[FIT vs PRESTIGE/RANK]

From what I read, it really seems like your heart and head is for School B so I think you should go for it despite it being somewhat lower ranked.

As long as you think your mentor is going to get you places and advance your career then I think thats what matters more. If your mentor is big in their field (which it sounds like) then they likely can really help you network with a wide array of people for positions after your PhD. Also overall it sounds like the environment is more conducive to you being productive and happy at School B and if you're going to being doing something for ~5 years you need to be happy in your environment. 

So I say go with your gut!

["Let's just TALK about it..." Decision Edition]

Okay so how much did your all's visits to schools end up helping in your decisions?

I just got back from a visit at a school yesterday and it was such a whirlwind trip that I'm still processing it. I really liked it, but I don't think my visit really helped me decide one way or the other if I want to attend there or not. I honestly left my visit there feeling the same as when I went - which is excited about the school as a whole, but my reservations that I have about the program are still there and now confirmed. I think overall it's a really great option for me but it would be financially a lot less secure than my other option. Also I think I'm trying to remain relatively neutral before making the visit to my other school.

[Prestige vs Fit]

I'm in a very similar situation and am really having a hard time teasing out what I should use to help in my decision making.

One of my schools is in a really cool area and has a big appeal of adventure and getting out of my comfort zone, but cost of living is ridiculous and the stipend is pretty low. However, the research there is awesome and I would really like working with the advisors I would have there. Also I know there would be the resources there to gain the type of research background I desire. But I am extremely worried about being able to have the type of lifestyle I would want there on the stipend I would be receiving. The name of this school is also relatively little known in my field compared to the other one - though I do think prestige is similar across both schools.

My other school is in a region and type of town I am extremely familiar with and know I would be happy there, but it is easy for me to want to choose it because it is in my comfort zone. Also the stipend there is stupid high compared to cost of living, so I would be living very comfortably. I know my advisor there would be a great mentor, but the advisor himself doesn't have the knowledge I most seek to grow in my PhD (where one of the advisors at the other school does). I know he has colleagues at the school and outside the school that could help me gain that knowledge but I don't know their strengths so it's hard to know if I will be gaining that or not (I'm hoping my visit there will help me clear up this concern). Otherwise I think research fit is good, but not as good as the other school.

I'm most struggling with the money vs. research fit aspect, rather than prestige but I understand that it's really hard making a decision. However, its awesome that we have the option to make a decision!

So I will throw out some things that I am keeping in mind when making my decision. So I think the advisor you will be working with is really important. You need to have a good relationship with them and they need to be able to prepare you for the type of career that you want. This means that if you want to go into academia they need to be able to network you with people that are big in their field, help you become a better grant writer, and make you productive in getting publications out. So you need to at the very least have a good working relationship with your advisor, so it sounds like potentially the POIs at School C might be less than ideal since they don't necessarily seem invested in you since this is very important in accomplishing the previous things I mention. A second really important thing is enjoying the environment you are living in and enjoying and being excited by your research. Both of these things are important in productivity I believe. If you are unhappy with your surroundings or research that is likely going to impede your productivity and possibly lessen your chances of completing your PhD. One last thing I will mention is that I do believe that unless you are trying to secure a tenure-track position in Ivy League/Top 10 schools I don't think prestige matters, BUT this is only true if you make sure your remain competitive in your field at a less prestigious university (also if your advisor is well known in their field but is at a less prestigious university, like School B for you, I really don't think prestige matters a lot).

 

[Denver, CO]

@lincoln.hawks so I saw that you mentioned terrible neighborhoods - are there some that you can think of off the top of your head to avoid renting in?

[Ideal Research & Outdated Lab vs. Okay Research & Nice Lab]

I would also add that if research fit is really important to you this can be really important to students sticking to their research and completing tasks in a timely manner. I personally find its a lot easier to be motivated to get work done on research I'm really interested and excited in vs. research I view as 'take it or leave it.' So with that being said if the research is getting done at the lab with out-dated equipment and you're really excited about the research there it might be a really good fit for you. But if you find that out-dated facilities will impede your motivation you need to take that into consideration.

[Decision Recieved Pending Final Review]

I think this likely means that a decision has been made on acceptance or rejection in your department, but now the graduate school has to process it fully until the portal can be updated with the decision letter. Good luck!

["Let's just TALK about it..." Decision Edition]

13 minutes ago, Oklash said:

The US. News ranking system of graduate programs irks me. I’ve gotten into 3 schools (I got 2 acceptances in 1 day!). But the school offering the most funding with a great faculty is ranked lower on US news grad ranking system than the other two.

Im not even sure how trust worthy this list is but now I’m wondering if I should follow money and faculty or should I follow prestige that looks better on paper. They are both only MA programs but still...

So I really don't understand what factors the US News ranking system uses and the ranking seems arbitrary to me at times (but then again I didn't taken into account rank super highly when I was applying to programs). What I take away from the US News rankings is a rough estimation of how well that department/school is known for the field that is being ranked. I'm not sure if this is the case or not but I always thought of those rankings as an indication of how likely a wider audience would recognize that department at that school.

Honestly, I would personally choose faculty research fit over prestige. Also if the money is with the best research fit then that's even more of a selling point. If you think the faculty are a good fit, are productive researchers and would make you a better researcher then I think you should choose the place that seems like it will be the best to advance your studies as a researcher. Now if you come to find that the more prestigious programs have more productive faculty then that could be an indication of a program that would help you further in your academic career. But if you think you will be more productive and advance your knowledge at the school with the great faculty that isn't as prestigious I think you should go that route.

[Post-Acceptance, Pre-Visit]

1 hour ago, Cassifrassidy said:

Oh, wow! Thank you, that definitely makes me feel better knowing that you both come from similar-ish backgrounds as I do and both are so successful. I'm also definitely not trying to have a crazy prestigious career, just one where I can be happy and also make enough money to survive  Congrats to you and your partner on the great offers! Especially since you guys got into the same program--that's awesome! What area of KY are you from?

Thanks so much for your congratulations! We were super relieved when we received notice that we'd both been accepted into one school together, and when the second school came in we were thrilled that we have the option to decide between the two! Also I really had no idea we would each be so competitive for these extra fellowships, so that's been really exciting.

I'm from Louisville, so I guess I'm from the big city of KY haha! My partner is from a tiny town in SE KY.

[Fellowship Downsides?]

Honestly your set up sounds like the best of both worlds - getting that first year without any teaching responsibilities to focus on coursework and getting a good start on your research, but also still getting teaching experience later on. I would imagine 3 years of TAing would enough for future jobs as long as you get experience teaching a couple different types of courses.

[2018 Applicant Profiles and Admissions Results]

3 hours ago, adig said:

Does anybody know when the official acceptance/rejection notices for Fall 2018 go out from Harvard OEB and if they're email or snail mail?

I'd take a look at the results and see what usually happens in years past (see link below). By a brief skimming it looks like a lot of correspondence on interviews and official and unofficial acceptances/rejections happen over email.

http://www.thegradcafe.com/survey/index.php?q=harvard+oeb

[Post-Acceptance, Pre-Visit]

52 minutes ago, Cassifrassidy said:

That's what I definitely want to hear! I'm from a very small, rural town in Kentucky (read, less than 1,000 people), and I went to a wealthy private school for undergrad which I didn't enjoy much beyond academics. I was hesitant to apply to an Ivy League or other private institution for grad school, but it seems to me like grad programs (especially funded ones) are all pretty competitive and can be what you make them (like you said)? Now I'm just wondering if that's my own bias though lol

Hello fellow Kentuckian! I am a firm believer that programs are definitely what you make them, at least from my experience in my Bachelor's and Master's. My partner, @Melvillage_Idiot, and I did both of our degrees at small state schools in which I highly doubt either of our programs were ranked highly, but we always took advantage of any good opportunity given to us/sought out things to further our educations. It has all been worth it too. Because of this background we have essentially no debt between the two of us since we both had full-rides during undergrad and, also, both had fully funded master's programs.

We have both been accepted into 2 of the 3 schools (see signature) we both applied to together for our PhDs and I've received additional fellowship money at both schools I've been accepted and my partner has received a fellowship at one of the two schools too. I can't say the schools we chose are ranked tremendously high and the one school that was ranked the highest out of the 3 we applied to doesn't seem to want us (partner rejected and I've heard nothing since the Dec. 1st application deadline...). That school though was the poorest fit for each of our research interests though, so it really isn't too much of a surprise. But I do firmly believe the programs at the 2 schools we've been accepted are good and will get us the careers that we want - as long as we keep working hard to remain competitive in our fields despite whatever name is attached to our degrees. Also neither of us is trying to break into academic positions in Top 10 or Ivy League schools so I don't think that our school names will matter too much in that aspect.

Sidenote - my partner is also from rural KY of a town less than 1000! Also feel free to PM me or my partner if you wanted to know the specifics of our backgrounds to have a better idea of what our applications consisted of, if that would make you feel less worried about the prestige of programs/school names.

[Deciding to Decide]

1 hour ago, fuzzylogician said:

Your first and most important priority is yourself. No one else is going to care about your future more than you will, and you have worked hard to give yourself this opportunity. You deserve it, and you should make the most of it. Other people will do the same for themselves. FWIW, PhD admissions are competitive enough that very good students end up getting rejected simply because there aren't enough spots for everyone, so it's not going to be impossible to find someone good to fill a spot in April (or later, for that matter). And in any event, this is not up to you; this happens every year and your POI will know how to deal with it. (And you can stay on good terms with this POI even if you don't attend that program; you'll see them at conferences, and who knows, maybe you'll get a postdoc there one day. It's totally normal for good students to have multiple offers, and they shouldn't be offended if you decide to take another offer.) Again, you've earned the right to do the best for your own future. As long as you're undecided, everything you do is fair. Once you've made a decision, that's when it's time to communicate it as quickly as possible. But take as long as you need first.

Thank you so much for this! I'm sure I will still feel bad to some extent but like you said I'm sure they will find another student to fill my place. And as soon as I know I will be sure to inform the prospective advisor because I really want to get back to them ASAP. I'm sure I will need a few days after my last visit at the end of March though, so thank goodness I have until April 15th!

[Deciding to Decide]

@SomeoneThrewMyShoe Your point about mourning your possible life at another school is a fantastic way to think about it! Because I think that will be how I feel when I come to make my decision after I make my visits.

I'm think what I am least looking forward to in the decision process is turning down the prospective advisor. I've had such great communications with these people at either of my schools and I hate that I have to turn down one. I guess I feel most bad about the fact that they would then have to try and find someone else to fill my spot in their lab and since one of my visits isn't until the end of March, they will have to do that pretty late in the game by the time other people have already accepted offers. Any suggestions on how to not worry about this too much?

[Accepted but no notice about funding]

Honestly, I think you should just try to wait until the professors get back to your emails inquiring about funding. I know it's agonizing not knowing, but since you have already made them aware of your questions about funding they will get back to you when they can. They may very well not know the status of your funding situation yet and are waiting until they know for sure what kind of package you may or may not be receiving.

[Does anyone ever decline a PhD acceptance to reapply next cycle?]

@Hermenewtics Thank you so much for the clarification! That makes sense and I was thinking that something along those lines was what you meant, but I am completely ignorant about sports so I didn't know for sure. I think I have definitely seen programs in my field that seem to prefer BS applicants over MS but I always just thought that was because a lot of academics forwent the MS but maybe certain programs in my field are the same.

Also my statement about the value of Master's degrees (at least to scholars like me and my partner) was not a response of me assuming you thought they were unnecessary or anything. I just thought I would throw out my two cents in how beneficial they can be for many scholars. I feel like I was such a baby at the beginning of my Master's and I floundered for a while as I figured out how to manage my time and become a productive scientist. I had the room to do that in my Master's though, whereas I don't think I would have had that leeway in a PhD program.

[Paying taxes on stipend]

@TakeruK, wow thanks so much for this breakdown! I'm relieved I probably won't have to immediately have it figured out by the time I start. My fellowship will be valued at more than $10,000 so I will definitely be looking into all this more. I'm not sure how much will be withheld on the TA paycheck so that's a missing gap I will have to fill to figure this all out. As soon as I know where I'm going, or even during my decisions process, I will definitely be consulting my aunt so we can crunch the numbers together.

This is such a big change for me because my stipend was so piddly during my master's that what taxes were taken out were negligible, so I've really never worried about taxes before (other than normal yearly tax filings of course). But having super good offers is a great place to be in so I can't complain if I have to jump through a few hoops to get it all figured out.

[Paying taxes on stipend]

Thank you @TakeruK! My fellowship amount will actually be the majority of my stipend rather than my TA funds, but perhaps I can still look into increasing withholdings from my TA paychecks. If I'm not able to do that will I likely have to do quarterly tax payments? I am always used to all money I have taken in being automatically taxed at time of disbursement so I had no clue what would happen with my fellowship money in this case and you've definitely helped cleared it up. My aunt typically does my taxes for me so maybe I can consult with her to see what she has to say about it all (I will definitely mention increasing withholdings on my TA paychecks as something that could maybe be done since this isn't something I had thought of or knew was a possibility).

[Hating my Masters Program]

21 hours ago, EntourageDude1995 said:

I'm not leaving the program, because I'm nearly halfway there and I do want my Masters.

I think you should keep this in the front of your mind. You are so close that it doesn't make any sense other than to just tough it out. It sucks that the classes are a bit of a bore but it doesn't sound like you're the type to give up based on the above statement. Honestly about a year into my Master's I hit a slump and was always questioning why I decided to take on the project that I did and I struggled with finding the motivation to keep moving forward. I eventually moved past it and came to love my project and the knowledge I have gained during my Master's but it did take some time for me to realize just how much I was learning and progressing in my education. I'm not saying that will happen with you but it did eventually happen with me and it allowed me to figure out what type of research I wanted to pursue during a PhD. What helped me through my slump though was honestly talking about it with other graduate students because they had the same feelings I did and it sounds like you have people in your program that you can vent too. The venting about my situation with others in a similar situation helped me a lot in feeling justified in feeling frustrated and dissatisfied. I can't say venting was what helped me move past my slump because it just took time for me to move past it, but in the moment the venting with others in my program/lab helped me in not feeling alone through all of it.

21 hours ago, EntourageDude1995 said:

Initially I felt good about going in. I took a mediation class that got me certified and only lasted through the end of October. I'm taking a 6-week internship in Cyprus over the summer, which really excites me. And I'm also interning for a think tank here in the states. However, now I'm feeling disappointed and burned out. One of the reasons is that the program seems more counseling-focused in certain ways than related to international affairs or conflict resolution. Two of our required classes are really boring and cheesy--basically, one consisted of journaling online about our life trauma and the other consists of sitting in a circle every class and doing the same thing. The other required class--which includes a 10-day trip to Northern Ireland--is also taught in a dull manner. My two electives this semester are Social Movements (which I love) and a class about Sierra Leone that includes a 10-day trip there in May--this class is just OK. One of the issues I think is that I've taken the more interesting courses that the program offers either last semester or in undergrad. That's making me dread the thought of taking classes in the fall (besides my capstone) that could very well turn out to be boring/unhelpful. 

As an outsider looking in at your situation it really sounds like your program is doing its best to give you good and valuable experiences in your field. Perhaps the courses are not the best but I found that in my field it wasn't the courses that mattered during my Master's, instead it was other experiences (conference presentations, lab training, scientific writing) that I really needed further knowledge in and my Master's provided that. If you feel as if you are gaining good experiences outside of the content of your courses then I think your Master's is doing something to advance you further in your education/career. It sounds like your internship and travels have to be beneficial to your field so maybe try to focus on the good that you are getting out of your program rather than the bad (though as I say above if you need to vent about the bad to not feel alone in it I think that can be good at times too).

21 hours ago, EntourageDude1995 said:

While these things sometimes help, I'm still feeling depressed and overwhelmed and have no idea what to do. I just feel like my life has become too routine and quite disappointing, partially because of school, and dropping out has crossed my mind at times. I used to want to go get my PhD years down the line, but now I’m not so sure just because my experience with graduate school so far.

So honestly from what you say here it really sounds like you are burnt out and after so much school it is easy to feel that way if you aren't enjoying your classes. It really sounds need a break and I think you will get a great break this summer during your internship! Just keep in mind that there isn't too much of the current semester left and keep that internship in the front of your mind as motivation. If pursuing a PhD is what you want after you finish your master's I would suggest keeping the negatives about your current program in mind and watch for those red flags when looking for PhD programs. But if you are feeling super burnt out after your master's it might be best to take a break and work for a bit before jumping back into school.

I'm not sure if any of my words will be helpful to you but I do think it's perfectly normal to sometimes regret going certain paths and it just takes time to come to terms with that and figure out how to manage being dissatisfied in your life. Since the routine is what is bothering you maybe try to break it up as best you can so that it doesn't feel so boring and disappointing. Look forward to the travels you do! Make a plan (like hanging out with people you like to be around, going hiking, going to eat at a restaurant you love or whatever things you like doing that makes you happy) every week to do one thing you can look forward to and that could maybe help break up the routine. I hope you figure out how to change things up so you can get out of your slump.

[Paying taxes on stipend]

2 hours ago, TakeruK said:

P.S. One last note: The IRS taxes income whether or not it's employment-based. So at my PhD school, we receive fellowships and a letter saying we provided no work in exchange for the money (i.e. we're not employees). American students get the 1099-MISC tax form, not the W-2. However, we still pay taxes on it!

So at one of the schools I've been accepted to I have received a TAship and a fellowship. The TAship is taxed at time of disbursement since I would be technically working for that money, but in my award letter for the fellowship it states that taxes are not deducted from that part of my stipend at time of disbursement. The pay from these two sources of money will be disbursed to me separately (one at the beginning of the month, the other at the end). I realize that I will still need to pay taxes on my fellowship awrd though as you state (and as my award letter states), so I guess my question is how that is done since taxes are not taken out of that money when it is disbursed and is that money taxed at a different rate than my TAship will be taxed?

[Does anyone ever decline a PhD acceptance to reapply next cycle?]

3 hours ago, Hermenewtics said:

Agreed with your final point. I think the numbers would bear out that many of the so-called top 10 US schools prefer BA applicants for a whole variety of reasons, not the least of which being the extra two years of control--to borrow a baseball phrase. Other disciplines (like philosophy) choose to do things differently.

So I'm not big into sports so what do you mean by "extra two years of control"? I am just very curious as to why top schools would only choose/prefer BA only applicants and would love to understand why they have this preference. Personally, I'm a big proponent of getting a Master's and I actually had no idea that it could potentially limit the type of schools you could get into for your PhD.

My partner (who's in English) and I both got our Master's since we were unsure if a doctorate really was the path we wanted to take. I know some people definitively know after their Bachelor's that a doctorate is what they want, but I love that we both got to confirm during our Master's that getting our doctorates really was the path for us. Also I don't think either of us quite knew the type of research we wanted to do and I really think if we had tried to immediately do the PhD route without the Master's in between we could have ended up in programs/projects that were very poor fits for us. Both of our research interests have changed during our Master's. I have definitely sought out different types of programs and advisors than I would have at the end of undergrad and I think I am much, much better for it since the field I will be going into is much more marketable for jobs than the field I would have likely chosen at the end of undergrad. I genuinely think Master's programs are a good test of whether academia is the right fit for a person and if you just want to stop at that degree you usually have more flexibility in future job prospects than if you had jumped head first into a PhD and ended with that degree (at least in my field). Obviously getting a Master's before a PhD does lead to more time in school but I honestly had no clue that having a Master's could be a detriment to acceptance to certain PhD programs. Does this hold true for those with Master's applying for faculty positions in these types of institutions too?

[Meeting expected with POI after acceptance?]

I understand being a little surprised not having heard back but they probably are busy. They could also be trying to wait and get back to you until they have more definitive answers about potentially getting you set up in their lab.

[Fill out FAFSA for PhD program?]

From what I understand most people with stipends and tuition coverage fill out the FAFSA for graduate school if they feel like the stipend they will be receiving is not enough to live off of, so they then ask for small loans to help cover living costs. In my current master's program I know several students who did this because our stipends were tiny and they needed that bit of extra loan money to help pay rent and food costs.

[Meeting expected with POI after acceptance?]

How long has it been since you reached out to the POI? I only ask because I know in many of the various email connections I have had through this process some professors replied the same day or next day, but others took several days to a week. Many professors set aside a certain time of week to answer emails that need to be answered and maybe it hasn't yet reached the time they normally would get back to you.

["Let's just TALK about it..." Decision Edition]

@ms123456 Thanks for the insight! I hope by visiting and asking the right questions and seeing the facilities available to me I can better assess everything I want to know to help my decision making.

["Let's just TALK about it..." Decision Edition]

@ms123456 Thanks so much! I figured you were reaching out directly to the professor but I just thought I would ask since I will be in a similar place when I make my decision.

So essentially research fit and future career prospects is what helped you make your decision. Those are definitely two things I am weighting very highly into my decision making and I hope I can better assess research fit when I make my visits over the next month. What made you realize that the younger professor with the new technology would open up your options for future career paths better? Just curious so maybe I can assess similar things when I make my visits.