OllieMC

Hi everyone! I'm new here, nice to meet you. It has been my dream to attend graduate school for sociology and eventually become a sociologist for several years now. I have not definitively pinpointed my exact field of study within sociology as of yet; however, I am interested in environmental sociology, social movements and social change, sociology of knowledge, and social networks. I think I would enjoy conducting research and teaching in the field. I graduated in 2014 with a double major in Sociology and International Affairs (with a concentration in Geography). I have a 3.85 GPA (Magna Cum Laude) from a pretty good state school. I have three letters of recommendation: two from academics and one from my boss at an environmental non-profit where I worked at for two years. I have been out of school for three years and have worked in various professional jobs but I have decided to pursue a PhD in sociology. I am hoping to attend upper-middle tier schools, because I realistically don't think I can get into the Ivies or UC Berkeley or any schools of that caliber. I am hoping to attend one of the following: UC Davis University of Colorado, Boulder University of Oregon University of Washington My problem right now is that I work full time right now (over 40 hours a week), I have been out of school a few years, and I have struggled with mental illness. As a result, I didn't score as well as I hoped on the GRE. 158 Qual/148 Quant. I am taking it again in two weeks to see if I can do a little better. Honestly though, it has been quite difficult for me. I don't have research experience, but I have worked in an environmental non-profit and in petition drives and organizing for a ballot initiative. I think this can bolster my environmental sociology credibility. Anyway, what do you think my chances are of getting accepted to any of these schools? In particular I am hoping to go to UC Davis. Thanks and best of luck to everyone as we enter the final stages of the application process!