Do I have a chance at a highly ranked Ph.D program?

[tony_flow]

Hello everyone! I’m writing this to gauge whether or not I have a reasonable chance of getting into a top-20 Ph.D program in sociology (or if I should start out at the MA level). I recently withdrew from a Ph.D program (in rhetoric/communication studies) after I realized after a semester I was in the wrong field for my interests. After some thought I’ve landed on sociology. 

First, a little about me: I have a BA in English with a 3.8 GPA and completed an honors thesis with high distinction. I have subsequent experience teaching abroad (one year) and two internship experiences (one with an immigration attorney and one with a campus human rights organization). I’ve also published one peer-reviewed journal article, albeit in a different discipline (rhetoric). I suppose it’s worth mentioning that I received all A’s in the grad courses I did take, but I don’t know how much that would matter to an admissions committee. My recommendations are all very strong. 

My GRE scores are the biggest problem: V160, Q145, W5.0. I had hoped that having published peer-reviewed research might compensate for my awful quant score, but after seeing people on this forum worry over much higher scores than mine, I worry I might’ve been too optimistic. 

Do I have a chance at all? Or should I be applying to MA programs as a stepping stone to the Ph.D, even at the risk of debt? Any advice is so very much appreciated!

[socchi92]

You have a chance, but it really depends on where you're applying. That's a low quant score for a t20. I'm sure its possible to make up for with other things, but from what I understand the GRE is basically used as a tool to weed out applications before they've even been read. What's important is making it past that first step. Have you taken the GRE more than once? I found the second time I did much better even though I hadn't studied much more. It's pricy to take more than once but certainly less expensive than a MA. 

[sociopolitic]

6 hours ago, socchi92 said:

It's pricy to take more than once but certainly less expensive than a MA. 

This was exactly my thought, as well. I'd personally recommend studying hard for the quant section and taking it again. Since you're coming from a background in the humanities, adcomms are going to want evidence that you'll be able to handle the required Stats sequence in their programs. Unless there are other things in your profile that could indicate your quantitative aptitude, it's worth trying to get your score up as much as possible. 

I probably wouldn't take out the money to get an MA first. The rest of your profile is strong enough that by bumping your quantitative score a bit and writing a convincing SOP, I think you should definitely be able to get into a top 20 program. 

[tony_flow]

11 hours ago, socchi92 said:

Have you taken the GRE more than once? 

Nope. I dread retaking it, but I'm afraid you two are probably right. I did take a stats class in college (I got a B) for whatever that's worth, but I should just suck it up and take a prep class or something at the community college. 

4 hours ago, sociopolitic said:

The rest of your profile is strong enough that by bumping your quantitative score a bit and writing a convincing SOP, I think you should definitely be able to get into a top 20 program.

Thanks! I was hoping to hear something like that. I don't think my SOP will be a problem, so I suppose my goal for this Fall should be to bump up my quant score as much as possible. 

[socchi92]

6 minutes ago, tony_flow said:

Nope. I dread retaking it, but I'm afraid you two are probably right. I did take a stats class in college (I got a for whatever that's worth, but I should just suck it up and take a prep class or something at the community college. 

Thanks! I was hoping to hear something like that. I don't think my SOP will be a problem, so I suppose my goal for this Fall should be to bump up my quant score as much as possible. 

I also got a B in stats! Not all hope is lost. I did the Magoosh course ($180 I think) and bought basically every book but used the official GRE Quant one the most (the questions are hard so it's good practice). Ended up with a 158 Q which seemed to be good enough to get me into some t10 programs. You can do it!!! 

[Boolakanaka]

Many of the tippy top programs have an average quant score of 160 plus, so if that is your goal, all of the previous should be taken seriously...

[sociopolitic]

Happy to help/provide a confidence boost! Just make sure to ground your SOP in the actual conversations sociologists working in your area of interest are having right now (so that adcomms know that you're serious about sociology and know what you're getting into) and I think that with a bump in your quant score, you'll be very competitive at top departments. Provided you do that, your admissions cycle will really come down to the question of fit. Best of luck!

[tony_flow]

3 hours ago, socchi92 said:

I did the Magoosh course ($180 I think)

Excellent. Thanks for the suggestion! I only used a study book last time, so I'm sure the course will be a much better option. 

3 hours ago, sociopolitic said:

Happy to help/provide a confidence boost! Just make sure to ground your SOP in the actual conversations sociologists working in your area of interest are having right now (so that adcomms know that you're serious about sociology and know what you're getting into)

Again, I appreciate it! I do have a couple of ideas in mind for the SOP that I've been mulling over.