DustSNK

Listen, best you can do is take non-degree classes once you move. Take two classes within the department, bust your ass- get to know everyone-show you're a good student, then apply again and this time you will have GRAD experince and can have letters written from faculty within the very school you want to study at.

Are you Canadian? That is a style I've seen largely only in Canada (I'm applying only to schools in Ontario and am American). Most Progs I've seen in the states do a overall GPA cut-off.

It's good to see others who know Auyero's work! I was lucky to have a few courses with him and looked at him as a mentor. He got tenure at SUNY SB and was really excited about it too. Then BAMM, U of T offered him the latin american spot and he jetted out of there. He wasn't a fan of Long Island which I cant blame him for as I got out too. You should keep trying. I've seriously considered moving to TX just to learn under him, but I'm trying to keep an international focus I got going on by applying abroad. He is an amazing mentor if you can get the time with him, as he is always busy. But he likes to involves his grad students in research and there is deff a nice family vibe amongst anyone who learns under him. Very passonate about his work. I'm going to check out the writer you mentioned. Speaking of brazil, have you read "death without weeping"?. All about the social construction of motherhood in Brazil, amongst other topics.

Honeslty if you want this route.... you NEEED to study at Uni of Texas with Javier Ayero. He does pure political sociology on latin america. I learned from him for a year at SUNY Stony Brook and he got snatched up by U of T. He has done lots of good work, written books, and is a great thinker. Esp if you are into critical theory he would be the best mentor you can find.

Get out of America!!!! Going to NYC will not be an adventure, you'll just be surounded by others (a lot of them) from around the country who are doing the same thing. At this point it has become a very clear cut ,packaged lifestyle doing the NYC move. But if you just want a change of pace then it would be perfect for ya (and expencive), I'm happy to have moved from around there a few years back but I miss it. If you want a real adventure, where ya dont know exactly what will happen, go work aborad. Lots of places need people to teach ENglish and all you need is an BA degree in anything.

Yeaa it is pricey. I went to a state school where it was around 1100$ a course (3 credits). 4k+ later I am hoping it will show ad coms I mean business, and honeslty it was what I needed to do. I feel I had the focus, drive and skills to start an MA before. But these things were all more defined because of my experince doing grad work for a bit and really made up for my "just need to pass and pull a B or better" approach I had to grades. In one class I had to do a lit review with a professor who shared similar interests in East Asian topics. Shes a really great researcher who was exactly the kinda person I needed to learn from to straighten up a bit for a program. Since I had to pay out of pocket, it really put a new spin on "getting your moneys worth" for me. I tried to meet with her every week for office hourse, asked questions about my research, her research, being a PhD... just anything you can think of. Granted, I know a lot do this as an undergrad. But if you are from a state school with 30k plus students, it is not exactly the enviornment that fosters this kinda connection. You got to get out there and do it your self cause you will be lost in the crowd. All in all the faculty I was able to talk to , and the things I learned were worth the 4k$ (Uhgg what a price). Might I suggest a plan C for ya? Teach in South Korea for a few years. All you need is a BA, and don't mind teaching English. 22-30k a year, free apartment, free airfair, vacation, severence pay, and you get to live in an amazing country which any American can learn a bit from being there. Go to www.parkenglish.com . I did that for a few years and have sent countless people to this agency and all have had good experinces.

Well it is a sh*t feeling for shure if it happens. Give your self a few days, maybe a week, to feel like your future is over and all is lost BUT! After that get back on the ball! Personally this happened to me last year. I went from a community college to a uni, rushed to graduate because I was getting to around 24 years old and felt the presure to take a break from learning to work. I didn't get close enough with professors to really learn what grad studies in soc was all about, and I know I did not write essays that sold myself well (and I had a sketchy overall GPA).Soc is a funny field, as it is much more rigiorous and different in style than its undergraduate form. What did I do? I took non-degree graduate classes. As long as you have a BA, you can take up to 12 credits at most any school in the USA (or CAN) that isn't private. It is a GREAT resourse for your future plans if you get rejected. Why? For one you get to not have the stress of being in a program while learning the ins and outs of grad school. You can be very upfront with your professors that you got rejected and want to take it as an opprtunity to train your self for furutre grad work. Also, most if not all programs accept transfer credits so the work you do is not a waste. Also if you can be a non-degree student at a school you want to go to, and you ace your courses and do very good work and become known as a good student, THAT my friend is a leg up on any 4.0 GPA-- 1600 GRE-- privately educated good doer who has been grooming themselves for acceptence to any school! I did this route and have applyed to 6 schools for 2012, unfortunatly the school I went to for non-degree work I'm not applying to because of their focus, but it was a great school with amazing faculty, just not my focus for research. Anyway, best advice is don't give up.

Hello all. Just curious what you people in programs think about my research experience. I am going to apply to an MA program, and would like to know if it is well enough to list on the SOP. 1) Independent research course in Humanities (upper division undergrad), on post-WW2 polish identity. 2) 15 pg research paper in Graduate class. Focused on soc and poli-sci. 3) 15-20 pg literature review in Graduate soc class. Thank you!

Thank you for the advise I'm just a bit confused how to say this will fit my needs. I would just like to teach, and do various research now and then.Would it be too common sense to express how I can not properly teach or conduct sophisticated research without being in a grad program? This would have to be the area of a SOP I'm most worried about. I don't want to pigeon hole myself in listing too specific an idea, because I am open to variation! Have any advice on how to articulate this into a more substantive statement? I'm not apply directly to PhD programs because almost all the programs in Ontario I have seen require you to hold an MA first in Sociology (or sometimes listed as maybe a related field can apply). I've gone to conferences and met with professors who seems to like my ideas and some said they are dissertation worthy, but I have quite an unhappy Undergrad GPA. I did great in my Social science classes, but kind of said "mehh" to everything else which was foolish.

Thanks for looking, I'll make it short and sweet So I did not prepare well in Undergrad for an Adcom to be impressed by my application. Currently I'm taking grad courses in Soc as a non-degree student, and am doing good work (also 2 papers with heavy empirical research). I hope this time around that a semesters worth of extra fine tuning will show my abilities in a better light. But there is always that chance it won't! In that event, I think most in my position might agree, spending another xxxx$ on classes as a non-degree might be crushing to the soul. So I am looking at MA programs that would help me show my stuff more, and also contribute at least to my future goals of PhD work. I'm applying to several soc programs in Ontario, and one school has a "Cultural analysis and social theory" program. Seems to be a nice mix of soc,anth,and various humanities rolled up into one. My main goal would be to get into a PhD prog in Soc, focusing on race/ethnicity/migration/culture/globalization. I think this program could contribute in a good way if I needed to take this route, but would it contribute to the chance of landing a spot in a Soc PhD prog? Or at the very least getting into a MA prog in Soc? Any opinions on this matter would be great to hear! Esp if you have gotten into a PhD prog with a non-soc MA. Thank you all. (also my BA was in Sociology if that helps)

Hey Apop, I sent you a PM asking your help in the area of Ontario Universities. It would be great to hear your advice on some questions I have.

I'd like to add to this, but for an MA program SOP. How much should you really get into your area of interest for an MA?

See there are people who wrote in this style and got into programs! Really shows my personal opinion how in the end there is no magic formula Also I am not in a program. Got denied once and was told by the grad director that I wasn't focused enough on my SOP. Which is true! I think this is a very daunting task (as I am sure you can agree with) to undertake. So my opinions on your essay come from the 6+ months of work I have been doing on trying to write that darn SOP in a way that will best be understood by the "gods" of a program I think if you wrote it in a style like barilcious that would be great. It is a narrative more aligned to what should be in a SOP, and is only a paragraph long. I'll stand behind my research and the words from kind Professors, that you should not do more than a paragraph. If you make the SOP too personal, you open it up to the personal disposition of the professor reading it. And from what I hear goes on during the crunch time where a committee has to twiddle down 30 applications to 15, 1 professor can make that difference. Basically your content is great, I was just commenting on the style. What you should really do is get off this site and run your butt down to a professor you know! But I know we cant all have that. I didn't when I first applied. I was working abroad for a few years and really did not keep close relationships. So currently I'm taking grad classes as a non-degree with the intent to work more closely on letting the faculty get to know me, and have a professor critique my work/applications before I send it off.

Hey I recall reading your SOP a bit back. Listen, and I mean this with all kindness, if you every want to get into a SOC program DROP THE STORY INTRO!!!!!! You made a lot of great improvements from your last SOP, very good stuff!! But you just want to add your little story so bad in there. I get it. But you came here for cold hard reality, and this is that. If I were a Prof. I would take one look at your intro and just dismiss everything you wrote. You have to do a lot of intense work in a Soc prog. You will be up against some very qualified people, with research interests that are well developed already and fit very will with the faculty there. No one wants to teach "one of those people". In SOC I really feel you would be "one of those students" to the reader, if you include your story. If you were applying to another program they would probably love it! But this is SOC, it's a valid difficult creative science and no established Prof. could care less about a story. I know I'm being very harsh, but hey I am in the same boat as you. It's good to hear the harsh reality of this business cause you will find a place that is better for you, and will not take it to heart when things don't go as planned and that's what it is all about. CUT the damn story out! :)You should spend like a paragraph tops explaining how the past work you learned will help you. No one wants to read a romanticized story of your attachment to SOC. You need to spend a few dollars and buy some good books on Amazon so you know what you are up against! I mean like grad essay books, grad school "what to do what not to do" kinda books. It's great you have a personal attachment to the science, and that it fueled your passion, but no one will care and it will hurt you if you spend 3 paragraphs on it. Sorry again I know my language is harsh, but I think you need to hear it. Just trying to show some tough love ok? Read this, I think it is a great guide I got from a MA program director........... Statement of Research Interest Keep these basics in mind as you write your personal statement: length, writing style, tone, feedback and revision, and content. Length In general, a good personal statement will be around one single-spaced page. In our experience, shorter statements provide too little information; longer statements are redundant and wordy. Above all, aim for quality rather than quantity. No reader will appreciate your stretching one page worth of information into two or three pages. Remember, readers will be assessing the content of your personal statement as well as your ability to communicate effectively and concisely. Writing Style Your personal statement is your opportunity to create a good first impression. This means your writing must be clear and correct. No one is impressed by careless grammatical and typographical errors. Failure to attend to such details raises concerns about conscientiousness and reliability. Remember, paying attention to detail and writing well are extremely important research skills. You also should attend carefully to your use of vocabulary. Large doses of unusual or obscure vocabulary will only distract readers and cause them to doubt your writing ability. Tone Do not misinterpret the meaning of personal in the phrase personal statement! This statement is not a place for you to espouse your personal philosophy of life, to describe in detail your first romance, or to tell the story of the time you were bitten by the neighbor's dog and subsequently developed an anxiety disorder. Instead, think of the statement as a professional statement. Write about the activities and experiences that led you to apply to graduate school and that have prepared you for its rigors. Provide concrete, detailed examples of your experiences and abilities when possible. Above all, write in a professional tone that conveys your self-confidence: You need to showcase your abilities and convince the reader that you are smart and driven to succeed. The personal statement is a chance to sell yourself--now is not the time to be overly humble, hiding your assets. Of course, you should not misrepresent yourself, and you should avoid sounding pompous. Feedback and Revision After you have drafted your statement, solicit detailed feedback from one or more professors and incorporate their suggestions into subsequent drafts. Few professors will consider this an imposition – as long as your first draft is well written and solid, and you give them enough time. Start writing early and give your professors at least two weeks to read your statement. Never wait until the eleventh hour to begin writing and then expect your professors to drop everything and read your statement only days before the application deadline! (Follow that advice in approaching faculty for recommendation letters, too.) Content: The Key Components of a Statement Previous Research Experience The faculty evaluating your application are interested in your research experience, so briefly discuss important projects you've worked on. Aim to convince the reader that you understood all aspects of the work, not just your specific duties. Show that you made the effort to understand the goals of the research (e.g., by reading articles related to the research and discussing the work with your research supervisors). Finally, state how your research experiences shaped your attitude toward research in general and toward research in a given domain. Explain why your experience did or did not make you want to continue working in that area of the discipline. Current Research Interests Indicate your reasons for wishing to pursue graduate studies and describe your research interests. You should have a good idea of this before you apply, because you should pick potential graduate programs based on the fit between your and the faculty's research interests. This doesn't mean that you have to know exactly what you want to study. For example, you might be interested in one or two areas of research. In general, it's best to be neither too broad nor too narrow in defining your interests. Once you have clarified your research interests and identified schools with faculty whose research programs could accommodate those interests, tailor your personal statement so that it will stand out to faculty whose research interests you. To do this intelligently, you need to do your homework. Familiarize yourself with the research conducted by faculty members in the programs you are considering by reading their Web pages (if available), by locating articles they have published, and/or by contacting them and requesting reprints of, or electronic links to, their publications. (Such pre-application contact sends a positive message to the faculty member about your interest in his or her work.) Then, in your statement, briefly mention what interested you about the professors' work. State your preferred research interests, but express your openness to studying related topics – that is, topics you honestly would be happy studying. Indicating how your research interests are related to one or more faculty members’ areas of expertise will increase your chances of getting accepted into a particular program. Career Goals The final component is one that is often overlooked – a statement of what you would like to do after graduating from the program. If you have chosen to pursue graduate training, you should have at least a general idea of the type of career you would like to have once you receive your degree. Convince your reader that you understand your options, and explain why you favor a particular career goal. It is fine to discuss a couple of options and to be uncertain about which option you will likely pursue, but in any case, make sure you are up-front about your intentions and that the options you are considering match the goals of the program. In Conclusion The clearer you are with yourself about your goals and interests, the clearer you will be in writing about them in your personal statement. Be honest, professional, and self-confident. Then rest assured that you represented yourself accurately and fairly, and that, in turn, you have maximized the chances that admissions outcomes will be driven by accurate assessments of your potential fit with the programs to which you apply. Good luck ok! And stop with the stories!

To your #2 question, I would say Research assistant. TA at undergrad level is kinda mehh, but definitely way better than not doing one (like I did). Please get your self an RA position if you can!!! I wish I did that.I really like NYU's Psych department. I don't know about their MA prog, but their BA curriculum is VERY progressive in my eyes (non-clinical). But Stony Brook might be nice also, I know a lot of their professors are clinicians. One there ,forgot her name, did some ground breaking stuff on pattern recognition in the cog dev areas.

That's good! I find there is an overabundance of literature about sexuality from North America.Or other nations with Anglo-saxon histories. Doing this on an Islamic nation, which typically still have very "traditional" gender roles could be very interesting! You have to make a name for your self right? If you do something 1,000,000 students have done already it's boring All I know is that I am writing a paper in a graduate east-asian societey class. There is an emphasis on applying theory. I am taking classes so I can apply this winter, and have a graduate soc paper to hand in which I hope lets me show what kind of grad work I can do better than an undergrad paper would. My prof is making a big deal about doing empirical research and showing applied theory to the research/literature. But I am trying to do my MA. I think for you since you are applying for PhD you would have to spend a lot of time explaining what research ideas you have, and how the faculty at the school you want to be at can help you accomplish your research. Look at the faculty, see what kind of work they have done, read their work, and pick out things they have don't IN their papers and mention how they could be applied to your work. Especially for PhD, you need to have a very good fit with the faculty and a clear sense of what you wan to research in Soc of sexuality. Don't take my word for it though, I'm just repeating things I have read from countless books. So you should really start looking at the schools faculty and contacting the department with questions!! My opinion would be your sample of writing from the thesis should mix your original research with the application of theory you learned.

Those are some interesting topics. What is the country that your research is based on? Do you apply foucault's theory to your research in that chapter? I heard people love to see when you know how to apply theory well.

This is some good advice. I went bust my first round of apps (going another round for 2012), and all the books I read and so forth always point to the S.O.P! I like the % ratio you give. Deff something I am going to try this time around, and only spend 20% on an intro to myself.

Only in terms of GPA, you might have a hard time getting in at Northwestern and NYU. Many programs list a B+ as there minimum cutoff, but it's a minimum. You can bet most of the applicants they accept to these schools (your first 2) have an A- average at least. But I think it is something you should factor in but not deter you. Many professors factor in your country when grading. Your B+ could be an A at a school you apply to! Also if you have strong letters, a very focused and interesting research plan and so on, you could win the hearts of the people reading your application. Oh and to make up for your GPA (esp your graduate GPA which I would say most PhD students going in have an A-) get a very very competitive score on your GRE! One other problem you might face is being an international student. From my experience it is a tough road. I am trying to get into a Canadian MA program, and most schools in Eastern Ontario only have 2 spots open for international students. Just 2 spots per program! It is an issue with funding. For me I am up against people with A- GPA's and already have published papers on an undergraduate level! I talk to lots of graduate students (MA and PhD) who don't publish anything until maybe the end of their MA or mid PhD! Now this is Canada, I don't know about American schools and their policy on international applicants, so right now you should be contacting all the schools you want to attend and ask them questions. Contact their faculty with your research interest and ask if you would fit in well with their program. Also do you have any published work? If you have a hard time around your first time applying for PhD, you should seriously consider writing articles to submit for publication in Journals. Since you have an MA, you can apply to some serious publications and to get an article or two published would make you very competitive indeed! Most importantly don't ever give up if things are difficult

From what I have read it is rather unheard of someone with a BA not in sociology getting into a PhD program BUT you could get into a masters program. If you have an MA already in a social science, you might have more wiggle room. But if all you have is a BA, I would apply to some MA programs. You can always call the schools you're Interested in and ask the graduate director what they think too. Oh and generally programs like to see you did well in a theory,stats, and methods courses. If you can do all 3 of these in Soc go for it!

I've heard that as long as you get those pre-reqs out of the way before applying, lots of programs actually like to have people who did another major for their BA. I had a Soc prof. that got her BA in Biology, then went into race/ethnicity studies (and did not tie any Bio into her work at all). From what I have read on this subject, your task will be to explain how your different major for the BA will help and contribute to your new MA major. Doing this in the statement of purpose. Hope this gives some insight ^__^

Here is a prof at my school. Currently he is interested in the experience of groups in the arts. Think the beatniks and so on so forth. But the focus is on friendship ties and how these develop/shape life. http://sociology.buf...aculty/farrell/ Might have some things written down if you take a min to search is work.

Yea I'm aware I don't qualify for a bunch of aid. The good thing is, as an American, I still qualify for some aid here because many CND Universities are recognized with the finaid here. One confusing situation though, many of the schools I spoke to in Ontario (6 of them) don't like to accept more than 2 visa students because they can't give international funding to more than two. I asked them "well what if I can pay my own way?" to this most of them said "well it is to expensive". It wasn't just one Uni, so I'm just baffled that an otherwise qualified candidate would be turned away because there is not enough funding. Even if they can pay there own way. Granted it is expensive. But not all that much really for an American. The tuition would be the same as out of state residency rates here.

I hope it all works out the way you want it to! I've been having a good experience with this route. My Profs. are really helpful and are working with me to show my stuff so they can comment on my grad school abilities. Unfortunately I wont be applying to the school I'm at now, but I can only imagine how it would help me if I did.

emmm!!! Your are the kinda person I have been looking for forever! I have never talked to anyone who did the applied>denied>non-matric student route>applied>accept plan before. How did it all work out for you? I am currently doing this, but the process is even worst since I am an American trying to get into Canadian MA programs (most progs in Ontario only accept two visa students a year!!!!!). I am taking a mix of grad/undergrad classes now to boost my GPA and do some better writing. Also to work harder with professors in showing what kinda student I am, something I did not do at all before I got my BA. What was your situation before you got accepted if you do not mind me asking?