Fall 2018 Applicants

[Ilikekitties]

 

On 12/12/2017 at 1:20 AM, pinoysoc said:

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! 

That sounds cool!

One of my profs recommended USF.

[pinoysoc]

So, I'm currently taking a break from a work project. And I decided to look up rankings of Soc PhD programs from US News. I just realized that all the schools I applied to are in the Top 40. I know it's not something I should be freaking out about, because what the heck, right? But I feel like the pressure/anxiety just got worse because I picked these schools due to fit of research interests without even caring about school rank. 

Sorry for ranting...again. It's been a long day at work and it's just spilling all over.

[KevinJHa]

My god I totally understand y'all. Here I am checking the application sites on a daily basis, thinking, 'hey, maybe im just SO GOOD they'll admit me even more the application deadline.'

Here's to 3-4 months of anxiety and uncertainty .

Also I totally had that same realization a few weeks ago and added some 'safety' schools to my list haha.

[pinoysoc]

34 minutes ago, KevinJHa said:

My god I totally understand y'all. Here I am checking the application sites on a daily basis, thinking, 'hey, maybe im just SO GOOD they'll admit me even more the application deadline.'

Here's to 3-4 months of anxiety and uncertainty .

Also I totally had that same realization a few weeks ago and added some 'safety' schools to my list haha.

Nice! I'm in the process of doing the same as well! I'm freaking the freak out at the moment!

[KevinJHa]

2 minutes ago, pinoysoc said:

Nice! I'm in the process of doing the same as well! I'm freaking the freak out at the moment!

Totally feel that haha, but you'll be okay!! Just pick a few and slap em' on there, I doubt you'll get rejected from all your 'targets'.

Sounds like you considered fit a lot!

[bjefferson09]

I am definitely sweating right now. I applied to UT Austin, Baylor University, and Texas A&M. This is my first round of applications as i graduate in the spring. When doing my Ut Austin application, I applied on the back end after being coaxed by my husband and my supervisor because honestly, i didn't think i could get in. I've never had anyone in my family go to grad school and really didn't know what to expect. I applied and my letters on recommendation came in before i even completed the application. Then I got an email from the graduate coordinator who said that he had gotten 2 of the 3 LOR's and based on those he was excited to see the rest of my application. I am excited but even more befuddled now because i do not have a 3.6, which is the average they accept in my program. Then today, the coordinator contacted me and asked me for my GRE scores because it takes for ever for ETS to send the scores to the school. My Verbal and Analytical Writing scores were fine, but my quant was low. I have 2 published transcripts with very notable PI's and I have more coming. I work in a lab right now, and apparently, I have very strong LOR's. I am a veteran and completed my BS in Chemistry in 3 yrs as opposed to 4-5 yrs. I am just literally going crazy! My anxiety is in overdrive. 

[latemeg]

11 hours ago, pinoysoc said:

So, I'm currently taking a break from a work project. And I decided to look up rankings of Soc PhD programs from US News. I just realized that all the schools I applied to are in the Top 40. I know it's not something I should be freaking out about, because what the heck, right? But I feel like the pressure/anxiety just got worse because I picked these schools due to fit of research interests without even caring about school rank. 

Sorry for ranting...again. It's been a long day at work and it's just spilling all over.

Same boat. Applying to #1, #6, #8, #10, #11, and #15 ranked. That being said, I knew what I was signing up for with 'em--top 20 is the goal!

9 hours ago, KevinJHa said:

My god I totally understand y'all. Here I am checking the application sites on a daily basis, thinking, 'hey, maybe im just SO GOOD they'll admit me even more the application deadline.'

Here's to 3-4 months of anxiety and uncertainty .

Also I totally had that same realization a few weeks ago and added some 'safety' schools to my list haha.

LOL right?? I'm checking UChicago like they're going to hit me up any minute. 
And hey, maybe not 3-4 months--more like 2 1/2 to get us to late February! 

8 hours ago, bjefferson09 said:

I am definitely sweating right now. I applied to UT Austin, Baylor University, and Texas A&M. This is my first round of applications as i graduate in the spring. When doing my Ut Austin application, I applied on the back end after being coaxed by my husband and my supervisor because honestly, i didn't think i could get in. I've never had anyone in my family go to grad school and really didn't know what to expect. I applied and my letters on recommendation came in before i even completed the application. Then I got an email from the graduate coordinator who said that he had gotten 2 of the 3 LOR's and based on those he was excited to see the rest of my application. I am excited but even more befuddled now because i do not have a 3.6, which is the average they accept in my program. Then today, the coordinator contacted me and asked me for my GRE scores because it takes for ever for ETS to send the scores to the school. My Verbal and Analytical Writing scores were fine, but my quant was low. I have 2 published transcripts with very notable PI's and I have more coming. I work in a lab right now, and apparently, I have very strong LOR's. I am a veteran and completed my BS in Chemistry in 3 yrs as opposed to 4-5 yrs. I am just literally going crazy! My anxiety is in overdrive. 

Sounds like you're got some people in your corner! Best of luck

[abenz]

10 hours ago, bjefferson09 said:

I have 2 published transcripts with very notable PI's and I have more coming. I work in a lab right now, and apparently, I have very strong LOR's. I am a veteran and completed my BS in Chemistry in 3 yrs as opposed to 4-5 yrs. I am just literally going crazy! My anxiety is in overdrive. 

Hey, hope you don't take this the wrong way, but are you in the right forum? Unless you work in a Sociology lab, in which case, that sounds like a fun place! How are you using your Chemistry degree for sociology if you are applying for Soc degrees?

[European Lumpi]

15 hours ago, pinoysoc said:

So, I'm currently taking a break from a work project. And I decided to look up rankings of Soc PhD programs from US News. I just realized that all the schools I applied to are in the Top 40. I know it's not something I should be freaking out about, because what the heck, right? But I feel like the pressure/anxiety just got worse because I picked these schools due to fit of research interests without even caring about school rank. 

Sorry for ranting...again. It's been a long day at work and it's just spilling all over.

Look, from what I hear fit is incredibly important, so even low-ranked programs will end up rejecting you if there's no one in the department who could act as your supervisor. It sounds like you absolutely chose the right schools for your applications. Plus, the variance in test scores, GPAs, etc. of admits at all kinds of programs is crazy! Don't worry about your schools being ranked relatively high

[abenz]

Quick question for the group (because I'm off work and therefore hugely thinking about grad school AGAIN) - is anyone else an overseas applicant? How do you think this might help/hinder our applications? I'm not too worried because my POIs are really positive ... but also, does it make a difference?

[European Lumpi]

1 hour ago, abenz said:

Quick question for the group (because I'm off work and therefore hugely thinking about grad school AGAIN) - is anyone else an overseas applicant? How do you think this might help/hinder our applications? I'm not too worried because my POIs are really positive ... but also, does it make a difference?

From what I hear, it doesn't change that much. At least not at the better schools. I asked the exact same question one US professor and she put it this way: "Being an international student raises your diversity level from "white male" to "international white male", although that's not much, if anything, it might be a slight bonus". Other than that it's probably a little more difficult to demonstrate the pedigree of your undergraduate education as long as you haven't studied at one of the 5-10 international universities that are well-known and respected in the US.

I read a discussion on a different board in which one person argued that some universities have made bad experiences with international students leaving their programs and that they therefore might be a bit more hesitant to pull the trigger. The overwhelming majority, however, seemed to think that that was bogus.

Edited December 14, 2017 by European Lumpi

[qeta]

2 hours ago, abenz said:

Quick question for the group (because I'm off work and therefore hugely thinking about grad school AGAIN) - is anyone else an overseas applicant? How do you think this might help/hinder our applications? I'm not too worried because my POIs are really positive ... but also, does it make a difference?

My supervisor at Berkeley (I was a visiting student last year) explicitly told me that the department finds it difficult to fund international students and that my status as an international applicant is likely to count against me. She was the head of the adcomm last year, so her knowledge about this is quite up-to-date.

[pinoysoc]

4 hours ago, European Lumpi said:

Look, from what I hear fit is incredibly important, so even low-ranked programs will end up rejecting you if there's no one in the department who could act as your supervisor. It sounds like you absolutely chose the right schools for your applications. Plus, the variance in test scores, GPAs, etc. of admits at all kinds of programs is crazy! Don't worry about your schools being ranked relatively high

Sometimes, I don't what to believe anymore whenever I apply! I'm seriously hoping fit, LORs, and SOPs will be enough because my GRE scores are horrendous!!!!

Edited December 14, 2017 by pinoysoc

[KevinJHa]

Random thought: Adcomms should find a way to quantify gradcafe participation and consider that in their decision. I think it shows dedication, motivation, and drive. Anyway...

[pinoysoc]

1 hour ago, KevinJHa said:

Random thought: Adcomms should find a way to quantify gradcafe participation and consider that in their decision. I think it shows dedication, motivation, and drive. Anyway...

They should!!!!

If that were the case, I believe my Fall 2014 meltdown/breakdown should get me in this time around! It's inconceivable that we spend hours, days, or even months planning to meet the 12/15 - 01/15 deadline and all that work is over within a matter of 5 minutes reading/getting a phone call to find out we were "part of a very qualified pool of applicants, but couldn't admit every single one."

HAHAHAHA. I lost patience in the past and call for a reform as to how these things work!

[qeta]

Phew! That was a marathon! Just finished applying to Cornell Dev. Soc., Brown, and UW Madison. Ended up deciding against MSU and TAMU due to time and money constraints. They would have been a hard-sell anyway as MSU and TAMU do not have a lab or department focusing on my partner's specialty. How did everyone else's apps go?

Edited December 16, 2017 by qeta

[pinoysoc]

On 12/15/2017 at 10:46 PM, qeta said:

Phew! That was a marathon! Just finished applying to Cornell Dev. Soc., Brown, and UW Madison. Ended up deciding against MSU and TAMU due to time and money constraints. They would have been a hard-sell anyway as MSU and TAMU do not have a lab or department focusing on my partner's specialty. How did everyone else's apps go?

That's good! Congratulations! 

I thought I was fine with 7 schools, but I realized I needed to have safety schools.. So, back to square one and working on Georgia State's and UNM's applications tomorrow... a L L D A Y!

 

HAHAHA.

How's everyone's weekend coming along?

[qeta]

5 minutes ago, pinoysoc said:

That's good! Congratulations! 

I thought I was fine with 7 schools, but I realized I needed to have safety schools.. So, back to square one and working on Georgia State's and UNM's applications tomorrow... a L L D A Y!

 

HAHAHA.

How's everyone's weekend coming along?

Thank you! I track my working hours with Toggl and apparently I spent 13 hours on Thursday and Friday working on 3 apps. All I know is that it felt much, much longer.

Drink lots of tea and eat snacks for your Georgia State and UNM marathon. The unlimited snacks was the only good part of my ordeal!

[pinoysoc]

4 minutes ago, qeta said:

Thank you! I track my working hours with Toggl and apparently I spent 13 hours on Thursday and Friday working on 3 apps. All I know is that it felt much, much longer.

Drink lots of tea and eat snacks for your Georgia State and UNM marathon. The unlimited snacks was the only good part of my ordeal!

Thanks for the cheer me up! It shouldn't take me long though! Once I start working on these things, I'll be focused to finish them. Although, I won't submit it until my checking deposit comes through next week! So, there's that! HAHAHAHAHAHA.

 

[pinoysoc]

By the way, anyone knows how interviews work? Or what's the next step after submitting applications? 

Of course, there's the freaking out part, but what's usually the timeline for these things?

My MA program (as I found out) doesn't meet until later in the spring (maybe March-ish) because they have rolling admissions, offers two grad assistantships, and can be done part-time. 

Just super curious!

[latemeg]

How are we all feeling about our applications? Anyone feeling confident, or are we all balls of anxiety?

Personally, I'm already being fatalistic. 

[pinoysoc]

35 minutes ago, latemeg said:

How are we all feeling about our applications? Anyone feeling confident, or are we all balls of anxiety?

Personally, I'm already being fatalistic. 

Biting nails here. Hot mess. Can't sleep. Social anxiety at a high. HAHAHAHA.

[qeta]

One of my neighbours got a giant envelope from Yale School of Management with "Congrats and Welcome to Class of 2020!" today, and I was so envious! Not because I want to go to business school (yikes!), but because I know that she applied in early November and already seems to be hearing back from schools.

[pinoysoc]

1 hour ago, qeta said:

One of my neighbours got a giant envelope from Yale School of Management with "Congrats and Welcome to Class of 2020!" today, and I was so envious! Not because I want to go to business school (yikes!), but because I know that she applied in early November and already seems to be hearing back from schools.

Other programs (i.e. Clinical Psych, Biology, etc...) started interviews already. Some of them are being contacted about it.

[abenz]

I definitely hate the waiting game, but I'm also pretty happy that we don't have to worry about interviews over Christmas! I am going to keep reading around my subjects but take some time to relax too ... plus, we will start hearing back in only a month or so (I think Emory sends its first invites to interviews around mid-January, based on previous years!) so it's not too far away ...