Welcome letter from the
Director of Graduate Studies
Indiana
University Sociology Website
Welcome Letter from the
President of the Graduate Student Association
Dear Prospective Graduate Student,
As president of the Graduate Student Association, I’ve been asked to write
to you about the “graduate student experience” at IU. You have already
received information from the sociology department about things such as
course requirements and funding opportunities. However, you may want to know
more about what actual graduate students think about the program. While
everyone has his/her own unique experience, I hope this letter can give you
a general sense of graduate life.
Academics, of course, are going to be the main focus of any program. Ours is
highly structured and requires a substantial amount of coursework, typically
taking three years to complete. The advantage of this is that we receive
extensive training in a range of areas and methods. The breadth of graduate
student (and faculty) interests is documented on the department web page (http://www.indiana.edu/~soc).
The required methods sequence at IU emphasizes quantitative methods and is
intended to provide the preparation necessary to be both a producer and
consumer of quantitative research. This is not to say that qualitative
methods are neglected. There is a core of faculty and a rapidly-growing
contingent of graduate students who do primarily qualitative work, and the
department offers several advanced courses in qualitative methods.
At IU, we are trained to be adept researchers and often have opportunities
to conduct research in collaboration with faculty members. If you do not
have your Master’s Degree, you will be involved with a research project in
the summer of your first year as part of IU’s Sociological Research
Practicum (SRP). In addition, there are other funded research projects and
fellowships made available to graduate students that provide experience and
financial support. Due to the quality our training, it is not surprising
that many of us have presented our work at regional, national, and
international conferences and published in some of the most prestigious
sociology journals.
Teaching is also a high priority in our department. Sociology was one of the
first IU departments to implement a specialized program called “Preparing
Future Faculty” (PFF). The program encourages the development of
professional socialization at all levels, but emphasizes teaching. If you
choose to do so, participation in a sequence of three courses and various
colloquia and workshops will lead to a certification in college pedagogy.
Regardless of whether you participate in the PFF program, you will likely
have various opportunities to teach at IU. Beginning in the third year,
students are expected to work as Associate Instructors (AIs) if they do not
have alternative sources of funding. AIs are given complete responsibility
for preparing and teaching an introductory or advanced undergraduate
sociology class. Most students teach at least one year before finishing the
program.
The graduate student network in the sociology department is exceptionally
strong. Formally, the Graduate Student Association (GSA) represents the
interests of all students in the sociology program. Members elect
representatives to serve on departmental committees, and take action on
issues relevant to graduate students. The Graduate and Professional Student
Organization (GPSO website:
http://www.indiana.edu/~gpso) serves a similar purpose for graduate
students university wide.
There are also less formal avenues of support. While expectations of
students are high, and both students and faculty work hard, life is made
easier by the atmosphere of camaraderie here. Thanks in part to the
availability of positions as instructors or assistants, sociology graduate
students at IU have been able to avoid the sense of intense, “cut-throat”
competition that often arises among students when funding is limited. The
department has also initiated a mentoring program designed to link older and
younger graduate students. Through these relationships, older graduate
students will help incoming students negotiate the social and academic
terrain of graduate life. Students here have a variety of opportunities to
work and relax together. Many students choose to work daily in the
departmental graduate computing labs (either at the Institute for Social
Research or in the Weatherly Lounge) or in their offices in Memorial Hall.
From there, groups frequently form their lunch breaks and/or make plans for
happy hours or movies. Throughout the year, there are numerous parties,
cook-outs, and other social events, including a departmental wide picnic at
the end of each year, where professors and graduate students can get
together informally. There are also many opportunities to get together for
informal (e.g. working out, volleyball, basketball) or organized intramural
sports (in the past few years, the department has fielded teams in women’s
flag football and basketball, men’s basketball, and co-ed softball, flag
football, basketball and volleyball).
While academics are obviously important, they represent only part of the
graduate student experience. So, what is Bloomington like? From August
through April, it is a city of 75,000 people, of whom 30,000 are students.
Having such a large university in a relatively small city makes Bloomington
a unique place. The University makes available many cultural opportunities
that one normally would find only in much larger cities. IU’s nationally
renowned School of Music, for instance, produces first-rate concerts,
recitals, operas, and plays. Yearly events such as the Little 500 Bicycle
Race and the Lotus World Music Festival are also notable local happenings.
Within the Bloomington community, there is a wide variety of bands and a
popular series of foreign and independent films, many sports and dance bars,
and a wide variety of unique restaurants and coffee shops. Bloomington has a
lively downtown, local farmers’ markets, lots of trees, and a friendly
atmosphere. Nearby lakes and state parks provide opportunities for camping,
hiking, and other outdoor activities, and IU has a large, state-of-the-art
exercise and recreational center. Sports fans can also enjoy Hoosier
football and basketball games. There are also many opportunities to
volunteer with local organizations.
Housing in Bloomington generally is not the problem it can be in larger
cities. The University offers a number of housing possibilities, but most
graduate students rent off-campus apartments or houses. On average, you can
expect to pay $400-$500 for a one-bedroom apartment and $500-$600 for a
two-bedroom apartment, depending on the distance to campus. Many people make
their housing arrangements in the spring or early summer to ensure the
greatest selection, but good finds sometimes can be made at the last minute.
The employment situation in Bloomington can be difficult. If a partner is
accompanying you and wishes to find work in the area, keep in mind that
there are a number of skilled people in Bloomington working in jobs that are
not commensurate with their qualifications (this is a problem endemic to
college towns). Jobs are available, but the competition for higher-level
jobs is keen. The partners of some graduate students choose to work in
Indianapolis, which is an hour’s drive to the north. The pay rates in
Bloomington are lower than in many parts of the country, although the cost
of living is lower here as well. Information concerning employment with IU
is available from Human Resources, Poplars Building, Room E165 at 400 E.
Seventh Street, Bloomington, IN 47405. The phone number is (812) 855-0406
and the website is
http://www.indiana.edu/~hrm.
I hope this letter has been helpful in giving you a better feel for our
program. At the same time, it may have raised more questions for you. If you
have any about the program or Bloomington, please feel free to contact me or
any of the graduate students on the Department website. We would be happy to
help you in any way that we can.
Oren Pizmony-Levy
President, Graduate Student Association
opizmony@indiana.edu
Department of Sociology, Indiana University
