Any advice on where an EE Ph.D should go?

[hsiying]

My top school is Stanford but I was only admitted to the M.S. track program there and would need to find an advisor to petition for me if I wished to continue on the Ph.D track. I would love to attend Stanford but unless I were given the chance to get get into the Ph.D track program, it would be difficult for me to pass up a chance to obtain my Ph.D at Georgia Tech, UIUC, Cornell, or Michigan, all of which have admitted me into their Ph.D track program with fellowships/aid and seem genuinely excited for me to come there.

However, I recently won 2 federal fellowships (SMART & NDSEG) and have 2 more pending. I was wondering if this financial aid would enable me to easily find an advisor at Stanford and allow me to pursue my Ph.D there. I sent out a couple of emails to some professors that I would like to work with, but so far they're enthusiasm is pretty lukewarm with no one wanting to make any guarantees until they see my classwork. I almost feel like everyone at Stanford has some sort of major fellowship and so these don't even make me stand out.

Georgia Tech and UIUC have both seemed like really good options for me for a while now. They both have relatively easier Quals to pass, and I have professors at both schools who I would love to work with, but more importantly would also like to work with me.

However, my end goal is to be a professor at a top 10 EE school and after looking at UIUC and GT, their placement of graduates into top tier faculty positions is not as frequent as those coming out of Stanford.

Could anyone provide some advice or insight?

Thanks!

[curious zygote]

If you got those two fellowships you should let Stanford know. I know for a fact that schools will reverse decisions based on funding. I would advise against being humble, send them an email. If you don't have a faculty member at Stanford that you've been in close contact with (sounds like they're "just ok"), send an email to the assistant dean of graduate studies for science. Politely let him/her know that Staford is your top choice, that you got all this funding, that you have other options for a PhD but if Stanford would be willing to re-consider letting you into the PhD program then you would like to attend. I can't say this works for everyone, but it did work for me (I was in a similar position when I applied to grad schools).

The more difficult question would be one of where you really want to go, and if you really think going to Stanford will get you there. Doing great work is key, no matter the name of your school. If you think you'll enjoy living Palo Alto, if you think it is equal in terms of the quality of faculty (not just how good they are in your field, but also how good they are as human beings. Are they going to treat you well?), then it sounds like it's your #1 for good reasons. It sounds like they're not treating you as well as the other schools though. I've had friends get into massive train wrecks by going to the top program and then suddenly finding they hate it because the profs are in-human robots and the area sticks and they work their grad students like dogs etc... I don't think top 10 should be considered above all else, you know?

Good luck. I vote YES to letting Stanford know where you're at. But if you're not feeling like it's a good fit than don't go. There are so many of us here in the Cafe that went to never-heard-of undergrads and are now in Ivy's or top 10s etc. So name isn't everything, I'm sure this is true for post grads too (I worked with a prof at Harvard when I was in undergrad (no, I didn't go to Harvard) and he used to joke that he would never have been accepted to any of the programs there )

[hsiying]

Thanks curious_zygote!

I actually got the response from the admissions office today, 2 days after I emailed them:

"Dear Steven,

Congratulations on receiving the NDSEG and SMART fellowships.

Admission to our PhD program does not depend on students coming with financial support. This year, the number of applicants seeking admission to our PhD program exceeded the number of spots we have available. As there are many exceptional students among these applicants, the competition for admission was extremely intense.

We hope you will consider joining us at Stanford in the fall and taking the qualifying exam in order to join our PhD program. If you decide to enroll in the master's degree program, we highly recommend that you enroll in EE 390 or EE 391 your first quarter here, as it is a research class. Taking these classes will be a good way to meet faculty and get the research experience that many faculty are looking for in students they hire to work with them. This will also help as you petition to take our qualifying exam.

Sincerely,

EE Graduate Admissions"

Do you know if they favor "pre-admitted Ph.D track" students over those who had to petition during the quals process? I heard Stanford Quals were brutal and that around 70% don't make the cut each time...

[curious zygote]

70%??? Geez. That's a bit much! I don't know anything about Stanford in particular, and I'm not sure about profs favoring students who have been pre-admitted for a PhD. This might be a question to post specifically for Stanford or for your field. Also, when I was deciding which school to attend I emailed a bunch of student in the program (randomly, so that admissions couldn't pic the 'happy ones', and swore to total confidentiality and also offered to call). I asked first if they'd be willing to help me out, and then if they said yes I sent them a whole list of Q, everything form 'how do you feel your preparedness compares with students from other schools' to 'do you hate your life?' (or something like that). Maybe you could email a couple of the students at Stanford and re-state your questions to them (???).

If you came out with a really solid masters from Stanford, and didn't continue with their PhD program, do you think you'd be up to applying to other schools etc? That would be the "worst case" if you went to Stanford, and if that is still equal to or better than going to the other schools...

I played the whole 'delayed gratification' thing for a long time though (still do?). I've learned it really is a load. You know? People spend so long being miserable that when they finally do get what they want they literally don't know how to be happy. Is getting a position at a top 10 school right out of your PhD worth the potential damage to your mental health? (I mean, 70%! That's insane). I had a choice between two schools- school A was an obvious choice for my field, and school B was anything but. I ended up choosing school B. A lot of the students I met at school A looked really unhappy, and everyone at school B seemed to be motivated by passion and curiosity. For me, the latter was really important, but I didn't really realize it was important to me until I went through the whole agonizing process of having to choose. I guess it's something everyone has to figure out for themselves. Wish it could be simpler though!

I hope this helps! And keep us updated

[plisar]

Why not stay at Michigan?

[hsiying]

I wanna go somewhere different for grad school, i've been in the midwest pretty much my whole life so I'd really like to experience another part of the country. Plus I figured I would be able to network and meet new faculty and people at a different school.

[yg87]

Hehe I know I'm not being much help here, but I'm in a similar situation with Stanford and gt (minus the fellowship, congrats on that btw). I have no idea which to chose either... im visiting Stanford now tho so we'll see how this plays out...

[studdent]

Stanford is great/the best/whatever!

But you have your own portable fellowships, so you are greater/better/awesome!

Unless Stanford is the only school that offers the type of research you're seeking, you should not waste your time there - working for someone who is not truly - extremely excited to mentor a bright student with his/her own funding and a matching research interest.

What is your main goal? To be a prof? Admitted to Stanford which you did? Or perhaps, to actually enroll in Stanford?

Remember, there are more factors than just PI's reputation / power. Your own performance will probably make a bigger impact in your career, so finding a spot where you can maximize your potential should be your priority. Other factors that might affect your performance: PI's love/attention, departmental bureaucracy, lifestyle-location-cost of living-funding (most well-funded programs will add on top your fellowship for the first year, and match the amount for the remaining yrs).

GL! let us know if any of the profs emailed you and begged you to join their labs.