Mikeden

It's important to realize that some programs put a greater emphasis on qualitative analyses while other put an emphasis on quantitative analyses. Other programs give you a choice. If you feel you are stronger in qualitative analyses, maybe you should look into programs that emphasize qualitative analyses. Brandeis, for example, specializes in qualitative (http://www.brandeis.edu/departments/sociology/).That said, quantitative analyses and statistics are very important to comprehend in sociology, both to produce your own research and to understand the research of others. Of course, statistics and "math" (like calculus) are very different. Math also isn't my strongest subject (the highest math course I ever took, which was over 10 years ago, was calculus I) but I did pretty well in statistics courses because I had great professors and because the math in the required stats classes that I took isn't higher than 10th grade math...it's mostly comprehending concepts and understanding how everything works together. Higher level stats does require calc knowledge and gets VERY complex but the math in most required stats classes (probably even at the PhD level) is pretty basic. Most of your work will probably be on the computer anyway. I wouldn't worry that much about the GRE - the math isn't too hard (again, when I took it, back in 2011, it wasn't higher than 10th grade math) and I found the Kaplan review books very easy to understand and helpful. The GRE software is also VERY helpful...and I found the practice materials from Kaplan to be much more challenging than the actual GRE. Good luck!

Hi everyone, I used to post here somewhat frequently but I've continued to lurk as I had less time after starting graduate school. I've just finished QMSS at Columbia. I have a 4.0 GPA from Columbia and I had a 3.97 undergrad overall GPA (4.0 major GPA, which was in psychology). I took a PhD level sociology course while in QMSS and the stats requirement for QMSS counts toward the math requirement for the sociology PhD at Columbia. My electives in QMSS were survey methodology, two history courses (I was considering doing a history PhD at one time and wanted to get a "feel" for grad level history courses, though one of the history courses could be considered qualitative sociological research) and the sociology course. I'll have excellent LORs from my professors at Columbia and I'm hoping to publish or at least present my thesis as I've received positive feedback from many Columbia faculty (not sure if that will happen though since I'm also working) on it. I have no publications but I do have both academic and private sector research experience. I plan on using my thesis as my writing sample. My concern is my GRE scores - I had 610 quant and 550 verbal. I had 5/6 on the AW section. I assume that my research experience, undergrad LORs, PS and high undergrad GPA got me into QMSS but will my scores hurt my chances for acceptance into the PhD programs? I am considering applying to Columbia, Brandeis and CUNY because the faculty at those schools match my research interests (especially at CUNY and Brandeis). Also, it looks like Brandeis does not put much emphasis on quantitative research...Unless, I missed it, I didn't even see a quant course that is offered every year. I understand that Brandeis has a "qualitative" focus but do they really put such little importance on quant work? Thanks in advance!

Hi, I applied to this program, Social Research at Queens College and QMSS at Columbia. I got into all 3 and chose Columbia over Hunter because Hunter required (at least at the time) an internship and I already had work experience doing research so that wasn't needed for me. I was also hoping to attend part-time since I already had a job and the program at Hunter was 3.5 years part-time. I also felt that Columbia allowed a bit more flexibility in the classes that you could pick as electives. The Social Research did look like it was a great program though and I would have considered it if I didn't get into the other programs. I spoke to one student who enjoyed the program. Applying to Queens College was a logistical NIGHTMARE and is the sole reason why I did not attend Queens College even though I really liked the program and knew students who enjoyed the program. While most applications are/were online, Queens College required me to fill out a paper application. I also needed to have my LOR writers AND transcripts sent to me in sealed envelopes with a special form for me to include with this paper application, rather than simply uploading them. QC couldn't even confirm that they received my application when I called them to confirm that they received it a few weeks later (I was told "they are in bins that no one has gone through yet"). While I heard back from Hunter and Columbia about 6 weeks later (in the middle of May roughly), I didn't hear back from QC until MUCH later into the summer, way after the deadline for when I needed to make my decision for Hunter and Columbia. This was a few years ago so I really hope that the application process is modernized now for QC. I can discuss QMSS at Columbia in much greater detail if you are interested, just let me know!

Just wanted to make sure this thread wasn't missed....

Hi everyone, I know there are other threads about this program but they seemed to be pretty old and none of them really answered my specific questions. Talking to other people in my field (market research), I decided that I wanted a broad research based MA or MS degree. I also wanted to "try out" a subject in graduate school and to become more competitive for PhD programs, should I elect to go for one later on. I first considered going for a MA in psychology but as I majored in psychology as an undergraduate, I decided that I didn't want to go for the psychology MA. I applied for two social research programs and QMSS (I applied to QMSS just to see if I would get in and to give me more options, should I not get into the other programs). I ended up getting into all three programs that I applied. I really wanted to try out social research but it looks like QMSS is broad and flexible enough to allow me to take sociology classes as electives. The two other programs that I got into are in public schools, so they are significantly less expensive than QMSS. The social research programs are at respected schools and the programs are respected but I would imagine that Columbia would look better on a resume or job application. From my understanding, it seems like the difference between the social research programs and QMSS is that the required core classes at QMSS are just pure research courses while the social research courses, while research-based, are grounded in sociology. I have a strong undergraduate GPA and fairly decent GRE scores other than my quant, because I ran out of time at the end (75% verbal, 49% quant, 85% AW), so with a MA, I shouldn't have a problem getting into PhD programs. My question is, am I completely crazy to turn down an offer to go to Columbia? Putting aside the cost differences, would having the CU name on my resume or job application help me that much? Would it help me to get into a PhD program, as opposed to a public school? Better yet, can anyone share their experiences with QMSS or anything they have heard about the program? Thanks in advance!

Hi, I attended SUNY Buffalo (I assume you mean the University atBuffalo as opposed to Buffalo State College) for my undergraduate degree. I majored in psychology and some of my friends from the psychology undergraduate program went on for the MSW after they finished their undergraduate degree. As an undergraduate, I LOVED the school. Many people didn't like UB because it is so massive (it is by far the largest SUNY school by both population and campus- actually 3 campuses- size) but I used the size to my advantage for the numerous opportunities (research, etc) that it afforded me. Really, UB (like most other schools) is what you make of it. The campus is beautiful and looks more like a private school than a public school (UB used to be a private schooland tries to maintain the "private school image"). The one complaint that many students had was that it seemed like professors cared more about their research than teaching. I am not sure if that would be an issue for you in graduate school but I just wanted to mention that. I grew up just outside of NYC and many of my friends from the NYC area didn't like the Buffalo area (they found it too"hickish" for their tastes) but I liked it (in fact, I was going to stay up in Buffalo after graduation but couldn't find a job and needed to come home). Please keep in mind that Buffalo is the second largest city in NY and compared to my friends who went to other SUNY schools (Oneonta, Binghamton, etc), the city has much more to offer than the cities that someother SUNYs are in. The airport is also only about 20-30 minutes away from the school, which is convenient. You can find a nice apartment for a very reasonable amount of money (I am sure it would be MUCH cheaper than anapartment in Seattle). You will probably always be able to find a parking spot and traffic (at least compared to NYC standards) is a joke. People always talk about the snow in Buffalo and while it does snow at least a few times a week between November through March, the city is pretty serious about the snow and always did a good job of clearing the roads. I can't speak about the MSW program as I didn't take any social work classes but I do believe it is a fairly popular program at UB. One of my friends loved the program. Hope this is helpful...Please PM me or reply if you would like any more information or have any questions about the school or area.

Agreed...I think you need to figure out exactly what your goals and objectives are. I believe there are also programs at NYU for conflict resolution and peace studies. One is a certificate program (which seems to have an accounting focus) and I am pretty sure the other is a graduae program in peace studies. Here is a link that I was able to dig up quickly: http://www.scps.nyu.edu/areas-of-study/accounting-taxation-legal/professional-certificates/conflict-and-dispute-resolution.html

Thanks! That could work on one of my applications but for two of my other ones, I can't really list more than one position or date for each position (they are web-based applications and I need to enter something in for all fields and the formatting won't look correct if I have more than one position).

Hi everyone, When filling out my applications, I came across the work history section. Prior to having my current job (which I have worked in for close to 4 years), I worked in a number of relevant temporary positions (1-3 months at a time). I briefly touched on this in my personal statement, discussing that by working for different companies, I was able to figure out exactly what kind of work I want to do. My question is, how do I note the short employment duration on the application? I don't want the graduate committee to think that I was fired or quit after only working for 1 month, so I have been writing notes that are similar to "please note this was a temporary position" in either the job responsibilities section or the job title. I have excellent reviews from my current job (if the graduate committee contacts my supervisor) and have a very strong LOR from a manager at my current job. Will these comments suffice or should I write something else (or nothing at all)? Thank you in advance!

Hi everyone, I am in the EXACT same position! I majored in psych as an undergraduate, eventually planning on going for the PhD in clincial psychology to conduct academic research. I realized I didn't want to spend my whole life worrying about grant money and getting published so I worked in market research for the last few years and I think that I may want to stay in that field or at least some part of it. I am applying to the QMSS program at Columbia, the Applied Social Research program at CUNY Queens College and the Social Research at CUNY Hunter College. I may also apply to a Social Science interdisciplinary program at at least one SUNY school. I love history so I think that by getting a degree in Social Research, I can kind of get the "best" of both worlds. My top choice among the schools is probably Queens College because it is only 30 credits, offers qual and quant research (as opposed to Columbua which is just quant) and pretty much lets you have a concentration in whatever you want. Depending on how I feel about the program I am in, I may go on for the PhD after (not sure in what yet, though).

Yeah, on my GRE, I had the same...just the identified research section at the end. On the part that actually counted toward my score I didn't have any of the new question types.

OK, thanks.

Hi everyone, Just took my first practice test in PowerPrep. I would like to go over the questions that I got wrong but it doesn't look like there are any explanations for the incorrect (or correct) questions. Am I missing something or are the only explanations in the drill section? Thank you!

As always, thanks for the help everyone! I am not really a math person either (psych and research stats are much different than GRE math!) and to guide my studying, I bought the Kaplan math workbook and the Kaplan 2011 Premier GRE book (for the verbal stuff and the practice exams, I studied math completely out of the Kaplan math workbook). I've been doing the drills on Powerprep and doing decently enough on them (mostly 4-6 wrong out of 20 on each set) but like you, my timing is off. I did the Kaplan adaptive tests and did OK on most of them (at least for me, scored in the 550-600 range on both sections) and am planning on doing the Powerprep practice exam tomorrow. Thanks again!

Thanks for the help. I won't worry much about the new question types...it seems like people didn't get them and if they got them at all, they were in the identified research section at the end. Did you have both the identified and unidentified experimental sections or you only had the identified section? From the posts on this forum, it looks like most people are only getting the identified research section (my guess is because ETS doesn't want to waste time on testing the "old" format)? Just to clarify, is the amount of time remaining on that section displayed on the screen? My biggest issue is time.......before I know it, I only have 10 minutes left and I still have 12 or 13 questions to answer (I spend the most time on the first 10 obviously because those have the most weight). I am hoping to get to question 24 or 25 or so before needing to just randomly answer the last 3 or 4 questions on time. While I might go for the PhD in Psychology later on, right now I decided to go for a MA or MS in Social Research...It applies much more to my current job (market research) and it will give me more research experience (and is more flexible than Psych without the high amount of competition to get into the Clinical Psych PhD program). I agree that especially with quant Psych programs, you need a really high quant score (especially for the Ivy Leagues, which I never planned on going to anyway). For the last few days, I have been doing the quant drills in Powerprep.....I have been doing OK with them so far so I am just hoping that I know what I need to know for the test.

Hi everyone, I just signed up for the GRE. I am going to be taking it in about 2 weeks. I noticed this text in the confirmation email about new question types: "Two new question types are included in the computer-based GRE General Test. You may see one new Verbal OR one new Quantitative question type in your test. These new question types will be counted toward examinee scores as soon as an adequate sample of data has been collected. View sample questions and additional information at www.ets.org/gre/newquestiontypes.html." I clicked on the link but it appears to not be working. I was under the impression that the new question types were pushed off until the new GRE in August? ...and yeah, I am freaking out a little bit....I am not good at standardized tests, so I am just praying that I break 1000 (i've ranged anywhere from 840 - 1190 on the practice tests depending on the first few questions I got) and my GPA (3.97), research experience, work experience and letters of recommendation will give the GRE less weight in my applications. I am much weaker in the quant section than verbal. I've gone over the Kaplan math workbook and I have done various math questions and my quant scores now usually range from 490-600 on the practice tests. I usually spend way too much time on the first 10 questions (getting most right) before rushing through the last 18 and getting most of them wrong. For the people who took the tests, is there anything else that you would recommend that I focus on? I've been taking practice tests through Kaplan but I am going to download Powerprep and take a practice test on there at least once before I take my test (I work full time so I don't have much time to study during the week). Thanks in advance!

Good to know, thanks! I am in a similar situation as many in this thread it seems like...high GPA (3.97 overall GPA, 4.0 GPA in my major), relevant work experience (worked in a research lab in college and worked in market research for years after college) and good letters of recommendation but possible low GRE scores (I tend to choke up on standardized tests...I am hoping for somewhere in the 1000-1200 range but I haven't broken 1000 yet in the practice exams). The GRE is the only thing holding me back right now from applying to grad programs so it is good to know that even if I mess up, all is not lost!

Hi everyone, I heard some mixed information about the new GRE question types (typing in responses, as opposed to multiple choice, etc) - some say that those questions aren't included on the GRE, others say that they are included in the GRE but have no effect on your score and still others say that they do have an effect on your score and are few in number (not more than 2 in each section). Can anyone clear this up? Has anyone actually gotten any of the new question types on their actual test? Thank you!

OK, thanks again for the responses!

Thank you for the responses! If needed, is it possible to go back to my belongings quickly as well to review some last minute notes?

Hi everyone, I am going to be taking the GRE within the next month. I understand that there is a 10 minute break between the AW section and the first quant/verbal section. I was wondering if you need to stay in the test room during the 10 minutes or if needed, you can get up, stretch your legs, use the bathroom, etc? When I get anxious, I tend to get thirsty and need to use the bathroom, so it would be very helpful if I could use the restroom quickly during the 10 minute break (I would bring a bottle of water and keep it with my belongings - I don't have a disability that would allow me to bring water into the test room or request extended breaks). Also, I was wondering how much scratch paper you are given for the test? On another forum, someone said 3-4 pages. I tend to go through a lot of scratch paper, so I was wondering if I can request more if it is needed during the test? Is the paper lined paper or just white paper? Thank you very much for your help!

Great, thanks for the replies!

Hi everyone, I would like to begin studying for the GRE now to take it sometime in November (hopefully in time to apply for programs that have applications due in December). I was wondering if someone can please suggest some books that I can use to study for the GRE? I did some research to try to find the best review books but as the test has changed over the last few years and will be changing again next year, there were a lot of different options and I wanted to be sure that I am using the correct and best books. Also, I was wondering if someone can recommend a strategy or method that they used to study for the test? How many hours a week did you study? Did you take a course? How many months in advance did you study for? I took a Princeton Review course back in 2005 (I never ended up taking the test afterwards since I wasn't sure what I wanted to go for at the time), which I found pretty much worthless (but expensive!). I have the motivation to study on my own so as long as I am studying and preparing correctly, I think that I should be OK. I tend to get nervous and choke on standardized tests so I am hoping for somewhere around 1200 (roughly 600 on each section). I would like to apply for psychology MA and possibly PhD programs. I work full time so at the most, I will probably only be able to study roughly 6 hours a week (2-3 hours during the week and maybe 3-4 over the weekend), so maximizing the effectiveness of the time that I study is very important to me. Thanks in advance!