What can I do to improve my chances?

[mangobanana]

I'm considering applying in fall 2011 for sociology PhD programs to start fall 2012. I am looking for any and all advice about what I can do in the meantime to make my application competitive for top 15-20 schools. I didn't major in sociology and the advice I have gotten so far about what would be best has been all over the board.

About me:

BA in Business Admin (with a concentration in marketing) from UW-Seattle in June 2007, 3.8 GPA. Only took a couple of soc courses, did well in them.

Haven't taken the GRE yet but expect to do fairly well

No research experience (unfortunately)

No published writing

Taught an undergrad "intro to the university" type seminar course for two quarters

Participated in a few business related extracurriculars, primarily case competitions

I could probably find professors to write me letters of recommendation but they wouldn't be especially strong and none would be from sociology profs. It could possibly be a struggle to find three without including one from a recent community college psyc class I took.

I definitely want to take some more soc classes before applying, both to strengthen my application and make sure sociology is the right field for me. I have thought about applying to UW-Seattle as a post-bac student and getting a second BA in sociology. I could do this in 2-3 quarters (3 is more realistic) and would be able to make great connections for LOR, get better writing samples etc. Hopefully I could find some opportunities to do research as well. Unfortunately admission as a post-bac student is extremely competitive and the advisor I spoke with thought my chances of getting in wouldn't be very good.

Another option is to take undergrad classes at UW for summer quarter since anyone can enroll then. I could get a few more soc classes on my transcript and hopefully make some connections for LOR. The downside of this is that most of the summer classes are taught by TAs rather than professors and I would have to be available during the day for classes, so I wouldn't be able to work (currently looking for a FT job but willing to put off if I'm able to do the second BA, the idea of putting it off just to take summer quarter is less appealing).

A third option is to take some soc classes online through Washington State University. I have looked into it some and the classes are taught by actual professors at the school. It seems like a decent option and my transcript wouldn't note that the classes were online. I feel like it would be more difficult, though not impossible, to build relationships with professors to get good letters of recommendation. I could still get better writing samples and the additional soc experience. I would be able to take as many classes over time at a slower pace and work FT at the same time, which is a BIG plus financially. It probably wouldn't be feasible to get a second BA from WSU since the core requirements are different than at UW and I would have to take too many unrelated courses, which doesn't seem worth it to me.

I would really prefer to go straight into a PhD program rather than completing a MA program and then applying (for various reasons, including that my husband will be graduating in early 2012 and I want to minimize the number of times we relocate and he has to start searching for a new job, although his career should be fairly portable).

Are there some other options I'm not thinking of? What do you think of these options? Any ideas for how I might be able to get some research experience without completing a second BA? What areas seem most important to work on to improve my chances of getting into a good program?

Thanks in advance for your help!

[jacib]

I'm considering applying in fall 2011 for sociology PhD programs to start fall 2012. I am looking for any and all advice about what I can do in the meantime to make my application competitive for top 15-20 schools. I didn't major in sociology and the advice I have gotten so far about what would be best has been all over the board.

About me:

BA in Business Admin (with a concentration in marketing) from UW-Seattle in June 2007, 3.8 GPA. Only took a couple of soc courses, did well in them.

Haven't taken the GRE yet but expect to do fairly well

No research experience (unfortunately)

No published writing

Taught an undergrad "intro to the university" type seminar course for two quarters

Participated in a few business related extracurriculars, primarily case competitions

I could probably find professors to write me letters of recommendation but they wouldn't be especially strong and none would be from sociology profs. It could possibly be a struggle to find three without including one from a recent community college psyc class I took.

I definitely want to take some more soc classes before applying, both to strengthen my application and make sure sociology is the right field for me. I have thought about applying to UW-Seattle as a post-bac student and getting a second BA in sociology. I could do this in 2-3 quarters (3 is more realistic) and would be able to make great connections for LOR, get better writing samples etc. Hopefully I could find some opportunities to do research as well. Unfortunately admission as a post-bac student is extremely competitive and the advisor I spoke with thought my chances of getting in wouldn't be very good.

Another option is to take undergrad classes at UW for summer quarter since anyone can enroll then. I could get a few more soc classes on my transcript and hopefully make some connections for LOR. The downside of this is that most of the summer classes are taught by TAs rather than professors and I would have to be available during the day for classes, so I wouldn't be able to work (currently looking for a FT job but willing to put off if I'm able to do the second BA, the idea of putting it off just to take summer quarter is less appealing).

A third option is to take some soc classes online through Washington State University. I have looked into it some and the classes are taught by actual professors at the school. It seems like a decent option and my transcript wouldn't note that the classes were online. I feel like it would be more difficult, though not impossible, to build relationships with professors to get good letters of recommendation. I could still get better writing samples and the additional soc experience. I would be able to take as many classes over time at a slower pace and work FT at the same time, which is a BIG plus financially. It probably wouldn't be feasible to get a second BA from WSU since the core requirements are different than at UW and I would have to take too many unrelated courses, which doesn't seem worth it to me.

I would really prefer to go straight into a PhD program rather than completing a MA program and then applying (for various reasons, including that my husband will be graduating in early 2012 and I want to minimize the number of times we relocate and he has to start searching for a new job, although his career should be fairly portable).

Are there some other options I'm not thinking of? What do you think of these options? Any ideas for how I might be able to get some research experience without completing a second BA? What areas seem most important to work on to improve my chances of getting into a good program?

Thanks in advance for your help!

First of all, I'd recommend talking to people in the Sociology department of your alma mater. Washington has a very well regarded program. No school I've heard of requires an undergraduate degree in sociology, and who knows what difference it makes. I'd say only half the people on this board have a degree from sociology or another social science. That's why you really ought to talk to someone in the program itself. Few people have the opportunity to publish as an undergrad, especially in the humanities and social sciences, so don't worry about that. Good recommendations are universally considered really important; prestigious people obviously have added weight, but anyone who can attest to your superb academic abilities would be great. Seriously, just email the graduate coordinator of UW (maybe in a month when they're less crazy about this round of applicants) and ask. People have been surprisingly open and candid with me.