Decision Advice: Ranking, Personal Fit, and Location

[nrxsdoj89]

Hi all, 

After wrapping up campus visits, I’m still torn between a few of my PhD program choices - Duke, Cornell, Penn State - and would appreciate any advice that might best align with my goals. Primarily, I'm not sure how to weigh the competing elements of ranking, personal fit, and location in this decision. I don’t want to give out too much information about myself on a public forum, but if there’s something I didn’t post here that you think is crucial to supplying any sort of advice, just ask/PM me. 

Research Interests: CP/PE, methods (quantitative). Again, if more information here is required, just let me know. I’m trying not to completely reveal my identity here! 

Career Goals: While I’m applying to a PhD program with the primary intent of securing a tenure-track position, I’m probably more receptive toward certain industry career tracks than many other PhD candidates. I have a background that might lend itself to a career in consulting, and recognize that mastery of certain quantitative methods (which I would aim to achieve) might open up opportunities in data science or political risk analysis. This openness to a non-academic career stems from some minor discomfort I have about the loss of geographic agency that often comes with an academic career. Although these three schools are located among different parts of the country, I’d like to return to a specific region of the country (imagine a ~200 mile radius, I’m not suggesting one specific city/town) after I’ve completed the PhD, for a variety of personal/family reasons. However, if no such academic opportunities are on the horizon, I would be more inclined to try and leverage the skillset I’ve developed in graduate school, or upon my previous background, to forge an alternate path. 

Below are some of my final impressions of the three options I face: 

Duke: Substantively and methodologically, I believe Duke’s program to be the strongest for my interests. If we agree that ranking is a roughly adequate proxy for program quality, Duke is a top 10 program, and may command the greatest amount of respect in political science academia of these choices. Additionally, recent placements in a variety of tech firms and consulting positions suggests the Duke brand name is well-received in a number of non-academic positions, too. However, I fear there isn’t a great personal fit – I really didn’t connect with many of the current/prospective students, I heard from a handful of current students that certain professors with whom I’d be interested in working with can be particularly difficult to work with (personally), and I have some concerns about Durham as a city (basically issues of climate, cultural fit, and crime). Additionally, the overall nature of Duke’s academic placement record – especially for a top 10 program - seems a little troubling to me. I understand that the academic job market is extremely difficult, but recent placements at Duke seem to have become very regional in the last 3-4 years, and not necessarily in a region in which I’d like to live after I complete the program. 

Cornell: Cornell seems, to my mind, to be a largely qualitative program. That’s not something I disapprove of, but it seems like really quantitatively-minded students have to create their own opportunities within the program, whereas at Duke it seems to be assumed that quantitative methodological proficiency is a widely desirable trait, and opportunities appear more available. In terms of environment, however, I felt a great personal affinity for the professors (although the alignment in our research interests isn't quite as strong compared to the faculty at Duke) and the students I’ve met, both current and prospective. I also really loved Ithaca and would be very eager to spend 5-6 years living there. Finally, Cornell’s academic placement doesn’t seem to be fundamentally that different from Duke’s – both schools have generally the same proportion of TT/post-doc placements, and the quality of schools/postdocs seem to be generally equal. And in fact, although this is just one data point, PSR’s placement thread suggests Cornell even had an overall better academic placement this year than Duke. However, Cornell does not have many nonacademic placements that would inspire confidence if I don’t like the shape my prospective academic career is taking, or available resources even if I simply change my mind about that track through the duration of my time there. That being said, Cornell’s academic placements (like Duke's) also tend to be more regional, but these placements are more likely to be located in parts of the country I’d be interested in working in. 

PSU: At least on paper, Penn State would stand to become a decent compromise between the cutting-edge quantitative training I’m interested in (presumably of the variety that I could also receive at Duke) and the location/personal fit I like about Cornell. I’m really interested in their big data/social data analytics program, and applying some of the techniques in these programs to my substantive research interests. Also, the industry placements from students who participate in this program (mostly data science), are really impressive – even the academic ones, as well. However, outside of this subset of the program (to which admission/selection is not guaranteed), the rankings effect seems to play a larger role in terms of academic placement. Also, for consulting opportunities, the brand name of the school doesn’t quite match up to Duke/Cornell. Methodologically, it seems to me like PSU is exceptionally strong, but I deeply question the wisdom of choosing a ~Top 30-40 program over a Top 10-20 in this current academic job market – although a fantastic tech-oriented job seems to be well within reach here. 

I really love the differing aspects of these various programs, and I acknowledge what might complicate matters further is my flexibility in career tracks. Again, if I can help clarify any questions about my thought process, please let me know. 

Thanks in advance for any insight you can provide, and best wishes to all making similarly difficult decisions in the coming weeks! 

[TiKei]

After reading, I think I'd set (your) the priorities as: (1) Duke; (2); and (3) PSU. And for the record, I am not going to get into any of those uni s so there's no waitlist bias on my part.

p.s. your worst case scenario should be flipping a coin between the two top options! 

Good luck either way.

[CoffeeMonster0]

Sounds like a tough choice!

I would say that out of those three, I would probably axe Cornell, because the fit of the program and the training you receive is extremely important (especially if you want to go into industry, then the quantitative training is REALLY important).  

For Duke's placement record, I wouldn't worry too much about the regional placement.  That is probably a product of Duke grads wanting to stay in the area to stay with friends and significant others.  I am fairly confident a Duke degree would get you considered in any job around the country.

It seems to me the real decision is weighing the fit of the program versus the prospects after graduation.  If it were me, I'd personally pick Duke and just try and brave through the not so ideal conditions, because a degree from Duke is going to open up a lot of doors that PSU cannot.  But in the end, it's up to you!!

[as2472]

Congratulations on these acceptances! I would say either Duke or Cornell given a) rank and b) that you seem more excited about them. In terms of the other two, it's worth remembering  that a PhD is 5-6 years of your life. In that time you will be doing more than studying (I hope). You will have to exist as a human being wherever you go. If you can do that in Durham and be happy that isn't an issue, but it doesn't sound like you're totally confident in that. The other main point is that both departmental and advisor fit are really important. Are you someone who is okay working with difficult people? On the other hand, are you a self-starter who won't mind having to put in a bit of leg work for more opportunities? Which of those compromises sounds more strenuous to you? 

 

Overall, I think the strictly objective academic advice would be to go to Duke, but, holistically, it sounds like you'll have a more positive experience at Cornell (and you sound more excited about it over all). Only you can decide where your priorities between those lie. If you're anything like me in terms of asking this question, you're likely seeking a clear answer and are getting tired of people just pointing out the pros and cons of each. So--and this is to be taken with a grain of salt--I would personally go to Cornell. It is a great program and, having worked with difficult professors before, it is hard to underestimate the stress that can bring. Moreover, there is a lot to be said for living somewhere that you love. 

 

Good luck with your decision!