How to apply to sociology phd without background/publications

[Chloe23]

Hi!

I did my undergrad in cognitive science and my master's in education. I'm planning to apply to sociology phd for fall 2023, that means I have one year to prepare for it.

I have taken classes in immigration, stratification, class and higher ed, and I have a reading list of sociology works that I hope to finish before I apply. 

My problem is that I don't have any publications or writing samples, and I don't really know any faculty in sociology or related fields who can write a strong lor for me. 

What can I do to boost my resume and perhaps work with people in the field? I'm considering volunteering for sociology research labs, but would they take someone from outside rather than their own students? 

I would love to hear your thoughts, suggestions, or any opportunities that you know of! Thanks a lot for your help!

[passere]

I didn’t have any LORs from sociology faculty. The closest I got was one from linguistics, and two from engineering faculty. I think what matters most is your ability to do graduate level research, which is transferable from discipline to discipline.

My writing sample also wasn’t sociology. I used a linguistics writing sample, and a lit review I did in engineering when I could fit both.

I think it worked for me because my undergrad was biomedical engineering and linguistics, and I planned to take a sociolinguistics approach to studying medical things. Is there a connection you could make between your previous degrees and why you want a PhD in sociology?

I ran into the same thing you’re facing, which is that there’s not exactly a lot of opportunity to get research experience in the field from outside it. I think what gave me the best chance for admission was making a personal connection with faculty before I applied. Then, you’ve got someone pulling for you despite your unconventional background.

It also depends on the program. Some are probably stricter about only admitting people with “proper” backgrounds. Meanwhile, my cohort has a lot of people with humanities and STEM degrees, and my program has more than one JD.

Best of luck!

[lkaitlyn]

I'd taken zero sociology courses before applying right out of undergrad to PhD programs. I didn't get into a lot of places, but wound up at a T20 program and later got NSF, so it can be done! Also worth noting I had some other negatives in my app that don't apply to you, so my results are probably worse than they could have been had I not had other baggage. Note that it's also not unusual for an applicant to have zero publications when applying to PhD programs for sociology (though unsure what the expectations are for those who got an MA before applying) — I had one thing in a random undergrad journal and an R&R at a real journal when applying, which is basically zero actual publications. All my LORs came from professors in other fields (and actually included zero faculty in my home department at my school, which also didn't seem to matter).

I think your idea of finding a research lab to join is a fantastic idea and the best thing you can do between now and applying. Academics rarely say no to free labor, so if you ask around, you'll find someone who will let you help them out for free. Make sure you work hard so you can use that person as a letter of rec when you apply. I also recommend trying to find a lab that intersects with your research interest. The other thing you can do this year is polish up your MA thesis and try to get it published so you at least have something R&R when you apply, but that's secondary to the research lab/getting a letter of rec from the lab.

TL;DR: volunteer for research, and you'll be fine!

[WillieLWebb]

Bro, I am really bad in maths and science.