JohnQP

To @hector549 @Moose#@1%$ @nxr9 @AB1234 @maxhgns and anyone else who might be able to help, I have the option now of choosing between SFU and Georgia State University. My areas of interest, as I have mentioned above, are the philosophy of neuroscience/psychology and philosophical concerns related to oncological concepts. Both of the above places look good on paper - in terms of faculty, placement record, research output, and funding packages. As for location, for me as a queer person, Vancouver (SFU) looks like a much better place to live in than Atlanta (GSU). I am veering towards SFU since the placement record looks better, the faculty (from my communication with current grad students and with people teaching there) seem deeply invested in each students career, and the cohort at SFU is much smaller (about 11-13 students, as compared to nearly 25 students at GSU). Do you any have an opinion or comments that might help me decide between GSU and SFU? Reports from friends studying there, or personal experience maybe, or anything else that you think is helpful. PS: I decided to post here because I didn't want to create an entirely new thread for a question that's only slightly different. Thanks again for all your help, JQP

@Cytem I agree with the opinion that is popular on this thread. I got the same offer as you did. I am from India, so I have the option of applying to the Inlaks scholarship. It is incredibly competitive but I am going to try my luck. If I get it, I will pick Tufts, if not I will stick with SFU. I have received a funding package that is similar to yours from Tufts. I think SFU is well equipped to get me placed into a decent PhD program, and it unlikely that I will be in debt at the end of the program.

@iKantEven They will send out official offers starting today. I got an email from Prof. Olfert with the offer just now. About a week back, I received an email from the Graduate Office asking me for a few documents. They said, "As soon we receive your documents, we will be able to process the offer". I took this to mean that it was likely that I would be offered admission, which is why this question of SFU vs Tufts came to mind. I'm sorry if my post caused any unnecessary anxiety, I should have clarified.

Yes, this information is available to the public on their website and its much more detailed as compared to the Tufts record.

I'm interested in the of philosophy of neurology/neuroscience/psychology, and in philosophical concerns vis-a-vis oncology. This will require me to have good grip on the philosophy of science, & philosophy of mind and cognitive science. Both, the department at SFU and at Tufts have these areas as strengths. However, Tufts does seem to have an upper hand.

Thank you all for taking the time to respond. @AB1234 The prestige bias is exactly what I'm worried about. Moreover, when it comes to the job market, who you know, the people who write your recommendations and appear on your teaching dossiers - i.e. your network seems to matter a lot. Again, I have no hard data but this is how I've seen my professors go about these things. One of my professors told me straight up that networking is one of the most important aspects of grad school. I'm wondering if I'll be able to network at SFU in the same way that I can at Tufts. Given the faculty profiles of both universities, I think the faculty at Tufts have a far wider reach. I'm from India and there is a scholarship for graduate programs in the US, which if I have the fortune to receive, will cover almost all my costs. The easy choice is SFU where the funding package takes care of everything. Tufts will be harder since I have to enter the scholarship process, get them to hold my SFU admission until the scholarship results are out. Let's see how it goes. I'm trying to take it one day at a time.

Hi all, I have been offered admission to Simon Fraser University with a good funding package. I have heard back from Tufts as well and will receive the offer soon. I know that funding at Tufts isn't very good. However, they have a good placement record. The placement record (link) at SFU is also decent, but it doesn't have as many big names as the Tufts record. I'm confused about where I should go. AOI: Philosophy of medicine, philosophy of mind Any suggestions about what I should do? Thanks