SocViv

That might be true for the overall program (since some people take like 10 years straight through to finish their PhD), but in my program, I felt really old coming in from the business world at age 27 and married because most of the other students in my cohort were 20-23, single, and maybe worked for one year at some nonprofit. It was really a culture shock to have people who acted like college kids as peers after working professionally for 5 years. I imagine coming in in your early 30s would be just as much, if not more, of a culture shock. You spend most of your time in classes with your cohort your first couple years, and it will be an adjustment if your cohort is just out of undergrad. So it really depends on the university. My hunch is that programs in larger cities have "older" students because there will be opportunities for partners to find jobs in larger cities (obvs if you don't have a partner, this isn't a concern). I also agree there's not overt age discrimination, but I will add that in my experience, professors have no freaking clue what people do outside of academia. It's pretty much irrelevant to your application. It's like that part of your application is in Klingon. The only way they can understand it is if you frame it in terms of sociological theories, like, "I saw inequalities first hand.. bla bla bla resources bla bla institutionalized discrimination bla bla." That's how your experience can be a benefit.. but it may not be more of a benefit than some 21 year old who spent a summer in Kenya and says the same thing. And again, that's just my experience. It could be different at other places.

One thing that I believe hasn't been mentioned is getting credit for the Master's Degree in a PhD program at a different university. Most won't accept all of your Master's credits when you "transfer" to a PhD program, even if you got your MA from a more prestigious university than the one you're attending for your PhD (I found out the hard way). So, on top of wasting money, you're potentially wasting two years of your life in courses that may only partially "count" at your next school (assuming you go elsewhere - though if you stayed at one of those universities for the PhD, credits shouldn't be a problem). That said, if money and time are no object, Oxford, hands down. I've lived in Boston and Oxford, and Oxford wins, whether you're a student or a professional living there. Cost of living is similar.

Given that you have pretty specific interests, I don't think you need to waste your time or money on an MA. Since you live right near a university, you've got way more options than just what you mention. I suggest you e-mail a professor at IU who's researching a topic you're interested in, and see if you can set up a meeting with him or her to discuss your options. They'll probably suggest you take a course or two so you can get a good writing sample and recommendation (and network), and the only thing you can do to raise your GRE math score is to practice. Many Sociology PhD students did not do their undergraduate work in Sociology (myself included), and it's a field that has a lot of overlap with other areas so you're not at a disadvantage if that wasn't your undergraduate major. That said, if you do decide you really want to spend the time and money on an MA, it won't matter what discipline it's in as long as the program you're applying to for the PhD is a good fit for what you want to study. I would add though, as someone who was out of school for about 5 years and did the MA first, the MA probably won't help you get a job in the event that you don't get into a PhD program at the end of it. Just think about it when you're considering giving up your steady income for MA debt, especially in this economy.

I don't know about the law/rule, but at the bank we used for our mortgage, they took my acceptance letter (which detailed the minimum funding I'd get for the next 5 years) as proof of income. It might be because I'm in a midwestern college town and the banker was familiar with that kind of situation. When I tried to get quotes from mortgage brokers (like lendingtree.com), they had no idea what to do about it.

More complicated answer: go with your employer if they have a PhD. I did that, since my job involved a lot of data analysis and report writing and my boss had a DPhil, and I got into my top choice school with funding. You're smart enough to use your own judgment on your own situation, and having been in the workforce for a while, you've got a different situation from the "typical" applicant. Check with your undergrad or grad career services folks. Where I went, the career services office will hold onto "official sealed recommendations" and send them out on your behalf. That way, recommenders only have to write and send out one rec, and then you can apply to many programs.

There's no rankings probably because it's a less measurable subfield of sociology - there are a lot of overlaps within and beyond sociology. While it's not rankings, there's a list of schools with a medical sociology focus here http://dept.kent.edu/sociology/asamedsoc/gradprog.htm Depending on your focus, you'll want to look for a program in a school that has research capabilities in your area of interest. For example, if you're interested in substance abuse, try to find a place that has a rehab facility affiliated with the med school. Or if you're interested in urban health, then an urban school. Or healthcare in East Asia, find a place with a strong East Asian studies presence. If you can find a place that has easy access to a population you can study, that's going to be a huge help for your research, and helps you write a great statement of purpose. To me, rankings just tell you where you're most likely to be fully funded.

I wouldn't worry too much about the exact percentages; it's just a guide. The committee can read about your experience on your resume (which I assume you're sending as well), so it's probably best to highlight just the most relevant stuff (I left out some of my work experience that wasn't relevant). If it makes sense to divide your statement into different categories, then do it. I've only applied to US schools, so I couldn't give you a good comparison to UK/Aussie schools.

I started my statement with a paragraph about my first job out of college and how it raised issues that I want to study further. In the next (short) paragraph, I mentioned a recent news article about a scandal related to my area of study, the repercussions it may have on society, and the need to study the topic. Then I had a big paragraph about my master's thesis and work experience since then and how it relates to what I want to study. And finally another big paragraph about why the faculty there are such a good match for my research interests, as well as a sentence about professors I'd talked to and how I was encouraged by talking to them. The best advice I got in thinking about the statement was to start from the present and work backwards. A friend of mine actually gave me percentages, which was really helpful for me in cutting down my statement to the required length. In the beginning it should be a brief outline like a research proposal for a grant (50%), then why you're qualified to go into this field (25%), relevant work/life experience (15%), and why you're a good fit and who you've communicated with (10%). Also, have a few trusted people read it over. Doesn't have to be a professor, but someone with a PhD or studying for a PhD would have a good idea of how to evaluate your statement. Hope that helps!

I've had two rounds of grad school applications. The first time, I was applying with a psych degree and no thesis, so I used a solid piece of research I had done for a class, maybe a 20-pager. I was waitlisted at my top-choice program, and decided to do a master's degree at another school. On my second application, I used my master's thesis as a writing sample and got a fully-funded admit to my top choice program. To be honest, I don't think the master's degree helped all that much in my chance of admission, though it did change the area of research in which I want to work. For the writing sample, all the admissions committee wants to know is whether you're a good researcher, and a good communicator. And with all the applications they get, I'm sure they'd appreciate a shorter, solid piece of research over a lengthy thesis. I don't think writing an entirely new paper is wise, especially since you have a few papers you'd consider using. Why reinvent the wheel?

I'm certain the job market will be better when I graduate. The current political climate is very pro-government and pro-education. Sociologists will not only be needed to staff colleges and universities, but also to head up major research and policy oversight divisions of the to-be-created government institutions. I'm not sure what this "Plan B" stuff is all about, but as far as I'm concerned, I am a researcher and there will be opportunities for me to conduct well-paid research when I finish my PhD.

I'd say yes, it's absolutely feasible, and yes, it's wise as long as you are ready for kids otherwise. As a married and slightly older than average entering PhD student, I have been considering and researching this issue quite a bit. "Stopping the tenure clock" seems to be a new and wonderful thing for women in academia. I have been amazed during my PhD admissions process to learn about these things, and I really feel like academia is pretty backwards for a profession that considers itself to be at the forefront of, well, everything. But, it's going to be a lot better for those of us starting PhDs now than it was/is for those who've already finished. I think more and more universities are going to be shamed into allowing PhD moms to stop (well, pause) the tenure clock. Most female professors who I've talked to about the issue say "It's possible, but it's hard" to have kids while a student, and that when you're trying for tenure, it's even harder. But, I think it's like any other job - it's your responsibility to check out what the benefits are before you sign on, and the benefits are getting more competitive. Why take a job somewhere that won't let you accomplish what you want with your personal AND professional life? It's hard to raise kids no matter what your job is. Personally, as a returning student, I am WAY more comfortable with the possibility of having children while a student than I would be as a corporate manager. 6 weeks unpaid disability leave when you have a child? That's crap! I've heard that some students who have children during their PhD program take a semester off for "maternity leave", but that's at the discretion of your department. Child care is cheap and reliable at universities, and when I've talked to current PhD students or recent grads, the consensus on when to have kids (if you're sure you want them) is "right now". Some women have done it before us, and it will get better as more and more women get PhDs and continue to pave the way.

That doesn't sound normal, but did you look at what the deductible is? You may be covered for physicals and well-care after a certain (very low) deductible is met. I would imagine, though, that if sick visits are covered by your plan, then preventative visits are covered somewhere. Best to ask your program director on those specifics - health insurance is purposefully confusing! For my coverage, it's free to use the campus health center, but if I choose to go to a doctor off-campus then there's a $15 copay, plus a $250 deductible for "physicians' office visits" (which would include annual physicals or sick visits) after they cover 80% of the charge (or 50% of "non-preferred" care). And there's a separate section for "women's health", covering (100%) paps for all 18+ and mammograms for age 35+, and labs are covered at $2500 per condition. If I get sick, I'm covered up to $75,000 per injury or sickness, per year. I've had a number of health plans over the years (private, through work and through school), and the student ones tend to be the most comprehensive in my experience. At least so long as you're generally healthy (eg, $75k doesn't go far for a long-term hospitalization!)

Since you're coming from the UK, I'd also suggest looking into taking a cruise. I don't know when you need to leave, but cruises from the UK tend to arrive in NYC as their final port of call, and it looks like you can take the Queen Mary 2 from Southampton leaving July 24 for $945 (info here: http://www.vacationstogo.com/fastdeal.cfm?deal=31269). I'm sure that's a lot cheaper than paying for airfare plus mailing your belongings, and you get to take a trip on THE Queen Mary 2! My husband and I took a cruise back from Dover to NYC last fall after his graduate program, and it was so much cheaper than shipping everything. There's no weight limit on luggage (ok, maybe there technically is one but it's something like 300 pounds and they didn't check anyway). We had tons of books and all of our clothes, so shipping it would have cost a small fortune. Carting it around from train to taxi to ship worked just fine. As for the post, I shipped one small box (about a cubic foot of clothes) through the post office, and it cost something like 90 pounds!

I have no idea where you're coming from, but if you have the time, it may be worth looking into taking a cruise. I know it sounds crazy, but if you run the numbers, it can be much cheaper this way. Plus, the economy is so bad cruise rates are way down. My husband and I did this moving back to the US after his graduate program in England, and it was WAY cheaper than flying and shipping stuff. It was kind of a pain getting that much luggage to the ship (we had to use a train then a taxi), but for just under $1000 each we got an 11 day trans-Atlantic cruise (including meals), transportation between the UK and the US and all of his books and our belongings across the ocean. Plus, airlines have weight limits on luggage, and they won't take luggage over a certain weight no matter what you are willing to pay for it. Had we shipped the books and enough of our stuff so it was appropriate airline weight, it would have cost well over $1000, plus the price of one-way flights which, at the time, were about $1000 each.

Sounds like this person hasn't accepted the job offer yet. As for repercussions, even if she has accepted the job offer, people back out of job acceptances all the time and based on my own sense of the situation, it doesn't exclude you from "the club" the way that academics might (though you may not be able to get another job at that particular company). But, let's say there's offers from both, and you don't know what to do. The way I see it, the economy is really bad right now, so jobs are hard to come by. On the other hand, funded PhDs are even harder to come by under any economic circumstances, and I think next year's admissions will be even tougher with so many smart people out of work or in fear of losing their jobs. If you take the job, you may not be able to get into a PhD program again. If you take the PhD, well, similar jobs will still be available for you if you change your mind later - that's the way I've been approaching it now that I've accepted a PhD offer and am getting calls back from jobs I applied to 6 months ago. Also a "really high salary" pretty much guarantees really long hours, especially when you're the new person at the company, so you've got to LOVE the work. And, I assume you're not desperate for the money since you're considering a PhD in the first place. So I vote for the PhD, as long as it's a good academic fit for you.

Since it hasn't been mentioned, I'd like to add that there are multitudes of opportunities in the for-profit world for Sociology PhDs. Many companies want (and highly value) the sophisticated skills of epidemiology, qualitative and quantitative research methodology and sociological theory to inform their marketing and strategy teams, or to create better conditions for employees. With a PhD in Sociology, you could get a very highly paid job as a consultant for a major consulting firm, or for a big multi-national company. Market research companies and marketing departments love social scientists because they understand statistics and research methodology, but can still translate it to numerically illiterate audiences and are analytical enough to recommend strategies for taking action on the findings. In Human Resources at a large company, you can come up with strategies based on your understand of network theory to best encourage information-sharing and employee job satisfaction. Or perhaps you'd like to use your expertise in gender studies and family dynamics to come up with flexible work policies for factory workers with kids. There are a LOT of PhDs outside of academics, and taking a job in the for-profit world does not mean you're "going to the dark side". Any Sociology PhD program is going to give you the foundation in research methodology to succeed either inside or outside of academics or government or non-profits, and there are many ways to make an impact on important sociological issues outside of academia (dare I say - perhaps even more impact!). It's a big world out there, and with more credentials, it means more people are going to listen to you, so make the most of it however you can. **steps off soapbox**

I'm ready to accept an offer of admission from my top choice program. They want something "in writing", and given that it's a multi-year financial package I'm accepting, it seems like I should write more than "OK, I'll take it. See ya soon". Does anyone have an example of what to write in a letter to accept a funding offer from a graduate program? How formal does the letter need to be? Do I need to reiterate what their offer was and make it sound all legal-like?

I'm probably going to be the old married lady of my cohort at 27 when I start. I don't think age makes a difference, but maturity can make a huge difference. People do very different things in those year(s) between undergrad and grad school. And some people want to "work hard, party hard" while others just want to "work hard and sleep hard" or even "work hard and raise my kids". Keeps things interesting having all types, I think, especially in a field like sociology. Personally, I'm glad I'm a few years out because I've gained a lot of skills in the workplace that I didn't get in undergrad or grad school. Like team leadership, customer service and business etiquette skills - all very transferable. And for those of us who are married, it's a heck of a lot easier to be a student when your spouse is bringing home a paycheck! (assuming he can find a job in this dismal economy!)