CookieCat

Hello, all! I'm a first gen college grad (graduated several years ago) who is looking for advice on applying to Ph.D. programs. I'll try to ask specific questions, but I want to give you some background info first. [FWIW, this isn't a "what are my chances" post. Not that there's anything wrong with that. ] Undergrad: State School, B.A. History, summa cum laude Activities included research assistantship, TA position, club president, study abroad, thesis Grad School: Large private, terminal degree, 3.6 GPA Activities: TA positions, grad assistant, no thesis GRE (super old): 660v, 650q (~164v, 151q) Work Experience: 7 years in higher ed (staff) at small liberal arts colleges with some teaching experience Goals: -Pursue a Ph.D. to research cultural/historical trends in higher education -Gain teaching position and/or a high-level administrative position. I have a solid background with admission and retention as well as ed tech implementations, which will be valuable in the higher ed space in the coming years (I think). Questions: 1. My big question: I've been out of school for almost eight years. How do I make the case that I can perform compelling research? 2. Is my master's GPA low enough that I should comment on it in my personal statement? (There were four deaths of close family that year, including an immediate family member.) 3. Between you and me, I mentioned being first gen in this post because I don't have a lot of personal resources or family support for going back to school. I don't think it's going to be relevant in a SOP, though. Thoughts?

Hi, all! I'm sure I'm not alone in this boat, so I thought we could join forces to chat about the issues inherent to going back for an intensive degree after several years away from academia. My big question to get us started is this: How do you make a compelling case that you're ready for a research degree when you've spent almost a decade in the workforce?