Sociology Writing Sample & GRE Scores

[pinknblue]

Hi All,

Could anyone of the doctoral students or prospective doctoral students tell me how significant is the choice of the writing sample topic in the whole application process? I am keenly interested in exploring the concept of "individual freedom" in a society. Here I mean individual freedom in the simplest form and not vs. the institutions or state but purely "society & the freedom an individual has to take his own decisions" (particularly marriage and career decision). I am not sure if I am missing something here, or is it an outdated topic but hardly any schools have faculty or grad students doing research on this or a similar topic.

Please advice where am I going wrong. Also should the choice of topic solely be decided by whats currently the hot topics?? I am really interested in my topic but at the same time definitely want to get into a sociology doctoral program.

My TOEFL score is 108 out of 120.

GRE Total is 1180. Break up:

Verbal 540 percentile 71

Quantitative 640 percentile 58

Analytical writing 4.0 percentile 37

Could you also tell which schools would be feasible to get into with this score? I have no background in sociology, but did have psychology as my minor in undergrad. And I have an MBA in Human Resource.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thank you so much.

Keenly waiting to get some good advice.

Have a great day guys !

[JohnBom]

Hi,

I am in the same position - I am just about to start seriously considering my applications to PhD. programs in sociology and I am an international student.

Please advice where am I going wrong. Also should the choice of topic solely be decided by whats currently the hot topics?? I am really interested in my topic but at the same time definitely want to get into a sociology doctoral program.

I don't think you should be deciding based on what the current "hot topic" is, if it doesn't interest you. It could make the next five - seven years of your life pretty miserable. On the other hand, it makes it easier to get funding. I would say individual freedom is a pretty popular one.

I am having trouble myself trying to figure out what tier of schools I can get into with my scores. I think your TOEFL and writing + verbal is a little low, and it might make the graduate committee doubt your abilities as a future TA. Generally, I don't think it is a big deal that you don't have background in sociology, if you can demonstrate that it is your true interest, which you have been developing outside of class. Psych minor would probably not be considered background good enough. In fact, I know quite a few sociologists who disdain the very idea of connecting the two.. What did you major in? Have you thought about sociology of organizations? Your HR background could really make a difference there..

Best of luck!

[shootingstar]

I am having trouble myself trying to figure out what tier of schools I can get into with my scores.

Hi Astronautka,

I'm an international candidate too, hoping for a breakthrough somewhere.

GRE Scores can be compensated if you have a strong SOP and good writing sample(s). Of course good LORs too, but that's something which isn't really in my court. I know of someone who got 1100 in GRE but he had a good publications list and a strong statement. He got into a top school with full-funding.

I have low scores in Quant and writing..but don't want to retake the test. Thinking of strengthening the rest of the apps package instead.

Which area are you applying in, if I may ask?

[rogue]

I'd like to bump this topic back up, as I have a similar question. If I'm reading pinknblue's post correctly, s/he is asking about choosing a topic on which to produce a writing sample to submit with applications (not necessarily choosing a research area). I'm in much the same boat. It's been 10 years since I graduated with my MBA, and I'm about to start applying to Ph.D. programs in sociology. Due to the time lapse and the change of field, I don't have any appropriate academic writing samples to submit, so I'll be crafting a new one specifically for my apps.

Does it matter how current or "sexy" the topic is in this case? Also, does it matter if the paper is more of a literature review than original field research? It seems to me the main point of the sample is to showcase one's writing ability, but perhaps there's more to it than that.

Also--and I apologize is this is a rather silly question--when a school requests a writing sample of a specific length (like 15-20) pages, should I assume this is double-spaced?

Thanks!

[shootingstar]

Does it matter how current or "sexy" the topic is in this case? Also, does it matter if the paper is more of a literature review than original field research? It seems to me the main point of the sample is to showcase one's writing ability, but perhaps there's more to it than that.

Hello Rogue,

As far as I know, the point is not to make it current or "sexy". It can be a research paper, a thesis, literature review or a field study but preferably not in a journalistic style of writing. They want to see how you analyze an issue/topic and how you express it through your writing. So your vocabulary is not what you are showcasing but how you organize the content of your essay and structure your argument. Most people submit papers that are of some relevance to the sub-field(s) they want to study. But for those who migrate between disciplines, I guess there are some relaxations. Confirm with them.

Also--and I apologize is this is a rather silly question--when a school requests a writing sample of a specific length (like 15-20) pages, should I assume this is double-spaced?

Not necessarily. It can be 1.5 or even 1. Depends on how long your paper is.

[socialcomm]

I'm in a similar situation -- I'm starting with a writing sample that is close to 10 years old.

I've found that some schools specify writing samples can't be more than X pages long (I've seen under 10 and under 15) -- so you might want to check with each school to which you plan to apply.

[JohnBom]

Which area are you applying in, if I may ask?

I am planning on applying to programs in medical sociology.

Coming back to writing samples - I have discussed it with some of my friends who are already in doctoral programs and got two very different responses about what makes an appropriate writing sample.

Response A: "It's really your chance that you are familiar with the literature of your subfield, and that should be your focus."

Response B: "They just want to know that you can write and think at the same time."

Would you go with A or B?

[socialcomm]

I'd think for some people, it's a combination of A and B, assuming they're coming from a background in the field they'd like to pursue their next degree in.