[Which soc classes to boost profile for next cycle?]

It sounds like you are not currently enrolled somewhere as a full-time student, but it's unclear. Broadly speaking, research experience is far more important than what courses you take. If you are enrolled somewhere, I would say it's best to take some form of research methods. Courses that provide some hard skills are the most helpful, and also often give you the opportunity to do some primary research. If you are not enrolled somewhere, I would say it is not worth it to spend money and time on courses.

[Dual Enrollment Student Looking for Graduate School Advice]

Option 2 is the better option if your only goal is top 10 PhD program. The biggest factor for admissions is going to be research experience and you are much more likely to be able to RA or do strong independent research at an institution with more resources and high-profile faculty. One thing I would add is that you should cut out the master's step. Getting a master's in sociology does not significantly help you get into a PhD program and is often very complicated to fund. Some people do it and it works out well, but it should be plan b, not your first choice.

I totally understand if you don't want to spend several extra years working towards your bachelors, but if the only goal is PhD programs I think it would be most likely to pay off in the long run. I think you are correct about the (unfortunate) role of prestige in academia and aiming high is usually worth it.

[Do I stand chance? (switching fields & nervous)]

There's a lot to talk about here, so I'll try to break it down succinctly.

- Yes, you definitely have a chance. You have great GREs, a strong GPA, and good work experience. I think it's fair to identify the lack of research experience as your weakest spot, but you should know that most people don't have published work when applying either. It's ok to be thinking about class or work projects as your main research experience at this point, you just have to sell why it's relevant. Programs do not expect you to be the complete package already or else you wouldn't need them; they want to see that you have the tools to do well though.

- Related to the last point, I do think it's worthwhile to sell your quantitative methods skills. It doesn't have to be the central point of your statement of purpose, but you should absolutely make it clear that you have them. This 100% will not lock you into only doing quant work for your time in graduate school. I had only done qualitative work prior to applying, and stated that I wanted to do qualitative work. I now have only done quant work in grad school and no one even remembers what I wrote.

- Getting on a working paper would be a good way to signal research experience, but if you believe it's totally antithetical to your interests I'm not sure it's worth it. Ideally you want to be able to point to something you've done to signal the types of stuff you intend to do. A working paper would signal your methodological skill, but if you're not going to write about it as your research interests then I think it's valid to not do it.

- As far as choosing schools go, you absolutely should shoot high in terms of prestige. You don't want to only apply to top 5-10 programs, but you do have a shot at them with your scores and work experience. I can't help you as much with selecting the schools because I'm not that familiar with economic sociology, but I will say that stratification is at the core of a lot of sociology departments. There are very few strong programs overall that are weak in this area, so I don't think you can go too wrong. I think the best thing to do is look for schools where there are at least 3-4 tenured faculty you would want to work with.

[What are the best full-time jobs to improve my sociology PhD chances?]

9 hours ago, neurosoc said:

I graduated in 2015 with my Bachelor's neuroscience. I've been doing social science research for think tanks since then, and I'd like to make a transition into a sociology PhD program. I have a good GPA (3.9) and GREs (166V, 167Q) and lots of sociological research experience. However, I don't have any letters of recommendation from sociologists (I work mostly with psychologists and economists) and didn't take any sociology courses in undergrad.

I'm wondering if there are any full-time jobs I could work at (or maybe a Master's, but those are expensive) that would improve my chances of getting into a top-tier sociology PhD program for entry in Fall 2020 or Fall 2021. I know there are a lot of Research Assistant, Lab Manager, and even Predoctoral Fellow positions in psychology, economics, and other disciplines. But I haven't been able to find many for sociology per se.

Any ideas?

It sounds like you already have pretty much the best type of position you can? A huge number of other students in my cohort (top 10 program) worked at social science think tanks like Urban Institute, MDRC, etc. before applying. You have the scores, the grades, and the research experience. The letters might be the weakest part of your application, but overall that is still an incredibly strong profile. I will also say that sociology programs usually respect the methodological training and recommendations from other social science disciplines. Graduate level sociology is very different than undergrad, so often the most important thing is methods and research skills, rather than specific sociology subject-area knowledge.

[Interviews/Acceptances/Rejections Fall 2019]

4 hours ago, SgtDonut said:

You're right. On average most people take longer than five years. But the grad student at UCLA I spoke to made it seem like virtually no one finishes in five years. Whereas I think at a school like Duke or Northwestern, there's less competition for resources and the cohorts are smaller, so it's harder to fall through the cracks. This is all just based on my impressions from conversations with random grad students though. 

While we're on the topic, how do you guys feel about potentially taking 7 to 8 years to finish? I feel like I would be so demoralized and sad after making no money for that long lol plus my partner will probably be saying tick tock, time to buy a house, etc. It just seems so long, so that's why it's important for me to finish in five if possible.

I don't think you should read too much into this. Departments are pushing for professionalization and a quicker clock largely because of incentives on their end, which means you'll get different info depending on who you talk to. I was told 6 years by my department when going through the application process, but I now know that's largely a joke. I certainly can't think of anyone done in 5 and the vast, vast majority are in the 7-8 range. This is at a top department with small cohorts and ample resources.

I do think it is true that different departments have different priorities on this. You're right to point out that Duke has been pushing professionalization very strongly, but my larger point is that you shouldn't look to cohort size as the main indicator or trust random information. And, at the end of the day you should expect to take longer than what the department promises you is the goal.

[Interviews/Acceptances/Rejections Fall 2019]

16 hours ago, NYCStudent said:

Whoa, you got an interview?? Congrats!!! You will do great. I applied and still no word...still holding out hope! I am nervous because for all the schools I applied for, my application status just says “submitted”, not even anything like “under consideration”. Worried I totally missed something! 

Best of luck at your interview!! 

When I applied none of my schools updated the application status beyond submitted until a decision had been sent out, so don't freak out if it doesn't say under review.

[Will taking a sociology class increase my chances? (I have BA in econ)]

19 hours ago, socchi92 said:

I think if you can make a convincing argument for why you want to study sociology, your B.A. major doesn't matter. Most departments' FAQs mention that an applicant's major doesn't need to be sociology. You could also contact programs you are interested and seek advice. 

I second this. Do not spend $5000 to take one class!! I have tons of students in my cohort who were not soc majors in undergrad. I also wonder if you're overrating how much it helps to have a rec letter from someone in sociology. If you can get recs from professors in other fields, especially ones that are sociology adjacent like econ, that is perfectly fine. I have heard from professors that tons of students get a masters thinking it will help find recommendations, and that this is a mistake. More often than not professors are not focusing on their master's students and you don't have enough time to get to know them before working on your application. I can only imagine this problem is even worse for a non-degree student.

[Interviews/Acceptances/Rejections Fall 2019]

One thing to keep in mind is that the spread can be in part due to how schools notify you of acceptance. For example, UNC has some variation, but it's all in a week or so period. This is because they have a faculty member you listed on your SoP call you, so it depends on that professor's schedule. Other schools will do it by email, so it all goes out at once. I'm sure these things also change year to year.

This is mostly to say that it is not worth getting stressed and assuming you've been rejected somewhere just because some people have already gotten in. I had schools where I thought this was the case and I just got a phone call a couple days later entirely due to scheduling.

[Would a rejection ever come from a POI?]

59 minutes ago, jriveracal said:

Just had a nightmare that my POI sent me a very nicely written email to tell me that while my research sounds cool, he doesn't think he is a great fit for my interests and wishes me good luck elsewhere.

For sociology, would this ever happen? I would imagine interviews and acceptances may come from POI's but rejections would just come from the department/portal.

I just want to be mentally prepared for all of this. lol.

Most sociology programs do not admit you to work with one specific person, unlike some other fields. A single POI is not going to make or break your application (especially if they're not on the admissions committee) and most interactions you have with the department about admissions decisions will go through someone like the department chair, head of the admissions committee, or director of graduate studies.

Specific faculty I had listed as potential advisors did contact me after I had been admitted places, but I did not interact with them beforehand or about the application process.

[How to prepare for an interview]

40 minutes ago, syza said:

Wait what? You sure about Chicago? I didn't see any information on an interview on their web page....

Oh no, I should've double checked about this! I did not apply, so I may just be repeating misinformation I heard elsewhere. Take this with a grain of salt and sorry if it stressed you out.

[How to prepare for an interview]

14 hours ago, Esenabla said:

Hey,

Was just wondering if anyone could offer any advice as to what kind of questions an applicant can expect if offered an interview. Haven't been offered one yet, but figured it would be best to prepare sooner rather than later. Not entirely sure how to go about it, tho.

What programs are you applying to that you know have interviews? Chicago is the only one I know of. Not sure what advice there is beyond basic interview advice, since they don't appear to be that common.

[Getting into soc PhD with econ BA]

You have nothing to worry about. Great GRE, Good GPA, and strong work experience. I think high_hopes is right both that econ by itself is not a problem (and sometimes a bonus!) but you should make sure you can give a compelling case about why you're interested in sociology. There are multiple econ undergrad students in my cohort (top 10 department) and no one even remembers exactly what everyone's major was at this point. And, because statistical skills are a big part of the field, and often criticized among incoming soc students, econ gives you a leg up.

I wouldn't worry about not having taken sociology classes either. In general the philosophy of phd programs is to turn you from a research consumer to research producer. In fact, I think too many applicants spend the whole time talking about what sociology they like (presumably from a class they took), rather than what sociology they intend to produce. The majority of your required courses in grad school or going to be methods courses, not content courses for this reason. So, if you have the foundational interest and the beginnings of the ability to research on it, this makes for a great statement of purpose. It also doesn't have to be super specific! Economic sociology makes perfect sense given your background, is a strong subfield in a wide range of departments, and is something you should plausibly be able to make the case for.

[GRE Retake? + Recommendation Advice]

Ok, there's a couple things going on here, but I'll do my best.

First of all, ignoring GRE for a second, you are a very strong applicant. Good GPA, strong research experience, a clear substantive research interest/project, and strong recs. All of that is fantastic and you should feel great about it! I know it's easy to focus on the one negative aspect here. So, there's two ways to approach your problem. 1) The vast majority of your application is fantastic and your GRE scores are not disqualifying enough by any means. I think you should get into a fully-funded, and most likely top 20, program with your application as is. 2) You have a strong enough profile that you could shoot a little higher than that with a really strong GRE. Given your econ background and quantitative focus, I also believe you would be able to with adequate study time. While schools know that GRE math is not real math, it might look a little odd at the truly top end (top 5-10) to have a strong quantitative focus and have that be your weakest GRE score. This is really your judgment call as to how much you care about the top outcome of reach schools, versus how much you're happy to be at a good fully-funded school.

I'm also slightly confused by your implication of how GRE score reporting works, so I want to check my understanding. It was my belief that you can choose whether or not to send your scores. If this is the case, there's not that much downside to taking the test on Friday and seeing what happens, other than money and time. Is my understanding correct?

Lastly, regarding recs, I think this is a good problem to have. It looks like you have four potentially strong recs, two of which are very strong. I got into a top program with one very strong rec and two that I believe are about the quality of your #2; this puts you ahead of the median for sure. Personally, the advice I've always been given is to go with a professor who knows you very well, rather than one who looks slightly more impressive on paper. To me this signals using #4 over #2. I don't think there's much downside at all to having an econ professor, and in fact most sociology grad programs like econ for the strong quant methods focus. Committees care more about methods and research experience than subject area knowledge. I do think if you have apps that allow additional recs it wouldn't hurt to use #2 as well.

I hope this was helpful, and please feel free to reach out to me via pm. I'm happy to give more of my personal experience, but I don't want to dox myself.

[Advice for Undergrad]

Second what high_hopes says. In general, methods courses are more valuable than content-based courses. PhD programs are largely designed to turn you into research producers, rather than consumers. Most of the coursework you will have in grad school is methods based for these reasons. Any opportunity you can get to give yourself a head start there will make you a great candidate. In addition, if there's any type of course you can take that gives you an option for an independent project, thesis, or even just original research paper you should do it. You will need a writing sample for your PhD application and in general this will show ad comms that you haven't just read sociology, but can actually practice it as well. Finally, take all opportunities to meet with faculty, go to office hours, etc. I was lucky enough to have a fantastic undergrad mentor this way and I got a job working as her research assistant after graduating. My relationship with her strengthened my application enormously, as it boosted my recommendations, my resume, and gave me more primary research opportunities. Sociology is also a small world. I got into my mentor's alma mater and other schools where she has a relationship, and I don't think that's a coincidence. It's not nepotism, but a recommendation means more if the ad comms know the person it's coming from.

Feel free to pm me if you want to talk in more detail. 

[Campus Visit -- Please Help Me Understand This....]

It definitely is not too bold to ask! For the record, all of the Soc PhD programs I've been in contact with have offered to reimburse travel expenses, at least up to a certain amount. I am not familiar with master's programs, but I think it is certainly reasonable to ask.

[Chemistry PhD: Stanford vs. Yale]

To preface, I don't know the field of chemistry at all and it sounds like you have a tough decision between two great programs. Congratulations! I will, however, say that you should consider editing some of the more self-identifying information out of your post, especially since you say some not-so-flattering things about a potential advisor by name. I don't mean to sound condescending and I wish I could offer you more help on the decision itself, but I do think this is good practice on the internet in general.

[Washington, DC and Maryland suburbs]

18 minutes ago, serret1993 said:

Hi folks!

Do you think a monthly budget of 1860 dollars (including rent, groceries, transportation, personal expenses etc.) is enough to live in DC? 

Broadly speaking yes, but it depends where you want to live, what kind of situation (housemates?), etc. You should be able to get a decent room in a shared house for ~$1,000 p/month. It may be a couple hundred higher during peak housing season or in an especially in-demand area, but I would think that still leaves you enough room for other expenses technically speaking.

This doesn't mean it will be easy. I would think your budget is basically going to be entirely taken up by expenses every month and that is a tough life. But it is doable if you're ok with that for however many years.

[Columbia MA in Political Science vs JHU SAIS MA in China Studies]

This seems like a no-brainer. You haven't even listed any upside for Columbia. Is it just about the name? Because SAIS has a fantastic reputation. It's offering you funding, is longer, and gives the opportunity for more thesis-level work.

I will also add that in many fields professors know which MA programs are considered cash cows. If you think that's what the Columbia MA is, then my guess is professors will also know this and not consider the program to be on par with Columbia's reputation as a whole. From talking to professors, this is certainly true in my field (sociology)

[Ranking vs. Funding???]

Can you elaborate more on your reason for choosing SUNY-Albany over WSU? I know you say ranking, but really the two are not substantially different in terms of ranking imo. Certainly not enough to pass up the fully funded offer. If you have an established relationship I think it's definitely worth inquiring about more funding, but I would not consider going into debt for SUNY-Albany at all, especially when you have a fully funded offer from what I believe most in sociology consider to be a peer institution.

[Washington, DC and Maryland suburbs]

On 3/7/2018 at 3:13 PM, LexHex said:

Maybe someone has answered this -- is it rational to not have a car? I will be staying in Howard's student apartments for the first semester for convenience sake and I don't know if bringing a car is in the cards.

You should be completely fine. I assume you'll be attending Howard, so you won't have to worry about a commute, and Howard is close to the Shaw/Howard metro stop. I've lived my entire life in DC without a car, so it is definitely doable.

[Fall 2018 Acceptances/Interviews/Rejections Thread]

4 hours ago, ss22 said:

Hi all - I am a lurker coming out of the shadows and am extremely thankful for this little community for quieting my anxieties during this process. Congrats to all those accepted this year!

I have a dilemma/need advice and I'd love to get some feedback  - I think it is safe to say that I have been rejected to all the schools I applied to this cycle. I am wondering what my next steps should be.. I am debating on whether or not I should pursue the Columbia Sociology MA I was accepted to enhance my application, as it is a prestigious institution with a lot of networking opportunities/opportunities to flesh out my research interests (maybe publish? maybe go to additional conferences?). Or should I just take the GREs again and strengthen my application in other ways (research fellowships, publishing something - recommendations welcome!)?
I'm not sure what to do next, but all I want is to get into a PhD program so I can lead research and teach in the future. 

My profile at this point is:

Ithaca College undergrad degree - 3.4 (a weak point of my app, due to a bad freshman year)
CUNY MA - 3.89; thesis on minimum wage movements (fightfor15), framing, media, etc.

Research interests: the intersection of education, social movements, coercion, and power (political/economic sociology) 

3 conference presentations at major psych association conferences in undergrad (EPA; NEPA)
1 year as an undergraduate research assistant
Leadership experience in 2 executive boards in undergrad
1 internship focusing on economic development with low-income women
2-3 years in research and data analysis @ a non-profit w. promotions 
2 years of peer review experience at AERA
2 years of additional professional experience (program management, grant management, HR)
1 masters thesis 

GRE 162V/152Q/4A (could do better)

 

Sorry this is a lot!! Any suggestions on the best way to strengthen my application would be much appreciated. I feel lost right now . Thank you! 

You already have a masters? I can't see any way that getting another one will help you at all. The MA at Columbia is also largely just a cash cow for the university, so I don't think you should expect a level of quality significantly above the program at CUNY.

It also seems to me like the reasons you list for considering the MA at Columbia are not going to help with the weaker points of your profile. You already have great research experience, have presented at conferences, and have had the opportunity to network with/get recommendations from faculty (at CUNY). It sounds like you already do have fleshed out research interests from your MA thesis as well. You're ahead of me in all of these categories and I had a relatively successful application season, so I don't think you should be worried.

It does seem like your GRE would be the most immediate way you could make a tangible improvement. I don't think your scores are bad, but bumping up your quant and writing scores, paired with your research background, would make you a great applicant. One thing you haven't mentioned is your SoP. I don't think any of us on the forum is an expert in writing these, but maybe that's another area you could look to?

I think with a couple tweaks you could be a very strong applicant, so I would seriously advise against going into debt and doing the Columbia MA as a hail mary.

[Sociology masters or PhD?]

1 hour ago, Ericnm said:

I know this has been discussed at length on many threads, but what is the point of the grad school rankings?

I checked the PhD program for the school where I live now and felt optimistic looking through the professors and different areas of research they specialize in. They seemed to have at least a few professors who had lots of published research and interesting material. My heart sank when I searched their ranking and found them to be tied for #102 with a few other schools, higher only than those schools that had no ranking at all. This seems inauspicious.

 

Getting a PhD where I’m living now would be ideal for many reasons due to my life circumstances and personality, but if it’s a last place rank, would it just be a terrible decision?

I think you should think of the US News rankings as a rough gauge of perceived "prestige." On the rankings page you can click on the methodology section, but essentially US News sends out a survey questionnaire to professors in the field asking them to rate departments and then aggregates the results. So, what you see in the list isn't incredibly precise or scientific, but it does roughly show you how other faculty in the field view various departments. At the end of the day, these are the faculty that will be hiring you if you want a tenure track job in academia and academia is still a relatively prestige-focused place.

I don't think ranking is the be-all and end-all, and each person has to decide how much they value other factors like location, faculty fit, and finances. That said, it's disingenuous to act like ranking doesn't matter, especially if your goal is to get a tenure track job in academia. If it isn't then the calculation may change. Some schools may consistently outperform their ranking in terms of placing students in the job market and others may underperform, but in the grand scheme of things this is largely a wash. 

Funding is also something to consider. Does the program you're considering fully fund students? I can't imagine it would be worth it otherwise. I'm not going to tell you what your goals are or what aspects you value most in a program, and there is certainly plenty of room to achieve your goals at a huge range of schools. But I would encourage at least attempting to shoot as high as you can in the rankings and then see what happens.

[Fall 2018 Acceptances/Interviews/Rejections Thread]

8 minutes ago, toinfinityandbeyond said:

this might be a dumb question, but when POI email to set up a phone call and sign with their first name only, should you address them by their first name or Dr. X? 

I don't think it matters either way, but I usually try to address people how they sign the email. All current PhD candidates I've talked to refer to those professors by first names too, so you're not being overly informal. That said, if you're worried about it, it absolutely can't hurt to be cautious and say Professor X or Dr. X.

[Deciding between programs]

It's counter-intuitive, but the number one mistake I've made when talking to professors from programs I've been accepted to is getting too detail-oriented. I want to know the specifics of each program of course, but my best experiences have been just having a conversation without as many pointed questions. These conversations often end up answering my questions anyway, and in going in a roundabout way give me more insight into the professors' philosophies and the overall vibe of the department.

The advice I'm trying to give myself is that I've already been accepted multiple places and to just relax and have a normal conversation.

[Fall 2018 Acceptances/Interviews/Rejections Thread]

41 minutes ago, Inti said:

Anyone can claim the Stanford acceptance?

I can claim one, received an email this morning. Have not been posting on the results board though because honestly I feel it just contributes to the anxiety and stress of this forum. Happy to answer any questions if that's helpful though.