chrisscoff

Thanks for the responses guys! I'm changing my game plan based on the responses - I will focus more on academics and trying to get research. The main problem with my department, is that all the independent research programs are for graduate students, hardly anyone wants to spend the time and resources providing research opportunities for undergraduates. Even though I offer my services free of charge, no one wants to take my offer.

Sorry to hear that largo! I'm sure you'll get in somewhere! By extra curricular activities I mean leadership positions within a club that's relevant to your major, volunteering hours, internships, research, etc.

How important are extra curricular activities for grad school applications? Does the committee find them useless?

Did you respond to my questions? I didn't mean to come off mean..

Thanks for the advice, however it is not that I say things in a mean way, except when i call them ignorant, it's just that there are a lot of people in the program who are just doing sociology because they think it is an easy major. Also being in the middle of Indiana people are very ignorant about other cultures, races, and sexual orientations. The first and only problem I have had a problem with a professor ignoring my hand during class is my women's studies class this semester. The professor nor teachers assistant corrects ignorant comments and I think that these individuals aren't going to learn anything if they are not corrected. An example of this, is the fact that we were discussing rape in the military and a young man said that it's essentially the woman's fault because she put herself in the situation. I immediately called the person ignorant and said that they are reinforcing the rape culture that is currently present. I am generally not a confrontational person so I get along with everyone. I am not a public speaker though, so I am worried about that. I have bad anxiety which causes me to get nervous in front of large groups.

O.M.G.! Are you allowed to TA during your first year? How does Teaching Assistant positions work? I assume that only desirable candidates get this type of funding, then there are the others who were accepted but weren't good enough to get funding. I love discussion oriented classes, as long as there are no ignorant comments. Currently with my undergrad classes I have two scenarios - the teacher hates me because I call people out for saying racist, sexist, ignorant comments, or the students hate me because I am the only one who participates. Is participation apart of the grade? Or is it just something that is expected?

Yikes! I'm kinda scared now.. I am a big procrastinator so I'll definitely have to work on that before I go into grad school. Thanks for responding! I hope things work out for you!

Don't worry tt503! I'm sure you'll get in! Purdue is increasing it's reputation within the department so it will be worth it in the end.

Good point, I will try and make an appointment. I just thought I would ask because he/she might have given me information that I might not have gotten from a professor since they haven't really gone through the application process.

Thank you for saying that!

Dear Reader, For those of you who are current grad students in the department of sociology, I wanted to know if you could give me some insight regarding the first year of graduate school. I was told that it was like finals week every day, is this true?

@tt503, are you applying to Purdue, or are you currently a student? I ask this because I am currently a student at Purdue and I am going to use it as one of my safety schools for grad applications! How difficult is it to get into? Can you give me some recommendations on getting in?

Thanks for all the responses. Unfortunately I only speak one language so majoring in Spanish or some other language would not work for me. I really enjoy both majors so even if it doesn't give me advantage, I am still glad I had the opportunity to do them - I just wanted to know if grad admissions would be impressed with it.

Dear Reader, I am interested in applying for grad school for sociology, specifically social stratification. I am interested in the following schools but I'm not sure how difficult it is to get in; I've been reading some threads on here, and it seems quite hard but I thought I would still ask if I have a chance. I am currently a double major in Law and Society and Women's Studies at Purdue University with a 3.2 over all GPA and a 3.4 major GPA. I am doing research about the elevated glass ceiling this summer with my professor, and I currently have an internship at the YWCA Domestic Violence shelter , then I am going to start doing the hotline this summer and next semester. Do I have a chance at the following schools? If anyone has personal experience or suggestions, besides raising my GPA, on how to make myself more marketable that would be highly appreciated! I have one more year left in school so it's kinda impossible for me to make it that much higher. ALso I am retaking 3 classes next semester, will that make a difference? - Purdue University - University of California - San Diego - University of Pennsylvania - New York University

Hey, that makes sense.. I just wanted to know if the extra year would pay off eventually since it's kinda expensive to pay out of state tuition. But your response does make a lot of sense. I guess I should have included the fact that I want to study women in crime, or how gender and race affects the outcome of an individual.