stolper

I know you've already decided, but here's some honest advice. Stop wasting your time with this. I'm somebody who went to a top 5 and did pretty well for myself. From reading your responses here, it's clear that a PhD program is not right for you. You're treating it as some type of credential that you need to get that federal government job. A PhD should NEVER be just a credential. It's a career, a lifestyle choice. I'm betting that the people sitting on admissions committees can see this from your personal statements and they are doing you a favor. If you're using the PhD as a stepping stone to a federal government position, you will be miserable for 5-6 years of your life. You're better off finding another path to it or even a new career altogether.

I'm somebody who finished my PhD in a top 3 program. There is definitely a correct answer here. And the correct answer is that you should go to the program that is higher ranked and has a better placement record. I will tell you right now. It is absolutely not worth it to go to a crappier program because of "fit" because 1) Better programs offer more opportunities 2) The goal is not to study under the faculty member that does exactly what you want to do. You want to be your own person. This means learning from other smart people who DO NOT do what you do. If you're trying to go to a program to work with one person and study just what they want to study, you're thinking about grad school and academia incorrectly. 3) And I can't emphasize this enough, there is about a 60% chance that you will end up specializing in and writing your dissertation about something that is different than what you think you want to do now. I came in as an IPE person and left as a methods person. So to put it bluntly, going to a lower ranked program because of something you think you want to do or someone you think you want to work with is a decision that you will most likely regret. Go to the best program, period.

Hello all, I'm a current grad student at one of the top 3 (Harvard, Stanford, or Princeton) about to graduate. I remember the excitement and highs and lows from applying, visiting, and finally attending graduate school. I'm sure many of you have some questions that you would like answered from an insider grad student perspective, so I'm here to help. Post any questions that you have and I'll try to answer them. Be nice please. Trolls will be ignored!