[Rutgers English]

Just now, beardedlady said:

What's your future goal with a PhD? Look at Rutgers' placement rates, they're pretty damn solid and I think they are very well regarded. But is it either/or? Apply to Rutgers as well as a couple of top-10's and some lower ranking programs that are strong in your AOIs. There are no guarantees in this game anyway.

You should definitely be aware of yourself, your academic record, and your strengths (and weaknesses), but don't unnecessarily discount your ability to get into a top school. You should definitely not apply to ivies/to-10 schools alone, since even if you're a perfect candidate you could easily not get admitted. This is a little bit of a numbers game, and luck factors in big-time imo. Also, it's unlikely that all ivies/top-10 schools would be a good fit for you. But some probably would be, so why not take a chance? If your professors think you have the potential to get accepted to a top-ranking school, I'm sure they know what they're talking about.

Thanks for your response! Yeah, I’m really worried about getting in anywhere. I’m an okay student at a tough liberal arts school, but I also know my prof mentioned above is older and got their PhD right out of undergrad at an Ivy League, then got a tenure track job pretty much while they were writing their dissertation. I want to be in academia, and of course get a tenure track job, but for now I’m also thinking about where the research that excites me most is going on, and that’s Rutgers. 

[Rutgers English]

hi there, i’m a long-time lurker and I’m trying to figure out which schools are on my list. Rutgers is one of my top choices but I recently got an ‘aim higher’ lecture from a current prof and I’m feeling a bit confused. I know it’s well regarded, so why in the world do I need to aim higher? I’m probably not getting into an Ivy League (like most people) so I don’t want to chance a shutout by not applying to other good schools. 

So, does anyone know whether Rutgers’ reputation has changed recently (I.e. gotten better or worse)? Just trying to figure out why this prof would feel this way. And congrats to all of the Rutgers admits out there— it’s my dream school and for what it’s worth I’d be ecstatic to go there!