[FALL 2016 Applicants!]

On 04.11.2015 18:04:41, gingin6789 said:

Hi, MelSoc! It seems to me that your sociological interests are well-developed and that you have a good grasp on theory as well.   I don't think that having an English BA and a Cultural Studies Masters will ruin your changes of getting an offer of admission to a sociology PhD program.  Your grad GPA, academic experience, and activism experience will reflect your abilities as a strong candidate.  Undergrad GPA might be a deterrent to adcoms though, who knows?

As for whether you have a chance at the particular schools listed above, I really don't know enough about them to be able to give you a helpful answer.

Don't grow too discouraged.  I say just go for it!  

Let us know how your GRE goes, too!

Hi gingin6789, thanks for the reply. I've been spending less time on the Internet lately - getting ready for the GRE. I got 162 on verbal (around what I expected) and 164 on quant, which is surprisingly good. TOEFL is also fine (113/120) so I'm more or less ready to apply now, all I need to do is work on revising SOPs. I've added a few more schools to my list and decided to give up on Stony Brook (they require an evaluation of my transcripts which would cost me a huge lot) and include Notre Dame, possibly Emory and Columbia (though my chances seem pretty slim). How are you (and others) doing with the application process?

[FALL 2016 Applicants!]

Greetings everyone,

I'm planning to apply to some programs for Fall 2016. I have a BA in English Literature (from a prestigious university in Turkey - though with a relatively low GPA [3.19]). I'm currently doing my masters in Cultural Studies and Media (my GPA is fine, around 3.8). So I'm a little worried about my background, which is slightly irrelevant to pursue a PhD in Sociology. I'm mostly interested in political sociology and class with a particular focus on the changing working class, immaterialization and feminization of the labor process and I intend to conduct a research on how the *new* working class relate to these changes. (I'll also integrate the notions of cultural capital, governmentality and neoliberal ethics - with some reflection on Bourdieu and Foucault) (I know it sounds a little vague but it is more complicated than I tried to summarize here - I don't want to bother you with too many details). 

I have checked several schools (including South Carolina, Stony Brook, UMass, New School and Boston Uni.) I only took a few sociology classes in the grad school. I'll take the GRE in two weeks (I'm a little late I know). I have good writing samples (mostly on cultural theory), more than 5 papers presented at undergrad and grad student conferences, a long-term engagement with political activism (which shaped my sociological interests), 5 years of experience as a freelance translator (hence my interest in changing labor processes) and strong recommendation letters. But I'm not sure if my academic background -and a low GPA- will have a negative effect on my application. I know it is possible to compensate for the GPA, but still. Should I rely on my other credentials and go for it (the application process is too costly and I don't want to shoot for the moon just for the sake of it)? Do I even have a chance for the schools Iisted above? 

I think the whole process of searching for the schools has already discouraged me. I also checked some programs in cultural studies but it is really hard to find a fully-funded program which is not a 'top-tier'. I would love apply to Cultural Studies PhD in Southern California but you know it would be nothing but a waste of money and time.

Thank you all and wish you the best luck with applications!