Overcoming low ranking?

[Provincial Cosmopolitan]

Hey all, I have a question and I'm hoping that someone can answer it.

 

I was accepted (so far) to three programs in political science. I'm trying to decide between a couple schools. The thing is, one is much more highly ranked than the other, etc. However, the school that is less highly ranked - maybe in the 60s or 70s - seems to be much more of a fit for me than the school that is higher ranked. I'm thinking of going to the school that is a better fit (and is in a cheaper location, making my stipend stretch further).

 

Here's the question: What can I do along the way to improve my employ-ability after I attain my PhD? How can I overcome a lower ranking?

 

I'm pretty ambitious, at least when it comes to school. The stipend, a small amount of federal loan money, and some work in summers should hopefully add up to what I was making working full time before. When I was an undergrad, I worked full time and went to school with an overload (officially) of courses, including some graduate level work. I feel that without having to work full time, I should be able to really put a lot of time into school and research, and am pretty excited to do so.

 

Given all that, are there things I can do that will help me in five years or so on the job market? Publishing papers, conferences: I assume the department will help with this stuff, or at least point me in the right direction, but will doing a lot of that help my resume?

 

I'm really in love with the department, from what I know of it - I'm planning to visit shortly, and I hope to accept their offer if it's as I expect (It's a school I already know well, given that I happen to have friends who went there for grad and/or undergrad work).

 

This is a crosspost from the "Decisions, decisions" forum, as I wasn't sure which was the best place to post this question.

 

Thanks in advance!

 

[PoliSwede]

Hey progress

 

It all depends on what type of career that you are planning to have after you're done with your PhD. It sounds as if you want to go into academia? If so, publications and conference presentations are going to be extremely important. For example, one of my (former) professors in my MA program came from a program that is ranked around the 50-mark. He finished his PhD with 4 publications and had several job offers when he went out on the job market. He has now accepted a job offer from a PhD-granting institution and is moving on.

 

Now, if you're expecting to receive job offers from Yale, Harvard etc. you probably shouldn't attend either of those programs. Schools tend to place their PhD students at different tiers, and one can only do so much to improve your resume with publications. "Pedigree" will still matter a whole lot.

 

If you're able to visit all three of the schools, I'd definitely do that. Try to figure out where you will be able to co-author with faculty, receive funding for conferences, etc. Then see how the school that you're currently in love with stacks up against the others.

 

Good luck!

[GopherGrad]

I agree with Lemeard, but I'm going to put it more bluntly.

 

You need to look at the placement results of both schools and ask whether the lower ranked school has a history of providing that result. If it doesn't, you don't go. Period.

 

Ranking is not everything with respect to prestige of placement. Prestige of placement is not everything with respect to happiness. But if your "ambition" maps on to a general sense of what most people see as "better" placement, and the schools you're talking about are 20 or more ranks apart (instead of half a dozen or something) you'd be sort of crazy to turn down the higher ranked offer. Being poor sucks, but live on raman a bit longer if that's what it takes.

 

Now, if the lower ranked school can realistically provide the placement you want and offers better fit and a higher standard of living, then it's a no brainer to take the lower ranked offer.

[eponine997]

You need to look at the placement results of both schools and ask whether the lower ranked school has a history of providing that result. If it doesn't, you don't go. Period.

 

Ranking is not everything with respect to prestige of placement. Prestige of placement is not everything with respect to happiness. But if your "ambition" maps on to a general sense of what most people see as "better" placement, and the schools you're talking about are 20 or more ranks apart (instead of half a dozen or something) you'd be sort of crazy to turn down the higher ranked offer. 

 

^ This.  

But also consider what "fit" really means.  Does it mean there are one or two people on faculty whose work inspired you to become a political scientist to begin with?  Or does it mean a place where you have a lot of options in terms of people who might share SOMEWHAT (though perhaps not perfectly) close research interest and methodology?  If for you, "fit" means the former, you could be in a predicament if those people should leave during the 5 years you'll be spending at the program.  Going to a more highly ranked program usually means even if you don't have an advisor who LOVES you/your research, you still have the resources of a (more) reputable institution when it comes to placement.  

Does "fit" mean your POI's at one program responded to your emails while, those at the other program did not?  Keep in mind the impressions you have of them at this early stage in the process (you are not even there yet) may not reflect the type of support you'll actually receive or how well you will really get a long with them.  

 

I would imagine you have some dimension of "fit" with the better institution, because they bothered admitting you.  My understanding is that if there is truly no one there for you to work with or no one who shares your interests they'll reject you no matter how great your application.  Comb through the CVs and bios of the faculty at the other institution, see if there is something you might have missed.  

 

Also, whatever relationship you have with your advisor its usually not more than a 15 minute meeting every 2-3 weeks.  What also matters are the classmates you surround yourself with (which tend to be of higher quality at a more highly ranked program), you will do a lot of your learning from them, in seminars, with coauthoring, etc.  

 

- At my terminal MA program, I learned a couple of these things the hard way.  I had the two most appropriate advisors leave during my thesis-writing year, which made things much more difficult.  Also, as much as I do feel I work better on my own, multiple professors/instructors have told me that my education has probably suffered due to the program's decreasing size and the fact that no classmates share my interests.  

Finally, consider what you mean by "employability" if you want a tenure track job, pedigree matters (in one way or another).  If you are planning on working at a think tank or for Congressional Research Services or something similar, a more lowly ranked "policy-oriented" school in DC might be a better choice than a highly ranked program in the middle of nowhere because you'll have more opportunities to network and intern.  This is worth considering as well.  

[3221]

If one is much more highly ranked than the others then you should go there for the reasons stated above.

[clangeroo]

If one is much more highly ranked than the others then you should go there for the reasons stated above.

 

I don't think that is what they were saying above. Ranking is not as important to every candidate. They should weigh their own pros and cons -  yes ranking is a large factor, but it is just a factor amongst many, and you can't say it trumps everything.

[uflkel]

Some would argue that ranking is arbitrary once you get below the top 25. I turned down an offer to higher ranked school so that I could study with my advisor. I had to sacrifice a department with a strong quantitative program, but I am taking classes in the stats and economics departments here to compensate. 

 

Where are you going to be happiest? Attrition is high in Ph.D. programs and people who are unhappy are much more likely to not finish (or so I'd think). 

Best wishes.