Fall 2018 Applicants

[latemeg]

13 minutes ago, pinoysoc said:

OMG! Good luck! I was supposed to apply during my last year of my MA, but decided not too. Now, I'm nervous because I currently work full time and been so lax about school! What are your research interests?

Haha they're buried in my wall of text, but here they are again: sociology of science (especially critically examining "science of difference", ie race and sex); medical sociology, social epidemiology, race and racism, gender and sexuality, and critical criminology

How was your graduate GPA & your GRE scores? Was your full time work in the soc-related field, or something else? 

[pinoysoc]

16 minutes ago, latemeg said:

Haha they're buried in my wall of text, but here they are again: sociology of science (especially critically examining "science of difference", ie race and sex); medical sociology, social epidemiology, race and racism, gender and sexuality, and critical criminology

How was your graduate GPA & your GRE scores? Was your full time work in the soc-related field, or something else? 

I believe we have similar interests! I ended up with a 3.60. But, in fairness, it was heavy on quantitative courses for the two years. At this moment, my job is related to sociology. Working in health research at the moment. How's your MA program going?

[mfafiction2019]

I have a question about the writing sample. I did a couple of years of graduate coursework for an MA program abroad in a non-English speaking country and am currently writing my thesis for that MA program (long story, but I'm applying for PhD programs now because if I wait until I officially receive the MA degree, it could be literally 2020, as this place is very bureaucratic), which I plan to finish before starting a PhD program in the fall. I'm using a part of it for my writing sample, but I had to translate it into English. I make a note at the top that I have translated it from its original language, and I proofread it a bunch of times before submitting, but I still feel like I perhaps there are some parts where it might sound awkward in English. What do you guys think?

ETA: English is my native language and I'm also fluent in the other language, but still, sometimes translation can be weird even if you know both languages well

Edited December 7, 2017 by qualsoc2018

[latemeg]

1 hour ago, pinoysoc said:

I believe we have similar interests! I ended up with a 3.60. But, in fairness, it was heavy on quantitative courses for the two years. At this moment, my job is related to sociology. Working in health research at the moment. How's your MA program going?

The program is going really well; I have a 4.0 at this point and just started data collection for my thesis. I'm hoping my LORs sell my quant skills better than my GRE does, though. My program was light as hell on quant, but I took every class they offered for it, so hopefully that counts in my favor.

[pinoysoc]

How’s everyone doing with their applications? I know it’s 6 days until most programs are expecting them for mid-December deadline for the fall? How’s everyone coping after? 

[European Lumpi]

28 minutes ago, pinoysoc said:

How’s everyone doing with their applications? I know it’s 6 days until most programs are expecting them for mid-December deadline for the fall? How’s everyone coping after? 

There's quite a bit of work to be done for me still. I'm probably going to end up with a lot of Thursday and Friday submission. Can't wait for this process to be over, although I already know that going from 100 to 0 is going to leave me in a mental hole for a couple of days.

I keep telling myself to stop wasting time by checking this website several times each day haha

[latemeg]

2 hours ago, European Lumpi said:

There's quite a bit of work to be done for me still. I'm probably going to end up with a lot of Thursday and Friday submission. Can't wait for this process to be over, although I already know that going from 100 to 0 is going to leave me in a mental hole for a couple of days.

I keep telling myself to stop wasting time by checking this website several times each day haha

LOL, I feel this so much. I have 5 more apps to do. So much SOP tailoring and research. I'm trying to submit Thursday morning at the very latest. 

Where are you applying to?

[pinoysoc]

4 hours ago, European Lumpi said:

There's quite a bit of work to be done for me still. I'm probably going to end up with a lot of Thursday and Friday submission. Can't wait for this process to be over, although I already know that going from 100 to 0 is going to leave me in a mental hole for a couple of days.

I keep telling myself to stop wasting time by checking this website several times each day haha

 

2 hours ago, latemeg said:

LOL, I feel this so much. I have 5 more apps to do. So much SOP tailoring and research. I'm trying to submit Thursday morning at the very latest. 

Where are you applying to?

YOU GUYS CAN DO THIS! My strategy was pretty much to act super anxious while at work and turn things in when I was taking a break fro my work project! Now, I'm constantly worrying about decisions since traditionally, some schools I applied to start replying/contacting potential students right after Christmas!  

[MintChocoChip]

15 hours ago, pinoysoc said:

How’s everyone doing with their applications? I know it’s 6 days until most programs are expecting them for mid-December deadline for the fall? How’s everyone coping after? 

Still working on apps, though they're really just SOP tailoring and miscellaneous things. Submitted the two that were due on Dec. 1, but still waiting on my editor for comments for the SOPs with Dec. 15 deadline. If I don't hear soon I'm just going to do another check and just submit it. Since I consider those technically done (just have to put my SOPs in and submit them), I have 6 more apps to go. Feeling the pressure, but motivating myself with a promise to give myself a full week (possible interviews permitting) of gaming and a splurge on take out on the day I finish my last app.  

On 12/6/2017 at 7:37 AM, chen48y said:

Hello there! I am also applying for Sociology this year, with a concentration in economic sociology and social stratification. 

3.85 GPA from a top Liberal Arts College with a double major in Economics & History. Have been working as a consulting analyst at a global Financial Tech firm for 1.5+ years, first in New York and now in China. 

GRE: 165V/169Q/4.5AW ... poor writing score I know

My biggest concern is in my Writing sample selection as I don't  have a single-authored paper in social science. Have a senior thesis in social history and a co-authored class paper in Econometrics (I'm the primary author). Was wondering if submitting a history thesis is a long shot??? Or maybe I should use my co-authored econ. paper instead? 

Applying to: Stanford, Wisconsin, Berkeley, Harvard, Chicago, Columbia, Princeton 

All are pretty long shots, as I don't have a sociology background and have been out of school for almost 2 years... Haven't published any paper in undergrad either...

Best luck everyone!!! 

 

I also had a similar problem since my graduate health major was basically team-based learning with teams collaborating on every paper. I just used my undergraduate senior thesis and/or an excerpt of a research methods paper since I didn't have any publications either. Some of my schools required two papers which is why there is the and/or. I forgot which one, but I remembered one school saying they wanted a single authored paper. 

Also, take this with a grain of salt, but if it helps, I spoke with some professors and they seemed to either not care or were interested in my different background (an uncommon health field), so don't think having a non sociology background will hurt you. You can try using it instead as a strength and show how you are adding to the diversity of the school and field. 

So glad I'm not alone in the Thursday submission thing. We can do this! 

12 hours ago, latemeg said:

LOL, I feel this so much. I have 5 more apps to do. So much SOP tailoring and research. I'm trying to submit Thursday morning at the very latest. 

Where are you applying to?

15 hours ago, European Lumpi said:

There's quite a bit of work to be done for me still. I'm probably going to end up with a lot of Thursday and Friday submission. Can't wait for this process to be over, although I already know that going from 100 to 0 is going to leave me in a mental hole for a couple of days.

I keep telling myself to stop wasting time by checking this website several times each day haha

Edited December 10, 2017 by MintChocoChip

[socstudentzzz]

Hey everyone! This is my second applications cycle. Last time I applied to 5 programs (2 acceptances, 1 acceptance with no funding, 2 rejections). My interests include mathematical sociology, social psychology, network analysis, and education. This time around I'm applying to 7 programs, all sociology:

1. University of California, Irvine
2. University of Washington
3. University of Iowa
4. Cornell University
5. University of South Carolina
6. University of Nebraska, Lincoln
7. University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Two down, just five more to go. I feel like I have a pretty solid application, just a little concerned over my GRE score (V:156 Q: 160 AW: 4.0) but I have extensive research experience. Hopefully that compensates for it.

Regardless, I'm really excited to continue my work and education in sociology. I noticed a few others on the forum are applying to similar places, would be really awesome to be cohort members (:

[abenz]

1 hour ago, soc4315 said:

Hey everyone! This is my second applications cycle. Last time I applied to 5 programs (2 acceptances, 1 acceptance with no funding, 2 rejections).  

Hey! Interested to see that you've been through this before and didn't take up offers last time. Can I ask what made you decide to not take your places last year?

 

[abenz]

Also, to everyone who is yet to submit - I can tell you now it is the best feeling to know that it's over! Until the dreams begin that your top choice school has accepted you, which makes waking up so cruel! ?

[European Lumpi]

16 hours ago, latemeg said:

LOL, I feel this so much. I have 5 more apps to do. So much SOP tailoring and research. I'm trying to submit Thursday morning at the very latest. 

Where are you applying to?

Haha good to know I'm not the only one.

I'm applying to Harvard, Cornell, Columbia, Duke, and Indiana, but I'm also throwing in a few B-School apps at places that allow for very sociological work.

14 hours ago, pinoysoc said:

 

YOU GUYS CAN DO THIS! My strategy was pretty much to act super anxious while at work and turn things in when I was taking a break fro my work project! Now, I'm constantly worrying about decisions since traditionally, some schools I applied to start replying/contacting potential students right after Christmas!  

Yeah, I'm trying to juggle my master's and all these apps at once right now and that is getting quite crazy as well.

Ha that doesn't sound too relaxing either, but I'm envious nonetheless

 

Also: Wow this forum is starting to come alive. I was quite surprised by how little traffic there was on here until recently haha

[socstudentzzz]

8 hours ago, abenz said:

Hey! Interested to see that you've been through this before and didn't take up offers last time. Can I ask what made you decide to not take your places last year?

 

Last time around I applied to a mix of masters and PhD programs (I was accepted into 2 PhD and 1 MA). I ended up accepting a funded position in an MA program to strengthen my application for next time, hopefully it pays off! 

[pinoysoc]

2 hours ago, soc4315 said:

Last time around I applied to a mix of masters and PhD programs (I was accepted into 2 PhD and 1 MA). I ended up accepting a funded position in an MA program to strengthen my application for next time, hopefully it pays off! 

I personally believe that doing an MA may sometimes be a benefit to students. I have a friend who went straight to a Ph.D. program (Fall 2013) and she's struggled academically. And she was smarter/better than I was in every aspect. But sometimes, doing the MA route first helps you refine skills, gain experience, and strengthen your application!

 

Also, if anyone needs help, let me know! I'm always lurking here during work. As if things will get any faster at this point! LOL.

[latemeg]

On 12/9/2017 at 1:25 PM, pinoysoc said:

 

YOU GUYS CAN DO THIS! My strategy was pretty much to act super anxious while at work and turn things in when I was taking a break fro my work project! Now, I'm constantly worrying about decisions since traditionally, some schools I applied to start replying/contacting potential students right after Christmas!  

Terrifying! Thanks for the kind words

[abenz]

@soc4315 thanks for sharing! I agree that doing an MA first is really helpful, though it's very different in the UK - we don't really have MA funding so the application process is slightly different. I could not have put together an application for a PhD when I graduated from my undergrad six years ago! 

Question for everyone - I haven't seen anywhere ask for interviews except for Emory, but on the forums a while ago someone posted about Yale interviews. Are you all expecting to interview before acceptances or is that rare? I thought it was rare but I'm now unsure ...

[Ilikekitties]

This is my 3rd round. I feel a bit crazy, but ok. My mom gave me some much-needed encouragement this morning.

[pinoysoc]

7 hours ago, abenz said:

Question for everyone - I haven't seen anywhere ask for interviews except for Emory, but on the forums a while ago someone posted about Yale interviews. Are you all expecting to interview before acceptances or is that rare? I thought it was rare but I'm now unsure ...

@abenz Interviews, or lack thereof, depends every cycle. I've seen in the past (i.e. Fall 2014 cycle) there were some schools who did interview to send out acceptances. But in more recent years (from what I read in older forums) some schools contact you to schedule telephone or Skype interviews to talk about fit, etc. and wasn't sure how that played into their application. Can someone from last cycle clarify? Or if someone is very knowledgeable, it would be great to hear!

[pinoysoc]

7 hours ago, GameofLoans16 said:

This is my 3rd round. I feel a bit crazy, but ok. My mom gave me some much-needed encouragement this morning.

@GameofLoans16, I give you props for trying again! This is my third time as well, but got lucky in the second time. What are your research interests or which programs did you apply to?

[Ilikekitties]

22 minutes ago, pinoysoc said:

@GameofLoans16, I give you props for trying again! This is my third time as well, but got lucky in the second time. What are your research interests or which programs did you apply to?

Thanks! I'm interested in human-animal relationships and nutrition a bit. In 2015 I applied to UIUC, Maryland, the New School, UC Davis, UC Santa Barbara, UC Santa Cruz, Columbia, Cornell, McGill, Toronto, and Notre Dame. In 2016 I applied to McGill, Toronto, Michigan State (sociology), Exeter,  Notre Dame (I was a top applicant here on my 2nd try, but alas), and Washington. This year I'm applying to Mississippi State, Oregon State, Maryland, and Southern Florida.

Fingers crossed...

Edited December 11, 2017 by GameofLoans16

[pinoysoc]

2 hours ago, GameofLoans16 said:

Thanks! I'm interested in human-animal relationships and nutrition a bit. In 2015 I applied to UIUC, Maryland, the New School, UC Davis, UC Santa Barbara, UC Santa Cruz, Columbia, Cornell, McGill, Toronto, and Notre Dame. In 2016 I applied to McGill, Toronto, Michigan State (sociology), Exeter,  Notre Dame (I was a top applicant here on my 2nd try, but alas), and Washington. This year I'm applying to Mississippi State, Oregon State, Maryland, and Southern Florida.

Fingers crossed...

That sounds awesome! To be quite honest, I want to explore this human-animal relationship through the lens of cultural sociology and sociology of mental health! It somewhat loosely ties to my main interests. 

I heard USF is a great school! 

[latemeg]

7 hours ago, GameofLoans16 said:

Thanks! I'm interested in human-animal relationships and nutrition a bit. In 2015 I applied to UIUC, Maryland, the New School, UC Davis, UC Santa Barbara, UC Santa Cruz, Columbia, Cornell, McGill, Toronto, and Notre Dame. In 2016 I applied to McGill, Toronto, Michigan State (sociology), Exeter,  Notre Dame (I was a top applicant here on my 2nd try, but alas), and Washington. This year I'm applying to Mississippi State, Oregon State, Maryland, and Southern Florida.

Fingers crossed...

Ugh, UC Davis burned me when I was coming out of my undergrad. Thought I was a great fit, but they didn't 

Best of luck!

[MintChocoChip]

16 hours ago, abenz said:

@soc4315 thanks for sharing! I agree that doing an MA first is really helpful, though it's very different in the UK - we don't really have MA funding so the application process is slightly different. I could not have put together an application for a PhD when I graduated from my undergrad six years ago! 

Question for everyone - I haven't seen anywhere ask for interviews except for Emory, but on the forums a while ago someone posted about Yale interviews. Are you all expecting to interview before acceptances or is that rare? I thought it was rare but I'm now unsure ...

When I browsed the forums, I saw that Rutgers interviewed last year so I'm anticipating a Rutgers one and I do remember seeing the Yale post. Not sure if either one interviews all candidates before accepting though. I would also like to know more about interviews if anyone is more knowledgeable. In the meanwhile, you can try browsing the Fall 2017 Acceptances Interviews Rejections thread here: https://forum.thegradcafe.com/topic/85946-fall-2017-acceptancesinterviewsrejections-thread/. Search your schools and see if they did interviews last year, though I have no idea whether they will continue the same thing this cycle. 

 

[pinoysoc]

OH LAWWWWWWD you guys! 

Being the lurker & worry wart that I am, I saw that some other fields (i.e. Biology/Life Sciences) are already in that stage where interviews are being sent out to prospective students. Here we are,  still 3 days away until the December 15th (and for some, 1 month from the January 15th deadline). Applying to Soc programs... or the application season is S T R E S S F U L! The last time  I tried applying (I believe last application cycle), I pulled my hair out just starting on the education section because I was still in my M.A. program. One degree later, I'm still a hot mess!!!!! I'm seriously pumped & stressed at the same time that my anxiety levels are crazy high at the moment!