Square49

Couldn't have said it better.

Yeah, it really wasn't the right analogy. It really is, as you mentioned, more of that desire to just be finished. I just want to be able to make my final decision. Although, that moment of anticipation right before you find out the decision, whether accepted or rejected, is sort of like a high. And the high just continues if you get accepted. Good luck to you as well, HedgieLove!

Greetings everyone, I am new to this thread, but I figured I would join in. I applied to six criminal justice and three sociology PhD programs. To date, I have been accepted to SUNY, Florida State, and IUP. I have one formal rejection from Berkeley, but I also suspect I was denied admission into Emory. I have been browsing this site recently because I have become more anxious to receive my other admission decisions. In fact, I have grown more impatient since receiving my current admissions decisions than I had been after I submitted my apps. Does anyone else feel this way? It's like chasing a high, but you can't control when you're going to get your next fix.

Another CJ major here! Have you received any decisions yet? I've been admitted into SUNY, Florida State, and IUP. Still waiting on Nebraska Omaha, Rutgers, and TX State

I just saw you're a psychology major. I am fairly certain that obtaining gainful employment is pretty difficult in psychology unless you attend a respected program. With that said, you should retake the GRE or just not bother applying. If you decide to retake it, study and study smart. The two things I would recommend is memorizing vocab words using Manhattan flash cards and going through the quantitative reasoning study guide on the ETS website. You may want to consider taking a class as well, as I imagine that would be the most effective way to study for the reading comprehension potions of the exam.

To just be brutally honest, those scores are pretty bad. If you are trying to get into programs like Indiana, you should retake the GRE. You may be able to get into some less revered programs, but it may not be worth it depending on your major.

I don't know what is talking about. Those are very good stats. You would certainly get into respectable programs. However, philosophy majors have the highest verbal scores, so your 163, though very good, would probably prevent you from getting into the top 10-20 programs. Your high quantitative score may be enough to squeak you into to a top 20 university, however. Here is Duke's admission statistics for the last three years, which is a great program in philosophy. https://gradschool.duke.edu/about/statistics/philosophy-phd-admissions-and-enrollment-statistics. While you couldn't hold your breath for Duke, you could probably get into programs like UC Davis without much doubt. That is, of course, with a strong SOP and LOR's.

Strictly based on the information you provided, you may be a top applicant in whatever year you decide to apply. My tentative advice is to apply to Maryland. I don't know if they have someone who studies prison healthcare policy specifically, but they have corrections scholars who could provide the necessary expertise to help you attain your goal. Though, more importantly, they have all sorts of political ties and relationships with agencies in both Baltimore and DC. These, of course, would be instrumental.

If you get a good GRE score you should be able to get into some pretty good Masters-PhD programs. Your last 60 hours is great, and schools will take into account your improvement from your first two years to your last two (especially if you work it into your SOP). If you had research projects it would be great as montanem suggested, but many applicants don't. Considering that you are at a smaller university, they may not expect you too because there is generally less opportunity to do so. So my advice would be to focus on the GRE and all of the supplementary application materials. Construct a professional CV, get a professor to proofread your SOP, and strategically pick your LOR writers. Also, make sure your SOP is at least somewhat personalized for each school. You should mention faculty members you would like to work with by name, and make sure you demonstrate your knowledge of the program's fortes. I think you would demonstrate your potential as a graduate student more if you really nailed those details. If you are interested in crime and deviance, Minnesota, Bowling Green State or North Carolina State may be great places to apply to. I would also recommend you apply to some criminology and criminal justice programs. Admissions are generally less competitive, and the field is burgeoning right now. That means more employment potential with a criminal justice degree. If you graduate from a top 10 university in criminal justice, you will most likely go on to another esteemed department. Finding employment with a sociology PhD is much tougher. Even if you go to a top 20 school in sociology, you may end up at a small, somewhat irrelevant, liberal arts school.

Academics: DU Culture and students: DU Affordability: UCCS My personal preference would be DU. Though, I would imagine DU is much more expensive, both in terms of cost of living and tuition. DU is located in this neat section of Denver, however, which offers a richer experience than Colorado Springs. It is also somewhat of a liberal oasis inside of another liberal oasis. UCCS, on the other hand, is more likely going to have a higher proportion of conservative students just because of the area and half the students don't come from California. You would probably be more likely to do outsdoorsy things if you went to UCCS, but you would get to experience the culture of Denver if you went to DU. In terms of Academics, I would say it is no question that DU in general is more esteemed than UCCS. However, I couldn't speak to each program specifically.

I am a criminology major at a somewhat obscure MA program, but I want to apply to soc programs. From what I understand, however, soc programs are more competitive. Can someone clarify for me what type of GRE scores are considered good for top 5 programs in sociology, as I am a little confused after exploring average gre scores for some of the top 15 programs. For instance, Cal has an average of 161v and 154q listed on their website, but that composite score is lower than the scores listed by Texas and Duke. My scores (159v, 158q) will get me considered by top 5 programs in criminal justice/criminology, but do I have a legitimate chance of being accepted into top 5 programs in sociology?If it is any help at all, my dream school is Cal Berkeley. Any information or insight would be greatly appreciated.

Hello all, I am posting this in order to get a little more clarity on my chances of getting into a top 5 program. My composite gre score is 317 (159 V, 158Q), and my GPA is a 4.0. However, I attend a new Masters program that has not garnered the reputation that many of the big MA programs have. I have been afforded many opportunities in my program though, and I will have two publications (possibly three) by the time I graduate. I really want to get into SUNY, but is it harder to get into there than Maryland? I believe they have a smaller program, and therefore accept fewer students. I am also perhaps interested in applying to a few soc programs, but I do not know if my GRE scores are quite good enough to get into a top tier program. My research interests and experiences align closely with Dr. Fox at Cal Berkeley which may bode well; but again, I do not know if my GRE scores even make me competitive for that program.