Importance of prestige.

[mrmolecularbiology]

I turned down a top 5 institution for a top 20 I liked better. Did I just make a horrible Career limiting move?

[KatieC]

I hope it's not a horrible career-limiting move, because I'm planning on doing the same! There's a lot that goes into picking a school other than just its ranking, so if the lower-ranked program fits you better, I say go for it. If you're impressive enough to get into a top 5 school you can probably write a good enough resume to get into a job anyway.

[zabius]

I agree with KatieC. I'd also like to point out that, in most fields, "top 20" is still relatively prestigious. It's not like you declined a top 5 school for, say, a school that just barely made it into the top 100.

 

For my own field (entomology), in which there are only about 28 programs in the entire country, "top 20" doesn't really mean all that much... the #20 school is still close to the bottom of the list. But most fields are larger (with hundreds of programs to choose from), and in those fields any school in the top 20 is still among the best in the country. Sure, a top 5 ranking is better than a top 20 ranking, but "top 20" is still pretty good.

 

That said, ranking isn't everything and often (in my opinion) the rankings aren't even really an accurate reflection of the quality of the programs. A better indicator of that is the overall reputation of your PI and the department's job placement record. Those two things, in addition to the quality of your work, will probably have the largest impact on your ability to find a job later on.

[UpTipp!]

First of all congratulations on having the maturity to make a such a decision. There are many many people who have run off to top 5 or top 10 schools simply because of their name or ranking and have come to rue it later. The most important thing here is to make sure that you made the right decision for you.

 

As the previous poster so astutley pointed out, rankings not all they are craked up to be. Rankings are simply an easily codified way to compare the enormous specturm of programs that exist for any given course of study. But most of the ranking algorithms used by agencies like US News are based on statistical analysis, often comparing apples to oranges and failing to take into account what really matters to students.

 

However it sounds more like your concern is how your choice of school will affect your career. I think what your really worried about is the lack of WOW factor and it's a trap many people fall into. Yes if you go to a top 5, household name school, people's gut reaction will be to be impressed and think you're a genius. But that is as far as it goes, especially when it comes to finding jobs. As they say, the name on the diploma may get you in the door but it is what YOU can do that keeps you there. Employers want people with demonstrably marketable skills and real experience they can build upon. It is far better to be a stand out at a top 20 school with leadership relatable work experience than to be one of the crowd at a top 5 institution. Employers in your field will know the strengths of different programs and will know what kind of schools produce graduates who are trained in what they are looking for. This is what will matter when they hire you, what YOU did at school, not the name on your diploma.

 

If you picked a school that has a curriculum, alumni network, and career development services that are all geared toward what you want, where you can really show your stuff, you made the right decision. And hey a top 20 school is nothing to sneeze at!

 

Here is a link to how US News and World Report actually determines their rankings, which you may find enlightening.

http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/2012/09/11/how-us-news-calculates-its-best-colleges-rankings

[ion_exchanger]

As someone who turned down an Ivy for another institution, I definitely understand. I don't believe that you made a bad decision. I believe the most important part of a school is the fit, the research fit and the personal fit. I take rankings with a grain of salt. With that said, the difference between school #5 and #>20 is not important. What is important that you went with your gut and made the decision that you felt was best for you. There is no fun in being at a school that you only liked while continually thinking about a school that you love. The #5 school thought you were good enough for their program. You will go to the other school with the same amount of focus, drive, and determination that you would have at any other institution that you picked. Your work will speak for itself.

[Deadmeat]

Top 5 for what ranking criteria? There are plenty of ways to rank schools other than US News... Hell how they rank programs is kinda crazy to me (100% peer reviewed score for the major?!?!). 

 

I would use those as 'ballpark' ranking. I'm basing this on Mechanical Engineering which ranks over 150 programs, so anything that is ranked in the top 20 to me felt pretty similar in terms of respect in the field. I even asked professor's at my current school and they said "yah, if you do good work in any of those programs you will get noticed"

 

I think it is a little trickier if you are debating a top 10 programs vs something ranked like 40th. So you should be fine, plus you will be a happier student going where you wanted to go!

[juilletmercredi]

No.  I don't think there's a significant difference in post-grad school opportunities within the top 20ish schools.  What you do will be more important - publish, network, present.