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HumdrumConundrum

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  • Application Season
    2013 Fall
  • Program
    Sociology/Interdisciplinary

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  1. I love this forum and I wish I had found it sooner! It's getting down to the wire for my matriculation decision. I have two equally appealing (though quite different) offers and no clear way to distinguish between them. A few words about me: I'm a little 'older' (early 30's), which is contributing to my desire to not spend a decade in graduate school. I've been doing research with a government agency for many years and have a PhD project already picked out. I'd like to get a PhD that will prepare me to be competitive for an academic job. I would be thrilled to work in a sociology department, but would prefer an academic job in an interdisciplinary department (my field is one of the following: science studies, environmental studies, population health, public policy, public administration) About my choice of PhD programs: The first department is a top-5 in sociology. It has a diversity of faculty, many of whom do work in my subfield of interest. Though there is no one clear excellent research match, I could easily put together a committee of complimentary professors. The two faculty I'm most interested in expressed suppot of my proposed PhD project, though neither appeared to be head-over-heals enthusiastic about it (in contrast to the second program). Everyone was quite friendly and collegial. Advantages of this department include: prestige in the discipline of sociology, faculty resources, excellent social science training. Disadvantages: Average time to degree in this department is a whopping 8 years. The second department is not sociology. It is an interdsiciplinary institute at an overall top-ranked research university. The institute has a very small number of PhD students, most of whom do not go into academic jobs. Though those who do prepare for the job market are successful at gaining faculty positions in similar interdisciplinary institutes. The huge advantage of this department is that my advisor would be my absolute dream advisor. We get along well, he does work closely aligned with my proposed PhD project, and he is a very very big name in this area of research. Advantages of this department include: Advisor fit, speedier time to degree, good (though narrower) placement prospects. Disadvantages: fewer colleagues, less rigorous academic training, no 'sociological' training. Things they have in common that I cannot use to make my decision: funding is essentially the same between programs, geographic locations are different, but equally appealing. I'm not particularly attached to becoming a 'sociologist'- though I am thrilled that I've been admitted to a top program in the discipline. I know that the conventional wisdom says that a disciplinary degree is going to be more flexible even if I end up applying for faculty positions in interdisciplinary institutes. But, on the other hand, I cannot convey enough how amazing the opportunity is to work with this dream advisor. I know I'll do great work with him. As the time to make decisions draws ever nearer, is anyone else in a similar situation?
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