chrissyj007

That's good to know! Once I hear from MSU, I'll be able to really assess the situation and decide. It's nice to hear you're dealing with something similar Good luck!

Hi all, I have been accepted to four programs thus far, and am having a difficult time trying to narrow my choices down. One program I have already declined, but the other three are still up in the air. And, I applied to MSU's comm Ph.D., but I called today, and they still have not released any decisions. I am wondering if the weight/ranking of the school should trump other factors, such as the fit of faculty. For instance, I focus on the intersection of interpersonal and computer-mediated communication. I have been accepted to Arizona State, the University of Kentucky, and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. I applied to ASU because of their interpersonal program, but they don't really offer CMC, and they also seem to be majority qualitative (I do quant). The University of Kentucky has a few interpersonal people, but they are mainly known as a health program, so I am worried that having a Ph.D. from there will not mean as much since I am not a health comm scholar. UWM actually seems to be a really great fit; they have some exciting new interpersonal scholars who also focus on CMC. However, I am worried that a Ph.D. from a lesser known university will substantialy affect my chances of getting a job in academia upon graduation. Does anyone have advice on what's more important? The type of possible work you could do, or the name/reputation of the school? Granted, I could work with people at any of these universities, but I think UWM seems to offer more of what I am interested in, and has more people to work with. Again, I guess part of my ego and fear is shying me away from a lesser known school. Thanks for any insight!