What else do I need to do to be competitive?

[Darth.Vegan]

Hey everyone, sorry to start another one of these threads but I could use some advice....

I am hoping to gain acceptance to a top 20 soc. program for Fall 2013, and want to know what else I can do to strengthen my app....

And also possibly get advice on where to apply given my stats...

As is stands..

Non-traditional student, I am 27, went back to school at 23

I am a Soc major, poli sci minor

Portland Community College (34 credits)

GPA 3.2

Major GPA 3.5

University of Hawai'i at Manoa

(Currently 60 credits at UH, so I have 94 credits total, need 124 to graduate) ( Mostly I have general ed requirements and then my honors requirements left)

GPA 3.95

Major GPA 3.90 (33 credits) (I have had straight A's but got ONE B arrgghhh)

Minor GPA 4.0 (12 credits)

Honors Program

Deans list (every semester thus far)

Alpha Kappa Delta

Hoping for PBK (but probably won't happen due to my CC GPA)

I also received one of three departmental merit scholarships from the sociology department for Fall 2011

I am an honors student currently doing independent research for my honors thesis ( inequality in education in Hawai'i, will be both qualitative and quantitative)

I am also a research assistant in the sociology department, and will hopefully be presenting at a conference next year.

By graduation (Fall 2012) I will have a total of 2 years of research experience.

Research interests: Poverty and Inequality, Ecology (particularly food politics, GMO's etc..) and social movements

So far my top picks are (ya I know)

Stanford (Poverty and Inequality)

Berkeley (Social Movements)

UW-Madison (Enviro Soc.)

I have three excellent LOR

1st Prof. PhD in sociology from UW-Madison ( she also has a close working relationship/ friendship with Jack Kloppenburg, who I would love to work with)

2nd Prof. PhD. in sociology from U-Michigan

3rd. Prof. University of Alberta (15+ years in the field) I am her research assistant and she is my thesis advisor

I plan on applying to 12 or so PhD. programs to increase my chances as well as 2 or 3 M.A. programs as a backup plan

GRE, taking the NEW GRE next summer, only thing I struggled with was the analogies and antonyms, so it should be easier

M.A. Programs:

University of Chicago

Boston University

for $ sake I hope to get placed in a PhD. program right out of the gate... What else do you think I should do to increase my chances?

Edited June 4, 2011 by xdarthveganx

[jacib]

1) Score well on the GRE.

2) Come up with an interesting research idea, that is well developed, interesting, and a good fit for professors at the schools you want to go to, and have your statement of purpose show you know kinda where your research will fit within sociology (you don't need to provide citations or anything but you know--make it have a place).

3) I'd also check out the advice for the and applicants from people who experienced the applications process a year before and already had their results back. That's really the best crowd sourced advice available in one place, as far as I've seen.

Edited June 17, 2011 by jacib