break after my getting my MA this past May because it's how my brain/energy for school works. I realized that I can't do a straight-up PhD program or else I would burn out and drop out. If I ended up going to a PhD program last Fall, I don't know how motivated I would be at the moment.

Of course, I have a lot of stake for this year. My GRE scores are horrible and expiring. Sadly, I don't want to retake them because I'm not such a great test taker. 

Let me know if you want to talk!

Congratulations on taking the first step!

Thank you! 

Congrats on your MA!  It sounds like you are a certifiable pro in the application process...I know who I'll be reaching out to if I have questions, ha! 

I wish you the best of luck...if anything so that you won't have to take the GRE again. That test is the absolute worst. I had to use every ounce of willpower in my body to keep from beating my head against the keyboard by the last section.

Luckily, all of the application portals have let me know that my materials are "completed" and "verified". I just worry that somewhere in there I misspelled "Sociology" or got my name wrong or something. Is that a reasonable worry? Probably not. Does it keep me up at night anyway? You bet your butt it does. 

I do feel relieved that what I'm feeling is normal though...it's good to not be alone.

Here's hoping for the best! 

[latemeg]

13 hours ago, syza said:

Yikes! Make that three that are vying for UWM and UM for sociology of health. Hope it works out for all of us!!

I'm happy that UWM allowed the submission of an additional writing sample. I submitted a really great social epidemiology paper to them as well as my regular writing sample. That being said, I'm still a rookie for the topic, so who knows. 

2 hours ago, pinoysoc said:

 

 

Make that four of  us! Sociology of Health FTW!

It's a great field. I really like social epidemiology particularly, which makes Michigan a dream, but lol, #1 ranked...

[latemeg]

5 minutes ago, Len said:

Thank you! 

Congrats on your MA!  It sounds like you are a certifiable pro in the application process...I know who I'll be reaching out to if I have questions, ha! 

I wish you the best of luck...if anything so that you won't have to take the GRE again. That test is the absolute worst. I had to use every ounce of willpower in my body to keep from beating my head against the keyboard by the last section.

Luckily, all of the application portals have let me know that my materials are "completed" and "verified". I just worry that somewhere in there I misspelled "Sociology" or got my name wrong or something. Is that a reasonable worry? Probably not. Does it keep me up at night anyway? You bet your butt it does. 

I do feel relieved that what I'm feeling is normal though...it's good to not be alone.

Here's hoping for the best! 

Retaking the GRE is HELL. I did manage to improve my scores a lil, but good Lord. Months of relearning algebra and memorizing the formulas only to get basically 100% 'properties' questions with no actual computation. The first quant section came up and I'm relatively sure I missed at least 50% of them. Cleared that section and just sat in the chair and thought about my life for a moment. Oh, well.

[pinoysoc]

4 minutes ago, latemeg said:

I'm happy that UWM allowed the submission of an additional writing sample. I submitted a really great social epidemiology paper to them as well as my regular writing sample. That being said, I'm still a rookie for the topic, so who knows. 

It's a great field. I really like social epidemiology particularly, which makes Michigan a dream, but lol, #1 ranked...

Nice! I was planning to apply to UMich, but I heard bad things about the school in general. It made me re-think of my application. I found that applying to programs that were focused in medical sociology  and had a public health program made me swoon! Particularly, one program I applied to had an option to get MPH along the way as well!

[pinoysoc]

2 minutes ago, latemeg said:

Retaking the GRE is HELL. I did manage to improve my scores a lil, but good Lord. Months of relearning algebra and memorizing the formulas only to get basically 100% 'properties' questions with no actual computation. The first quant section came up and I'm relatively sure I missed at least 50% of them. Cleared that section and just sat in the chair and thought about my life for a moment. Oh, well.

UGHHH! I hate math, but love statistics! I found that multiple choice math is the absolute worst! I'm more into applying what those things are into real life issues! LOL.

[latemeg]

4 minutes ago, pinoysoc said:

Nice! I was planning to apply to UMich, but I heard bad things about the school in general. It made me re-think of my application. I found that applying to programs that were focused in medical sociology  and had a public health program made me swoon! Particularly, one program I applied to had an option to get MPH along the way as well!

Really? What have you heard, if you don't mind?
I applied to University of Chicago despite my advisor's warning that the program is a bit conservative. That may be a mistake on my part, since idk if I have any kind of fit there, but oh well. Water under the bridge at this point. 

3 minutes ago, pinoysoc said:

UGHHH! I hate math, but love statistics! I found that multiple choice math is the absolute worst! I'm more into applying what those things are into real life issues! LOL.

Looooove stats. It's weird, because I get great grades in math classes, but the particular way the quant section asks questions really messes with me. 

[pinoysoc]

6 minutes ago, latemeg said:

Really? What have you heard, if you don't mind?
I applied to University of Chicago despite my advisor's warning that the program is a bit conservative. That may be a mistake on my part, since idk if I have any kind of fit there, but oh well. Water under the bridge at this point. 

Looooove stats. It's weird, because I get great grades in math classes, but the particular way the quant section asks questions really messes with me. 

From what a friend told me, it's really "Eurocentric" (it's closest word I can think off). Students of color apparently don't get a lot of help from faculty... even those who are working in area studies departments (i.e. southeast asia, etc.) Of course, this is coming from his personal experience and he's also an international student. So, I'm not sure if its a fair assessment of the school. However, I don't want to risk it because I'm a minority already coming from a U.S. territory (who happens to live in the Midwest for school & work). I heard great things about UMich, but I didn't want to think about other things when going to school. 

Of course, I understand there is personal bias coming from my friend.

[latemeg]

3 hours ago, pinoysoc said:

From what a friend told me, it's really "Eurocentric" (it's closest word I can think off). Students of color apparently don't get a lot of help from faculty... even those who are working in area studies departments (i.e. southeast asia, etc.) Of course, this is coming from his personal experience and he's also an international student. So, I'm not sure if its a fair assessment of the school. However, I don't want to risk it because I'm a minority already coming from a U.S. territory (who happens to live in the Midwest for school & work). I heard great things about UMich, but I didn't want to think about other things when going to school. 

Of course, I understand there is personal bias coming from my friend.

Oh, that sucks I heard similar about UWM, although I also heard there have been some improvements. It sucks that these are considerations for choosing programs :/

[pinoysoc]

5 minutes ago, latemeg said:

Oh, that sucks I heard similar about UWM, although I also heard there have been some improvements. It sucks that these are considerations for choosing programs :/

I know! Based on research/reputation alone, they're great schools! But I also consider campus climate and location since we'll be spending years there at a time. 

[mfafiction2019]

Congrats to the person who got the Chicago interview!

[syza]

10 hours ago, latemeg said:

I'm happy that UWM allowed the submission of an additional writing sample. I submitted a really great social epidemiology paper to them as well as my regular writing sample. That being said, I'm still a rookie for the topic, so who knows. 

Yeah same here submitted two writing samples. I feel it could only help my chances if I display multiple styles of writing. Or so I hope...