Triple School Decision -- commute vs family vs reputation!

[SlickMcFavorite]

Originally posted in the freakout forum, but I guess this is the more appropriate one:

Hi everyone, I've been reading this board throughout my application process and it's been super helpful. Kudos to this entire community. Having lurked on the forums for some time, I now have sufficient cause to post:

My Story:

I applied for Life Sciences PhD programs and was accepted to UC Davis, Scripps (Florida Campus) and the University of Miami.

My Goal:

Now, I'm from Florida (family and friends abound!) but I currently live in California (which, let's be honest, is a much cooler state). I'm pretty sure I'd like to "end up" in Florida (ie: establish a career there) and I'm having trouble figuring out which institution is most like to get me there. This may change during grad school, but at the moment I don't have a strong feeling one way or the other in regards to industry/academia.

The Details:

• U Miami
  
  • Has a good program, and though it isn't very highly ranked at the moment they're dumping a ton of money and recruiting some awesome new faculty.
    
  • Very short commute
    
  • UC Davis
    
    • Has a well-ranked and respected program, but the connections I make (for potential postdoc work) may skew towards the west coast
      
    • I will also have a 1 hour commute if I go here
      
    • Finally, Scripps
      
      • VERY highly ranked (according to US New and World report) but is a very small and very new biology PhD program
        
      • I will also have a 1 hour commute if I go here
        

      Considerations:

      [*]If I attend U Miami, will it be more difficult to eventually find a permanent position in Florida (ie: do intitutions prefer "exotic" recruits from far away universities to diversify their program)?

      [*]Are US News and World Report rankings useful for anything?

      [*]How bad is a long commute while you're in grad school (I have a long commute to my current lab job, but I know the two experiences are quite different)?

      Any advice, ideas or irrelevant musings are most welcome!

[MEB05]

Hey,

Just wondering why the commute is set in stone. Isn't there a way to find a place that would be closer to campus at either of the places?

I'm headed to UC Davis for the Molecular, Cellular and Integrative Physiology program. Which life sciences graduate group are you considering?

Ultimately, I think I would go to the place that has the most labs that match your interests. While you will probably make more connections in the region of the country where you earn your PhD, I don't think it will limit your future career possibilities if you have a strong desire to move to another area of the country. Good luck with your decision!

[Ancient CS Grad]

The US News and World report rankings are only part of the story. An overall program ranking might be fair while a specific specialty might be much better or worse. At the end of the day finding out where recent grads ended up is usually a better indicator. That is true in CS, it might or might not be true for your field. I guess I am saying that I agree with MEB05 in that your probably should chose the place with the labs that match your interests assuming the labs have a good reputation.

[rising_star]

Let me be blunt. You can network yourself into job prospects in any part of the country, if you choose to do so. So, going to UC Davis doesn't automatically relegate you to postdocs on the West Coast, just as going to school in Florida will not get you a postdoc in the state necessarily. I think you should go to the school with the best research fit and the facilities that will enable you to do your research. If all are comparable, then decide by comparing the funding offered and then the cost of living.

[juilletmercredi]

I don't think the location of your PhD program has any bearing on where you get a job. Assuming that the programs were equal, you would be just as likely to get a job in Florida from Miami as you would from Scripps or Davis.

U.S. News rankings are not very useful. Better are NRC rankings and opinions of your professors.

Commute - different people will say different things. Personally, I would not want to commute an hour to school - I am a night owl who likes to work in the late afternoons and often stays in the library, or uses print services, or eats at campus haunts at night before skulking home to my on-campus apartment (and I frequently study in my office until 1 am). But I know some people who have a commute that long and don't mind it because they love their neighborhoods.

Really, you are listing the wrong information. What's most important is fit, opportunities, resources. Which one of the schools has the best one for you?

[SlickMcFavorite]

Thanks for the responses, everyone. The reason my commute will be in hour is because my fiance and I are attending grad school at the same time and her schools are a ways away from mine. Hers is a Masters program, though, so hopefully we'll be able to move closer to whichever school I go to once she is done.

At this point, I think the professors at Scripps match my interests the best, they've offered me the best financial package and have the best name recognition. It's still a bit of a risk since the program on the Florida campus is less developed, but they seem to really know what they're doing.

[waterworld]

As a commuter, it's not a big deal. You learn to work efficiently and productively while on campus, while enjoying your time away from work. It's totally doable.

Regarding the location of your PhD, I think that if you plan to stay in Florida, a Florida school is a natural choice as many people looking to hire will have attended those universities. I think that UMiami is a great choice. Money and new faculty is also alluring as traditionally, new faculty are really exciting in getting research cranked out. Being a California native, I agree completely with what you said about UC Davis skewing your networking opportunities to the west coast.

Good luck with your decision!