Especially since you seem to have a pretty clear career and graduate study path mapped out.

>I was admitted to Northeastern, Rutgers, Howard, and
>waitlisted at Albany. All Criminology or Sociology programs. I
>still have one app pending for McGill; I mostly applied there
>bc I love Montreal and my wife and I would love to live there,
>despite the awful winters. It's still a good program, but
>definitely not the best for what I want to do (study black
>folks and the police).

Canada (Montreal at least) doesn't have the exact same systemic issues the US has to really study law enforcement and communities of color the way it's become ingrained in the States.

All great schools, and Albany I think would be interesting. Upstate NY is a sociological goldmine. You have fringe communities that take root up there, and all the problems of bigger cities but in more manageable (or studiable) proportions.

>I didn't get into any of the NYC schools I applied to, so I
>won't be joining you and Shawn. But since I'll be nearby-ish,
>I'll definitely look to drop in during holidays or the summer,
>particularly if I go to Rutgers or Albany.

That's good. Rutgers is close and Albany is really not that far.

>(Side-note: NYU was probably my first choice. Turns out the
>guy I wanted to work and built a relationship with there is
>leaving after this academic year anyway, but it seems he was
>unable to tell me until after I was not admitted. He was not
>on the admissions committee this year. He is leaving to go to
>Princeton. We still hope/plan to work together.)

That's too bad but also sounds like he made a good career move. Definitely will be good to know somebody with access to those resources.

On an MMA note: What did you think about Woodley / Usman? As a new black belt, judging a fight between two newish black belts, what happened with Woodley?