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Posted

I was accepted to UC Merced and attended an open house for the department recently. I liked the entire experience there and I think it would be a great fit, but I'm worried about the job hunt afterwords. My hope is to get on the tenure track at a research institution and I know that it's already hard to begin with, would I just be completely shooting myself in the foot going with UCM?

Posted

I know where you're coming from. Maybe figuring out whether your potential adviser is known in the field / has contacts and good placements would be of help. Sometimes, the school doesn't matter as much as the adviser does.

Posted

I was accepted to UC Merced and attended an open house for the department recently. I liked the entire experience there and I think it would be a great fit, but I'm worried about the job hunt afterwords. My hope is to get on the tenure track at a research institution and I know that it's already hard to begin with, would I just be completely shooting myself in the foot going with UCM?

what program? have you seen this: http://www.nap.edu/rdp/ ? the numbers are a little old and the data is limited, but it could be helpful.

Posted

I know where you're coming from. Maybe figuring out whether your potential adviser is known in the field / has contacts and good placements would be of help. Sometimes, the school doesn't matter as much as the adviser does.

That sounds good, a lot of the professors at the school are fairly young in their careers but come from highly regarded (see phds.org) phd programs and postdoc positions.

what program? have you seen this: http://www.nap.edu/rdp/ ? the numbers are a little old and the data is limited, but it could be helpful.

Yeah, I've checked out that and phds.org. Since Merced opened up around 2005 there isn't any ranking/placement data on the school in general.

I'm in the physical sciences.

Posted

On the flip side, Merced hasn't had the time to develop a bad reputation either. If you produce good work with a decent adviser, you should be fine, I think. Then you can help make their rep better for the future students.

Posted

On the flip side, Merced hasn't had the time to develop a bad reputation either. If you produce good work with a decent adviser, you should be fine, I think. Then you can help make their rep better for the future students.

That's one of the main things that appeals to me actually.

Posted

On the flip side, Merced hasn't had the time to develop a bad reputation either. If you produce good work with a decent adviser, you should be fine, I think. Then you can help make their rep better for the future students.

This is a toughie ... I don't think it's wise to stake your career on helping improve the reputation of a fledgling school; then again, what do I know? :rolleyes:

Posted

As of right now, UCM isn't ranked in Chemistry PhD since UCM opened in 2005. There is no good or bad reputation that has developed for UCM. What about old PhD Chemistry Programs that have been there for a while like the PhD Chemistry Program at University of the Pacific in Stockton, CA? UoP is unranked for PhD Chemistry by the NRC. If I look one of the professor's research, should I still apply?ohmy.gif

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