Selecting Schools on "Fit"

[Cesare]

I have currently selected 11 schools, but the problem is that 9 of them are in the top 15 and the other 2 are ranked below 30. I am trying hard to find lower ranked schools, but I just can't seem to find faculty that match my interests. I selected schools not based on rank, but on whether there is faculty that match my interests (at most of the schools I selected there are 2-3, one or two schools with just one POI).  My GRE scores are 160+ in V&Q, so I know that my application will at least be looked at. What other factors are you using to select schools? How many POIs should one have in the social sciences? This will be my second cycle so I don't want to be shut out again. Oddly, none of the schools I applied to last year are on my current list....

[juilletmercredi]

I actually don't see a problem with that, but I am also of the opinion that one should be aiming for application based upon fit and not so much based upon ranking.  If you have a great file, it will all come down to your work and whether or not you fit in.  You also have to ask yourself whether you want to attend any program that will admit you, or whether you really want to do a specific kind of work, or whether you are willing to make compromises on some areas.  For example, are you willing to work on a secondary area of interest for 5-8 years if you get into a lower-ranked school, just for the opportunity to go somewhere next year?

 

I think in most programs, students have one PI - maybe two, if they have interdisciplinary interests.  I am in an interdisciplinary/joint program, so I have two advisors (one in each department).  The point is to have a choice of at least 2-3 PIs so in case one doesn't work out - she leaves, dies, has a personality mismatch with you, runs out of money, etc. - you can migrate to someone else and still complete your PhD.  I think it's okay, though, to apply to a place that has one person that you are really excited about and another person you're like lukewarm about but wouldn't mind working with.  I would have described my current advisor that way had I even seen him on the website, but not only did his interests listed on the website not accurately reflect the range of interests he holds (our interests are actually MUCH more similar than they initially appeared), but I discovered that I really liked the field in which he worked and my own interests shifted a bit in graduate school.  Plus, he's such an excellent mentor/adviser personality-wise and work-wise that it was totally worth it.

[Cesare]

Thanks for the advice. If I went somewhere to work on a secondary interest, I know the whole time I am there I would be thinking about my primary interest and I would probably be very irritated/frustrated. I know my interests will shift while in graduate school, but I don't think they will change so drastically that I would want to be in a different program. 

[CommPhD20]

Depending on your field, it may be a bad idea to get a PhD from a lower-ranked school anyway. Getting a job is tough and if you compromise on quality of school you'll find yourself fighting for non-tenure positions

[Cesare]

My list of 11 schools has increased to 19. I was scolded for having very few ranked below 20, so I added more but there are about 5 schools that I don't think are a good "fit." She still says that my list of schools is very competitive and that my definition of "good" school is narrow. The rankings of schools that I selected range from 1-40, therefore, I think I am applying widely enough. 

[CommPhD20]

Are you certain that you can apply to 19 different schools without sacrificing the quality of individual applications? Will recommenders be okay with that?

[Cesare]

I've already edited my writing sample, sent my GRE scores, completed the unimportant parts of applications, and completed my SOP. However, I am personalizing the last 3 paragraphs for each school, which is taking a lot of time (working at a pace of 2 schools a week!). Right now I am focusing on the schools that I think I have the best fit with. 

 

I have yet to hear back from my third letter writer (making me nervous, but I did just email him on friday), but the other two were fine with it (probably because they've already written letters for me).

[hesadork]

The rankings of schools that I selected range from 1-40, therefore, I think I am applying widely enough. 

 

You're applying to 19 schools ranked in the top 40?  Insanity.  Seriously.  Applying "widely" is a recipe for disaster in doctoral admissions.  It does not suggest a hedging strategy.  It's suggests lack of clarity about what constitutes "fit" in this context.

 

In my experience, most successful doctoral applicants -- irrespective of field -- can find no more than 6-8 programs that are a good fit given their research interests.

 

An over-broad SOP will be the kiss of death to faculty...

[rising_star]

What hesadork said. We're in different fields but my recommenders thought I was being nuts for applying to 8 programs and all of those were actually good fits. If I looked across the US now, I'd have fewer programs than that because some of my POIs have moved and are at the same place as others, so a school would actually drop off the list.

 

19 is nuts. 19 in the top 40 is even more nuts. Pare down your list.