Top Program vs. Dream Advisor

[HumdrumConundrum]

I love this forum and I wish I had found it sooner!

 

It's getting down to the wire for my matriculation decision. I have two equally appealing (though quite different) offers and no clear way to distinguish between them.

 

A few words about me: I'm a little 'older' (early 30's), which is contributing to my desire to not spend a decade in graduate school. I've been doing research with a government agency for many years and have a PhD project already picked out. I'd like to get a PhD that will prepare me to be competitive for an academic job. I would be thrilled to work in a sociology department, but would prefer an academic job in an interdisciplinary department (my field is one of the following: science studies, environmental studies, population health, public policy, public administration)

 

About my choice of PhD programs:

 

The first department is a top-5 in sociology. It has a diversity of faculty, many of whom do work in my subfield of interest. Though there is no one clear excellent research match, I could easily put together a committee of complimentary professors. The two faculty I'm most interested in expressed suppot of my proposed PhD project, though neither appeared to be head-over-heals enthusiastic about it (in contrast to the second program). Everyone was quite friendly and collegial. Advantages of this department include: prestige in the discipline of sociology, faculty resources, excellent social science training. Disadvantages: Average time to degree in this department is a whopping 8 years.

 

The second department is not sociology. It is an interdsiciplinary institute at an overall top-ranked research university. The institute has a very small number of PhD students, most of whom do not go into academic jobs. Though those who do prepare for the job market are successful at gaining faculty positions in similar interdisciplinary institutes. The huge advantage of this department is that my advisor would be my absolute dream advisor. We get along well, he does work closely aligned with my proposed PhD project, and he is a very very big name in this area of research. Advantages of this department include: Advisor fit, speedier time to degree, good (though narrower) placement prospects. Disadvantages: fewer colleagues, less rigorous academic training, no 'sociological' training.

 

Things they have in common that I cannot use to make my decision: funding is essentially the same between programs, geographic locations are different, but equally appealing.

 

I'm not particularly attached to becoming a 'sociologist'- though I am thrilled that I've been admitted to a top program in the discipline. I know that the conventional wisdom says that a disciplinary degree is going to be more flexible even if I end up applying for faculty positions in interdisciplinary institutes. But, on the other hand, I cannot convey enough how amazing the opportunity is to work with this dream advisor. I know I'll do great work with him.

 

As the time to make decisions draws ever nearer, is anyone else in a similar situation?

[gilbertrollins]

I've considered interdisciplinarity pretty heavily per my interests; I might be able to help some.  After quite a few years walking this path and especially after researching programs and thinking on chances, I'm rather cynical.  "Interdisciplinarity" means to many scholars "fancy way to label things we don't agree with on the fringe of our discipline."  And you're right, I think, to hesitate to go to the niche program because of that.  Programs have tried to emphasize interdiscplinary options at their campuses, and I think this is a great direction for the academy to take.  That does not reduce that it is, professionally, a high-risk and high reward strategy.  It has to be done extremely well.  The distribution seems to be bi-modal.  There are people who connect literatures and rooms of scholars and become extremely salient for doing so -- and there are people who try, fail, and end up cordoned in third tier journals (I'm not married to this assessment and am open to argument against it).  

 

Personally I opted to find a discipline whose methods at least were my preference, so that the warrants for my arguments would be ascertainable to the mainstream of sociology journals, even if the topics I'm interested in are strikingly non-traditional and contentious.  The reverse would have been true in economics, and a half-way house like various political economy programs were not right for me. 

 

If you're absolutely married to your project and you see a trend building around the topic, I would probably go for the niche project.  Personally I can see myself branching more, and want to try to cast a wide (loud? ha) net.

 

Also note that small speciality programs are a different culture -- you're applying to be an apprentice, bottom line.  I've heard, for instance, that Ezra Zuckerman at MIT Economic Sociology is very strictly interested in particular topics and methods germane to his projects -- people who end up not fitting that description apparently do not do well at MIT Economic Sociology.  I imagine that scenario generalizes to other small niche programs, because it seems like a result of the institutional incentives and structure (rather than say, a product of Zuckerman's or anyone else's personality).  You said your potential adviser loves you.  If you hear bells ringing -- tie the knot. 

 

The best way to decide will I think be to have a very frank conversation about this with your potential adviser at the niche program.  It will (1) give you the opportunity to see just how easily you all get on, and (2) likely give you much better information about your probabilities for success in the two environments.

Edited April 2, 2013 by econosocio

[smokeypup]

Honestly, you will have an extremely hard time on the market with an interdisciplinary degree. Only interdisciplinary prorgrams will hire you, and there are far fewer of those than soc programs. Sociologists only hire sociologists (with rare exceptions), whereas interdisciplinary programs regularly hire sociologists. It may seem like a wonderful intellectual opportunity now. But the job market is rough, and it will be very hard to get a job with an interdisciplinary degree. How many (and what %) of graduates in the interdisciplinary program have gotten academic jobs in the last 5 years? And what kinds of jobs? I think a top 5 soc program with relatively good fit is going to give you far more opportunities than the interdisciplinary program.

[gilbertrollins]

^Yep.  I think you'd essentially have to kill it if you went to the interdisciplinary program.  I bet it's like trying to do a degree in comparative literature or something -- tiny and elite club.