Reapply for PhD or do interdisciplinary M.A ??

Graduate School
1

<p>Hi, </p>

<p>I am hoping to get some outsider advice. I applied for this fall to 7 Sociology PhD programs, all to which I eventually got rejected. They were: University of Michigan, U of Wisconsin, UCLA, Indiana University (waitlisted), NYU, Columbia, and U of Washington. </p>

<p>My stats are:
Undergrad: UC Berkeley '07
GPA: 3.795
GRE:
V-560
Q-650
A-5.0
+Great letters of recommendation (One the dean of the Dept. at UCB)
+Work experience: over 6 years working with kids (teaching, tutoring, etc) while in school, and taught abroad in France (during this year off).</p>

<p>I applied from France, which was a mistake, and my third recommendation never submitted his letter (after weeks of telling me not to worry, and he would do it). Eventually, I had to ask a fourth Professor last minute, making my application incomplete for five of the schools (not IU or NYU), and subsequently late for over a month (Do you even think my application was looked at these 5 schools?).</p>

<p>I know my GRE scores are weak, and didn't have the chance to retake before I left for France, but will definitely improve the scores for next time. </p>

<p>Anyway, I am curious because NYU rejected me, but the John W. Draper Program (an interdisciplinary M.A. program) offered me acceptance from my application to NYU. It is quite costly, and I am certain that I do eventually want to reapply for a PhD in Sociology. </p>

<p>Please if you have advice on whether I should go now and pay $ 35,000+ for an interdisciplinary MA or wait, re-ask my professors for letters, and apply for a PhD with funding, I would appreciate it. </p>

<p>Basically, are my stats competitive for a PhD program, or is best to go the MA, then PhD route? </p>

<p>I am very, VERY confused. </p>

<p>Also, I was 22 at the time of application--is it true that age matters? Should I wait a couple years? I am considering teaching abroad again to get some more teaching experience, which is my other option, as opposed to getting the MA for "professional" experience. Any advice, please!</p>

<p>THANK YOU!!</p>

2

<p>@ parisjetaime</p>

<p>NYU accepted you to their interdisciplinary M.A. program. I know it will be costly for a private institution (you might have to take out loans), but if your aspirations are truly and honestly a Sociology Ph.D, I think you should go there. Take this opportunity to improve your application, retake the GRE, and reanalyze your research interests even further. You may come out a stronger candidate in the next round. At least you will be locally based in the United States (instead of France).</p>

3

<p>It doesn't sound like your hard stats were a shortcoming. It may be painful to consider, but how do you think your letters of recommendation were? If one of your recommenders completely blew it off, how passionate do you think the others were? I can't imagine that age itself matters, but perhaps a couple of years of life maturity, the opportunity to get new recommendations and professional work experience in your field may be advantageous. Alternatively, you could have just been a bad fit at these few institutions due to your research interests, or maybe you just had a round of bad luck. Hope for the best.</p>

4

<p>In my opinion, neither the interdisciplinary MA nor more years of teaching experience will help you to gain admission to a PhD program in sociology.<br>
Interdisciplinary MAs are usually "cash cows." Think about it. You were accepted without actually applying to this program. </p>

<p>However, an MA in Sociology could be an excellent option for you. In my discipline (not sociology), the MA programs are feeders to the PhD programs. Ask your professors if this is the case in your field. Depending upon their response, apply next year to PhD (and possibly MA) programs. And of course, retake the GRE in the interim.</p>

<p>Finally, do not decieve yourself that more teaching experience will make you a more attractive PhD applicant. PhD programs are looking for potential SCHOLARS/RESEARCHERS, not potential teachers. Unless you wish to conduct research on the sociology of education, your teaching experience will be relatively insignificant to admission committees.</p>

<p>Best wishes to you.</p>

5

<p>Professor X makes a good point. Do not waste your money. I would strongly urge you reconsider applying for Sociology PhD and MA programs in the next round.</p>

6

<p>The failure of one of your recommenders to follow through does not necessarily say anything about the strength of your other recommendations, although it may well have scuttled your chances for admission this year. Sadly, this is not unprecedented. Professors can be dilatory and unaccountable about such things, even regarding the best students.
Perhaps, along with retaking the GRE, you should try to present a paper at a conference this year -- that would give you some focus and might strengthen your application.
As to the interdisciplinary MA -- it is not a good idea to accrue a $35,000 debt in the hope that it might help you get into a PhD program. Sociology is not a lucrative field.</p>