Roll Right

Something I like to remember (keeps me humble and relaxed) - there is always someone out there who is BETTER at doing what YOU love. That's no reason to stress. This whole process is inherently stressful if you think that you're not as skilled or as qualified as other students. To disarm this stress, have faith in your abilities and keep striving to achieve what you desire for yourself. GRE scores and GPA aside, everyone who is applying to graduate school is doing so because they want to aspire to something beyond a simple BA or BS. NO ONE (I should hope) goes to a sociology grad program for a pay grade increase (because you won't get much of one). Considering that, I think that everyone has a unique perspective that can contribute to collective sociological knowledge. Apply yourself to what you love, and don't give up when there are huge obstacles (cause there will be plenty of them). Besides, what would be the point of doing this if it was easy? The obstacles make it worth it. Achievement means nothing without a little struggle.

I'd really like to be at BU - I'm from Cape Cod and Maine originally, so it'd be like going home. Plus, Nancy Ammerman is really great with soc of religion. They've got some good Bourdieu people too. I'm just a little worried about the funding.

Happy new year everyone. Today is the 17th anniversary of the EZLN uprising in Chiapas, a state in southern Mexico. I'm betting that a number of you globalization folks are familiar with their story. I thought it was appropriate to work up a blog post in remembrance. Check it out, and posts are always welcome: http://ghostofmarx.blogspot.com/2011/01/ezln-after-17-years-overview.html On top of your individual new year resolution, I urge you to consider the plight of oppressed native populations in 3rd world countries all over the world. Do what you can to support them, through your day to day purchases and your political decisions. I hope the new year brings good fortune to everyone.

Happy to be Here - I'm applying to Notre Dame as well, perhaps I'll see you there next fall. Yeah, it is a lot of hazing. Jumping through hoops that are covered in gasoline and lit on fire would be easier and less stressful. I am now getting requests for transcripts from a study abroad experience in the UK. It was pass/fail credit and the courses are reported on my undergraduate transcripts.....I'm not even sure the UK institution has those records still.....and they'll take forever to arrive! Why.....

I've started a blog if anyone is interested in following it....does anyone else use blogspot to blog?? http://ghostofmarx.blogspot.com only the beginning, of course. there isn't a lot of substance yet.

Honestly, I think I would have gotten some regression had I taken stats in the social sciences department. I cant even remember what we covered in the math department....probably because it wasn't applied. I'm not so good at taking in knowledge that I'm not interested in to begin with. Now that I use stats in sociology, its hella fun. Before that I just thought it sucked, hah. I wanted to do mixed methods for my thesis, but I was shot down. It was going to be participant observation/ logistic, OLS and multivariate logistical regression, but I was told it was too ambitious. Honestly, it would have been easy to do and I have more time on my hands than I anticipated now.....quantitative analysis takes very little time!! I'm glad you're enjoying grad school Jacib. You can't find anyone to knock back a 30 with??? Haha, everyone in my program is probably an alcoholic (including myself). Keep wearing them down, when things get stressful they'll turn to you and the 30 rack.

Im done too, as of yesterday. Jesus.....Stress is beginning to hit! I keep obsessing over possible errors in my apps..... I had to defend my thesis proposal as well.....Got grilled but passed with flying colors.

Jacib, how is grad school going anyway? Where did you go? And on the topic of quant sociology in undergrad - I would be very surprised to see students from undergrad working on regression analysis. This is something not usually covered in undergraduate research methods courses. You might cover it briefly...but I don't recall doing any of it in my undergrad. Although, I took stats with the math department, during my undergrad, so it wasn't applied to sociological inquiry. I've only been working with regressions in my MA work, and its fun as hell. I didn't know what I was missing.

After reading a lot of posts about the GRE, I've noticed something. Everyone is afraid of the damn test, obsessed with getting over a 1300, yet no one knows what adcomms are truly looking for..............................Its a test. chill. its not worth the stress. Besides, this whole thing is a crap shoot. Approx. 200 applicants to each program, 6 to 8 open slots for each program....you need to make them like you. you've done fine on the test, now wow them with some clever writing.

Stress is necessary if you want to accomplish something that elevates your abilities. Thats how I'm justifying this. I want to become an expert in the sociology of religion and stratification. Sociology is a passion that drives me to succeed inside academia and outside of it. Honestly, studying sociology and the liberal arts made me a better person in a moral sense as well. I think Wollstonecraft was right, a liberal arts education can help true individualism be realized. LOLZ, that sounds pretentious as hell. But, I wouldn't do nothin else....now lets just find out if I get to do it at all. Two more apps to go...

I think Jacib wanted you to elaborate on your interests. You're specifically interested in medical sociology? You might want to consult the US News and World Report Rankings. And you're an international student I think? Your GRE won't really play a role then. Aren't you required to take the TOEFL instead? Us News and World Report Rankings for graduate sociology programs: (it doesn't rank by medical sociology though): http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-sociology-schools/rankings You should apply next year. Deadlines for funding are coming up in January if they haven't already passed. Good luck.

I don't think its because of sociology's reputation for easiness. Why would we see history, poli sci, etc scoring much higher then? These are all majors that are considered "easier" than non-liberal arts majors. I think this understanding of easiness is just a stereotype. I think those who are studying sociology because of it's "simplicity" are not likely to pursue a graduate degree as well. I'm surprised to see that sociologists do better in the quant section. I didn't realize undergraduates were getting a lot of quantitative experience in their BA sociology studies. I expected higher schools in the analytical writing and verbal sections. Sociology is not pursued by a large number of students....could our small pool of applicants have something to do with it? Most people outside of sociology don't even know what it is.

I would try to get a job with a research firm. RTI in Durham is a good bet. They hire extensively from the UNC system. Also, DC is full of social research groups. Anything involving data analysis is good. Or work as a lecturer or community college professor. Something to keep your skills sharp while also demonstrating ambition to prospective PhD programs. On a side note: how was the MA program in Greensboro? I'm in my last semester in Wilmington.

That filtering technique is dependent on the institutional as well. GRE's are used as a filter at top schools usually. You won't find mid-level PhD programs using it as a filter. They usually take a holistic approach. This is my experience in sociology, anyway.

Yeah, every adcomm is different. The majority of schools I've spoken with have asked for a "clever narrative", something interesting that also shows your accomplishments and goals. I think a writing sample should show professionalism. You don't want to bore them with a business type goals statement, and then hit them with a scientific research paper. Let them get to know you.

A note about contacting professors about research interests before applying: Your interests may change in 5 years of PhD study. Professors know this. Don't get too specific. I think emailing professors and asking if they accept students with similar research interests may be a bit presumptuous. Address it in your SOP. Email professors to let them know you're applying and that you share similar interests. I wouldn't ask if they are taking students.

Many of the schools you're applying to will want a narrative, so try to discuss how you found sociology and why you believe a PhD is the right path for you. Usually discussing a life event and how that event pushed you toward sociology is good. If you can't think of something like that, maybe discuss how you found sociology and why you chose to stick with it. Don't make a long list of things your CV will already tell them. Write about your life, how sociology fell into it, and then your future research interests. Sprinkle in your accomplishments between the lines. This will make for an interesting read while also highlighting your skills and goals.

These forums just make me nervous. I'm in the middle of completing applications, and reading the posts on this forum have increased my stress ten fold! LOL, I thought this place was supposed to be helpful . But no, really. There's a lot of worrying going on here. I haven't talked to anyone in a while from this board, so I'll update (if anyone cares) to kill some time. Studying: Sociology of Religion and Stratification Applying to: Boston University Northeastern University Vanderbilt Baylor George Mason University Notre Dame Undergrad GPA: 3.6 MA degree GPA: 3.9 Verbal GRE 550 Quant GRE: 470 Analytical Writing: 5.0 Phi Beta Kappa Alpha Kappa Delta Various Presentations.. (and a bunch of other crap specific to my MA work). I never did take the GRE again. I was advised against it by several professors. Also, I've visited a few PhD programs. The culture of these programs seems to inform their opinion of the test. Qualitative, theory driven schools don't seem to care about it as long as you aren't scoring in the 300's. Quantitative, research driven schools won't even look at you if you're not in the 1200 and above. Not gunna lie, the quantitative schools I visited were a little pretentious for my tastes... How are the apps going for everyone?

I prefer quantitative. While I feel that you need both to come to any true understanding of phenomena, I think quantitative gives you a bigger picture. Qualitative seems to be supplemental in my opinion.

I'll be applying to about 7. PhD's ought to fully fund students, otherwise the education isn't worth the money in a material sense. Of course it's worth it in a personal, self-betterment kind of way. I wouldn't go to a PhD without full funding.

I'm working for the US census a little....drinking a lot....Landscaping for some private residents in town, and working on a couple of Grad assistantship positions. Just keeping busy.

Already enrolled at UNCW.

Honestly, if you have time I think you ought to step away from it for a moment and do something else. Read, exercise, go out. Just take a couple of days from it to let it circulate in your head. We often come to the best conclusions and have the best thoughts about one thing when doing something else. You may have thought it over to death, and no matter how much time you spend writing and editing, it'll be like pulling teeth. Recharge those batteries.