powercube

You can tell them that you have a scheduling conflict. In my case, international flights were too expensive on short notice. I was already going to be in the country later in the month so the department has agreed to host me and is arranging for me to meet some students and faculty. They have been very gracious about it and I am immensely appreciative. I think your department should be too.

I am sorry to hear about your friend. I think the point you made about emotional preparedness is important for anyone considering top programs in any field. That is certainly something I will speak to graduate students about during the visit weekend: how the department supports well-being and balance with graduate students. My understanding is - and the program says this themselves - that expectations are high, workload is heavy, and they want people who have a strong goals and sense of purpose. I suppose you have to know what you are doing it all for to get through it. Thank you for your comment, another perspective I had not previously considered.

I believe interview invites were sent out 10 days ago and interviews are tomorrow. But you never know, they could do a second round!

Thank you @juilletmercredi, I have really taken your comments to heart. And everyone else's. I will be visiting soon and I am hoping that it will give me enough of an insight, or at least an gut feeling about whether or not I would be happy at the programs. I see that you are working in industry - what did the rest of your cohort do? Did you feel generally supported in your program? Thank you as well @hats. Maybe Temple was not a perfect example. The university ranks very highly for engineering and agriculture, but not high for my field. It is still a great fit for my research and I would receive a stipend and tuition waiver for five years. I was not thinking about prestige when I made my applications, I was thinking about research fit. The Ivy was a fluke: both a great fit and top 10 or so for my field. The others are ranked lower but well-regarded for my area of research. I would be pleased to attend any of them. I suppose all that remains is to visit and speak to current students. What I really wanted from this thread was to hear that I would not be considered crazy for turning down an Ivy, especially for a lower ranked school. What I got is that it is fine as long as it is for the right reasons and not just out of fear of failure.

Thank you for your perspective. I think you make a good point. I suppose I would not want to be that person saying "I got into 'Princeton'" for the rest of my life! I would still like to visit and get a feel of whether it is the right place for me. For a PhD I think it is important, probably more than for undergrad, to feel comfortable sharing ideas and living in a place before committing.

Thank you @TakeruK, that was very helpful. Perhaps prestige shy is apt. I am hoping to be able to visit but I am an international student. Even with expenses covered it may not be enough. I appreciate everyone else's comments too. It does make me feel less pressured about the decision when other people are echoing the sentiment that prestige is not the be-all end-all of choosing a PhD program. I only applied to places I would absolutely say yes to and I feel honored and lucky to have options.

This is conjecture, because I have not attended an ivy, but from my research: heavy work load, competitiveness, professors not attending to graduate student success because of their own heavy demands, things of that nature. I worry that I would just get by in that environment whereas I could flourish in a university where sharing ideas and collaboration is encouraged. Thank you!

It is a great fit for my research as I listed four POIs that could address different aspects of my proposed project. I think that is a good point though. Thank you for commenting.

Hi! I'm a long time lurker and I have a question that won't go away. I have a few admits in the social sciences and I'm waiting on a couple more. I feel intimidated at the prospect of going to Ivy league university but I am mostly worried that it will be a competitive and challenging environment (in the emotional and psychological sense). The other schools are strong fits for my intended area of research and they seem to be supportive environments where I could thrive, instead of just survive. I am aware that coming out with an Ivy league PhD would open a lot of doors. And that a PhD will be emotionally and intellectually challenging no matter where I go. But I wonder: would you turn down an Ivy league university to go to another that is less prestigious because you felt more at ease with the mentorship style and student-student/student-advisor relationships? Sorry, I'm being deliberately vague with the universities and area of study. I'm shy. But let's say it's... Princeton, UI-UC and Temple, all with adequate funding packages.