Fit vs. Geography

[edost]

I've been accepted to two programs so far, and I have quite a dilemma. One of them is perfect for me academically, with a POI who does exactly what I'd like to do. The problem is that it is far away from all my family and friends, and would require at least a 12-hour car ride or a flight in every direction if I'd like to see them. On the other hand, the other place is also a good fit, though not as good as the first, but it is closer to family and friends (if I get a car - it is not well connected by public transportation).

I should note that both programs are ranked more or less the same, and I have yet to hear what the funding package will be at one of them.

Edited March 8, 2012 by edost

[svh]

I think you need to decide what's more important to you. Chances are, you'll come out just as prepared in both programs for the job market.

[Sigaba]

One of them is perfect for me academically, with a POI who does exactly what I'd like to do.

You are competing against peers who will let nothing stand in the way of their maximizing their potential and their opportunities. How badly do you want to be the best scholar you can be? What is the likelihood that, at some point, your career progression will require you to be a long ways away from family and friends?

[edost]

You are competing against peers who will let nothing stand in the way of their maximizing their potential and their opportunities. How badly do you want to be the best scholar you can be? What is the likelihood that, at some point, your career progression will require you to be a long ways away from family and friends?

The question is whether or not I can also become the best scholar I can be at a place that doesn't do exactly what I want to do? After all, when it comes to academic quality, both programs seem to be just about the same.

[Stately Plump]

I'm in a surprisingly similar situation. Here is the process I have tried to go through.

At which school can I see myself doing my best work, geography included? At which school do I think I'll have the most freedom to pursue what I want to pursue? Will I be pressured, at either school, to do work that isn't really my interest?

For me, there is one school that can almost exactly accommodate my interest. They are very eager to have me, and there are some fantastic opportunities for professional development. However, if my interests change at all, that school is less able to accommodate my (potential new) interests.

So perhaps consider which school suits both primary and secondary interests? Does one school offer more freedom, in terms of strength of the department, for a particular area of study, and is that good or bad?

Hope this helps

[Sigaba]

edost--

I might be misunderstanding the fact pattern. Initially you said

One of them is perfect for me academically, with a POI who does exactly what I'd like to do.

<<SNIP>>

On the other hand, the other place is also a good fit, though not as good as the first, but it is closer to family and friends (if I get a car - it is not well connected by public transportation).

In the first formulation, you compare "perfect" and "exactly" to "good".

Now, you're saying:

After all, when it comes to academic quality, both programs seem to be just about the same.

IME--and history is very specialized (some say overly so)--the distance between a "perfect" fit and a "good" fit is vast, especially when one throws a compatible relationship with a POI who does "exactly" the same thing as you want to attempt.

Yes, with extra effort, you might be able to make up the difference if you stay closer to your familiar stomping grounds, especially if the qualitative difference is not as great as I initially concluded. But please do consider the position you could put yourself in if you go the the "perfect" program AND put in that extra effort.

Also, please keep in mind that down the line, you may get a job that requires an even bigger move in a geographic sense. Might it be to your advantage to start the process of developing the coping skills to handle that kind of distance now, rather than later when the pressure will be several orders of magnitude higher? (If you want to see what this means, find threads on other BBs started by junior scholars trying to figure out how to teach their classes while doing their own research while doing their committee work.)

[JSmoove]

It really depends on how important it is to you that you be close to your family and friends. Will you be able to succeed at a place that far away from them? Personally, for me, I have had some struggles recently, and I know I wouldn't be able to do my best without the support of my family's proximity. But if you can handle that, then go for the place that's a better fit. Plenty of people go across the country or even to different countries to go to their dream school. However, you should be wary that your interests may change while in grad school or that the POI may not turn out to be as wonderful as you thought once you get there. If that happens, would you be able to pursue other work that you like as much? I think that at this stage, you should give yourself the greatest flexibility that you can, even you end up going to a school that doesn't do EXACTLY what you want to do.

[edost]

I should point out that I already moved far away from most of my family, including my parents, since I'm from Israel. The family I'm referring to in the States is my sister, uncle and cousins. So I already have the "moving away" experience under my belt.

The distance between "perfect" and "good" is quite vast, I guess. That's what I'm afraid of.

[RockStar]

This situation is eerily similar to my own. For what it's worth, I'm leaning toward going to the university that is the better research fit although further away.

[fuzzylogician]

Most international students don't get to see their families more than once or twice a year. Domestic students might get a few more visits home during holidays, but most live far away (=not driving distance) from their families and are too busy to visit often anyway. We all survive. It sounds like there is a meaningful difference in research fit between the two schools you are considering, and that is an important factor in the decision. I would choose the school with the better fit.

[wildviolet]

This situation is eerily similar to my own. For what it's worth, I'm leaning toward going to the university that is the better research fit although further away.

Me, too! I guess many of us are having similar issues.

I'm thinking of choosing the school that has the best research fit and will best prepare me to be competitive on the job market. It's not just about the prestige of the program and your adviser but also how well they will train you to network, write successful grants and papers, and navigate the unspoken, political world of academia. There are tons of books out there about "what I wish I would have learned in grad school about the world of academia" or "how to be successful in academia." I don't want to get it from a book (although I have bought several); I want to get it from the faculty that are supposed to be training me how to become one of them (in my own unique way, of course).

So, although it's tough to move 3,000 miles away, being close to family is something I'm willing to sacrifice.