toad11

Thanks so much for your reply! No, the programme in general is great--love the professors and the courses. The funding is okayish for the area--not great but competitive enough if you are not looking at the obvious ones with great funding like Yale and Princeton... The programme in itself has done nothing to jeopardize my well-being but it's just the ranking and people saying "top ten or bust" is what's freaking me out.

Thanks so much for responding! The programme is super small which is an advantage--all the professors are very helpful too in spite of being pretty big names in their fields. The funding is pretty good too and once upon a time they used to be a prestigious programme--I don't know what has happened in the last 5 years or so but yes, for me, the ranking is the only factor that's leading me to such thoughts!

Hello! I have a rather weird question. I am currently in an English literature phd programme but it is ranked in the 80s. The programme's ranking has fallen over the years since it used to be in the 30s just about 5 years ago. I was wondering if reapplying to a better programme is even an option and if people ever do that. When I came in I was concerned about the department's speciality in a sub-field but all the talk about rankings has had me freaked out and I have been wondering if I should continue in the current programme at all. It is a very small programme but the rankings are a bit unnerving. I am in my second year and can only make a major shift now. Any later than this would be suicidal! Also, is it okay to get recommendations from professors in my current programme? I am sorry if this sounds completely ridiculous but I have been having this nagging thought for a while now and haven't been able to do much due to crippling anxiety. I know this a history forum but thought I could get some suggestions here! Thanks in advance!

Hello! I have a rather weird question. I am already in a phd programme but it is ranked in the 80s. The programme's ranking has fallen over the years since it used to be in the 30s at some point. I was wondering if reapplying to a better programme is even an option and if people do that. When I came in I was concerned about the department's speciality in a sub-field but all the talk about rankings has had me freaked out and I have been wondering if I should continue in the current programme at all. It is a very small programme but the rankings are a bit unnerving. I am in my second year and can only make a major shift now. Any later than this would be suicidal! Also, is it okay to get recommendations from professors in my current programme? I am sorry if this sounds completely ridiculous but I have been having this nagging thought for a while now and haven't been able to do much due to crippling anxiety. Thanks in advance!