Lower-ranked new school vs. higher-ranked undergrad school?

[Marisa.UVA]

Hey guys! I'm hoping some people have some insight on this.

 

I have been accepted at both the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Virginia for neuroscience Ph.D. programs. I currently attend UVA. My professors are mostly pushing me to choose Pitt, because they feel that it would look better on my resume to have attended two different places (thus having two different experiences, viewpoint exposure, scientific approaches, etc.). But I'm really torn as of right now.

 

Pros and cons to UVA: I love the school. UVA is beautiful, and so is Charlottesville. I love the people and the collaborative, friendly atmosphere in the science dept. There are 4+ labs that are interested in me and that I would be interested in working in (great research fit, as I'm interested in repair and regeneration). The stipend is $27500 raising to $28500 after two years. Cons are that I would kind of like a change of scenery (I don't LOVE C-ville, but I am comfortable here), there are few TA opportunities in my program, and the cost of living is high considering the size of the "city." The program is also very small (only about 6 new students this year), which could be good or bad.

 

Pros and cons to Pitt: I don't know much at all about the school. I did love the people I met, but obviously I am friendlier with people at UVA (just more familiar). It's not as pretty a school as UVA imo, but I felt like it was still nice. It's a bigger place than where I am now, which is appealing since I've never lived in a city and sort of want to experience it. They have a broader range of research with more money overall. There are plenty of TA opportunities, and the cost of living is very low. The stipend is only $26010, but they give you $2000 for a computer up front and pay you extra for TA-ing. The biggest question here is that although I got along with all the faculty I met and thought some of their work was great, there is only ONE lab (that I've been able to find) that is focused solely on repair and regeneration. I am willing to be open to other options, but certainly that's a scary thought to me. The program is much bigger (twice the size of UVA's) which could be good or bad.

 

What do you guys think? Is there a factor I should be weighing more heavily in my decision? I realize UVA is higher-ranked overall and for neuroscience specifically, but does it really matter that much, especially since UVA is my undergrad school?

[TheGirlWhoLived]

I'm considering my undergrad institution for my PhD. I've talked to a lot of people about it, and it seems as though the taboo of having you degrees from the same place is more of a thing of the past. Of course, even though I keep being told this, it still weighs on my mind. But if UVA is a really good program for nueroscience, and it fits well with your research, I don't think it would hurt you at all.

[Bleep_Bloop]

I'm not so sure that having your BA and PhD from the same school is a thing of the past, at least not in my field (which is not neuroscience). I would never consider attending my undergrad for my PhD, even though it obviously offers a great research fit (since I began doing my research with the professors there). It sounds like UVA is the more convenient choice, since you're so familiar with the program and the people, but I would encourage you to challenge yourself in a new environment. Obviously you won't stay at UVA forever, and the experience adapting to a new program will serve you well in the future when you move yet again to find a job (assuming you're pursuing the academic route) and will make you a better, more well-rounded, more flexible academic (I think). If all of your professors are recommending you take the offer from Pitt, there must definitely be a good reason for it. Is going to a different program the only reason that they give for recommending Pitt?

[PhDerp]

Another big advantage is new contacts. You are comfortable at UVA, you know people, and that's great! But you'll get to know a lot more new people if you go to Pitt, especially if the lab is way bigger and they get more grads per year.

[TheGirlWhoLived]

So, I have to agree, all things being equal, the new program is the better choice.

 

It also depends on who you are working with though. Obviously if you are working with a top person in your field, no one is going to care that you stayed at the same university.

 

As for contacts though, one huge reason I am considering staying my university is because I think I would have amazing opportunities to network outside of the university.

 

But I have no idea what nueroscience is like. I could be wrong. And like I said, all things being equal, I think new opportunities is the better choice. But I don't think grad program decisions are ever that simple

Edited February 25, 2014 by TheGirlWhoLived

[Marisa.UVA]

Hmm ok. So I guess professors are pushing for me to get that new experience. One professor told me it will be helpful in getting jobs because it means I'll have been immersed in two different ways of thinking and approaching science. He said the negative thing about staying at UVA is that I'll grow "set in my ways," making me more stubborn and less flexible (and therefore less appealing). 

 

I mean how important is research fit? I clicked really well with some of the faculty I interviewed with in Pittsburgh, and found their research interesting, but it's not in the specific area I'm most interested in. Is that still a doable/good situation to be in?

Edited February 25, 2014 by Marisa.UVA

[Marisa.UVA]

Guys can anyone help me out on one more thing? 

 

I have been looking carefully at my top choice for an advisor at University of Pittsburgh and on Researchgate he seems to have a lot of credibility - 330+ impact points, 2400+ citations, 83 publications...

 

But he's publishing in less-than-top journals! I.e., Journal of Neurotrauma, Experimental Neurology, Biomaterials, etc. 

 

Is this a bad sign for my publishing prospects as a grad student?

[Kleene]

Seriously, one of my profs actually wants me to stay. That's so opposite to what you describe. Anyway, I am afraid I cannot help you with the rest of it. I live somewhere where it is quite common to do you BA en MA at the same institution, sometimes the PhD too.

 

Good luck with the decision! You know what you have now, but if you do not take the leap you will never know what awesome things you could have gotten. (At least, that is what I keep telling myself, lol.)

Edited February 25, 2014 by Kleene

[TheGirlWhoLived]

Lol, mine wants me to stay too.

Can you ask your mentors/profs about this person? A lot of people know each other and can tell you.

I think publishing in top journals is important, but your profs should be able to speak about credibility of the person.

[bsharpe269]

Why did you apply to Pitt to begin with if there isnt a professor with a perfect research fit? I assume the one you mention is a pretty perfect fit and highly respected or else you wouldnt have applied there to begin with?

 

I think there is a pretty negative view of staying at the same school for undergrad and phd. It is very important to get multiple perspectives and experiences. My advice would be to go to the new school if its an awesome research fit or reapply to programs next year that are a good fit.

[Marisa.UVA]

Well I've only talked to my PI so far in depth, but I'll be talking to some more people this week about everything. According to my PI (in reference to my top choice for a mentor at Pitt): He wears clothes from Walmart (publishes in low to mid-tier journals) but people love him anyway (his work is still highly cited)... haha.

 

In response to bsharpe269, I applied to Pitt largely because of this particular professor... AND a few others who were perfect research fits. Sadly, those few others either don't have funding or are retiring this year, which means they're out. I've found a few more PIs whose work isn't a perfect fit, but I'm interested in... which I'm hoping is still a good situation to be in, because I'm really leaning towards having those new experiences for graduate school now.

 

Thanks for all your help so far guys!

[thegirldetective]

Having a little (but not a lot) of familiarity with both programs, here is my two cents:

 

1) I don't think the difference in ranking is all that meaningful. At least based on their NRC rankings, they seem close enough that I don't think there is a big difference in real or percieved quality.

2) I have, in my pre-grad career, done research at several different institutions, and each new one was a huge learning experience. So I'm a big advocate for going somewhere new, but only if you really think you will be happy at the new place. If you aren't sure, maybe try to collect some more data - talk to students about their lives, talk to potential PIs about working style and projects, whatever you need.