coqui21

The department is a top 15 criminal justice program. So if you're studying drugs and alcohol, you'll probably have more opportunities than you'd think.

There are probably a number of examples where this is the case. Though, I'm not sure I would necessarily call it 'individual effort.' There are likely a VERY LARGE number of people who have put forth a great deal of 'individual effort' but have not been able to climb the academic ladder. There are a multitude of possible factors that one should think about before chalking it up solely to individual effort. (We're sociologists, remember? ) With that said, William Julius Wilson is a great example of someone who earned their PhD at a much less prestigious school than they presently work at.

In my honest opinion, fit is more important than prestige any day. You'll be more comfortable in a program that fits your interests. You'll have more opportunities (which are hard to come by), and you should have much better guidance. When on the job market, you'll have some of the best references in the world in your sub-field. A smart school would hire someone who specializes in Harvard's strong subfields over Wisconsin's weak ones. My most sincere advice is to go where you 'fit' or 'can fit' (if you're still up in the air over research topics) best.

I'd have to disagree. As a current sociology graduate student, I continuously hear about Wisconsin and Berkelely. To my knowledge, they're recognized across the field as being the best sociology programs in the nation. Btw, the rankings the above poster was citing were the US News and World Report rankings that take a number of things into consideration beyond that of just citations. They are by no means perfect, but they are the most often used and possibly the most legitimate rankings available.

Sounds like Harvard wins 3 subfields to 1. Most students find that their interests change over the first couple years of graduate school. It may not be a bad idea to think about which department/s can offer you the most variability with regards to potential fields of study.

Sociology of religion is definitely not one of Yale's specialties.

UNC wouldn't be bad if you're interested in the intersection of religion and family. Lisa Pearce is pretty good. But since you're interested in religion and politics, I'd probably be hoping for Indiana (Steensland & Clem Brooks). Penn with Melissa Wilde wouldn't be too bad either. Best of luck!

I went for a visit a couple years ago and know a few people that are grad students there. Seems like a nice department if you're interested in Disasters, Crim, Drugs and Alcohol, or the construction of social problems. Try to meet with Joel Best if you can, and pay attention to what he tells you. He's got great advice regarding graduate school in general.

A lot of this depends on the overall rank of the program. Subtract about 3k from each of these once you get into the 30's and below.

I've found that visits are extremely helpful. When I visited my current MA program, I was almost positive that I was going to attend a different university. However, the feel of the department, fellow students, and faculty, ended up winning me over. Granted, I am now in the process of applying elsewhere for my PhD, but the best way to get a feel for whether a place is good for you is to experience it yourself. Get in touch with current grad students. Annoy the hell out of them with questions. If they were smart, they were likely doing the same thing only a few years prior, so they should understand. Good luck with your decision.

Ewurgler- It is quite sad that departments aren't that interested in religion scholars. One would think, since all of the first sociologists were fairly concerned with religion in one way or another that it would be a relatively lucrative area of study. Unfortunately, this just isn't the case. We're going to have to be creative! Tritonetelephone- It would be interesting if the market would change drastically in a matter of five years, but that just isn't likely. Scholarly progress is fairly slow, particularly in the social sciences, and thus changes in the field of sociology overall tend to be slow as well. I'm certainly not a prognosticator, but I foresee the market being fairly similar when we get there (with a possible increase in economic soc...given our nation's current situation). With that said, you're definitely right about environmental soc. It seems that a fair amount of programs are attempting to hold a stake in the new field. Zerabuvel/Rutgers has definitely broadened cognitive soc...but it may take a while longer for it to really catch on. I don't think there are enough graduate students studying it right now for it to take off yet. migrationdude- You certainly won't have problems if you're interested in studying quant/methodology! Every department needs somebody to teach stats and methods, and few people actually enjoy doing it. You'll be fine! doctoraldude- I've noticed that there are faculty that study social movements at almost every PhD granting school in the nation. Usually though, it's their secondary or third area of study which directly relates to their primary. Ex. Environmental sociologist who studies environmental social movements/ Sex & Gender who studies LGBQT social movements, etc.

Unfortunately, sociology is the same. The likelihood of one graduating from a lower ranked PhD program than the one they end up teaching at is very slim. Of course, the top 5 or 10 programs have to hire their scholars from somewhere, so there is a lot of inter-mingling there, but beyond that, the vast majority of PhD's end up working at departments that are ranked lower than the ones they graduated from. Crim is definitely the most sought after sociology position. Still, a number of institutions have created their own crim departments over the past two decades, so to be fair, this is almost an entirely different (but related) field. Beyond that, your list looks about accurate. I'm always interested in how the job market looks and check out www.higheredjobs.com frequently. ASA also has a job list database (usually with larger programs than the former website) which is very helpful. We obviously do not want to have a particular area of study just because the job market is good, but it is important to think about how we can cast a wide net. For example, my primary area of study (religion) is in a field that is not even on your 2006 jobs list. Nobody is really looking for somebody like me. It's important that I'm aware of this so that I can intersect my interest with more marketable fields like race, class, gender, and families. Thus when I'm finally applying for jobs, I can market myself as a race, class, gender, or families scholar who studies religion, as opposed to the other way around. Good topic. It's never too early to start thinking about the job market.

By law, they cannot give your package to someone else until after April 15th. So yes, you can wait until then to make your final decision. Choose 'wait.' '

Sparkle, I've worried about my own GRE scores to no end (which are very close to your own), but have actually had relative success applying to sociology PhD programs. Three years ago, I was accepted with funding to 4 of 9 programs with funding (some top 50 programs). As long as you have strong supporting materials (SOP, LOR's, Writing Sample, and what helped me most was research experience), you should have a decent shot at most of the programs you're applying to. Keep your head up, and good luck!

Do not accept. Tell them that you're excited at the prospects of attending their program, that this is a very important decision for you, and that you will be in touch in the future when you have finished considering all of your options. They know that this is a crucial/stressful/life-changing decision and that you're probably mulling over a number of offers.

I am pretty sure this only happens if the applicant does not have a more advanced degree. The OP has a 3.87 in a related graduate program, and I'm sure this score will meet the graduate school's requirements. Don't worry much about your undergrad gpa, OP. You've got a great shot.

On a Sunday?! Crazy. The weekends were my time to relax...now I know to be anxious then, too? Ugh. Congratulations!

If you intend to study race/ethnicity/migration as a PhD student, and the work you've already done is strong, you should be a good candidate for many programs. Make sure to apply to a wide range of schools (down to the programs ranked in the 40's....it can be such a crapshoot at times.). An additional related Master's degree would strengthen your application all the more.

Hmm, although I have very similar interests (religion, politics, social movements, culture, psycho-social well-being) I am applying to entirely different programs. I'm guessing that getting into a top program overall was among your largest concerns. I am pretty sure that my application wouldn't hold up at some of these schools, so I applied to programs that were really strong in religion in particular, as opposed to their overall ranking. Best of luck! Maybe we'll run into each other at a conference some time.

I know that Milagros Pena (University of Florida) has studied VERY similar things and Peggy Levitt (Wellesley College) recently published a book on race, immigration, and religion in the United States. Wellesley does not have a graduate program, but it might not be a bad idea to contact either scholar and ask about prospective programs that could fit you well.