Has anyone liked their program more after starting?

[risingsun11801]

Did anyone accept an offer to a school with some reservations and it turned out better than expected? Is it better to start a PhD program somewhere you're not that excited about or just not go to school at all?

[fuzzylogician]

I am attending the school that was my top choice, but I still had some concerns after I visited about how well I'd fit with the other students. Turned out to be great and I'm very happy.

What is the cause for concern in your case? That is an important factor.

Edited April 9, 2012 by fuzzylogician

[risingsun11801]

Well, my boyfriend and I both feel this way for different reasons about different programs. For his, there are no rotations and he has a faculty that accepted him into his lab but he is worried about being stuck in this lab because the current students seem like they are worked too hard. Plus, they utilize large animals and take care of the animals themselves, which is not something he really wants to do. Also, the lab is located pretty far away from the main campus in an area that can't easily be accessed by anything but a car and he was hoping to bike a lot. For mine, I just didn't feel right about the program when I interviewed. The current students did not seem that enthusiastic and everyone kept addressing the administrative problems with this joint program between 2 colleges in the same university. There also aren't many faculty in the research area I'm interested in. The school is also really far from my family (~2,000 miles, no major airport) and I'm worried about how easily I will be able to visit in case of health problems with my grandparents and mother.

[rising_star]

It really depends on what your reservations are about. To be honest, I had some doubts about the PhD program I decided on but enrolled anyway in August. Those doubts have been reaffirmed throughout my time here but, at the same time, I'm not sure that things would be that much different if I were anywhere else.

[go3187]

Did anyone accept an offer to a school with some reservations and it turned out better than expected? Is it better to start a PhD program somewhere you're not that excited about or just not go to school at all?

I applied to only two universities, ended up at my backup choice. Best thing that ever happened to me! I happen to have an amazing PhD supervisor, who helped me grow a lot (not only academically) since we started working together. I don't know how it would have been at my (then) "dream school", but I have nothing to complain about.