Applying for Grad school

[Iceman08]

Hello everyone, 

I am currently an officer in the U.S. Army, i have been out of school for apps. 5 years now, i still have a couple years left on my contract. While stationed in Korea I realized that I want  to be professor, and that I want to teach sociology. So i was wondering if any one would have any advice on how to go about applying for schools, and making this into a reality. Thanks for any and all help. 

[hj2012]

Can you say a little more about your educational background/training and what your research interests might be? 

[Iceman08]

Sure, I have a bachelors in Sociology, besides that degree all my work experience has been in the logistics field. I want to study social stratification, and inequality. I also wouldn't mind studying family trends, gangs, and sociology of law. 

[hj2012]

Great!  Would you be applying to start a PhD program during the 2019-2020 school year? If so...

1. You're a few years out from undergrad. You'll need 3 letters of reference from professors for most programs. Do you still have the connections to ask for strong letters that can speak to your research potential? If not, you might think about re-forging those connections.

2. Do you have an existing senior thesis or independent research project that you could revise into a writing sample -- ideally a sample that connects to your future research interests? This is a time-consuming task, and I recommend that you start early and get as much feedback as possible.

3. I'd also take the time to really think about what you want to study and why. In addition to demonstrating your preparation for doctorate study, your PhD statement of purpose should (loosely) indicate a possible research project and what you see as the proposed significance of your research. In preparation for this, you might consider browsing top journals in your field to see which conversations interest you and which methodologies you might want to use. 

You could also get a head start on studying for the GRE.

[Iceman08]

Thanks for the advice i will definitely get one that.