Chai_latte

The Top 10 Reasons Why I want a PhD:

1. So I can play doctor with girls.

2. I have this cool frame that a diploma would fit perfectly in.

3. I have 5 years on my hands with nothing else to do.

4. I like getting student discounts at the movies and on magazine subscriptions.

5. I am addicted to the Grad Cafe and it would be weird to lurk here without being a grad student.

6. I spent $160 on the stupid GRE exam - so I am pretty committed financially.

7. I really wanted to be a post-doc but they told me I need to be a doc first.

8. I look really good in a six-cornered cap.

9. I thought a P.H.D. stood for a Pizza Hut Driver

10. I did it for the health insurance.

May I ask why you're applying to 16? Are they all great fits (research/location etc.)? Is your list top-loaded with "dream schools"? Are there schools on the list that you'd really hate to attend?
I ask b/c initially I had forwarded 14 schools to my profs (none complained about my number), but I wound up getting rid of 2 schools (location) and then 3 more (poor fit).
If there's some fat you can trim off of that list of 16, do so (but don't force it). If, by chance, you can get it down to a lower number, you might want to ask her again. BUT, honestly... if I were you, I'd probably move on to the next prof. If I sense anything less than 110% enthusiasm (even if the reason is external and has nothing to do with me), I move on.

EDIT: Unless she's your UG research advisor. If that's the case, do what you need to do to get her rec.

Also depends if you want to stay in academia or not.

In the sciences, at least, ranking is important... But the ranking of your post-doc is much more important than your PhD. So go to that small friendly department (that's not too horribly ranked), make good connections, do good work, and do a post-doc or two with a big name boss at a big name university.

I'll also note that who you did your PhD with is often way more important than where you did it- if you happen to work for a lesser known prof at a really well known school, that can often put you behind someone who worked for a well known prof at a lesser known university.

And when it comes to industry, I think the school name matters, but not often so much by how they're ranked. Some schools are known for good collaborations with industry, and that's more important than being a "top 5" school. Similarly, it's more important that your research was noteworthy than that you went to a big school.

What I've been told is to not completely discount rankings, but go where you'll be happy. Do well, get lots of publications, and put in your time networking, and you'll probably do fine.

I went to the lowest ranked school of the three I was accepted to- it was the best fit. And my boss here is well connected to big names in our field, which means if I do really well, I can probably get a post-doc with some of the top names in the field. And that will go a lot farther than getting my degree from a "higher ranked" university.

Sounds like you're making an odd request, hence his confusion. It's very unusual to ask for reference letters "just for your reference". Typically they are written privately, and provided for things such as scholarships and grad school applications (as you know). He may be uncomfortable providing you with a letter just for you to read. I would agree with him in thinking that it is an odd request. Perhaps you should wait until you actually have a good reason to ask for a reference letter.

Scan them and have them digitized? At least that's what I would do.

I think it depends on what your school colors are and how good you look in them (which, btw, is something you should consider when picking a program because you don't want to have to wear ugly regalia for the rest of your life).

The only thing that is "corny" is how expensive those items are. Seriously, "with the stipend y'all are offering, can I at least get a complimentary hoodie? I mean, I won't have the money to turn up my heat..."

Never corny at all to celebrate your achievements in grad school. You are part of a team.

Ok, not little

All too often people post here asking what their chances are at this and that school. I completetly understand their desire to know the answer. However, I also understand why some other people get somewhat annoyed by this question. Indeed, it is very hard to tell what somebody's chances are at certain schools, even if you know their stats and other details like a number of publications they have. That is why I decided to write this post. I will explain how, in my opinion, one can estimate one's chances and choose programs correctly. I hope that other people experienced in application process will correct me if I am wrong and add their advice. And may be, if moderators consider this post useful, they will be able to make it always stay on top of this board - if it is possible on this forum.

First of all, if you want to know whether your stats (GRE, GPA, TOEFL score) are good enough for you to be accepted to certain schools - there is one easy way to find the answer. Most schools post stats of students they have accepted, like on this page here. So try to find this info on websites of schools you are planning to apply to and if you can't find it, ask graduate secretaries/coordanators if such a page exists and if not, where you can find those stats. Remember that if your stats are low but not abysmal, that does not mean that your chances are low. It does not (always) go like - lower the grades, lower the chances (unless they are above some bare minimum) and vice versa. Because...

Second of all, even with the best stats, numerous publications, brilliant letters of reference, etc. you may not be accepted to a school if you have not chosen a program wisely. Because the most important thing in this game is fit. If a program thinks they are a bad fit for you, they will not admit you, however wonderful your application is. So you should apply only to schools that fit well your research interests and experience. How can you find schools with a good fit? First, of course, you schould know what your research interests are. If you know that, visit as many websites of programs in your field as you can find - and read about them, very carefully. Where can you find a list of programs? Well, browse the internet. When I was applying last year, I came across a biiiiiig list of programs in my field (it was not a ranking, just a list) and I spent a lot of time just going through all these program's websites. If you don't find such a list, just find some rankings. Not in order to find out what programs are the best in your field (many people don't believe in rankings anyway) but just to see what programs are out there. So, you read about the programs on their websites. From the way these programs are described you should get an idea if you would be interested in studying there or not. When I was choosing programs to apply to, I first used the list that I had found to make a shorter list of programs with a very general fit. Then, as I knew that I would not be able to attent a program without funding, I looked through this new shorter list looking for programs that were offering funding. As you can imagine, the list became even shorter after that Then I started to read about faculty in the programs from the last list, looking for professors who could potentially become my advisors. Then I contacted these professors, telling them about my research project, asking about their opinion. When some replied and I saw that they liked my ideas, I asked them if they would be taking graduate students next year. In the end I had only 5 programs left and I applied to all of them.

About contacting professors. As far as I understand, you can do that in all fields, except - for some mysterious reason! - English. (Here I ask other experienced forumers to correct me if I am wrong.)
BUT: If a professor is interested or even very very interested, that in no way guarantees that you will be accepted to this program because there are many other factors at play during the application process (most important of them being funding and faculty politics). But of course having a professor in a program who has expressed interest in working with you is a very good sign. It is definetely better than having no such professor. If you find a profesoor who is willing to take you as a graduate student but you are unsure about your stats, you can ask them about that. But of course don't ask it in the first letter to them!!! Only when you see that they are interested (and friendly).

Finally, I want to say, that all I have told above is based on my experience and it helped me - I was accepted to a school with a great fit (which is supported by the fact that they decided to give me a nice fellowship). May be there are other ways to choose programs and estimate your chances with them. May be in other fields (I am in social sciences) rules are different. I hope that others will correct me or pitch in some ideas based on their own experience with application process.

Good luck!