These past few days I've looked at what exactly I want to major in and what exactly I am planning on doing.
I was researching what school has the best sociology programs and the highest education in sociology... Throughout the long searching I forewent.. the university that seems to be the best for me is the University of California at Berkeley.
The Department of Sociology at UCB is held in high regard in the United States and around the world. Undergraduates at the UCB majoring in sociology will benefit enormously from the top ranked research center, the award winning faculty, and the comprehensive course offerings. The University studies and analyzes every corner of society from one end of the globe to the other and endeavors to impart the knowledge gained to their undergraduate and graduate students.
Sociology majors are required to complete an introductory course, statistics course and a research methods course. Additionally, students must complete two semesters in theory, three sociology core courses in various specializations, three upper level sociology electives and a seminar course. Students have the opportunity to achieve honors status through the completion of an honors thesis or by maintaining a 3.0 GPA and being invited to join the University of California chapter of Alpha Kappa Delta. The curriculum is designed to ensure undergraduate students achieve a firm command of sociological concepts and an in depth understanding of the field.
How to get into UCB is to those who appear to have the highest potential for graduate study and who, with the benefit of a graduate education, are the most likely to contribute substantially to their academic or professional fields through teaching, research, or professional practice.
The minimal graduate admission requirements are: (1) a bachelor's degree or recognized equivalent from an accredited institution; (2) a satisfactory scholastic average, usually a minimum grade-point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale; and (3) enough undergraduate training to do graduate work in the chosen field. Satisfying minimal standards, however, does not guarantee admission, since the number of qualified applicants far exceeds the number of places available.
Extras to help better the chances of admission includes academic degrees and records, the statement of purpose, letters of recommendation, test scores, and relevant work experience. (In addition, consideration may be given as to how background and life experience would contribute significantly to an educationally beneficial mix of students)
Throughout all of the sub-fields within the broad field of sociology, the ones that I narrowed down to wanting to major in are... sociology of art, sociology of crime and sociology of peace.
I learned myself as a learner that I really need no distractions when I am learning or else it will just go in one ear and out of the other. I need to be really relaxed and comfortable so that I can learn at my highest potential. I was very successful with my learning goal because my goal was to know exactly what I want to do in sociology (what subfields), how i'm going to successfully become a sociologist, and what exactly sociology is. I definitely covered all of those things and that will really help me with my future career.
