FALL 2016 Applicants!

[kameldinho]

Things have been pretty slow around here lately so I'll attempt to breathe some life into this forum. Who else is applying this year? A brief introduction would be nice, then we can collectively sulk and bemoan this entire process for the next couple of months. I'll start things off:

 

Major(s): Math + Econ CGPA: ~3.7

Interests: Urban, Crime, Racial Strat/Inequality, Quant Methods

GRE: Taking it tomorrow! Expecting a near perfect quant score, but not too confident about my verbal.

Applying: Mainly Top-10, with couple safeties in Top-20

Concerns: I'm pretty sure adcoms are gonna look at my app and wonder if there is a bug in the system, which is why they accidentally got an application that was meant for the econ department.

Edited September 13, 2015 by kameldinho

[yomamabf]

how did you do? What did you score on the GRE?

[kameldinho]

how did you do? What did you score on the GRE?

Didn't go as planned. Retaking next month.

Edited September 17, 2015 by kameldinho

[SocAdvice]

Things have been pretty slow around here lately so I'll attempt to breathe some life into this forum. Who else is applying this year? A brief introduction would be nice, then we can collectively sulk and bemoan this entire process for the next couple of months. I'll start things off:

 

Major(s): Math + Econ CGPA: ~3.7

Interests: Urban, Crime, Racial Strat/Inequality, Quant Methods

GRE: Taking it tomorrow! Expecting a near perfect quant score, but not too confident about my verbal.

Applying: Mainly Top-10, with couple safeties in Top-20

Concerns: I'm pretty sure adcoms are gonna look at my app and wonder if there is a bug in the system, which is why they accidentally got an application that was meant for the econ department.

This might come off as pessimistic, but I would hesitate to consider any department a "safety" school...especially in the top 20. I understand that you feel like you have a strong application and are feeling confident which is great since the application cycle can be incredibly stressful. That being said there are a lot of things outside of your control that go into application evaluations. I can assure you that nobody is going to worry about a misplaced application, especially considering you will need letters of recommendation as a part of your package.

 

Edited September 17, 2015 by SocAdvice

[kameldinho]

 

This might come off as pessimistic, but I would hesitate to consider any department a "safety" school...especially in the top 20. I understand that you feel like you have a strong application and are feeling confident which is great since the application cycle can be incredibly stressful. That being said there are a lot of things outside of your control that go into application evaluations. I can assure you that nobody is going to worry about a misplaced application, especially considering you will need letters of recommendation as a part of your package.

 

Point taken. I do have an ace in the hole that I believe will give me a leg up on the competition, which I think justifies my confidence. I never meant to be dismissive about the amount of variability in the process. Letters of rec have already been requested and written.

[Frank Knight]

Even so, I would urge caution. I have seen several well qualified friends apply to PhD programs and underestimate how brutal the competition is. 

Anyway. I have a similar background to yourself. I have a BA in Economics and will be finishing a terminal MA degree in the field this year. I intend to try to make the switch over to sociology for my PhD though. I too am concerned whether my academic background will be a hindrance. What I'm heavily relying on is the writing sample. I figure that the writing sample is the best shot I have to prove that I both that I have read the sociology literature and that my economics training is applicable across disciplines. 

I'm applying mainly to the UCs myself.  

[LintonSamuelDawson]

Okay! So I have a unique case here, or so I like to think, and some perspective would be beneficial to my application process and highly appreciated.

I am an international student who was admitted to a small private school in the Greater Milwaukee Area, but transferred to University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee where I graduated with a Bachelors in Arts majoring in Print/Online Journalism and a minor in Sociology. In hindsight, I should have majored in sociology instead, but interest in the subject peaked somewhere between sophomore and junior year at UWM, and I didn't know any better before. Although I had planned to work in the field of traditional media, a corporate controlled on the media in the U.S is extremely dissuading. Hence, I plan on pursuing higher education till I acquire that coveted knowledge and a PhD.

I intend on pursuing graduate study in political sociology and have a fair understanding of the subject with ideas on prospective lines of future research. Now here is the catch.

I graduated with a 2.79 GPA from my undergraduate program. I'm not a bad student, however my classes ranged from higher level political science, history, demographic geography, anthropology to core subjects of journalism and sociology. None of the classes I took had easy content to get convenient A's, but I didn't fail either. Some A's, lots of B's and a few of C's. Nonetheless, I don't regret taking classes that aided the process of education while challenging my intellectual boundaries. 

During my undergraduate life, economic hardships, lack of any scholarship opportunities, financial inconsistencies with the funding source (my parents) forced me to work at least 20 hours a week with in multiple jobs. At the same time, I also worked as a freelance writer/intern with local media outlets on and off campus, and even managed to clock in volunteering time with environmental and social service groups. As musician, I worked with several local bands, toured regionally and even produced an EP with one of the groups. Needless to say, I was beyond occupied. These are not excuses for the bad GPA, but circumstances and situations that contributed to a lower figure. 

While researching schools for Fall 2016 entry, I realized that a low GPA can be a major sticking point, but I am taking prep classes and shooting for a high GRE score in hopes to somehow offset the sub 3.0 GPA. Considering my financial circumstances, I have to seek assistantships, teaching positions or plausible scholarships. Getting LOR's, showing work samples and writing a convincing SOP shouldn't be a problem. Some of the schools I have been dwelling upon are listed below. Any suggestions on my candidacy or handy tips would be prime. Thank you in advance.

Dream on:

UW-Madison

UC-Berklee/San Diego/L.A

Princeton

Maybeeee it'll happen:

University of Chicago

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

University of Pennsylvania 

University of Maryland - College Park

Hopefully happens:

State University of New York - Albany

Rutgers University

University of Colorado - Colorado Springs/Denver

 

And that's all folks. Just lay it on me. I can handle the truth dammit. I ain't that weak. 

[kameldinho]

Okay! So I have a unique case here, or so I like to think, and some perspective would be beneficial to my application process and highly appreciated.

I am an international student who was admitted to a small private school in the Greater Milwaukee Area, but transferred to University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee where I graduated with a Bachelors in Arts majoring in Print/Online Journalism and a minor in Sociology. In hindsight, I should have majored in sociology instead, but interest in the subject peaked somewhere between sophomore and junior year at UWM, and I didn't know any better before. Although I had planned to work in the field of traditional media, a corporate controlled on the media in the U.S is extremely dissuading. Hence, I plan on pursuing higher education till I acquire that coveted knowledge and a PhD.

I intend on pursuing graduate study in political sociology and have a fair understanding of the subject with ideas on prospective lines of future research. Now here is the catch.

I graduated with a 2.79 GPA from my undergraduate program. I'm not a bad student, however my classes ranged from higher level political science, history, demographic geography, anthropology to core subjects of journalism and sociology. None of the classes I took had easy content to get convenient A's, but I didn't fail either. Some A's, lots of B's and a few of C's. Nonetheless, I don't regret taking classes that aided the process of education while challenging my intellectual boundaries. 

During my undergraduate life, economic hardships, lack of any scholarship opportunities, financial inconsistencies with the funding source (my parents) forced me to work at least 20 hours a week with in multiple jobs. At the same time, I also worked as a freelance writer/intern with local media outlets on and off campus, and even managed to clock in volunteering time with environmental and social service groups. As musician, I worked with several local bands, toured regionally and even produced an EP with one of the groups. Needless to say, I was beyond occupied. These are not excuses for the bad GPA, but circumstances and situations that contributed to a lower figure. 

While researching schools for Fall 2016 entry, I realized that a low GPA can be a major sticking point, but I am taking prep classes and shooting for a high GRE score in hopes to somehow offset the sub 3.0 GPA. Considering my financial circumstances, I have to seek assistantships, teaching positions or plausible scholarships. Getting LOR's, showing work samples and writing a convincing SOP shouldn't be a problem. Some of the schools I have been dwelling upon are listed below. Any suggestions on my candidacy or handy tips would be prime. Thank you in advance.

Dream on:

UW-Madison

UC-Berklee/San Diego/L.A

Princeton

Maybeeee it'll happen:

University of Chicago

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

University of Pennsylvania 

University of Maryland - College Park

Hopefully happens:

State University of New York - Albany

Rutgers University

University of Colorado - Colorado Springs/Denver

 

And that's all folks. Just lay it on me. I can handle the truth dammit. I ain't that weak. 

I can relate a lot to what you've been through, believe it or not. It's taken me 6 years to complete my undergrad, for all the reasons you've mentioned; the only difference was that I went part-time to protect my GPA instead of taking a full course load in addition to working and dealing with chronic health problems. The honest truth is that none of your extra curricular activities will be relevant for PhD admission unless they directly lead to an interesting research question. Also, your GRE and writing sample will not offset your GPA: practically every department has to operate within the guidelines of the Graduate School in order to recommend you for admission, which often has a non-negotiable minimum GPA requirement. For top schools, usually the requirement is a minimum 3.0 GPA for the last degree completed; for mid-tier schools, the 3.0 requirement is most often restricted to the last 60 credits. Again, this is isn't determined by the Sociology department, but rather by the graduate school (most often the school of Arts and Sciences). Your best option would be to do a Master's degree, or if your last 60 credits are above a 3.0GPA then you could try rolling the dice at schools outside the T15.

 

Just to clarify a bit: the department in which you apply for PhD admission does not "admit" you (in the conventional sense) to the program. Rather they recommend you for admission, and a pencil pusher in the Dean's office is going to skim your application and look your numbers (GPA & GRE) and see if it falls in line with the institutional average before giving the final approval.

Edited September 22, 2015 by kameldinho

[soc13]

Major(s):  MPH focused on community health & prevention (grad). Sociology (undergrad).

GPA: 3.8 in both graduate program and undergrad.

Interests: Race and ethnicity, inequality/stratification, education, health

GRE: 164V and a really terrible 151Q (and it's not going up, so I'm just going to deal with that blow).

Applying: Pretty good distribution; a couple in the top 15 and mostly in the top 30. 6 total. Based on research fit.

 

I've been out of my master's program for 2 years. I work for a research firm, mostly on federal contracts, in the DC area. My work is mainly evaluation studies, although there's some research studies.  Clients include NSF, FDA, Dept of Ed, etc. My work doesn't align closely with my research interests, but the skills I have gained do.  I primarily participate in the design and implementation of studies - including designing guides and surveys, conducting interviews and focus groups, analyzing qualitative data, writing reports, etc. I'm absolutely a qualitative researcher at heart, and intend to stay on that path.  I also work in research for some nonprofits on the side more related to my research interests in education.

 

My main concern is my quantitative GRE score.  I'm worried it's going to knock me out of the running for consideration.  Other than that, I'm struggling to decide who my LOR's should come from -  I have 3 public health grad school profs who would write very strong ones, 2 soc undergrad profs, and a VP of my 2000+ employee company.  Just can't get a clear answer on what's most compelling for admissions committees.

 

[LintonSamuelDawson]

There are a few things to consider, Linton.

1) What would you like to do with your PhD in sociology? Are you aiming for a tenure-track position? Are you thinking of working at a research center? This will affect what type of school you should aim for.

2) Do you have any research experience? RAships, senior thesis, independent research, etc? Having research experience would help your application.

3) Are you willing to do a terminal MA program before pursuing a PhD? Unfortunately, I think a sub-3.0 GPA will make direct admission into a PhD program difficult (but not impossible!).

I will say that unless  other aspects of your application (SOP, writing sample, GRE score, LOR) are top-notch, I would not suggest applying to Madison, Berkeley, Princeton, Chicago, Michigan, or Penn. I don't want to be pessimistic, but I want to give as accurate a picture as possible of the process.

Thanks for the reply.

I am looking to work with think tanks and gain prowess in sociology of politics. Afterwards I want to get back to mass media and use my research, which I would have conducted by then, to disseminate proper peer-reviewed information about a pressing sociopolitical condition. I don't want to overlook my experience in journalism as I do enjoy being in the media, but I firmly believe that most journalists don't have adequate academic backing to make non-speculative claims. I also want to conduct individual research into the socio-economic condition of people living under different political structures; analyzing elite control of policy forming process and how absolute power is maintained over subjects in a comparative political setting.

I did a senior project for one of my undergraduate classes which was a narrative inquiry about the public role in remedying the American political institution and thereby increasing political efficacy. It's uses a lot of political sociology sources and draws from prior research conducted on similar lines. 

I am willing to do a masters program and then pursuing a PhD if time or financial conditions permit. I was not expecting to be directly admitted into a PhD program right away.

I am realllllly interested in Madison as I am a Univ. of Wisconsin alumni. Just a burning desire to go back to my institution/state, but if t doesn't work out, I won't be terribly surprised. Any suggestions of what other schools I should look into? 

[LintonSamuelDawson]

I can relate a lot to what you've been through, believe it or not. It's taken me 6 years to complete my undergrad, for all the reasons you've mentioned; the only difference was that I went part-time to protect my GPA instead of taking a full course load in addition to working and dealing with chronic health problems. The honest truth is that none of your extra curricular activities will be relevant for PhD admission unless they directly lead to an interesting research question. Also, your GRE and writing sample will not offset your GPA: practically every department has to operate within the guidelines of the Graduate School in order to recommend you for admission, which often has a non-negotiable minimum GPA requirement. For top schools, usually the requirement is a minimum 3.0 GPA for the last degree completed; for mid-tier schools, the 3.0 requirement is most often restricted to the last 60 credits. Again, this is isn't determined by the Sociology department, but rather by the graduate school (most often the school of Arts and Sciences). Your best option would be to do a Master's degree, or if your last 60 credits are above a 3.0GPA then you could try rolling the dice at schools outside the T15.

 

Just to clarify a bit: the department in which you apply for PhD admission does not "admit" you (in the conventional sense) to the program. Rather they recommend you for admission, and a pencil pusher in the Dean's office is going to skim your application and look your numbers (GPA & GRE) and see if it falls in line with the institutional average before giving the final approval.

Thank you for saying that. Here I keep thinking that my financial condition comes off as an excuse, but I didn't willing get a bad GPA. School in a foreign nation with no social safety net was rough emotionally, but the hardest part was trying to fend for myself while keeping a GPA above 2.5 and being full time. I couldn't even go part-time or take a semester off as it would be a violation of student visa conditions and would mean immediate deportation and end of my academic pursuits in the U.S. If it doesn't sound bad already, all on-campus employment is minimum wage or maybe a couple of cents higher if you spend a lifetime there. Every international students is restricted to only working on-campus for 20 hours a week during semester and 40 hours during breaks. I worked every hour of my academic life and had to pay rent, food, health insurance, books, transportation and make part payments on a personal loan (9% APR) taken between sophomore and junior year. One can do the math and figure out that working 20 hours a week won't cut it at all. I barely made rent most months and food was just a means of survival overlooked often. 

I went thinking about what went wrong and I can't find many reasons. I went to every class, submitted all assignments and didn't fail classes and couldn't drop out. Academia was just about becoming a fun experience as graduation took me out of school. I desperately want to get back to academic pursuits because it gives me a solid purpose in life. I throughly enjoy being with books, reading through research and looking into the various sociopolitical issues concerning society at various levels. Gives me a kind of joy words really cannot express. I'm fine with doing a masters program first and then moving on to a doctoral program if time/financial situation permits. 

Any suggestion on what schools I could look into? 

Thanks again.

[BlkIsak]

So, I'm also going to apply this year.
I'm a foreign student, 31 years old,  got a BA in history from the Israeli Open U, and finishing an MA in the Hebrew U., mainly researching migration, but in the history dep. and by the end of the year I'll have a BEd from a local teacher college - was a 1 day a week program I started like five years ago, when I thought I'll be a teacher, which I'm now finishing, half for the sake of finishing and not wasting that money.
My GPA is 4.
My GRE is V:161 Q:156 W:3.5, and I'll try to improve it in two weeks. was sick at the day and English is not my first language.
I believe I can get  two good recommendation letters, and one less good, but ok.
I have some research experience, worked as a policy analyst for a while (mainly unpublished works for NGOs and politicians) but one study got published. worked a bit a journalist for a local news site (but the news site was stillborn because of dispute between the owners), and I got my Master thesis which is an inter-disciplinary look at Israel's immigration encouragement policies and their effect in the last 20 years.

have a lot of experience in education, and transnational\diaspora education specifically (was a program director for a while for an International Jewish educational center. even won an InnoCentive challenge for designing a transformative hybrid (half online) education program for non-traditional students. 

My interests are Transnationalism and Diasporas; Ethnicity, stratification and ethnic social systems (like welfare system); Demography; Current Jewry, Non-Formal social structures.

I would like to go to: Princeton (supposedly the best sociology program and has a very good retention rate), UPenn (supposedly, best demography program), NYU and Colombia (not for a very specific good reason, except them being good schools and not the top of the top).

I don't know if I got a chance getting in, do I ? (I don't know how this works, honestly to get into my MA, I just like walked into one of the professor's room, told him I'm going to research this and that, and I need a place to do it. - it worked. don't think it would work the same in America)
I don't know where else to apply.

Any input would be welcomed.
 

And Linton, 
That's sound harsh, working and studying together is really hard (been there myself), and working and not being able to make ends meat, being foreign and studying sounds too hard. I feel you. I don't know, maybe you should think of doing an MA it might help getting into a PhD later, but I really don't know. 
Good Luck
 

[UMichHopeful93]

Hello, 

I thought I'd introduce myself, as this seems to be where I fit. I'm graduating in December with my BA in public relations, with honors - GPA: 3.5. I graduated two years ago from a community college, with honors - GPA: 4.0.

I'm applying for the MSW programs at a handful of top 20 schools. 

My letters of reference are coming from a sociology professor, department chair at my state school, and the director of the non-profit I volunteer for. I had the privilege of reading over two of them, and they are phenomenal. I worked incredibly hard on my supplementary statement, had over a dozen people read it over, so I'm fairly confident in this area. 

One wildcard I do have is a connection in the department at my top school. I used her as a reference and I'm hoping this helps my application somewhat. 

My experience is where I lack a bit. I've had six internships in PR, some working with non-profit clients. I have around 100 hours of volunteer service with various community organizations, and I volunteer regularly with a non-profit. I know many who are applying have worked, or currently do work, in social work specifically - I'm a bit nervous about this.

I didn't take the GRE, as it's not required by many programs. 

I've applied to the University of Michigan, WashU, USC, NYU, Columbia and a handful of others. 

My applications were all completed this week, so now we wait! 

Any input anyone has would be wonderful.

Thanks! 

[kameldinho]

On 10/1/2015 at 12:54 PM, UMichHopeful93 said:

Hello, 

I thought I'd introduce myself, as this seems to be where I fit. I'm graduating in December with my BA in public relations, with honors - GPA: 3.5. I graduated two years ago from a community college, with honors - GPA: 4.0.

I'm applying for the MSW programs at a handful of top 20 schools. 

My letters of reference are coming from a sociology professor, department chair at my state school, and the director of the non-profit I volunteer for. I had the privilege of reading over two of them, and they are phenomenal. I worked incredibly hard on my supplementary statement, had over a dozen people read it over, so I'm fairly confident in this area. 

One wildcard I do have is a connection in the department at my top school. I used her as a reference and I'm hoping this helps my application somewhat. 

My experience is where I lack a bit. I've had six internships in PR, some working with non-profit clients. I have around 100 hours of volunteer service with various community organizations, and I volunteer regularly with a non-profit. I know many who are applying have worked, or currently do work, in social work specifically - I'm a bit nervous about this.

I didn't take the GRE, as it's not required by many programs. 

I've applied to the University of Michigan, WashU, USC, NYU, Columbia and a handful of others. 

My applications were all completed this week, so now we wait! 

Any input anyone has would be wonderful.

Thanks! 

You're applying exclusively to Master's programs, right? I can't think of a single PhD program that doesn't require the GRE.

[UMichHopeful93]

You're applying exclusively to Master's programs, right? I can't think of a single PhD program that doesn't require the GRE.

Oh, yeah definitely. I wouldn't have a shred of confidence if I were applying to a PhD program with my current credentials, especially without a GRE. 

Edited October 1, 2015 by UMichHopeful93

[topimpabutterfly]

Hey all--been lurking for a while a finally decided to join.

A bit about me: I'm an undergraduate major in Sociology (will graduate in May) and I will be applying to 8-10 PhD programs in the field. I attend a large R1 university with a lot of name recognition, which I am hoping with work in my favor.

I am broadly interested in the race, stratification and media. 

Pros: Great letters of recommendation, lots of research experience, person of color (it matters) and a strong writing sample and statement. 3.67 GPA. 

Cons: GRE. I haven't taken it yet (scheduled for Oct. 26th), but I know that I will have a low quant score. I paid to take a Kaplan course and it helped, but math and standardized tests have always been a struggle for me. Also, I attended a community college before transferring to the University I am at now and my grades were absolute shit. 

Will not get in, but have to apply anyway:

Harvard, Princeton, Michigan

Maybe:

Duke, UT-Austin, UChicago, Northwestern

Probably:

Ohio State, Rutgers

(I am still finalizing my list).

Edited October 4, 2015 by topimpabutterfly

[gingin6789]

I'M BAAAAACK!!!

*clings to coffee*

Hi, everyone! I'm Ginger, and I'm currently pursing my M.A. in sociology at Lehigh University.  I'm a TA for the university as well, and it has been a blast, overall!

If you all have questions about Lehigh's M.A. program (and its awesome department and funding opportunities), let me know!!

BUT NOW THE TIME HAS COME FOR PHD PROGRAMS.

Research experience: 

- Undergraduate Thesis: content analysis of ~400 newspaper articles pertaining to the contraceptive clause of the Affordable Care Act. Examined how religious views regarding the contraceptive clause were framed in mainstream media narratives. 

- Master's Thesis: quantitative analysis examining the impact of global environmental degradation on HIV/AIDS prevalence among women in less-developed countries

- Other: co-authoring an article on young women's unemployment and HIV/AIDS prevalence among young women, presented at two conferences in 2014, presenting at 2016 ESS

- Overall package:  research experience in both American and global health matters, along with qualitative and quantitative research experience.

Stats:

- Undergrad GPA: 3.91, cumulative (3.87 AA, 3.97 BA)

- Graduate GPA: 4.0 (so far)

- GRE: 164 (V), 152 (Q)

Cons:

that low quant score!  I've taken undergraduate statistics in the math department, undergraduate social statistics, graduate-level social statistics, and graduate-level quantitative methods, and I have LOVED each and every one of those classes, earning an A in each one! So, I have the aptitude for quantitative work, and I actually prefer it, but someone who never finished high school math (GED class of 2007!) isn't bound to get a perfect score on the GRE quantitative section.

I'm hoping my grades and letters of recommendation offset that quantitative score.

Areas of interest: Medical sociology (reproduction, women's health, global health), religion, gender 

Here are the programs I'm looking at:

-University of Delaware (accepted me for their M.A. program, I went on a recruitment visit there and I LOVED it!)

-Brandeis University (*gets dreamy look in eyes* medical sociology *and* religion ... *swoon* Plus, Wendy Cadge is there, and her book, "Paging God," is awesome!)

-Vanderbilt University (my undergrad thesis advisor got her PhD here)

- Emory University

- UC Davis (I have a good friend who goes here, and who actually is in these forums pretty often)

- NC State

I'm considering more programs than this, but those are my top 6.

Edited October 4, 2015 by gingin6789
adding program to my list

[gingin6789]

Major(s):  MPH focused on community health & prevention (grad). Sociology (undergrad).

GRE: 164V and a really terrible 151Q (and it's not going up, so I'm just going to deal with that blow).

 

My main concern is my quantitative GRE score.  I'm worried it's going to knock me out of the running for consideration.  Other than that, I'm struggling to decide who my LOR's should come from -  I have 3 public health grad school profs who would write very strong ones, 2 soc undergrad profs, and a VP of my 2000+ employee company.  Just can't get a clear answer on what's most compelling for admissions committees.

We're basically GRE twins!  Have you taken other classes that may help adcoms look past your quantitative GRE score?  Clear up any uncertainties about your quantitative potential in your statement of purpose and your letters of recommendation! 

[oranges]

Ginger, given your great record, why not aim a bit higher? Or at least also include more highly ranked programs in your school list?

[gingin6789]

Ginger, given your great record, why not aim a bit higher? Or at least also include more highly ranked programs in your school list?

iemons: phew! That's a good question.  I might add a couple of more highly ranked programs to my list.  I guess that, while I see myself as a fairly well-rounded candidate, that low quantitative GRE score makes me a bit nervous. It really encourages me that you think I have a great record!

[kameldinho]

Hey guys, I had a major setback (broke my foot in a longboarding incident) and its basically ruined my entire semester. I won't be applying this year, but definitely next year. I'll still contribute to this thread in any way I can. I'm super bummed right now 

 

Good luck to everyone!

Edited October 4, 2015 by kameldinho

[oranges]

iemons: phew! That's a good question.  I might add a couple of more highly ranked programs to my list.  I guess that, while I see myself as a fairly well-rounded candidate, that low quantitative GRE score makes me a bit nervous. It really encourages me that you think I have a great record!

Quant score should not be a dealbreaker. It will probably hurt a bit, especially with elite schools, and given that you obviously aren't a qualitative-only researcher, but application of quant research (i.e. your masters' thesis) should be more important than the GRE quant score.

[gingin6789]

Quant score should not be a dealbreaker. It will probably hurt a bit, especially with elite schools, and given that you obviously aren't a qualitative-only researcher, but application of quant research (i.e. your masters' thesis) should be more important than the GRE quant score.

Thank you for letting me know that! Do you think I'd be a good candidate for top 20 programs? I was considering a couple,  but thought they *might* be too high of a reach. I suppose it never hurts to just go for it and try though, right? :-)

[litany239]

Hi guys, new to the forum so I guess this could be a place to ask this. Should the bulk of my applications be directed towards the middle ranked schools or should I go with safety and apply mostly to lower ranked programs? At this point in time, all I know is I want a PhD and not a terminal masters, everything else for me is open.
Stats:
Major: BA in Sociology with emphasis in crime and deviance.
Cumulative GPA: 3.09 (Had a really unsuccessful first year of undergrad as a mechanical engineer)
Major GPA: 3.85
GRE: 160V, 164Q, 6.0W
Research experience: Nothing glamorous other than an Honor's thesis.

Pros:
Recommendations are from 2 powerhouses in the sociology field and 1 in American studies.
Veteran status? On the applications of many schools I am applying to say the check box is used for record keeping purposes and has no influence on admission decisions.

Cons:
That cumulative GPA.

Overall, when looking at my package all I can say is that I am a very average candidate or if my failed engineering background has any weight, a below average candidate. However, grad school applicants are usually superstars during their undergrad careers. Also, I'm mainly applying to programs with quantitative crime and deviance faculty.


 

[gingin6789]

litany, your GPA may be a bit low, but MAN, those GRE scores are awesome!!!! Plus you have that undergrad honors thesis! As for where to apply, apply to a range of ranked programs (a few lower ranked, mid, and highly ranked), but most of all, keep FIT in mind!