societyisinteresting

Hi, I don't feel super qualified to speak to most of this but I'm from the U.S. and currently doing an MA in Germany (not in sociology) so I'll try to provide some insight. In Germany, school will unambiguously be free and I have not met a PhD student that doesn't also have additional funding. All of the research presentations etc. I've heard of are in English. There is probably some bias here (I'm more likely to hear of them if they're in English as I speak no German) but I get the impression that it's not a significant barrier to not know German. Two of my four professors don't speak German at all. It seems most graduate-level education here is primarily in English. I think academic culture is pretty similar to the U.S.--I can't think of anything that's shockingly different based on my limited experience. You're expected to have a master's degree before entering a PhD in Germany and the UK. I have heard that getting funding as an international student in the UK can be a problem but I don't know the details. Hopefully someone who knows more about doing a PhD can jump in, but let me know if you have any other questions about Germany and I'll help however I can!

Hi everyone! I'm currently an MA student in economics and philosophy (and also did my undergraduate degree in economics and philosophy). It's recently become apparent to me that while I'm primarily interested in economics, it likely makes more sense for me to study economics from a sociological perspective. Some of the most influential books, for me, have been written by sociologists and anthropologists. My interests are mostly related to financialization, labor, and public understanding of economics and economic concepts. I'm particularly interested in understanding how economic concepts are moralized by different societies. I'm wondering how my background will influence my chances at a top PhD program (in Europe or the US) and whether I can do anything while I'm in my MA to improve my chances. My current plan is to basically use my MA to learn as much method as possible (econometrics, deep learning, etc.) because I enjoyed my experience as an RA for a computational social science project during undergrad and would like to use my programming/tech background in my research. I plan to focus mostly on empirical economics and take two computer science classes (the maximum amount allowed by my program). Should I consider taking or auditing a sociology class? Will recommendation letters from economists or philosophers be received well if they are able to speak to my interest and capability when it comes to economic sociology? I appreciate any suggestions or advice to make myself a better candidate. I've started to research programs that have a focus on economic sociology, but if any particular programs come to mind, please let me know! I should note that I'm really only interested in highly ranked programs (maybe top 20 or so). If I don't get into a great program, I'll just re-enter the workforce. Thank you!