<p>So, I'm taking a year off between finishing undergrad and applying into Ph.D. programs in sociology. I'd planned to use the gap year to strengthen my application with additional research--however, I'm going to have to work to support myself, as well (obviously). While I do have a job right now, it's a cruddy retail job: not anything that would boost my application.</p>
<p>The U where I did my undergrad, unfortunately, doesn't offer very many paid research positions (particularly within the social sciences). While I intend to pursue research independently, I'm curious--is there any class of work OUTSIDE of research that graduate adcoms tend to view favorably? What types of positions should I be looking into? Where can these jobs be found?</p>
<p>Any advice would be appreciated!</p>
<p>You can turn a retail job into little sociological observations. </p>
<p>How men vs women (young/old, black/white) react to different types of displays or buying habits of the different groups, tendency to try things on/fold clothes after trying them on, etc…
Whether people take longer to move out of a parking spot if someone is waiting or not. How long people take to try things on - is there a difference by group.
Who pays with credit cards vs cash - division by groups?
Spending of persons by perceived “socio-economic standing” (appearance of relative wealth.)
Behavior, class, race, etc of “mallrats.”
Lots of things to look at related to retail theft.</p>
<p>I know those aren’t ideal, but if you can turn your year of retail into a paper with some sort of sociological perspective, that could look pretty good if done right. I’m thinking you could use your observations along with research to write a paper from a social constructionism point of view might be quite workable…</p>
<p>Try Idealist.org to see if there’s anything but most likely you’ll need a masters for those kind of research jobs.</p>
<p>I would spend time working on polishing your writing sample and acing the GRE. Grad programs understand that students need a year off after undergraduate to take a mental break. They won’t penalize you if you don’t do anything.</p>
<p>As the poster above suggested, you can just use your retail job as an opportunity to observe from a sociological perspective. You can keep a notebook for a future project or reference.</p>
<p>Have you considered supplementing your retail job with meaningful volunteer work? At least then you will be able to support your self financially and add substance to your CV.</p>
<p>All great suggestions, guys. Thanks a lot!</p>