Grad School ranked lower than undergrad

[ReJoyce]

So I went to a prestigious undergrad R1 university where I am currently finishing up a BA degree. As everyone knows, the economy was terrible this year, programs cut back admissions, the number of applicants increased dramatically. As far as I know, I did everything right. Published articles in two prestigious journals, interned with publishing hourses, did major translation work with a prominent academic press, had a great GPA. And behold I was waitlisted then rejected from all but 1 school I applied to... which as you may guess from the title, is ranked significantly lower than my undergrad institution. I don't have a problem with the ranking per say. But every time someone asks me where I'm going and I tell them, I get the eye-roll! Every time! My thesis adviser said I must be joking and that I should just reapply next year with a different sub-specialty in mind. I'm afraid though that if I wait another year things are going to get even worse. Then again, the program I'm considering doesn't have good placement records and they're known for assigning impossible teaching loads. What do you guys think? Do I wait another year? I'm just afraid I won't be able to find any sort of job coming from this grad program

[sunbabygirl]

I think that it's not the program that makes you great, it's you and all your hard work. Where is the guarantee that the next year is going to be more successful? My main concern is whether or not you get funding from the program that accepted you. If you do, you should go there because in the end it's all not all about the titles and the prestige. It's about who you are and what you can do in that field. If you are a diamond, you'll shine through!

[fuzzylogician]

You need to do some soul searching. You sound unhappy with the school that accepted you, but I suspect at least part of it is due to the shock of the results and the way people react to your decision, not really because of objective factors. You need to decide if you could be happy going to that school and it if can give you the kind of education you want (are you funded, btw?). A poor placement record is a concern not to be taken lightly..Is it based on how recent graduates are doing or on less recent statistics?

Your credentials sound like you should have done better than you have--do you know what went wrong? That will be key in deciding whether it's worth reapplying next year. Can you get feedback from places that rejected you so you'll know which parts of the app to work on (maybe you didn't do a good job talking about your past work or connecting in to your future goals? Maybe a one of your letter writers gave you a bad rec)? Does your thesis adviser have an idea why you weren't as successful as you anticipated? It does sound like you did everything right preparation-wise, so I'd be wary of reapplying without having a clear idea of what to improve next year.

[ReJoyce]

Yes, I have a pretty good idea of what went wrong. I applied as a modernist (yes, ReJoyce refers to Joyce) and they are not looking for modernists. In fact, at this moment, departments are so overwhelemed by modernists which they cannot place, that they're not willing - apparently - to take any more. Also, I was competing against people with MAs, people who are much older than me and with that 'life experience' that all grad committees cite as an important factor. Also I think I didn't apply to enough 'across the board' programs, by which I mean programs that are solid but not extraordinary. The program is a standard 5 yr package of 18k, though that doesn't go very far in a big city. Completely understandable though, since it's a state school (part of the reason people might be rolling their eyes is precisely this - you wouldn't believe how much they look down upon non-ivys, which is plain stupid). Placement record is indeed abysmal, though I've seen one or two profs from there on the faculty list at Yale and Brown. There is also a positive factor in that this program really wanted me. The director called a couple of times to ask if I had any questions or wanted more info and they seemed super-pleased that I was considering. I was thinking of perhaps giving it a shot and transfering or opting out after the MA if it proves to be a bad deal. I don't know.

[liszt85]

I was thinking of perhaps giving it a shot and transfering or opting out after the MA if it proves to be a bad deal. I don't know.

This seems to be a good idea. You may end up loving it for all you know. If you think you can do stellar work there, its only your work that will count in the long run. Getting a job will mainly be based on how good your work has been. With your background, it looks like you will have no problems producing good research work. You can always use that to apply to a relevant post doc position at a good university after your PhD and then direct your career in whichever direction you deem fit at that time.

[twocosmicfish]

It sounds like you made a very common mistake in the application process: you applied to schools to which you would not be happy going. You are now in the awkward position of having only been accepted to a school you really do not want.

There are really three big issues here: (1) Where you will be able to study the subject of your choice, (2) where will you be happiest and most successful during grad school, and (3) which school will get you the job you want?

(1) If you still want to remain a modernist, you either need to go with your current option or else defer to next year with na improved package. If you were waitlisted at those schools you were at least in serious consideration, so you may need only a small improvement to clear the bar. You will need to have some serious discussions with your advisor and (preferably) advisors at your schools of choice to see if this is realistic. It does sound like you could switch focus and be admitted next year, but only you know how important the specificity of your field is to you.

(2) With your background, are you going to be happy and successful at your current school? While they will likely shower you with attention and assistance, will you still feel like you "lost", especially a decade from now? Remember that you will get one chance only to change your mind - bailing out after the masters - but once you have your degree, there are no do-overs. Make sure you get it right, or you'll wind up that bitter guy who never got what he wanted.

(3) Whether you want to go into academia or not, you need to know where you want to go and which shcool will get you there. A PhD in humanities from an Ivy will usually take you whereever you want to go, even in areas only peripherally related to your thesis. A PhD from a state school, especially one without a strong rep in your field, means a harder time getting a job from anyone not familiar with your thesis. So it is not just about placement rate, but more about placement distribution - where do the grads go?

[Stories]

1.) Will you be able to improve your application next year? If you can't improve it, don't waste your money reapplying and go to school now.

2.) Who cares what other people think? Are YOU okay with going to this school? If you're not then don't bother.

3.) Not to be an ass about it, but no matter how good your undergrad GPA was, no matter how great your GRE scores are, no matter what you've published and have done, you are not guaranteed acceptance anywhere. Everyone that applies to PhD programs are going to be super qualified. You'll be 1 of 400 applicants with similar qualifications, this is even more true of "elite" level schools.

[Lex]

My advice, for whatever it's worth, and all assuming ReJoyce is a traditional-age undergrad with no family to support:

• Don't go directly to grad school. Get out of academia for a couple of years and figure out what it's like. Maybe you actually really like supervising people and are good at it. Go do the random pipe-dream stuff that you absolutely won't get to do once you're 30 and have a Ph.D. and need to stay on the academic track. Don't reapply next year - reapply in 2-3 years. I really think most people are glad they took a couple years to play around.
  
  Don't go to a grad school with a crap placement record, unless you have no other options. ReJoyce, you have other options, especially if you're a traditional-age undergrad. You know something you can change about your application.
  
  Network during the year before you apply. Visit the schools, talk to the professors about what they're working on and whether you're a good fit for the program, and ask who else you should talk to. Three days/school at the places you're really interested in makes sense, especially if you interview well. Then when they see your application, they remember how great it was to talk to you, and you're more likely to get in.
  

If you're unenthusiastic about the program to start with *and* they work their TAs really hard, you're probably not going to be happier when you get there.