Overall Ranking vs. Subfield Ranking

[elipo]

So I know PGR rank isn't everything and that it doesn't necessarily correlate with placement, but it still seems like it carries at least some weight when it comes to the job market. My question is: what if you are deciding between two schools, one that is (much) higher ranked overall on PGR but is somewhat lower ranked when it comes to your AOI? Any thoughts on which to give greater consideration? Does anyone actually care about subfield rankings?

[Establishment]

Subfield rankings will probably be more important for you AOI considerations, but also keep in mind that your overall interests may change thus a school with an overall good ranking will be important. The most direct thing to do however, is to compare the placement records of the professors you'd want to have as an advisor between the different schools and see which one has a better record if they're not both equal.

 

EDIT: Also, fully agree with the below regarding all the finer details to consider.

Edited March 5, 2014 by Establishment

[TheVineyard]

Yes...places do care about subfield rankings. High subfield rankings = well known people that others in the field respect. If others in the field respect them, you are more likely to get a job after working under them.

Personally, I think the devil would be in the details. Just how much higher is the overall ranked one? Just how much higher is the AOI one?

[Griswald]

It's hard to answer your questions because you haven't given us a lot of important details. For example, how settled are you on your AOI? How are the placement records at both schools? Are your POIs taking new students? How successful have your POIs former students been on the job market? How high ranked is the higher ranked school? Are we talking top-10 vs. top-30 or top-30 vs. top-50?

Without knowing all of this, my uninformed preference would be the much higher ranked program, especially because you said it's only somewhat lower ranked in your AOI.

Edited March 5, 2014 by aduh

[philosophe]

So I know PGR rank isn't everything and that it doesn't necessarily correlate with placement, but it still seems like it carries at least some weight when it comes to the job market. My question is: what if you are deciding between two schools, one that is (much) higher ranked overall on PGR but is somewhat lower ranked when it comes to your AOI? Any thoughts on which to give greater consideration? Does anyone actually care about subfield rankings?

 

Personally, I think it's more important for you to be at a school that will make you feel happy and productive -- and one of the main factors in that is finding an advisor (or multiple advisors) in  your area of interest. If the lower ranked school is much better for your AOI, then I would recommend comparing placement records to break the tie.

[Gnothi_Seauton]

I think it depends on two things.  First, how confident you are in your AOI(s).  Second, the placement record of each school for people working in your AOI(s).  Being confident in your AOI(s) seems like a necessary (but not sufficient) condition for accepting an offer from a lower-ranked school (all else being equal).  If, in addition to your confidence in your AOI(s), the lower-ranked school has a strong placement record among people working in your AOI(s), then I think that would be sufficient for choosing the lower-ranked school.  If you are not confident in your AOI(s), I would accept the offer from the more prestigious department (assuming the overall placement record is stronger).  If the placement record for people working in your AOI(s) is stronger at the more prestigious department, I would accept the offer from the more prestigious department.  

 

EDIT:  The qualifier "all else being equal" is important here.  Also consider funding, where you would like to live, the "atmosphere" in the department (competitive, congenial, overly relaxed, distant, helpful, etc.), etc.  

Edited March 5, 2014 by Gnothi_Seauton