zapster

Think also of what your opportunities will be after completing School X, vs if you graduate from School Y - with the reputation and facilities at X, are you likely to get far better opportunities in the future ?

La_Di_Da offered some of the best words of wisdom regarding making attendance decisions that I've seen:
 
 
Simple and to the point!
 
I went through this process last year. I lurk on these boards from time to time, and would like to offer some advice (culled from my own experience, as well as those of peers and colleagues)
 
When it comes to trying to choose between programs, now is the time to do some deep soul-searching about where to find the best fit for you. And 'best fit' absolutely means where you'll be able to do your best work in the next 2-8 years. There are going to be tradeoffs. But the good news is that there is likely not one 'best choice'.
 
Be open, weigh all your options, and absolutely do your due diligence: visit programs, ask difficult questions of faculty and current students. Are these people folks you can see yourself collaborating with, learning from, and spending 60 hours/week with? Are they happy? Do they 'get' your background (academic, cultural, ethnic, social) and research interests? Do you feel comfortable? Do you see yourself being challenged (but not overwhelmed)? I've found that folks are remarkably forthright in answering difficult questions about their department (but only if they're asked!). It's in nobody's interest to lie and then be stuck with an unhappy student or colleague.
 
What about the level of structure to the program? Are you someone who thrives on regularly being held accountable, or do you do your best work when given more freedom? Different faculty advisors will land at different points on this spectrum. There is also a huge variation at the department level in the amount of constraint/freedom accorded to graduate students. These differences are often not made explicit in the recruitment process. To compare programs, be sure to get all the information on required classes, resident credit hours, the structure of qualifying exams, prelim exams, etc. Imagine your first 2 years in each department in question. Is there a round of specific courses required of all students? How many? Are they classes you would be excited to take anyway? If the department is more stringent with the scheduling of their requirements, is this going to put a cramp in your research agenda? Is a more regimented schedule of requirements what you, personally, need to get things done? Conversely, if requirements are very lax, are you going to suffer for not having someone keeping you in line? Especially if you are early in your academic career, new to sociology, or new to research, are you going to feel lost without an armature of requirements? Know yourself. 
 
Differences in department ranking, research focus, availability of potential POIs, and placement of graduates are absolutely important things to consider. Though it's often poo-pooed, don't discount geographic location. You can't do good work if you're not in a place that makes you happy. But don't let stereotypes interfere too much. If your hesitation about a particular location becomes a sticking point- ask current students how they adjusted to living somewhere that is hot/cold/large/small/southern/midwestern/white/far from home/etc...  Incidentally, this advice applies to department size as well. Don't let stereotypes about a program being 'too big' or 'too small' weigh more heavily than the actual culture and opportunities of the department. 
 
Does the department have a hierarchy among students? (dirty secret: even if informally, most do!) Especially if you're being recruited as a top student to a middling program /or are a wait-listed candidate to a top program, you'll want to think about how your position is going to affect your interactions with faculty and peers. The footing you start out on will absolutely affect your initial adjustment to the department. It can be just as difficult to be 'the star' as it is to be the one who just got in by the skin of their teeth. The good news is that, after recruiting season ends, most departments try to foster an environment of equality. After the first couple of years, nobody is going to remember if you were the one who came in on fellowship or were admitted the first week of September. The quality of your work in the department will trump all. Nevertheless, know yourself. Is it hard for you to do quality work in an environment where you feel more academically prepared than your peers? Will you be challenged enough? Did you meet students at visit day who you would be excited to collaborate with? Conversely, is being in an environment with a bunch of superstars for peers (even if they are humble, kind, and helpful, as most sociologists are) going to make you struggle too much? Will it exacerbate your intellectual anxieties? (another dirty secret: everyone has them!)
 
Again, know yourself. 
 
One last thing.... 
If at all possible, and if you're comparing different 'fully-funded' offers, try not to let differences in funding amounts be a primary factor in your decision. In the long run (i.e., over the course of your career), a program that pays a few extra $$ is not going to be worth the potential sacrifice of you doing your best work if it doesn't fit you in other ways. I suppose the exception to this might be if you know at the start that you'll be able to do an absolutely bang-up job on an MA thesis and then take a reasonable gamble to apply again to 'better' PhD programs in 2-3 years. Still. All would hinge on that stellar thesis, and that's a lot to leave to chance. 
 
I hope this advice is helpful to any and all who will struggle with difficult decisions over the next few weeks. Look on the bright side- you are so very fortunate to have this decision to make! In closing, I'll reiterate La_Ti_Da's point that all decisions involve tradeoffs. There is likely no one 'best' program out there for you. Do your best to pick the one where you think you can do your best work. And try not to look back!
 
Best of luck!
-Chuck

Think also of what your opportunities will be after completing School X, vs if you graduate from School Y - with the reputation and facilities at X, are you likely to get far better opportunities in the future ?

Think also of what your opportunities will be after completing School X, vs if you graduate from School Y - with the reputation and facilities at X, are you likely to get far better opportunities in the future ?

hey there,
 
i'm not a grad student (yet!), so i can't speak to the academic problems out of experience. that said, i've been dealing with crippling depression for years, and all of its equally horrible but constantly changing manifestations (i'm going to keep this trigger-free, but i suspect you probably know what i'm talking about; these things change between age 11 and age 22). i'm always in and out of therapy, on and off medications. most days are great, but there are definitely some days when getting out of bed is a major feat, so i can empathize.
 
the only insight i can really give you, then, is that a chemical imbalance does not necessitate a state of mind. you are not your depression. you are a good, hardworking, dedicated student who pretty much got the short, poop-smeared end of the brain chemistry lottery. for example, i consider myself to be a happy, social person by nature, but letting that shine instead of, say, a "protective" layer of cynicism and self-doubt borne out of insecurities, is a constant uphill battle. hearing people say "just cheer up!" is immensely frustrating, and usually isn't helpful, so i'll try to give you practical advice that i've picked up along the way that has helped me.
 
first, like i said, remember that you are not your depression; a chemical imbalance doesn't have the right to determine what kind of person you are.
 
second, focus on one task at a time, but keep a running schedule -- including as much time as you can feasibly get for things like exercise, social outings, etc. -- so you don't let yourself slip into the inertia of being unable to get the gears turning. it takes some getting used to, but i've found that blocking off my time and sticking to what i've planned is a very successful way to not only get myself up and running, but to keep moving, and keep my mind too busy to occupy itself with negative thoughts. only you can keep yourself busy, and only you know your limits, so don't push yourself too much.. but also, don't push too little. 
 
third, reach out to people, especially if you're making a change (be it a change of advisers or a change of scenery). even if you're geographically further from your usual support network, it is absolutely essential to stay in touch. don't hold back about sharing feelings, as long as you're comfortable; it's okay to be scared, nervous, lonely, etc. you're only human. reach out to all possible LoR writers as soon as you can; get in touch with your initial writers, if need be.
 
fourth, be progressive, even when it's hard to be positive. you may feel that you're ensnared in a negative situation, but there's no way to get yourself out if you don't keep moving towards a new goal. don't bite off more than you can chew. set simple, but attainable, goals for each day. one day, talk to you adviser about your plans; another day, meet with potential new advisors or LoR writers; another, submit [X number] of applications to different programs, and so on. reward yourself with simple things when you can, especially if your goal was a particularly emotionally taxing one, e.g., go for a mellow bike ride to clear your head or treat yourself to a nice meal after meeting with your (jerky) adviser. 
 
i hope those help. i realize it's hard to put someone else's words into action, but those are the things that have helped me the most. also, don't be too down on yourself: you clearly love what your field of research is, and you wouldn't be in grad school for it if you weren't cut out for it in the first place. don't lose sight of your passion, and keep pressing forward; your dedication, despite this crappy situation, means that you will find a way to do what you love, even while you're fighting against the multi-headed dragon of depression at all times. if anything, the fact that you're fighting depression on top of said crappy situation means that you're definitely not a failure. kudos to you for not giving up! best of luck!
 
ps: feel free to PM me at any time. 

Well, as I said, read everything. One of the first things you can do is read cover to cover (browse, if you must) all of those "Handbook of ..." (syntax, phonology) ... there's the Oxford handbooks, the Blackwell handbooks and companions, etc. The more up-to-date, the better, however some of the ones published in the 90's can contain truly important articles. Then you move on to their bibliographies. Then you get a list of all the things you find fascinating and you Google Scholar them and check for how many citations there are. Read articles that are cited alot (in phonology, I say this is 150+ plus ... syntax might be higher). Make sure you keep lists of "buzzwords" that will generate important articles. For me, this means finding buzzwords (just examples) like: "obligatory contour principle" "underspecification phonology" "harmonic grammar" "learning algorithms linguistics" ...  read through your LinguistList announcements for buzzwords (you should be subscribed to all of the mailing lists and announcements there that interest you). Here's a partial list of general buzz words (far from exhaustive) you might want to type into Google Scholar:
 
"minimalist syntax"
"government and binding"
"syntax interface"
"semantics interface"
"interface in linguistics"
"architecture of grammar"
"underspecification in linguistics"
"generative linguistics"
"derivational linguistics"
"non derivational linguistics"
"syntagmatic paradigmatic"
"langue et parole"
"structuralist linguistics"
"Prague school linguistics"
"optimality theory"
 
... it goes on and on. Find more, out of the above resources, that fit you - if you're more into socio or pragmatics, there's alot that I don't know "focus marking" "theories of focus" "code switching" come to mind. To not waste inordinate amounts of time ... look at citation amounts. Make sure you read anything that gets into the 800+ citation range - it's important and everyone has read it. Check out your schools and see what those profs wrote. It might be minor, but check their bibliographies for more important articles. Repeat: reading THEIR article won't suffice as you'll have to understand the bigger issues which they have referenced. If this is going to be your career ... get ready to read alot. Even better, these articles should be inspiring you. Start writing squibs about your ideas and come back to them later. My masters thesis was written based on an idea I had reading an article in my second year of undergrad that I kinda just wen't out on a limb on. This is also the way I wrote papers that I presented at conferences and submitted to journals.
 
And I repeat, above all, those so many important parts of your app. I received not only good admits, but my rejections were pretty much all accompanied by a personal email, which is very rare. But they wanted to be precise that I was an excellent candidate but here are the red flags that kept me out of some great programs and you should really keep in mind:
I had a 3.45 GPA. Do your best to stay 3.6 +
I have a bad habit of signing up for overloads in credit hours ... 18 instead of 12. Then I drop two or three around mid-semester when I get overwhelemed. Keep the "abandoned" or "withdraws" off your record.
 
Some things people might now know but they should:
Send in ALOT of writing. You can never send in too much. Especially if they are all on very different topics. Linguistics admit committees don't mind getting too many writing samples.
Linguistics people are generally very down to earth. Network - people will take you seriously even if you're a freshman in college, as long as you know what you're talking about.
Everything that admit committees expect you to know about linguistics you learned in your first year of your major program - EXCEPT for the/those subfields which interest you, in which case you should be as versed as a first-year graduate (at least).

Can you demonstrate reasonable research experience - even if it is not closely connected to linguistics - if yes, then that can be a big positive. Identify early on who is best placed to provide you with LORs - ideally at least one professor who can talk about your research experience, even if it is not specifically in linguistics
 
Any chances of an exchange program etc. where you can spend some time at another school which has a strong linguistics program and develop a working relationship with a professor ?
 
Read contemporary research publications in your area of interest - your SOP should be able to demonstrate that although you do not have research experience in linguistics, you are familiar with the latest research in the subtopics that interest you. Without sounding artificial, your SOP language should be able to demonstrate familiarity with the research language unique to the field (does that make sense?).
 
Identify people you may like to work with early on, and write to them asking the same question - there will always be a few professors more than willing to
give you pertinent advise, and you may even build a few correspondent relationships. Ask professors if there is any pro bono research assistantship that you can do on a remote basis. Am not familiar with research in the field of linguistics, but if there is absolutely anything that you can contribute with remotely, it will reflect strongly in your application.
 
Grab hold of visiting linguistic PhDs (if any) and follow up with them shamelessly (!)

Is it difficult to get published as an undergraduate?
 
Difficult but certainly not impossible - I would think it also varies a lot by field, but am not familiar with the scene in anthropology, so cant really comment.
My point is that even if you do not publish, but do a particularly good project with say a reputed anthro professor - a strong LOR from him/her talking about your research capabilities can be a huge positive.
 
Exchange programs at international universities
 
Faculty collaborate far more across borders than you might imagine. Study the websites of the top few professors in US that you would be keen to work with - they usually list their collaboration netowrk / associates on their websites - that should give you an idea of whether there are any particular international programs that tend to collaborate more with the US programs. Even otherwise, it is not necessary that the linguistics faculty in the international school be personally known to the US programs - as long as they are of good standing in the field of linguistics and can write you a strong LOR, that is a big positive.
 
How early on? How do I go about contacting them? What would I say?
 
Earlier the better - but after you have done a fair bit of reading viz. their publications / research in their areas and can have a reasonably knowledgeable discussion. Contacting them and then sounding clueless can be very dangerous!
Once you are reasonably confident of your knowledge in their area, email them telling them that you wish to pursue a PhD in XX, in XX years from now, mention your specific interests - highlighting how it overlaps with their specific areas of interest. Tell them you would be keen to work with them in the future, and ask for their advice on what they believe you can do to prepare and strengthen your profile. you can be open and tell them that you are pursuing research opportunities in ling.anthro. at your school, but there are limited opportunities for pure linguistics research, etc. Ask if there are any projects / ideas etc. on which they would consider allowing you to participate remotely or providing any sort of assistance. I agree that the last part is a bit of a long shot frankly, but you never know, and even if you dont actually get to work on something remotely, you will have got (a) a fair bit of useful advice from the profs., and ( a bit of recall in the future when you apply to these profs.
 
Best of Luck!

introduce criteria based pre-applications that requires simple online input (e.g. unofficial GRE, GPA, summary POI/research interests - preferably based on a standard drop down menu, headline key experiences - e.g. research publications / work ex.) and require minimum manual effort to scan through, that provide, for example, a 4 scale rating: 1-Sure reject, 2-Weak Chance, 3-Strong Chance, 4-We Love You.
 
Reduce the processing requirements for the adcom / University, reduce cost of applications for students, and set realistic expectations for the students.

Is it difficult to get published as an undergraduate?
 
Difficult but certainly not impossible - I would think it also varies a lot by field, but am not familiar with the scene in anthropology, so cant really comment.
My point is that even if you do not publish, but do a particularly good project with say a reputed anthro professor - a strong LOR from him/her talking about your research capabilities can be a huge positive.
 
Exchange programs at international universities
 
Faculty collaborate far more across borders than you might imagine. Study the websites of the top few professors in US that you would be keen to work with - they usually list their collaboration netowrk / associates on their websites - that should give you an idea of whether there are any particular international programs that tend to collaborate more with the US programs. Even otherwise, it is not necessary that the linguistics faculty in the international school be personally known to the US programs - as long as they are of good standing in the field of linguistics and can write you a strong LOR, that is a big positive.
 
How early on? How do I go about contacting them? What would I say?
 
Earlier the better - but after you have done a fair bit of reading viz. their publications / research in their areas and can have a reasonably knowledgeable discussion. Contacting them and then sounding clueless can be very dangerous!
Once you are reasonably confident of your knowledge in their area, email them telling them that you wish to pursue a PhD in XX, in XX years from now, mention your specific interests - highlighting how it overlaps with their specific areas of interest. Tell them you would be keen to work with them in the future, and ask for their advice on what they believe you can do to prepare and strengthen your profile. you can be open and tell them that you are pursuing research opportunities in ling.anthro. at your school, but there are limited opportunities for pure linguistics research, etc. Ask if there are any projects / ideas etc. on which they would consider allowing you to participate remotely or providing any sort of assistance. I agree that the last part is a bit of a long shot frankly, but you never know, and even if you dont actually get to work on something remotely, you will have got (a) a fair bit of useful advice from the profs., and ( a bit of recall in the future when you apply to these profs.
 
Best of Luck!

As a short answer to this question, I am inclined to go with long-term benefit over short-term gain.  Success in this field is based in large part upon your ability to delay gratification.
 
With that said, I don't see huge differences between School A and School B.  I basically went to School B in terms of the PI - when I arrived my advisor was on his third year as assistant professor on the tenure track.  I counted and figured that even if he didn't make tenure, I would be finished or nearly so if he had to move.  I liked him a lot personally, and I knew we could work together.  I'm still here, he's still here (and it looks like he is going to get tenure this year - and even if he doesn't, I only have one more year myself), and he's crazy productive.  So that makes me, I think, more motivated and productive than I would've been otherwise.  Watching him on the tenure track has given me a role model for when I am hopefully in that position myself in 3-4 years.  He's also pushing into new and interested areas, and his collaborative network is surprisingly large.
 
I solved some of the networking problems, though, by also having a more advanced mentor - a full professor who is well known in my field.  This was partially achieved through an interdisciplinary program, but you can acquire this yourself.  This is the kind of guy that if I mention his name at a large national conference people instantly know what kind of work I'm doing.
 
So I wouldn't be worried about Mentor B vs. Mentor A, it's more about whether you are going to be able to get a job from School B as opposed to School A.  If you're very productive under Mentor B, I think your school's reputation will matter a bit less.  (Although, of course, it depends on what you mean by "decent" and not as reputed.  I know some folks who think top 25 is just "decent" whereas top 10 is really what they consider reputed.)  Still, on face, I might still go with School A all things being equal.  You can still push into really exciting and new areas of the field, you just have to be a bit more self-motivated about it there.

Hm. Perhaps you underestimate her. My supervisor took only a few days off when she had her kid, and we didn't lose out on her time. Her group is clearly one of her priorities, or she wouldn't be in this job. She's thought about how you'll be doing wrt this! It's misconceptions like this that lead to sexism in hiring, to be totally honest... don't worry! 

In my opinion, it is not necessary to accept immediately, and it would definitely not be rude and unfavorable to wait a little while.  If you are still considering any of your remaining schools then I would wait to accept this offer.  I'm not saying to wait until April 15th (you even said you wouldn't do that) but wait a week or two.  IF you don't hear anything by then, contact the schools and see if someone will tell you your status.  See if you can find out the outcomes of your remaining schools and then decide.  You'll feel much better about your decision once you know how things stand.  POIs understand that applicants have many things to consider before they accept an offer, and should be understanding if you don't accept an offer right away.
 
I might be reading too much into this but it almost sounds like your advisor is pushing you into taking the offer at this school, given that she is friends with your POI.  If I'm wrong, then I'm sorry for my interpretation, but if I'm right then this is ultimately your life and your decision.  Take as much time as you want.  You will be the one attending this school for the next 4-6 years, not your advisor.  If you still want to consider your remaining schools, then take the time and wait.  The reason for the April 15th date is so schools can't make students decide on an offer before they have all the options (although that still doesn't always happen).  You can take as much time between now and April 15th to decide as you want.  Waiting a few weeks to formally accept an offer is so much better than going back on an offer later on (which I do not recommend at all).

I think if the "opportunity cost" of an award is low (probably true since you probably have all these essays and stuff from PhD applications), you should apply to everything you're qualified for. Even if it doesn't represent a real increase in your own stipend, it still saves money somewhere! I'm not saying that you should be altruistic either, if your department saves money on you, it's in your own best interest! Here are some advantages:
 
1. Prestige of the award -- if it's a big name award, it will look good on a CV. Winning awards also helps you win more awards in the future (e.g. post-doc fellowships?). In addition, if you intend to stay in academia, a large part of your success will be your ability to write funding applications and succeed in getting them. If you have a proven history of securing funding, you will be much more attractive to people looking to hire junior faculty members or post-docs. You might even want to work for a "soft-money" institution in the future too.
 
2. Less cost to your advisor = more freedom. If your tuition/fees would have come out of your advisor's grant but now you have your own external funding, this can save your advisor a lot of money. In a program where you might not get matched up right away, this could help convince a prof to take you on as a student, since it will cost them a good deal less money. In addition, you might be able to have the freedom to pursue your own side-projects with other faculty members at your school or even elsewhere. 
 
3. Less cost to your advisor/department = more benefits. Again, if you picked  a good advisor/department, it's likely that the money saved by your advisor will go back to you in some way. Maybe they can buy you a nicer desk/computer/chair. Maybe they can use that money to buy out your TA requirements and you'll have more time to do research. Maybe they will be able to send you on more conferences, or you might not have to share rooms with as many people etc. Travel is expensive! So far, my total travel expenses in the last 2.5 years of grad school have totaled over $5000. If you are really lucky, you might even be able to negotiate your advisor to set aside some money in a "research fund" for you to use at your discretion. Maybe this is more likely if you get a large sum of external money when you're a proven researcher though, instead of just starting out.
 
Personally, I would probably spend the time to apply to any award that is worth at least $10,000. But what is an acceptable "opportunity cost" for you could be different.

Definitely do not put it in - I do not see any upside, the infomation will be available from your personal information supplied in the application form, and in the worst case it may even back fire (e.g. If the adcom interprets it as "I want to go to XXX University in NYC because I live in NYC", i.e. you risk trivializing your reason to apply to these schools).

Definitely do not put it in - I do not see any upside, the infomation will be available from your personal information supplied in the application form, and in the worst case it may even back fire (e.g. If the adcom interprets it as "I want to go to XXX University in NYC because I live in NYC", i.e. you risk trivializing your reason to apply to these schools).

You could send an email saying you are hoping that they consider your application positively, and ask if there is any further information you can provide.

You could send an email saying you are hoping that they consider your application positively, and ask if there is any further information you can provide.

I think the first thing to understand that final PhD admissions are relative - depend on both supply (no., quality, and relative profile of students applying) and demand (no. of professors activey looking for new grad students in that particular year, and the specific fit - for example a Professor with diverse research interests in topics A & B may already have 3 grad students workng on topic A but none on topic B - if he or she is looking for someone with specific interests in topic B, even a GPA4, GRE 99% student with published research experience in topic A may not make it, but someone with a not so good profile but demonstrated interest in topic B might). This is just one situation - you can envisage that there will be many permutations where a perfectly capable student is rejected not because their profile is unsuitable, but because of other extrinsic reasons.
 
I hence do not think that you should not be discouraged with rejects or take them personally (cliche alert!) - you may have been rejected purely for circumstantial reasons, and a reject by say a Rank 50 program (for example) does not mean a Rank 5 program will necessarily reject you.
 
For future applicants, my humble advice...
(i) you should research the programs you want to apply to rigorously (write to professors early on to understand if they are actively looking for students, understand if their research agenda overlaps significantly with your interests so that you can highlight such overlap in your SOP, speak to grad students in these programs to see if they can help you with 'inside' knowledge on the program, study the recent publications of your POIs and also check whether they have been actively publishing as well as actively advising grad students in recent years).
 
(ii) you cannot really predict who might or might not accept you - so apply widely (not indiscriminately - so ensure there is a good fit)
 
(iii) if you find that your interests are only represented by a very small set of programs, study the profile of recently accepted grad students to identfy what (if any) your shortcomings might be so that you can work on strengthening these.

A very personal opinion - I think just picking flashcards / wordlists to cram off the shelf is a very inefficient method. Whilst nothing works like reading, reading and reading over a long period - I understand that may not always be an option. So even if you want to study over a short period and specifically for the GRE verbal I suggest the following (rather than the so-called tactics that many of the books provide):
 
Keep practicing as many complete GRE verbal tests as you can get hold of. During the tests note down any words that you do not understand - even if the word appears, for example, in a comprehension and has nothing to do with any question specifically on the test, or appears as part of the various answer choices in a text completion task, regardless of whether it is the correct answer. Post the test, look up all of these words and create your own list - keep adding to the list and reviewing it periodically. Keep knocking off words that you are comfortable with after a few days. This provides a context to the words you are learning making it easier to retain the meanings, and also provides you with constant practice of the actual GRE verbal section, and being far less monotonous.
 
There are many online websites which help you maintain your own customized wordlists (cant recall them right now - but am sure someone will know and post!).

Agree, being silent will not really help the situation. I would try to find a polite way to actually come straight to the point - i.e. when things are going off on a tangent, you may want to actually say so and steer the discussion back to what you consider relevant (without referring to any specific individual of course).

May I ask what your major is?
 
My experience (as a Mechanical Engineering grad student) is that a young professor setting up a lab may provide an exciting experience, yet there is also a not-so-little risk of it becoming a horrible experience as well. Part of it will depend on you and your life style. For instance, if you are in a serious relationship, married, have children, or any other commitments aside from your lab/course work and TA responsibilities you may find it very difficult. A professor who is young and setting up a lab is likely on the tenure-track and under pressure to preform well. His students will have more responsibility than a normal PhD student and they may learn much more, and much faster. However, if the lab does not make good progress for some reason, there is no saying what the professor will do to save his job.
 
I had a similar experience, though not quite the same. I attended the less reputable school, and joined the lab of a young professor who was an associate professor and had been around for about 8 years. However, he had been hired straight out of college back when the economy was doing good and he had never been the single PI for any research project, up until around the time I showed up. All his previous projects were collaborations with other professors and research groups and he had just landed a funding for a huge project which was to support four PhD students and two master's level students. To make a long story short, the PI could not manage the project well and would lose focus and concentrate on aspects of the project which had little value. Eventually under pressure he ended up blaming all the problems on me and bad mouthing me to other faculty members. My funding was cut and I was kicked out of the research lab. I only managed to get a Master of Engineering degree (a course-based degree which looks bad on your resume if you want to get a PhD program) and get out of there.
 
Now, a year later, I am having trouble getting into schools which easily admitted me last time.
 
So here is my advice: you do not know the professor in the less reputable school as a person and you cannot predict how things could turn out. I would advise you to chose school A because of the smaller risk. If nothing else, you will spend 4-5 years in graduate school and the rest of your life out of it, so it makes sense to value the better placement track record and the better reputation of the school. The future matters more. I can't emphasize this enough.

Whilst they might get a little annoyed, I doubt most profs would actually weaken a letter simply because you are following up on the deadline (unless of course you are  calling them on their house phone 5 times in the middle of the night to remind them!). Even if busy, I think most have the maturity to understand that your following up is only natural - unless a prof has specifically asked you not to follow up, I would not worry too much.
 
One simple method I used was to send a (very polite) reminder about 10 days or so before the deadline - specifically mentioning that I appreciate them taking time off their busy schedules, - and to let me know if they would rather not have me follow up in the future. None of my referees came back asking me not to follow up, instead a couple of them actually told me to "please follow up a couple of days in advance of each pending deadline", and that the reminders actually made it easier for them!

I think the first thing to understand that final PhD admissions are relative - depend on both supply (no., quality, and relative profile of students applying) and demand (no. of professors activey looking for new grad students in that particular year, and the specific fit - for example a Professor with diverse research interests in topics A & B may already have 3 grad students workng on topic A but none on topic B - if he or she is looking for someone with specific interests in topic B, even a GPA4, GRE 99% student with published research experience in topic A may not make it, but someone with a not so good profile but demonstrated interest in topic B might). This is just one situation - you can envisage that there will be many permutations where a perfectly capable student is rejected not because their profile is unsuitable, but because of other extrinsic reasons.
 
I hence do not think that you should not be discouraged with rejects or take them personally (cliche alert!) - you may have been rejected purely for circumstantial reasons, and a reject by say a Rank 50 program (for example) does not mean a Rank 5 program will necessarily reject you.
 
For future applicants, my humble advice...
(i) you should research the programs you want to apply to rigorously (write to professors early on to understand if they are actively looking for students, understand if their research agenda overlaps significantly with your interests so that you can highlight such overlap in your SOP, speak to grad students in these programs to see if they can help you with 'inside' knowledge on the program, study the recent publications of your POIs and also check whether they have been actively publishing as well as actively advising grad students in recent years).
 
(ii) you cannot really predict who might or might not accept you - so apply widely (not indiscriminately - so ensure there is a good fit)
 
(iii) if you find that your interests are only represented by a very small set of programs, study the profile of recently accepted grad students to identfy what (if any) your shortcomings might be so that you can work on strengthening these.

I think you should do a bit of research on the professors before you ask to speak to someone specific - you do not need to review all of their research in detail, just reviewing the abstracts of some of their most recent work will actually give you a very good idea (much better than what the online bio / profiles usually), and you do not need access to any research database - either the individual POI's website or any research database where the paper is available will let you view the abstact for free.
 
After viewing these abstracts, you should be in a much better position to shortlist a few POIs that seem more relevant to your research interests, and you should be able to have an informed discussion with them as well. Although you have been accepted into the program, it always helps to create a positive impression right at the start by showing that you are aware of the research priorities of the POIs in your area.