Which school to select?

[jkathleen09]

I was accepted to two schools (so far- still waiting on a few more).  I'd like to choose between the two of them while I wait for my #1 school- so that they can extend an offer to someone who was waitlisted.

 

School A is perfect in almost every regard.  Good funding, rigorous program, lots of stats classes, close to family.  The main drawback is that I'm more interested in School B's research.  In all other ways though, School B is far worse.  Funding is less secure, it's a pretty easy program with very little pushing, students take their time with some taking 7-8 years, and it's very, very far away. 

 

What do you guys think?  Go with *slightly* less enjoyable research for a more enjoyable program and graduate experience, or deal with greater financial and emotional struggles for a more fun research lab?  A key issue is that neither is really the research I plan to do for the rest of my life.  It's hard to find a program that does the research I want, and those that do are the schools I'm still waiting to hear back from.

[zabius]

If the research at School A is only *slightly* less interesting to you, then you should definitely go with A. The funding, other resources, and location will more than make up for a small difference in research fit. It also sounds like a much better school overall, which means that the job placement for its graduates is probably better too.

 

If you were significantly more interested in the research at School B than that at School A, it would be a tougher choice. But you say that the research at A is only slightly less enjoyable. So, it seems like a clear choice to me-- go with A.

 

As an aside, I'd be wary of any school in which many students finish in 7-8 years. It could be different for your field, but in my field most people finish in 5 years. Delayed graduation times could be a symptom of larger problems with the program.

[jkathleen09]

Thanks Zabius,

 

The time to completion gave me a lot of pause.  I already have my MA, and I don't want to spend 6-8 years finishing up.  I would like to be done in 4 and I think that kinda solidifies it for me.  I just know how important research fit is, so I didn't want to make a rash decision.  I guess I was just afraid that being 1.5 hours from my family was clouding my judgement, but that is how I was leaning anyway.

[ak48]

A sounds like a runaway winner to me.

[JungWild&Free]

Zabius-how would you answer if the research was much more interesting at School B?

[structuralBio]

you sound like you've sort of already made up your mind for school A and are just asking for us to reafirm your opinion. Yes A sounds like the best choice to me. Secure funding carries a HUGE weight in decion making (or will for me).

[zabius]

Zabius-how would you answer if the research was much more interesting at School B?

 

It's hard to say without a little more information. The OP says that School B has a lot going against it: "funding is less secure, it's a pretty easy program with very little pushing, students take their time with some taking 7-8 years, and it's very, very far away." Of those things, I wouldn't really take distance into consideration, as I don't think that "far away" is really a bad thing. And while the fact that it's an easy program isn't exactly a good thing, I'm self-motivated enough that I would just rely on pushing myself to succeed in that case. So, those two things wouldn't really factor into my decision very much.

 

Funding is a big issue, however. If "insecure funding" means "funding isn't guaranteed for the entire length of the program," then I probably wouldn't pick School B, regardless of fit. A PhD program can get expensive fast, and there's no reason to put yourself in a mountain of debt if you've been offered funding elsewhere. In this case, I'd either attend School A or possibly even just reapply next year to different programs. However, if "insecure funding" just means "a smaller stipend," then that could be okay. It depends on the cost of living in the area... if the stipend is enough to live on (food, rent, bills), then it's good and I wouldn't necessarily hold that against School B if it had other things going for it (like a great research fit). It's not as cushy as a fellowship, but it would be enough.

 

As I mentioned earlier, knowing that many students at School B take 7-8 years to graduate would make me wary. In my field, most students finish in 5 years (or, in rarer cases, 5.5-6). Delayed graduation times can be due to a lot of things, but one of them is a lack of guidance by one's committee. It could also be due to a lack of resources at the school that the students may need to finish their theses. If School B seemed like a really good fit, though, I would bluntly ask my POI or the DGS there "why do many students extend their research into a 7th or 8th year?" The answer would likely shed a lot of light on the situation. If it is indeed a matter of poor guidance or lack of resources, I'd not choose B. Of course, no POI/DGS is going to say "students take a while because we're known for crappy advising," so one would need to read between the lines.

 

I guess, if the research were far more interesting at School B, I'd look more carefully into the funding situation (is it guaranteed? is it enough to live on?) and the graduation times (why the delay?) before making a decision. Other things that I would definitely check include the job placement record at School B, the connections that my POI has, and the department as a whole (is there a viable committee for me there? Would I have a "backup" lab if I ran into problems or my interests changed?). Then I'd use that information to make my decision. In my opinion, research fit is one of the most important factors, but it's not the only factor to keep in mind. If the funding just isn't adequate, then I won't consider the school. If the environment is unsupportive and the graduates don't tend to land good jobs, then research fit doesn't matter much as I'd likely be unhappy there and wouldn't have much to show for it upon graduation.

 

That's my take on it. Consider all of the factors that matter to you, and try to determine how important they are in relation to research fit. 

 

As it turns out, I'm sort of in a similar boat. Of the two programs that I am most interested in, one is a fantastic fit but in a mediocre school overall while the other is a good-but-not-great fit in an excellent school for my field. I'm leaning towards the second (mostly due to funding and job placement), but haven't made my choice yet. In my case, I know that I'd be happy at either school, which makes this both harder and easier in some respects. The OP, in contrast, sounds like she would have been much less happy at School B than at School A.

[JungWild&Free]

As it turns out, I'm sort of in a similar boat. Of the two programs that I am most interested in, one is a fantastic fit but in a mediocre school overall while the other is a good-but-not-great fit in an excellent school for my field. I'm leaning towards the second (mostly due to funding and job placement), but haven't made my choice yet. In my case, I know that I'd be happy at either school, which makes this both harder and easier in some respects. The OP, in contrast, sounds like she would have been much less happy at School B than at School A.

 

Agreed, I'm more in your boat too. 

 

It does sound like the situation of the OP is much better at School A.  I have been told by everyone to pretty much disregard funding as long as it's enough to live on in the place you'd be moving. 

[jkathleen09]

Some of the finer details:

School B takes longer to graduate because

1) They aren't being pushed, and they aren't pushing themselves.  One of the students that showed me around was in year 3 and had yet to propose his Master's thesis.

2) They get part time instructorship in year 3, and they are required to teach 2 sections instead of 1.  That adds a lot of work load.

 

School A has a lower cost of living plus no tuition.  School B requires paying in state tuition.  That, combined with the lower assistantship and the fact that "budget cuts" were mentioned multiple times over the interview weekend and that many other graduate programs are in the process or have already closed gives me great reason for concern.  The chair of the department said that they were not at risk of being closed though.  I would have to take out loans at School B.  School A would mean no loans.

 

Another issue is that I've been in a Master's program, and I know how demanding it can be.  An indicator of rigor for me is how many students are in relationships.  About 70% of School B students were in relationships.  Only 1 student at School A was in a relationship because "the program is too intensive for a relationship."  So, I feel like school A would be more likely to give me the skills I need to become a better researcher.  I'd largely made up my mind, but I was concerned that my desire to be close to my family was clouding my judgement- so I wanted some extra opinions.  Thanks for the help guys, I feel a lot better about choosing School A now. 

 

EDIT: Also important to note, School A has funding guaranteed for 5 years while School B can only guarantee for 4.

Edited March 5, 2013 by jkathleen09