Holding off a year: Y/N?

[schr]

I don't know for sure if this is even the right subforum, but I'm having a bit of a freakout so any advice would be really appreciated.

So I've applied to seven sociology PhD programs, heard back from three, been rejected from two and offered full funding at another one. I still have yet to hear back from four other programs, but I'm feeling very pessimistic about two of them (basically just waiting for the rejection letter from Chicago), not optimistic about funding from the third, and I'm having serious second thoughts about the fourth, regardless of whether or not they accept me.

The one place that has accepted me with funding is absolutely at the bottom of my list. I'm going to go to the visiting day and give them a fair shot, but I'm keenly aware that they might be my only feasible option this time around--and I'm really not that enthused about them so far (not sure where I'd fit in the program, not sure who I'd work with, honestly not even sure why they accepted me).

So I'm considering--granted, without full info as yet--just giving the whole thing a miss this year and trying again next year. Is this a terrible idea?

A little bit about my profile: I'm coming from one of the Ivies with a fairly solid GPA (3.44, 3.75 in my major, A's in the several graduate courses I took, graduated cum laude), I've done a good bit of TA and RA work, I had very good LoRs (as far as I know) and I wrote a senior thesis which I'm very proud of and which is up for an award this spring (a chapter of which was my writing sample). On the flipside, my GRE scores were HIGHLY mixed: I got a 750 verbal and a 5 on the analytical writing but a 480 in the quant. section. I've been getting this kind of spread since my first standardized test many moons ago and I'm pretty sure at this point that I have a mathematical learning disability, though I haven't been formally diagnosed (it's hella expensive to do that and as far as insurance covering it: hahahahaha).

I feel like my GRE quant score might be keeping me out of some of the more competitive programs--it sucks, because I know I can do good work, but it IS a reason to reject me and sort of a glaring one at that. If I bust my ass studying I think I could do better on it, but it's a bit of a bet.

I also feel like I kind of flubbed the whole process this time around--while I did apply to programs I liked the look of, I rushed into it a bit as I was finishing up my BA (graduated this past December) so perhaps next fall I'd have a better idea of what I really want to DO in grad school and I'd be able to select programs with a better eye towards that.

But I'm still not sure. Is it a catastrophically bad idea to walk away from full funding, if I'm not that enthusiastic about the program and I think I could do better in the next round? I'll be 25 in a couple of days--should I get my butt moving on this and get my doctorate, or should I really make sure I'm going somewhere great first? Am I overvaluing the importance of the GRE in my application? Should I just get a grip and go to a bar or something?

HALP PLX THNX also jeez whoa sorry about the essay :shock:

[sunshine6]

I think you should visit, and then worry about it. A visit to my bottom choice made me realize I could be quite happy there. You never know!

[Rutabaga]

You might be pleasant surprised by UMD. My experiences with the socy dept there (though limited) were all quite positive. I say give them a chance and then decide. If you're prepared to go through all this again and don't like UMD then I say wait and and try again.

[slowbro]

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[schr]

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[miratrix]

I think visiting is a good idea, you will make a more informed decision. Also, that's one of my top choices, so I think you should give it a chance

[lotf629]

Parts of your post sound like you're a college senior; other parts like you've been out of school for a bit. Are you wrapping up your undergrad degree?

If this is your last year in college, I'd say to go visit the school that offered you funding, sure, but remember that you have almost nothing to lose by waiting. I'd suggest you think about taking a year off of school. Reasons you might strengthen your app by doing so:

a) You could get that Q score up. I've worked on standardized tests with high school kids that have some form of LD before: it takes more time, but it's very often possible. I don't mean you'd ace it; you'd just get it out of the "red flag" zone. Plus, my guess is that you'd really be pretty well served by shoring up your quant skills before entering a sociology program: don't they want you to do a little stats occasionally? This book is supposed to be extremely good: http://www.amazon.com/Math-Review-Stand ... 367&sr=8-1 I'd say, buy the book, get a really awesome math tutor (maybe a patient and gifted educator who tutors on the side, not a Kaplan GRE tutor) and master all the content. Then sign up for a prep class if you need to or get some test prep books in order to learn all the silly tricks that will help you find extra points here and there (the icing on the cake stuff).

You could, perhaps, find the $3000 for a formal diagnosis (in a truly civilized country, this stuff would be covered by insurance, no?), qualify for testing accommodations (which are no longer flagged by ETS in any way), and then rock out on the Q score that way. If you really have some kind of brain quirk, a formal diagnosis is a wonderful thing to be able to pull out of your pocket at key moments. I'm not saying that you should formally disclose it at your school or anything else; just that this might not be the last time in your life that you find yourself stumped by it. So you might want to look into it.

c) You could ruminate on your research interests for twelve more months and write a much stronger SOP. As awesome as I thought my SOP was last year (and, FWIW, my advisors agreed with me), there are a million things I would change about it now.

d) You could revise your awesome thesis chapter into a publishable article and start building a CV.

Let me also agree that you are a spring chicken. I will be 29 when I enter my Ph.D. program, and I still consider myself reasonably young.

And now I have written an essay of my own to answer your essay!

Best to you, whatever you decide!

[schr]

Parts of your post sound like you're a college senior; other parts like you've been out of school for a bit. Are you wrapping up your undergrad degree?

I graduated this past December. Between high school and college I bummed around for two years trying to figure out what exactly I wanted to do, which is why I'm kind of in an odd in-between state.

a) You could get that Q score up.

This is possibly the main reason why I would consider it seriously, if all we're looking at is application strength. Because I know I'll never do great on it, but yes, as you say, if I studied hard for a bit I'm pretty sure I could bring it up at least some. And yes, they absolutely do require at least some proficiency in quantitative methods, even if in your research you generally stick to the qualitative side of things. Which is why I feel like the score is giving the more competitive programs pause. If they don't think I can do at least decently in graduate level stats... well. I think I could, with some tutoring and extra hard work, but it's not like I can conclusively prove that to them.

If you really have some kind of brain quirk, a formal diagnosis is a wonderful thing to be able to pull out of your pocket at key moments. I'm not saying that you should formally disclose it at your school or anything else; just that this might not be the last time in your life that you find yourself stumped by it. So you might want to look into it.

Yeah, absolutely. I have a friend with dyscalculia and she's told me in no uncertain terms that having a formal diagnosis can be invaluable at times, particularly where exams are concerned.

All very good advice (thanks!), and I've been thinking along similar lines. I mean, we'll see--still haven't heard back from the remaining four places so something might come through. But having calmed down somewhat, I'm no longer so uncomfortable about the idea of putting it off a year. I'd rather go into grad school well-prepared and in a program I'm excited about than just going because I'm afraid to be patient.

[Spritely]

I actually waited to reapply twice. After my Master's I applied directly to MFA programs and got into my top choices, Emerson and Columbia. Neither offered much financial aid, so I would have been stuck in expensive cost-of-living cities without funding and with a huge ($30-40k/year) tuition hole. Taking three years off before my next applications helped me focus on what I wanted to do for and with a Ph.D. I applied to eight schools last year, got into one that I was excited about, but again no funding. I could not afford to live in Boston with $40k/year tuition and no funding, so I put it off for one more year. This year I applied to almost twice as many schools and also a broader range of schools. I'm relieved to have gotten into two of them with funding, but they were not necessarily the top of my list. That being said, at this point, I'm not willing to wait around till next year and try again, and I think I can make the most of one of these programs.

I also disagree that "you have nothing to lose by waiting a year." The economy and the competitive nature of the programs will probably not improve by next year, and in fact it may become more competitive. I was rejected this year from the same school that accepted me last year. Also look at the number of people on this discussion forum who have so far gotten into none of their schools, were rejected by their "safety" schools, or ultimately just ended up with fewer options than they expected to have. So, you potentially risk not getting into any schools, or not getting into even as good of a program as the University of Maryland. This probably won't happen, especially if you can somehow increase your Q score, but that is a lot of work to do in the next year just to go through the same process with uncertain results. It does sound like you have some major reservations about the program though, so if it isn't a fit then that is the final deciding factor. Otherwise, if I were in your situation, I would be thrilled to be going to Maryland (almost applied there, myself!).

This also brings up a taboo topic: What about going to a program for a year and then deciding to transfer to another program? You would burn some bridges, but I have known a few people who have done it, including one of my undergrad philosophy professors and a colleague of mine from grad school, both with their PhDs. That way you would at least give one program a chance and perhaps love it, but also potentially open up some doors to other schools the following year if it wasn't working out at the current institution.

[chillofrito]

``What about going to a program for a year and then deciding to transfer to another program?''

Who writes your LoR's in such a case. Surely not your current advisor/profs. . .

[Spritely]

You would likely use the same recommendations that you used to get into the first program. If you were only staying at a school one year, you would be applying to schools the same fall that you start the new program in order to be admitted the following spring. You wouldn't even have time to develop a relationship with a new advisor given that the applications would be do the same time the program was starting.

I'm not necessarily advocating this, but if you have one school you are not 100% sure about but is by all accounts a good choice, and that is really your only viable option, maybe you should take the offer to give the program a shot, but also prepare to to other schools in the fall. If you get through one year that turns out to have been miserable from a very bad fit, you might be given some other options in the spring.

This is a huge hassle and burns bridges when you would rather be building them, but it might not be bad to have the option. As I said, I have known people who did this in extremely bad PhD situations, and were ultimately quite happy with the decision and where they ended up instead. People do drop out of graduate programs, and some transfer as well.

[rising_star]

This also brings up a taboo topic: What about going to a program for a year and then deciding to transfer to another program? You would burn some bridges, but I have known a few people who have done it, including one of my undergrad philosophy professors and a colleague of mine from grad school, both with their PhDs. That way you would at least give one program a chance and perhaps love it, but also potentially open up some doors to other schools the following year if it wasn't working out at the current institution.

I'm pretty sure this has been discussed over in Officially Grads before. If you really want to ask this question, I suggest posting either there or in "Applications" with a new post.