What are my chances? Seriously considering phd program...

[jabreu]

This is my first post and wanted to get some opinions from you guys/girls on getting into a phd program. I understand that it's competitive and it depends on several aspects that are out of the applicants' control like funding. But here's my background: 24 yrs old. B.S. criminal justice from umass. Gpa: 3.2. M.A. Criminal justice from umass. Gpa: 3.4. Was a part time sworn police officer for 1.5 yrs, 4 month internship at US DOJ in DC, currently a state social worker, 2+ yrs. No GREs yet. But I don't test well so I'm depending on my background and application more than on that test.

What do you think? Thanks for any input.

PS: how's the GREs compared to the SATs? I got a 1080 and that was after 3 tries. And how much emphasis do they put on the test?

[littlegirlvik]

In my experience, numbers really are just one aspect of your overall application. Personal statements, writing samples, what you want to study, experiences in research (or ideas for research) all play important parts in the application acceptance game. Where are you trying to apply to? What do you want to study? I don't know if you do livejournal at all, but in addition to this website, a group called applyingtograd has been incredibly useful for me over the past couple of years.

Anyhow, I'd say you have a pretty good chance at getting into a PhD program. You have a masters (which counts a lot; I went directly out of undergrad, and was competing against people with masters, PhDs, JDs, etc, and it would've made applying a lot less scary had I had a masters), and good GPAs. You also have some really great experience (my only suggestion is to really spin these in an academic way; how did they influence you as a researcher? What did you learn, or what did you question, while you were there?) that I think will make you a very unique candidate.

As for the GREs/SATs, I never took the SATs, so I can't help with a comparison. The GREs really are just about studying. Get a couple of books, and take as many practice tests as you can. That's what helped me the most. Also, watch the year of the book you get because I hear the GREs are undergoing some MASSIVE revisions right now (rumor has it that the analogy section is being taken out, more reading comprehension is going in, and the math section is going to get a calculator, which is sort of a good-and-bad thing because it means you don't have to do stupid long division problems by hand, but also means it'll probably be more difficult math concepts). because of that, it'll be really tough for anyone right now to say how the GRE's will be. When I took them, though, I will say that they ended up being more straightforward than the books/testing material made them seem.

Anyway, I hope some of this helped, and good luck with the application process! It was seriously one of the *worst* experiences of my life, but it has been so, so worth all the stress (I'm getting ready to start my program in two weeks!). Let us know if you need anything else (everyone I've met on the board has been fantastic), whether it's advice, help, or just a shoulder to cry on when your persaonl statement refuses to work with you.

[jabreu]

Thanks for the advise.