Grad schools with sociology?

[jasfuehajdhfjka]

I'm majoring in sociology at a cal state and have one more semester left until i get my bachelors degree.

I plan on going to grad school but don't know where to look into as appropriate grad schools for my major...

i need some guidance in that area...

i plan on speaking with my advisor, but the more information, the merrier!

[Sharon76]

I think you really need to figure out what your interests in sociology are before deciding on a school. Do you want to specialize in rural sociology, sociology of music, social inequality, theory, race,class and gender, medical sociology, and so on? Each graduate department has its own strong suites in terms of specialization.

Another poster brought up the point that you should have the same interests as some of the faculty in the department. This is very true! You want the faculty to be interested in you and your work. This will make your experience in graduate school more pleasant!

You will also have to write a statement of intent/purpose. In this letter, you will have to tell the graduate school what you are interested in and how this department/degree can help you achieve your goal. So I suggest you start looking around for what is a good fit for you. Bottomline, you need a mentor for graduate school, usually it is a faculty member that is interested in you. Do not just choose a school because it is close to home or has a good reputation in academic circles, choose one that is right for you.

You should also ask these schools if they are willing to fund you through graduate school. Most of the time if a school wants you, they fund you. Funding is usually a major part of making a final decision about graduate school.

Before you make any decision, I highly suggest that you go visit the department and the faculty. Do you see yourself being there for the next 4-5 years? Talk to graduate students, are they happy with their decision to attend ABC University? Most graduate students will be very frank with you about their experiences. Do they feel they get the support they need to complete their studies?

I hope this helps. Best of luck to you.

[Walker]

Your advisor is definitely your best option...For anyone on here to help you it would be useful for us to know what your interests within the field are...grad school is all about specialization and thus schools like Harvard, Yale, etc. may not have faculty sharing your interests. Good news is that you have a while to think about it since it's already too late to apply to just about every grad school..unless you go overseas