2 Amazing Choices

[arkel]

I've had the chance to explore my options, and now it's time to make a decision. I am considering 2 offers very seriously, but I am so, so lost, and I'm trying to hear as many perspectives as I can. If you're in a similar situation, feel free to post your dilemma here!

School A

- The School - medium-sized, Psych department is in the top 20-30

- The Supervisor - Seemed like a great person to work with - very low-key, accessible, helpful, easy to understand, friendly. Also, everyone I spoke with about him has said the most amazing things. He is very young and new to the department (less than a year), but he has made a great impression on everyone there, and is very well-intergrated socially and research-wise. I got the sense that he has a very bright future in the field.

- The Department - Friendly, and lots of potential collaborators - I met with many on my visit, and they all seemed very open to working with me. Also, there did seem to be a lot of actual collaboration going on (everyone SAYS they're collaborative).

- The Students: Down-to-Earth, excited about their work, and genuinely nice people.

I have been really excited about this school since October when I discovered my POI's website. His research is a bit of a departure from my previous research experience (social cognitive neuroscience stuff, rather than straight-up cognitive), but I was immediately struck by how many amazing studies I could pursue using his innovative methodology. I know now (even if I was only partially aware at the time) that this has been my front-runner for a long time (I put the most time and energy into this application, I was always imagining myself going here, looking for housing here on craigslist, checking what the weather is like here, etc). I found out about my acceptance here first, and was content for about 3 weeks until I visited School B...

School B

- The School - Huge school, known internationally for many fields, Top 5 in Psychology.

- The Supervisor - Also very friendly and accessible, although a bit more high-strung (at least from what I gathered in a 2-day interview weekend). Although he had already established himself at another school, he is new to School B. He does seem to be involved in a lot of different collaborations. When I asked the students, the typical response was "He seems nice, but I don't really know him that well, because he just started here".

- The Department - massive, very collaborative, and filled with amazing, famous researchers that I thought I would only read about in text books

- The Students - Also down-to-Earth, enthusiastic, and genuinely nice.

I hadn't really given this school much thought until very recently when I visited. I thought I would just apply for the heck of it, and after visiting, I see they have so much to offer (financial resources, an amazing interdisciplinary research environment). The POI's past research is more similar to the stuff I've done before. When my POI here asked me about what kind of research I wanted to do, I talked about projects that very closely resembled the ones I wanted to do at School A, and he seemed really interested.

I guess the big differences here are - research - although School B is open to doing the research from School A, would I be better off at School A where there is an entire lab devoted to these methods and theories? And also prestige... I found the thread on rankings very useful in this respect. I didn't think I cared too much about rankings, and I still don't - but I have seen that there is often a reason behind them, and I can't just cast aside this amazing opportunity without some serious thought.

I'm trying not to think too much about location. I come from a cold climate, so I'm not too hard to please

I keep being told that I really can't go wrong, and I realize that, but it doesn't make this choice any easier! Any feedback would be so helpful!

Many thanks (and sorry for this beast of a post)!

Edited March 18, 2011 by arkel

[chaospaladin]

I've had the chance to explore my options, and now it's time to make a decision. I am considering 2 offers very seriously, but I am so, so lost, and I'm trying to hear as many perspectives as I can. If you're in a similar situation, feel free to post your dilemma here!

School A

- The School - medium-sized, Psych department is in the top 20-30

- The Supervisor - Seemed like a great person to work with - very low-key, accessible, helpful, easy to understand, friendly. Also, everyone I spoke with about him has said the most amazing things. He is very young and new to the department (less than a year), but he has made a great impression on everyone there, and is very well-intergrated socially and research-wise. I got the sense that he has a very bright future in the field.

- The Department - Friendly, and lots of potential collaborators - I met with many on my visit, and they all seemed very open to working with me. Also, there did seem to be a lot of actual collaboration going on (everyone SAYS they're collaborative).

- The Students: Down-to-Earth, excited about their work, and genuinely nice people.

I have been really excited about this school since October when I discovered my POI's website. His research is a bit of a departure from my previous research experience (social cognitive neuroscience stuff, rather than straight-up cognitive), but I was immediately struck by how many amazing studies I could pursue using his innovative methodology. I know now (even if I was only partially aware at the time) that this has been my front-runner for a long time (I put the most time and energy into this application, I was always imagining myself going here, looking for housing here on craigslist, checking what the weather is like here, etc). I found out about my acceptance here first, and was content for about 3 weeks until I visited School B...

School B

- The School - Huge school, known internationally for many fields, Top 5 in Psychology.

- The Supervisor - Also very friendly and accessible, although a bit more high-strung (at least from what I gathered in a 2-day interview weekend). Although he had already established himself at another school, he is new to School B. He does seem to be involved in a lot of different collaborations. When I asked the students, the typical response was "He seems nice, but I don't really know him that well, because he just started here".

- The Department - massive, very collaborative, and filled with amazing, famous researchers that I thought I would only read about in text books

- The Students - Also down-to-Earth, enthusiastic, and genuinely nice.

I hadn't really given this school much thought until very recently when I visited. I thought I would just apply for the heck of it, and after visiting, I see they have so much to offer (financial resources, an amazing interdisciplinary research environment). The POI's past research is more similar to the stuff I've done before. When my POI here asked me about what kind of research I wanted to do, I talked about projects that very closely resembled the ones I wanted to do at School A, and he seemed really interested.

I guess the big differences here are - research - although School B is open to doing the research from School A, would I be better off at School A where there is an entire lab devoted to these methods and theories? And also prestige... I found the thread on rankings very useful in this respect. I didn't think I cared too much about rankings, and I still don't - but I have seen that there is often a reason behind them, and I can't just cast aside this amazing opportunity without some serious thought.

I'm trying not to think too much about location. I come from a cold climate, so I'm not too hard to please

I keep being told that I really can't go wrong, and I realize that, but it doesn't make this choice any easier! Any feedback would be so helpful!

Many thanks (and sorry for this beast of a post)!

You should visit both schools so you can make an informed and sound decision.

[LJK]

Here are some things I am considering:

Thinking about your interactions with your POIs, who do you think has an idea of who you are as a researcher? Knows what you are interested in? Knows where you are in your education and has an idea of how to support your growth from there? These are very abstract, but I feel like the two POIs I will be choosing between have given me very different impressions on these questions - one sees me, the other sees my past advisers and 'raw potential.'

Also, how do you see yourself working, especially up front? With the POI whose lab is producing the theory and methodologies that you are interested in, you will have someone who is grounded in the theories and techniques that you want to become an expert in. With the other POI, you two will likely be learning to do this research along side each other. The POI will know how to be an expert, how to do quality research in the abstract, how to write a journal article, etc. but it sounds like they won't be an expert in what you want to be an expert in. That isn't necessarily a bad thing - it will force you to be more independent and to take greater charge of your education from the beginning. Mainly you should think about what mentor/mentee situation would be better for you.

Where do you think you will be able to do the best research? For me this is a toss up because I see different opportunities at each school that could result in very different research. But in your case, if you think that you really truly want to do the sort of research that is coming out of one lab, is it likely that you will be able to do as awesome and exciting a version of that research without a whole group of people thinking about and working on similar problems? I guess the thing there is how many people will you have to talk to about your research in depth in the lab that does things that are a bit different from the research you want to do?

[arkel]

Here are some things I am considering:

Thinking about your interactions with your POIs, who do you think has an idea of who you are as a researcher? Knows what you are interested in? Knows where you are in your education and has an idea of how to support your growth from there? These are very abstract, but I feel like the two POIs I will be choosing between have given me very different impressions on these questions - one sees me, the other sees my past advisers and 'raw potential.'

Also, how do you see yourself working, especially up front? With the POI whose lab is producing the theory and methodologies that you are interested in, you will have someone who is grounded in the theories and techniques that you want to become an expert in. With the other POI, you two will likely be learning to do this research along side each other. The POI will know how to be an expert, how to do quality research in the abstract, how to write a journal article, etc. but it sounds like they won't be an expert in what you want to be an expert in. That isn't necessarily a bad thing - it will force you to be more independent and to take greater charge of your education from the beginning. Mainly you should think about what mentor/mentee situation would be better for you.

Where do you think you will be able to do the best research? For me this is a toss up because I see different opportunities at each school that could result in very different research. But in your case, if you think that you really truly want to do the sort of research that is coming out of one lab, is it likely that you will be able to do as awesome and exciting a version of that research without a whole group of people thinking about and working on similar problems? I guess the thing there is how many people will you have to talk to about your research in depth in the lab that does things that are a bit different from the research you want to do?

LJK,

Thank you, these questions are all so helpful! I might not even have the answers to them right now, but your post has given me a lot to think about!

It sounds like you're in a similar situation - Best of luck with your decision!

Edited March 18, 2011 by arkel

[Tabasco]

I'm in the same situation! I'm considering professors I would want to work with, expertise in specifc content I want to study, and expertise in skills. This is challenging! Both schools have professors I'd want to work with. School A is better at the skills I want to gain. School B has a specialty program in the content area I want to study. School A would be better for breadth. I don't want to be typecast. At the same time I have a specific area I want to focus my research in.

School A is ranked 4. School B is ranked 11. To the extent that others put importance in ranking I am considering this. I visited School B earlier and was shocked by how warm everyone was (maybe it's a mid-west thing?) I'm visiting School A before I make my decision. Ultimately location may be a bigger deciding factor.

Good luck deciding!

LJK,

Thank you, these questions are all so helpful! I might not even have the answers to them right now, but your post has given me a lot to think about!

It sounds like you're in a similar situation - Best of luck with your decision!

[adinutzyc]

School A is ranked 4. School B is ranked 11. To the extent that others put importance in ranking I am considering this. I visited School B earlier and was shocked by how warm everyone was (maybe it's a mid-west thing?) I'm visiting School A before I make my decision. Ultimately location may be a bigger deciding factor.

I don't think the difference between a 4th place and an 11th place matters. If anything, rankings are subjective - they are based on how many sections of the questionnaire a school filled out, for example. The only thing that actually matters is the quality of research you will be doing, as well as the connections your POI has in some cases. And of course, how happy you fell you would be in the program.

I think there is a slightly bigger difference between a #5 school and a 30s school though... especially in that choosing the 30s school would probably make you feel guilty...

Good luck to you both!

I had to choose between a 30s school and a 40s school, and although the 30s school was lovable, I decided the funding the other school was giving me was worth the drop in places. And sure enough, this other school is also lovable. But now I have a matching offer from a 60s school, and I am heading down to visit soon...I am not sure if they could do anything to change my decision, but I have to be sure before I accept...