Increasing the chances of being accepted as a visiting student

[liesel20]

Hi everyone,

I am pursuing a PhD in Sociology in Germany. I am planning to be a visiting student in the US for 1–3 months, possibly during the second or third year of my PhD. I would be eligible for a German scholarship, so I do not necessarily need funding.

Do you have any suggestions on how to increase the chances of being accepted?

I graduated with an MA in Sociology with a German grade of 1,1 (the equivalent GPA should be between 3,5 and 3,9). I have an interest in qualitative and mixed-methods sociology and worked as a RA on two research projects during my MA, conducting and analyzing biographical interviews. I have a pretty good grasp of statistics, but no quantitative research experience. I have just one non-peer-reviewed publication. I am currently trying to publish one or two peer-reviewed articles (possibly in English). My main interests are migration sociology, social structure analysis, and biographical/life course research.

Do you know how difficult it is to get a position as a visiting student and how many applications should I probably send out? Apart from department fit, do you have an idea of which universities should I aim to? Would tier 1 universities be realistic? Any other suggestion would be much appreciated

Thank you so much!

Edited April 9, 2022 by liesel20