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Post by an on in un on Feb 5, 2010 8:52:44 GMT -5
"Ahhhh, if only we all could be in a top 5 department..."
You had the option of applying when you were looking at graduate schools. (Maybe you didn't mean it as such, but on occasion there is an interesting tone in such comments that suggests those in top five departments just happened to get lucky by getting into those programs. While of course luck has to do with it, it's not like applications to top 5 depts are not open to all at a basic level.)
On another note, how do people even know what the top 5 depts are? I'm waiting for the sixth person to chime in and say "I'm at a top 5 dept".;-) (Yes, yes, I know that two people could be commenting from the same dept.) Or are people referring to the top institutions in their subfields?
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Post by original question on Feb 5, 2010 8:59:32 GMT -5
This thread started with a person asking whether candidates in top programs were having any luck. I'm not sure why people are getting heated about two people answering that question. The rankings are based on the US News and World Report's list of top grad programs in Sociology, but I also think there's a level of consensus about what the top 5 or 10 programs are. Having said that, being in a top program in no way guarantees you'll get a job unless you have pubs, teaching experience, a funding record, and interpersonal skills.
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Post by pleaseee on Feb 5, 2010 9:07:43 GMT -5
Wow. The only interesting "tone" so far in this thread is the last author's defensiveness of status and adherence to some sort of egalitarian notion of the selection process by which people are sorted into differently ranked institutions. Do we really believe that graduate school is a pure meritocracy? If so, then I have grossly underestimated the influence of the entire history of the discipline of sociology. --someone in a top 5 department
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Post by pleaseee2 on Feb 5, 2010 9:09:25 GMT -5
Sorry, not the last author...the one before.
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Post by anon123 on Feb 5, 2010 11:02:13 GMT -5
ANYWAY
this whole thread is giving me a panic attack! it seems that it will be lucky if half the people on the market in my top 15 dept get jobs this year. only one has so far.
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Post by anon456 on Feb 5, 2010 12:07:12 GMT -5
anon123, we're probably in the same department! my top 15 school has about 15 or so people on the market and we have had only three placements so far (two are very recent). I think everyone on the market has several pubs, some in top journals.
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Post by hope4change on Feb 5, 2010 12:31:46 GMT -5
I know that people aren't in favor of naming names here, but why don't we just name these departments instead of alluding to them. From above, it seems pretty clear that 2 of 10 JMCs at Princeton have landed jobs...anyone else care to share?
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Post by reality check on Feb 5, 2010 13:27:51 GMT -5
Another reality check here is that some people "on the market" may be so more in the sense of hopefulness than expectation, particularly ABDs who may not be far enough along on dissertations to assure search committees that they will be done by next year.
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Post by anonomass on Feb 5, 2010 13:41:54 GMT -5
At least in my department, everyone who can put off the job market for another year has done so (for instance, not one fifth year student is on the market this year).
The 4 people who are on the market in my department will all definitely finish their degrees this year (well, one already has, 2 are defending this semester, and 1 over the summer).
Found out today that one of us 4 who I thought had not had any interviews yet just accepted a non-academic position in a government agency.
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Post by Phooey on Feb 5, 2010 13:42:41 GMT -5
I am in a top 326 department, and all I hear are crickets.
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Post by anncc on Feb 5, 2010 15:00:03 GMT -5
Well, I'm in a top five department and nobody has gotten a job yet this year, so what does that say? It seems like the only school that is having much success as far as having a high proportion of people on the market get good interviews and people getting offers this year is Princeton.
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Post by junto on Feb 5, 2010 15:31:02 GMT -5
^ 2 of 10 qualifies as good?! I've heard that Texas ABDs are doing well, as I'm sure are all those with Harvard pedigrees
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Post by wallflower on Feb 5, 2010 15:32:30 GMT -5
I have TWO encyclopedia articles under my belt plus I've taught a couple sessions of intro. Not a nibble.
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Post by flower on Feb 5, 2010 15:47:23 GMT -5
er, hate to tell you, wallflower, encyclopedia articles aren't close to peer reviewed pubs.
I'm at a top 3 and out of the numerous people we have on the market, there have been only 3 interviews, a few short/long lists, and only 1 hire (they got multiple offers and have been discussed here already). All these people are not on the market early, have 2-3 peer reviewed publications, and teaching experience, and nadda.
It's a late market and maybe once all the people with 5+ pubs figure out where they are going to end up, the rest of the positions can trickle down to the rest of us lowly creatures?
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Post by me too on Feb 5, 2010 16:20:47 GMT -5
ha haaa @phooey! me too
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