Ed. grad school dilema -- thoughts?

[wannabeaphd]

OK, so, I have this dilemma… what would you do?

My field is Education – Higher Ed. Policy

Choice 1: Go with the good school I got into and never look back. The school is ranked around 40-50, but seems to be “up and coming.” Faculty fit is good and the people are friendly. Placements are decent in the geographic area I’d like to work in, but not super prestigious…

Choice 2: Go to the school mentioned above for a year and then apply to my dream school again? My dream school is ranked around #15 and is arguable the most prestigious program for my sub field in the area. I did a phone interview and an in-person interview there this year and the DGS basically told me I just missed getting in…

My ultimate goals include becoming faculty at a UC or CSU, doing research, and/or (preferably) becoming admin at a college/uni. Basically, my question is do you think that going to a school ranked around 40-50 will torpedo my dreams?! Also, do you think pursuing Choice #2 makes me an awful person and will burn bridges?

Thanks all!

[rising_star]

To answer your first question, going to a lower-ranked school will not automatically torpedo your dreams. The key will be making sure that the faculty there truly are up-and-coming (remember, rankings lag behind a great deal generally) and that will help you develop professionally in terms of presenting, publishing, teaching, networking, etc. If you do that, you'll be fine.

And yes, you'd burn bridges if you enrolled in a PhD program and transferred/left after the first year for "greener pastures".