cyclingsociology

Hello all, I am very interested in applying for the PhD programs in Sociology at the University of Edinburgh and Goldsmiths College. However, I am from the US and aside from the fact that funding opportunities look rather dismal, I am uncertain of the nuances between the standards of US and UK institutions. What I am wondering about specifically, and would love any advice you can offer, is in regard to the taught/research MAs and PhDs: Are you expected to have a concrete proposal before admittance into UK schools? Is a research degree obtained entirely outside of the classroom? Etc... Any advice would be much appreciated. Cheers, Sam

The comments here are generally good. To reiterate: GRE scores are typically used as a sort of filter to wade through the the first round of applicants, and that's it (although they may play a role in funding, once admitted).

If you're interested in a political soc/quant PhD check out Utah! I found that their program looks great, except for me the quantitative emphasis is a turn off. But, in the words of Austin Power, "if that sort of thing is your bag, baby," check it out!

With regard to 2010Applicant's comment on the financial situation developing at the New School, to add my 2 cents, I heard that the School recently got a new President. Apparently this man is way more conservative than any sort of administrator the School has ever had--given their focus on the critical tradition this is not hard to imagine. One of the things this President has done is increase the cost of attendance. While this is certainly a negative, a positive (at least for me) can be drawn from the response of students who have responded with direct action-style protests. (Check out YouTube for videos if this intrigues you.) I have also considered the New School and the campus' activism is a big bonus for me--possibly large enough to overcome the ridiculous fact that they do not admit students directly into their PhD program without first having earned a MA. Hope this helps!

Hello all, I took the GRE today and will be retaking it sometime in October. I need advice from people who also retook it with regard to long in between your first and second tests you gave yourself. I feel I have a relatively strong foundation so I can see retaking it in two weeks or so, but I could also rationalize waiting another month just to give myself some time to refresh and what not. Suggestions? Thanks.

But, as a caveat to the previous response, I recommend not asking anything that is readily available on the program's website. You should aim to show your familiarness with the program, and thus your desire to get accepted. Avoid asking about the number of students accepted per year, for example, as this information is always posted on program websites.

I have the Barron's book and it offers lots of great test taking strategies for the Quant section. I use Number2.com as well. Good site. I also recommend Quizlet.com, although it may only be useful for the Verbal section (that's all I've used it for).

Hello all, I am beginning my preparation for the GRE and have stumbled onto syvum.com. It seems to have a pretty cool online-based preparation system for the verbal section of the test. Has anyone else used/heard of it? Can you offer any input as to how accurate the wordlists are? Or, if you know of any other helpful online verbal practice websites that would be great as well! I appreciate any feedback you can offer.