Requesting profile evaluation - what am I doing wrong, and how can I fix it?

[anxiousapplicat]

Hi, I've applied to four places for a PhD in Sociology, and have already been rejected by one. I thought it was the place where I had the best chance, so I'm not feeling particularly encouraged with respect to the remaining three. Can someone familiar with the US system help me figure out the weak points in my application?

1. MA Sociology degree from the top institution in India (Grade: 82%, First Class).

2. GRE: 153 Q, 167 V, 6 AWA (My Q is a weak point, but I have 2+ years of primarily quantitative research experience with very large datasets that I hope can somewhat make up for this. I also did well in my undergrad stats classes).

3. 3+ years of relevant work experience (I'm applying to specialise in political sociology). One year research consultancy with a federal government department directly relevant to my research concerns in political sociology. Additional two years of work experience with an international development research centre, which involved more governmental collaboration and really helped me refine my research interests. 

4. No publications - this is potentially a weak point. 

5. LoRs - currently all Indian professors (from my MA program). PIs from my workplace are based in the US but they are not sociologists, so I did not request them for letters in this round of applications.

I'm a little bit lost as to what my next steps should be. Is my profile currently competitive enough to apply to T20 in the US? Should I do additional coursework (like a MPhil or MRes degree), just apply to more places, or try to get things published? Feeling lost and dejected, will appreciate any advice.

[awesome3141]

Sorry to hear about the rejection! First off though, keep the hope up though! You've only been rejected by one program. There's so much randomness in the application process, one rejection doesn't signal much.

I'd additionally note that based on what I've heard from professors, this application season is possibly one of the most competitive of all time! Most programs are seeing huge increases in the number and quality of applications. 

Overall, your profile looks great! The unfortunate truth though is that publications/fruitful research is by far the most valuable quality for applying to PhD programs. An applicant can literally have a garbage application otherwise but have significant research and they will get accepted. In your case, since you have an MA, admissions committees may be concerned that you don't have any published research, since going to graduate school already you have had more opportunities to engage in serious research. Many grad programs really really value students having a clear research trajectory before they apply. It's a weird truth that helps some applicants and hurts others. PhD programs are ultimately mainly about research, so students that do have done research before applying are more likely to be a better fit for getting a PhD. Students that haven't gotten research experience beforehand may ultimately not enjoy PhD programs and leave the program. Almost all applicants increasingly have some research experience (often in some drudgery role), so admission is increasingly about who has the most research experience, who has had the most serious roles, and whose research has already resulted in papers and how high impact were those papers.

If you don't get in this year, I would recommend trying to publish a paper or working with some professors on a research project where you have a serious role.

Edited February 6, 2022 by awesome3141

[letsgetit21]

Hey! I know this can be a stressful time. The waiting absolutely sucks! But, from what you've listed, you have a good application. Though, I do agree with the previous comment that lack of publication could be your weakness, along with other things. Publication records are getting longer, even out of undergrad! As an applicant with a masters, you're likely to be at a disadvantage without publication. In the academic system, publications are valued like gold.

Also, fit is a crucial component in PhD admission. Take a step back and ask what your research interests are. Do they fit very well (3 or 4 professors researching in the area)? If not, this could be another downfall. Just think - if no one in a department is working in the area and subfield you're interested in, then you couldn't be a productive PhD student. 

What about your writing sample? What are you submitting? Is it publishable quality? A lot of good applications get denied because of a weak writing sample. After all, cohesive writing is how academics get their research into the world.

Of course, every situation is unique. You still have 3 programs left to hear from, though. I wouldn't give up hope - the admissions process is a wild ride. Also, top 20 programs routinely get 150+ applications (top 10s often get around 250 or so) - all for maybe 7-10 spots in a program. The odds are always slim. 

Personally, I would NOT suggest more education. Don't waste your money on this. Work with some professors doing research in your area (cold emailing them is fine, whether in the US or India). They could boost your research profile. 

Hope this helps! Don't give up hope until you've heard from everywhere you applied to.

[anxiousapplicat]

Thank you both so much for your detailed responses. I do have two years of relevant RA experience, but I don't have publications. That does make me worry. Although it's my understanding that American universities typically consider an Indian three year BA + two year MA as equivalent to an American four year undergraduate program. I'm not sure if that makes a difference

Edited February 6, 2022 by anxiousapplicat

[deadinside]

Don't worry about more education. As you may already know, applications are very likely to be unpredictable. For example, I got rejected from a t10 University even though I had a POI who showed interest and explicitly wrote a note to the admission committee. When I told her I was rejected, she replied: "I am so sorry, I don't know what my colleagues were thinking. [...] but I really didn't expect this outcome. I am honestly surprised, and disappointed. [...]"

(For the record I've a similar profile, but instead of a good GRE (mine is clearly worse: 148Q, 155V and 4.5W) I have 2 publications.)

So, I'll join others' opinions and encourage you to publish something. 

Good luck!

[caromella]

Hello! I am coming from Hispanic Lit but I saw your post and thought that I would contribute my two cents. Like others have stated, this year is particularly competitive. The application pool is atypically large since a lot of universities did not accept applications last year, on top of the fact that several universities are accepting only around 3-4 new people. I also agree with everyone here in the sense that you should not give up hope yet; you still have other schools to hear from. That being said, the advice that I want to contribute is that a successful graduate application largely depends on how you frame your experiences and weaknesses. 

For example, I have not published anything, yet I got accepted into a fairly prestigious public university. For context, I will have done two semesters of paid research in my department by the time I finish my masters this Summer. In my SOP, I first talked about doing research for my honors thesis. When I then addressed my time as an RA, I talked about what exactly I did and how that would prepare me for the graduate school environment. I also discussed how I had plans on submitting my honors thesis manuscript (which was also my writing sample) in addition to a literature review in my research field based on the work I'm doing as an RA this semester. Obviously I have not seen your application, but two years of RA experience and three years of relevant work experience gives you so much to work with! It could really set you apart from other applicants if you dive into how these experiences are unique to YOU and contribute to your perspective as a scholar. My point is that if you can successfully leverage your experiences into relevant skill sets and create a convincing argument for yourself, I think that you can beat out an applicant who has publications, but does not know how to talk about themselves.

I also agree that getting more education (especially if it is unfunded) is not the best route to take. Publishing could never really hurt your application, and I also think you could apply to more places just to increase your chances if you don't get in this round. It is hard to say what more you can improve without seeing your letters and whatnot, but I honestly think you have a strong set of experiences to work with. And just to reiterate this again, grad acceptances are a crapshoot this year so try not to lose hope. Best of luck ❤️ 

 

Edited February 7, 2022 by caromella

[124abd]

Hey there! I’m also an international  applicant and I would add that for some universities it truly matters if you come with a fellowship already or some type of funding. Especially for public schools, some of them have certain constraints for international applicants, they may be more expensive than a domestic one, or can only offer one spot (increasing the competition even more). I know this to be the case at least at the University of California form the POI that I talked to. They really stressed that in order for me to have a real chance, I should make sure to also bring some money to the school. You may try that if you can, or strategically think if you’re applying to public or private schools, look at how many international students they usually accept, what their profiles are. Just to get a grasp of what your real chances are. Also, talk to your POI and ask about this info in advance, it really helps! Good luck. 

Edited February 7, 2022 by 124abd

[anxiousapplicat]

Thank you everyone for your kind words and advice. I really appreciate it ❤️ I will focus on publishing this year, in case I am rejected by the remaining three unis.