Stellar adviser vs. brand name school

[eyeso]

I would like to ask y'all's opinion on the adviser vs. school name dilemma for getting a PhD in art history. Although there are some specifics to my story, I think this issue is something people across the board can sympathize with or have given some thought to, so I would really appreciate any and all opinions you guys have!

 

Here's my situation:

I intend to get a PhD in modern/contemporary art history of a rather obscure non-Western geographic region. I am choosing between two programs:

 

1. School X, one of the so-called "Public Ivies"

School X is where there are two professors working on art of the region I'm interested in--one doing pre-modern and the other doing modern/contemporary. The former is an established full professor well known in the field, while the latter (who would be my adviser) was recently tenured and considered an up-and-coming scholar in the field. There are also several graduate students working in closely related areas to my research interests; many of these students said that they turned down other brand name schools to work with specific professors at school X. Being a state school, the annual stipend at school X is considerably lower than at school Y (the difference is more than $5,000).

 

2. School Y, one of the most highly regarded universities in the Ivy League

School Y has a strong modern/contemporary art program heavily concentrated on Euro-America, but no one working on pre-modern/modern/contemporary art of the region I want to study. Students working on non-Western modern/contemporary at school Y have warned me of the challenges I might face, but also note that school Y--being much more well endowed--will be able to support me in whatever line of research I would like to persue, although I will have to be resourceful and striking out my own path.

 

I understand that the quality of the dissertation and my development as a scholar are some of the most important factors to consider when picking a graduate school, and with these criteria, there is no doubt that school X is a better match. But the issue is that ultimately I intend to return home (the geographic region I am studying) to work as an arts administrator, and there, everyone knows of school Y but very few people have heard of school X. Name recognition would not be as much of an issue if I were thinking of staying in academia, but with my hopes to get into national arts administration and policy work, a lot of the people I will be dealing with (including the people hiring me) will not necessarily be familiar with scholarship in art history or how awesome professors at school X are, and this is where the brand name factor kicks in (as superficial as that sound, it is the reality).

 

My intellectual side tells me that knowledge is power, and the success of a scholar lies in his/her work. But outside academia and outside the US, prestige and networks are still the things that get people jobs. Investing in becoming a stellar scholar can carry me far on the long haul, but so will investing in a stellar brand name.

 

For the people on GradCafe who had to make a decision similar to this in the past, what did you end up choosing and are you ultimately happy with that decision? Or anyone else out there currently facing the same issue?

Edited March 29, 2013 by eyeso

[midnight]

This may be an unpopular opinion here, but I personally think School Y makes more sense for you from an international perspective. Also, I assume that since School Y accepted you, they believe in your ability to pursue the work you're interested in and believe that they can facilitate your studies on some level as well. Fit is not taken lightly in graduate admissions.

 

However, I think you will be more than fine whichever school you choose. They both sound like great opportunities.

[lypiphera]

I was going to say School X until I saw that you don't plan to stay in academia.  As you've said, outside the field where people know specific professors, the brand name of a school can help you get a job.  It does worry me that they have no one studying the area you are interested in, BUT, if they know that's what you want to do and are willing to support you, I think it's okay.  I would ask your potential advisor(s) at School Y to make sure they are okay with you pursuing the region you want, but I would also make it clear you are open to other areas.  You seem to have a clear idea what you want to study, but many people change their mind in graduate school.  

[fuzzylogician]

I'm with the previous posters. In your situation, I think I'd choose school Y.

[eaboo316]

I agree with the posters above as well.  I am in a very similar situation as you are (regarding the difference in stipend, research fit, basically everything), and because I may want to pursue a career outside academia (and for various other reasons as well), I am deciding to choose my equivalent to your school Y.  It also may be helpful to e-mail your potential adviser at school Y to see if they would be able to really help you facilitate your studies if that would ease your worries.  I feel much better about my choice now after e-mailing my adviser and having them tell me that they are confident that I would be able to study what I am currently interested in.

 

I also agree with midnight streetlight, in that they would not have accepted you into the program if they did not believe they could help you with your research.  Graduate school admissions are very selective (as I'm sure everyone knows), and Ivy schools even moreso.  Based on that fact, I believe you would be able to study what you're interested in.  It's also great you were able to talk to current students who study the area you want to research, because if you choose to attend school Y's program, they will be a very valuable resource for you in terms of advice and mentorship.

 

Good luck with your decision!  I know it's very tough to make a decision based on these factors, but be confident with whichever school you decide on and I'm sure you will make the best choice for you.