It would be the third time I applied to the phd programs. In 2018, I graduated from UT Austin and applied 15 sociology phd programs, and 3 master programs. I only got two master offers, and I spent two years at Duke for the master degree. For the 2021 cycle, I applied 10 anthropology programs and only got one interview. So I spend past year as reporter in the Bay. For this cycle, I have got the offer from OSU anthropology, but I still want to know whether or not I can still be accepted by some of the sociology phd programs, since my research is more ethnography approach. For this cycle, I only cares about the fit and the location, because I really want to participate with the local Asian community, where I can develop my research and have the support.
My GPA is below average, even I got my degree with honor by research work . and I do not have strong GRE score (my quant score is high but my verbal score is only 152). I have conducted independent fieldwork in rural Asia from 2019 to 2020, and several independent research and journalist work in US. As first generation high school, college student and migrant ( as internal migrant at my home country and in the US), I think the pathway to the Phd program is very hard. I think I would not be a strong candidate, if the programs have some GPA or GRE threshold. I think we are people with passion and want to understand and change the big structure. I hope we will find the way to get into the academia and change it.