What means more - Chemistry Ranking or Overall Ranking

[MadScience]

Hello everyone!

I'm new here and have found reading through old posts to be extremely useful. I am applying to PhD programs for next Fall 2013 semester in chemistry with emphasis on renewable energy work. I have noticed that everyone seems to focus only on top 10 chemistry programs while top 10 universities (ranked overall) don't appear to be too desirable. My question is, do you think the chemistry ranking system is accurate? For instance, what if you were accepted to Duke, ranked 8 overall, but only ranked 45 for chemistry. Do you think this would be a poor choice of schools?

In other words, when considering top 20 overall universities that are not ranked top 20 for chemistry, does it matter in the long run? Isn't a good school a good school no matter how you look at it?

Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

[Quantum Buckyball]

It depends.

If you plan on getting a good job in the industry then focus on overall ranking, business people tends to focus on brand name more.

If you plan on getting a good post-doc job and eventually become a professor, then focus on chemistry program ranking.

If you plan on getting a good job or a good post-doc job, then focus on research fit and networking more than schools' rankings.

Edited November 25, 2012 by Quantum Buckyball

[MadScience]

Makes sense, thanks for the info!

[prolixity]

It depends.

If you plan on getting a good job in the industry then focus on overall ranking, business people tends to focus on brand name more.

If you plan on getting a good post-doc job and eventually become a professor, then focus on chemistry program ranking.

If you plan on getting a good job or a good post-doc job, then focus on research fit and networking more than schools' rankings.

Or just go to Stanford, Harvard, MIT, Caltech, or Cal to cover all the bases.

[Miro]

Other things to consider before decided on a program.

class size, do you want your incoming class to be 100 ppl or do you want it to be 5 ppl

TAing, some lower ranked programs have more students TA

The type of students each program attract. higher ranked program attract some very competitive people. depending on your personality, you can either be miserable to thrive.

personally i went to a lower ranked chem. program but join a very competitive lab that is very well known in BME.

[Quantum Buckyball]

Or just go to Stanford, Harvard, MIT, Caltech, or Cal to cover all the bases.

Puuuuuuh-leeaze, I know you didn't just made it sound like it's so easy to get an offer from top schools like that. Someone's reality check must bounced.

[SymmetryOfImperfection]

ranking is just a number. that said, it tends to be that higher ranked schools have more professors and better equipment to carry out research, and in chemistry, especially experimental physical chemistry you need some pretty high grade items.

[Eigen]

While generally true, when you're applying to grad school you should be familiar enough with the facilities and research that you can compare.

For instance, while my university ranks quite low, we have instrumentation that is among the best in the world in several areas of experimental physical chemistry.

[SymmetryOfImperfection]

now that I think clearly, facility should not be that important; instead look for faculty research.

even in physical chemistry there's alot you can do with low budget stuff like a diode laser, CCD camera and a regular computer. i actually think you learn more from working with cheap equipment than you do from working with high level stuff. on the other hand working with ultra expensive one of a kind equipment might not prepare you for the real world.

IR spectrometers, single crystal X-ray diffractometers, HPLCs, AFMs, STMs, SEMs, fluorescence microscopes, older generation lithography systems, CVD reactors, etc. are also not big ticket items for organizations; they'll be a crushing financial burden for an individual but schools can at least afford a shared analytical or fabrication laboratory for all of these.

I believe the biggest difference might be in biochemistry; it costs alot to order specialized reagents and they're all expendables.

Edited December 5, 2012 by SymmetryOfImperfection

[Eigen]

Oh, I wasn't trying to say that facilities weren't important- they are, at least up to a certain point.

I was just pointing out that there are some lower tier schools with very good facilities, at least in targeted areas.