Transitioning into Sociology from Other Majors?

[sublimeseas]

Hi Everyone,

First off, apologies if this has already been covered - I've skimmed the past few months of postings and haven't found anything that matches my thoughts particularly well. I'm a Women's Studies major going into my senior year of undergrad at a major research university that no longer has a sociology department. Through my interdisciplinary coursework (which includes a few classes taught by professors with sociology PhD's) and a two-year independent research project, I've recently come to the realization that I would really like to pursue a PhD in Sociology sometime in the near future.

While I have a great deal of experience with ethnography (through the anthropology department), I have next to nothing in terms of sociological theory, research methods, and statistical knowledge. In addition, my haphazard transcript (switching majors/minors, mediocre grades in a few classes, a lot of classes that I think grad school committees would consider 'fluffy', a semester abroad), lack of strong relationships with tenured/tenure-track professors in the social sciences, and admitted lack of focus through undergrad all mean there is a good chance that I wouldn't (and honestly, shouldn't) be admitted into the PhD programs that I would hope to get into this year. I am planning on taking at least a year off to refocus, and so that I can use the entirety of senior year to improve my GPA, take more theory courses (in anthro), and strengthen relationships with potential recommenders. I hope to then apply to an MA program before making the final leap to the PhD.

My question is, what can I do in the meantime to help my case? I am exploring Americorps and Peace Corps, but does anyone know of anything specifically sociology-related (i.e. post-baccalaureate programs, fellowships, opportunities for research or service) that can both add to my application and imbue me with a better sense of what it means to be in the discipline? And on a practical, money-saving note, can a non-traditional newcomer like me afford to spend a year or two simply working a regular job ( to save for a master's) while volunteering and maybe taking a few courses at my local university? I know there are many people on this board from a variety of backgrounds who are now pursuing graduate sociology degrees, and I would love to hear people's stories.

Thanks!

[sociologyplease]

I came from a non-sociology background. Although one of my undergrad majors was in the social sciences (the other in the humanities), I have never taken a sociology class (and will be T/Aing one in two weeks), so it's possible to still get into a Ph.D. I also did a M.A. in a related field in between undergrad and my sociology Ph.D., because I wasn't on the Ph.D. track at first. However, without funding, I wouldn't recommend that.

What I would recommend is to link up with a professor and work on research, even after you graduate (even if it's a related field to sociology). That is what I did, and he helped me submit and present at the ASA which was super helpful. It sounds like you have some ethnographic experience, but are you co-authoring/presenting/publishing these research projects? I'd also recommend taking sociology classes at a local university. I didn't have time to do this because of my M.S. program, but I think it would have been a much better choice to take several sociology classes as a post-bacc, especially sociology classes in areas you were lacking in undergrad (theory, methods, stats), as well as the section you are interested in (gender, family, immigration, whatever). Make connections with these professors and try to get involved in research and/or get letters of recommendations. Volunteering, such as Americorps or Peace Corps, probably can't hurt you, but I don't think it will necessarily help you either and will take time away from being able to focus on additional classes and research.