2xthefun

Well my credits have partially timed out so to finish anywhere I will be taking more sociology courses...I have wrapped my head around the whole I will have to take more sociology coursework regardless of which path I choose. For me, the presence of faculty doing work that align with my own interests is the MOST important factor-I learned this lesson the hard way. A great program with little to no faculty support for the work you want to do is NOT a good idea so while I am intrigued by the design of the SHIPS program-it also helps that everyone who I would want to work with in the Stanford Soc department is affiliated with that program (yet the methodology requirements in particular are not as rigorous-as a person who is more inclined to qualitative methods, I really really do not want a mandatory 4-course statistics sequence-having barely made it through a similar sequence a decade ago). But thanks for the suggestions-someone else had mentioned NYU on another thread so I am looking into it (along with the sociology program itself). Just wanted to make sure I wasn't leaving any stone uncovered...my failure to do my due diligence at 22 resulted in a bad decision so looking to avoid a similar mistake.

In a perfect world I would like to be TT faculty at a R1 institution-preferably 1 that has a Higher Education research institute. Being able to teach in either sociology department or school of education seems like it would make me more marketable. I am actually not from California-although I will be moving there in a week to accept a full-time non-TT sociology position (but only 1 yr contract renewable)-so I am very open to considering other areas of the country. I am ABD from a R1 in the southeast-which is the part of the country I am from. The SHIPS program intrigues me-given the number of scholars affiliated with it who have similar research interests...just trying to weigh my options-

Quick history: ABD at top 10 sociology program-left for other pursuits during which time I changed my research interests to higher education (particularly the role of blended programs like Early College or Middle College in preparing racial minority/lower SES/1st gen students for higher ed access/persistence/achievement by developing not just their human capital but possibly social capital as well). My interest has been fueled by the 2 years I have spent working at the community college level as an adjunct instructor/college readiness counselor. My question: at first I was looking at applying to a new sociology program with plenty of Sociology of Education faculty (UC-Irvine, UT-Austin, John's Hopkins, UCLA, UC-Berkeley) but after reading about the SHIPS program at Stanford (Social Sciences, Humanities, and Interdisciplinary Studies in Education) I am considering PhD in Higher Ed, particularly those that are interdisciplinary. Anyone have recommendations for programs similar to the SHIPS program at Stanford? Or any thoughts in general about making the transition from sociology to higher education? Thanks for any advice you can offer!

@zimi522 The programs I am considering are: Stanford, UC-Berkeley, UCLA, UC-Irvine, UT-Austin, John's Hopkins...with some safeties thrown in if needed. I take the GRE in 2 weeks so I will let my scores help my narrow/shape my list. I am rather nervous-I am more or less ABD from a top 10 program that I left around 5 years ago and the only reason I am not returning there is 1. my research interests changed, 2. half of my coursework has "time" out, and 3. I am no longer eligible for funding soooo I am having to reacqauint myself with the STRESS that is PhD application season, particularly since I am loathe to complete my PhD at a program that is significantly lower in rank than my original program. Best of luck to you (and all of the other posters, as well)!

@zimi522, interesting we share similar research interests (sociology of education/social inequality) but we have NO shared schools outside of John's Hopkins (although I considered Emory before deciding that ATL was not a city where I wanted to spend 4+ years residing). But Best of Luck to You!!!! And if it helps, when I applied to programs about 10 years ago I got into 5 top tier schools with quant scores similar to yours (although verbal was a little higher). Not sure how much the market has changed since then, but several of my friends from my initial program who did finish and now sit on admission committees tell me that while competition has gotten stiffer that there still appears to be a good deal of variation surrounding the importance of GRE scores, especially when considering other "intangibles"

Stanford sociology program looks to have a very close relationship with its School of Ed-which is 1 reason why it's at the top of my list. One way I initially identified programs of interest is by looking at those that offer an IES-PIRT (Institute for Education Sciences-funded Predoctoral Interdisciplinary Research Training) program. Check it out: http://pirt.wceruw.org/

I plan on taking the GRE at the beginning of Aug-bought a book as a study tool, given I have taken the GRE twice before I am not going to pay for a prep course. If only scores did not expire...but its been 5 years so I am having to brush up on my math skills, etc. And the new format has me a little nervous-I did really well back in the day so hope I can replicate that success. My goal is to let my scores shape which of these schools I actually apply to (I am limiting myself to 5 applications), but here are all of the contenders: UC-Berkeley, Stanford, UC-Irvine, UT-Austin, UCLA, Johns Hopkins, UMD, UVA (safety if needed). We have a few in common AND you are applying to a program I left as ABD and decided to not return to due to fit/funding issues...Best of Luck to you in your GRE prep!