OverTheBridge

Hello All -- I'm new here! Just this past May I graduated from UC Berkeley w/ a B.A in sociology and I am now considering applying to Phd programs in sociology. I'm a year away from beginning my applications, so I have the current time in which to research programs, obtain Letters of Rec, polish up a personal statement (etc.). My GPA is 3.33 and while I have not yet taken the GRE, I am enrolled in a prep class and plan to take it in November or January at the latest. I expect to do well. As an undergrad, I always gravitated towards topics in soc of marriage/family and culture, most of my coursework is in classes like these. I was also very interested in urban studies and medical soc...however, I have practically no coursework in medical soc, as my school didn't have faculty that specialized in it, and therefor, no undergrad classes in the subject. As a graduate student i would like to have my research focused on health/medicine through the framework of race/class/gender/marriage or family, so I'm looking to apply to programs that emphasize medical sociology. However, given the fact that I only have this B.A degree under my belt (and am currently working at an office job which has no connection to my sociological interests) i'm worried that I'm not qualified to be applying to PhD programs in my stated field of interest. Is this a valid concern? Also, I figure that in applying to a Phd program, one must have a narrowed and purposeful research concentration. If at this point, coming straight out of college, I don't have this narrowly focused concentration in the field of sociology, then should I reconsider applying to a Phd program? Should instead opt for a masters program to help me flesh out my interests a bit more? Also, do you think that with my low undergrad GPA I could benefit from the boost of potentially better performance in a masters program? How much specificity are PhD programs looking for from applicants? Is applying for a PhD program next fall even a realistic option for me given my background, current employment as an office drone and lack of undergrad coursework in my stated field of interest? If, perhaps, my research interest changed from medical soc to just marriage and family and health would I stand a better chance?