Choose Your Own Adventure

[PhD4Eva]

Here's my conundrum, such as is...

Option 1:  I have been offered a spot in a PhD program with a four year TAship (tuition forgiven and a fairly generous stipend) and the possibility of a NSA fellowship for years three and four, which I will have to apply for.  It is not my first choice, if I were being generous its probably third choice out of four (I could only apply to a limited number of schools due to geographical restrictions), though there wasn't much between two and three because my first choice was so far ahead of the other two. Option 1 is a school that is ranked Top 50 nationally overall, but does not have a name in my particular area.  I've met with everyone at Option 1, they are lovely and have been very honest and straightforward about being a program in a bit of a transition (they are overhauling a lot of the curriculum mostly to make it more streamlined). The director of the program seems great, couldn't say a bad word about anyone there.

Option 2: My first choice by a mile, after some wildly optimistic early interactions with both a POI and the Director of the Program, turned me down.  I'm still waiting on feedback as to why.  The program is 3 years instead of 4 which is good for me as I am an older student who has been working in "the real world" for 2 decades. It just has a huge name in my industry and would go a long way to keeping me connected to it, which I think will be important when I'm ready to look for a job.

My question is whether I should not look a gift horse in the mouth, an excellent University is offering to pay me to go back to school and I should just take that and run with it.

The other option, depending on the feedback I get, is to punch up my application and apply again to my first choice school.

Thoughts? 

 

[PsyDuck90]

Even if you beef up your application, that is not a guarantee that you would get into Option 2, or anywhere, the following year. Especially if you are geographically limited, it may be better to go with the offer you have since it's a good offer, as long as you can see yourself being there for 4+ years. I know you said they were your 3rd choice out of 4. Some people apply to anything viable and others only apply to schools they would he happy to attend. If you are in the former category, hedging your bets next round may be an option. If you're in the latter category, you may be in a better position by taking the offer on the table. 

[PhD4Eva]

2 hours ago, PsyDGrad90 said:

Even if you beef up your application, that is not a guarantee that you would get into Option 2, or anywhere, the following year. Especially if you are geographically limited, it may be better to go with the offer you have since it's a good offer, as long as you can see yourself being there for 4+ years. I know you said they were your 3rd choice out of 4. Some people apply to anything viable and others only apply to schools they would he happy to attend. If you are in the former category, hedging your bets next round may be an option. If you're in the latter category, you may be in a better position by taking the offer on the table. 

I think I probably know what the right answer is, I'm just working my way through the disappointment over getting the total goose egg at my first choice.  

I had such a hard time through this whole process of getting people to respond coming from completely outside of academics.  These guys did and were so positive. The words "you're in" actually escaped the program directors mouth during our phone conversation and I bought it hook, line and sinker. Then once the app was in, nothing, except a form email letting me know they were not offering me a spot in the program. I must have really ballsed up the application or something, don't know.

Such is life. 

Edited March 17, 2019 by PhD4Eva

[PsyDuck90]

It definitely sucks. I was in a similar situation where I thought I was a shoe in for my top choice program, and then I got the rejection. I got an offer from another program that I applied to which was originally lower on my list, but I am so happy at the program I'm in. The rejection is tough, but you also have to look at the positives. Again, you're situation may be different, but you have to look past the disappointment of rejection and look at the program you have an offer from and consider it by itself, without the sting of rejection.