For those of you who are applying a second time around...

[Maya]

So I'm in my second round of applying, although last year I only applied to one school. (Yes, I know many of you might look at my signature and think, what is this girl doing applying to only 4 schools the second time around---did she not learn her lesson the first time??). Anyway, I noticed that there seem to be a lot fewer soc applicants on here this year, but maybe I'm wrong? For example, I remember last year when the University of Wisconsin-Madison admits rolled out, there seemed to be so many people who were accepted posting on the forum and posting on the results page. This year there seem to be far fewer who posted results (congratulations to those admitted by the way!)

This year I feel like there are hardly any applying to NYU, whereas last year there seemed to be a lot more (or maybe it just felt that way because that was the only school I applied to). Anyway, I'm not sure how many second-rounders there are out there, but what do you all think? Is the sociology board being populated by a less representative sample this year?

Happy waiting everyone!

Edited January 30, 2010 by Maya

[focused]

This is my first time applying, but I visitd Grad Cafe during last application season. My general impression is the same as yours; there seem to be fewer applicants (at least in Soc) on the site this year. However, perhaps my perception is distorted because I was not actually applying last year.

[hip2btriangle]

This is my first time applying, but I visitd Grad Cafe during last application season. My general impression is the same as yours; there seem to be fewer applicants (at least in Soc) on the site this year. However, perhaps my perception is distorted because I was not actually applying last year.

this is my second year. much quieter. terrifyingly so. it makes me think that fewer people applying are using the forums and reporting on the results page, but i just don't believe that there are fewer applicants this year. not only does the bad economy mean higher applicants, but there are fewer funds to allot to students. this year is going to be biting, particularly for those of us (*sigh*) with less than stellar scores. making the first cut is going to be a big deal this year, i think.

[jacib]

this is my second year. much quieter. terrifyingly so. it makes me think that fewer people applying are using the forums and reporting on the results page, but i just don't believe that there are fewer applicants this year. not only does the bad economy mean higher applicants, but there are fewer funds to allot to students. this year is going to be biting, particularly for those of us (*sigh*) with less than stellar scores. making the first cut is going to be a big deal this year, i think.

I don't think a change in the economy would lead to the Grad Cafe being a less representative sample. We can necessarily assume that the quality of applicants is the same even if the quanity is. Judging from my friends who majored in Sociology and graduated 07 or 08, I can say that many who were thinking about graduate work in Sociology are sticking with what they're doing now. Or going to Law School. One of my friends who planned on studying for a PhD for four years, was the golden boy of the sociology department earning Mellon grants, had a really interesting area of ethnographic research picked out and all that, but suddenly switched to Law School at the end of the summer. The rest of my friends are happy with their jobs and don't seem to want to risk anything with all the job uncertainty in academia. I think what adcomms might see more of is people who lost their jobs and think "Hmm, well I've always kind of wanted to go back to school... and though I don't really know what it is, Sociology seems kinda interesting." My father said he used to get a few applications from "middle school teachers who graduated from Midwest Teachers College and just want to do something else" even when the economy was strong. Not saying that such people couldn't get into grad school, but just that generally such people won't have the honed interests and knowledge of the application process that the type of people who post on this forum generally have. Also, there will probably be more applications from people just out of college.

I'm going to pretend the decrease in activity you three have observed on this board is a good sign, indicating that there are fewer well informed, well qualified candidates applying, even if the overall number remains the same. Here's to hoping, right?

[herself the elf]

The rest of my friends are happy with their jobs and don't seem to want to risk anything with all the job uncertainty in academia. I think what adcomms might see more of is people who lost their jobs and think "Hmm, well I've always kind of wanted to go back to school... and though I don't really know what it is, Sociology seems kinda interesting." My father said he used to get a few applications from "middle school teachers who graduated from Midwest Teachers College and just want to do something else" even when the economy was strong. Not saying that such people couldn't get into grad school, but just that generally such people won't have the honed interests and knowledge of the application process that the type of people who post on this forum generally have. Also, there will probably be more applications from people just out of college.

Jacib, your posts are always so thoughtful and interesting, and your father's insights have become valuable to us all. Thank him from me!

Unless someone has had a longstanding passion for sociology, it is hard to imagine most mid-career professionals would want to work really hard for 5+ years to come out at the end making a five-figure salary in a potentially remote location. Particularly for the laid-off business set, I would speculate that a surge is more likely in JD and MBA program applicants. Of course, I'm sure that there are those that put their sociology dreams on hold to pursue other things and are deciding that now is the right time to make the move. (Come to think of it, I would count myself in that group!) But I would guess that occurs every year.

And I totally agree that there are probably more people applying straight out of college due to overall unemployment, particularly from the humanities and social sciences.

I read somewhere, perhaps on the results board, a post from a denied Soc. applicant to Columbia last year (Fall 2009), stating that they could only admit 14/400 instead of the usual 20/400 due to budgetary restrictions. Does your father, or anyone else reading this, know whether such variations in acceptance are typical from one year to the next?

[St. Jude]

I applied last year as well and I agree that it seems like there are less people applying this year. I kind hope that is the case so I have a better chance at getting admitted somewhere. Last year everyone said that it was a really odd year because of the down turn in the economy and the finanical crisis. Hopefully a year later schools will have calmed down and not be slashing their cohort size.

[jacib]

Jacib, your posts are always so thoughtful and interesting, and your father's insights have become valuable to us all. Thank him from me!

Unless someone has had a longstanding passion for sociology, it is hard to imagine most mid-career professionals would want to work really hard for 5+ years to come out at the end making a five-figure salary in a potentially remote location. Particularly for the laid-off business set, I would speculate that a surge is more likely in JD and MBA program applicants. Of course, I'm sure that there are those that put their sociology dreams on hold to pursue other things and are deciding that now is the right time to make the move. (Come to think of it, I would count myself in that group!) But I would guess that occurs every year.

And I totally agree that there are probably more people applying straight out of college due to overall unemployment, particularly from the humanities and social sciences.

I read somewhere, perhaps on the results board, a post from a denied Soc. applicant to Columbia last year (Fall 2009), stating that they could only admit 14/400 instead of the usual 20/400 due to budgetary restrictions. Does your father, or anyone else reading this, know whether such variations in acceptance are typical from one year to the next?

I'm travelling right now and haven't had a chance to speak to my dad in a few days, but I think the cohort at his school is so small that (like 2-4 or something) that there's not really much variation. I do know that if the head of the department is willing to fight for something, they can sometimes get it, as my old man told me how the current head of the department (right before the recession) really fought hard to get one professor. They had one spot open for a search, and ended up finding someone perfect to fill that spot.... and also someone who would be a great fit in the department in general but wouldn't fill the hole that was the reason for the search. It was seen as a rare opportunity to get these two really strong candidates, who likely would spend large parts of their careers at the department. The chair ended up lobbying the dean hard and being able to hire both, which everyone in the department realized was a great success and the best thing the chair has done (or that's the way my father tells it anyway). So it is possible, under extraordinary circumstances, to let in a particularly well qualified candidate if there are special circumstances... though I imagine this probably has more to do with the wait list than this round of admits. Anyway, from my own impression I don't think budgets have gotten tighter (except for the UC's potentially) but I wouldn't necessarily expect the purse strings to be looser than last year. That's my own un-expert opinion. Most of the variation at a department as small as my father's it seems is due to fit variations year to year rather than budget things.

Edited February 3, 2010 by jacib

[maximus82]

I'm doing this for the second time. Last year I got rejected from two programs and waitlisted at other two. Obviously those two waitlists didn't result in anything.

Not only do I feel like this year things are quieter, but I also feel like the wait is more painful...