acfry36 Posted April 13, 2014 Posted April 13, 2014 Hey everyone, I'm going through the common "X vs Y" dilemma with the deadline right around the corner. Hoping I can get some feedback here regarding my options. My field is psychology. First, I should mention that program X has already sent me an official admission offer, while program Y has only accepted me "unofficially" and is waiting for the entire graduate school to proceed with the admission offers. My potential advisor told me that, although my application has been sent to the graduate school for acceptance, the school has hit pause on all new offers and will only proceed after evaluating the size of the incoming class. I want to wait until things clear up to start worrying about this, but it's looking like I won't have too much time to sit down and weigh my options if I wait for an official decision from program Y. As for a comparison of schools: Program X (one that has officially sent me an offer): - Won't have to move far far away and leave family/friends/hometown behind. - I've received my undergrad degree from the main campus of this school, but the graduate program is located in a less prestigious campus. - I've heard nothing but great things about the PI from others, and I've gotten a pretty good vibe myself. - Research interests overlap with those of the lab, however I will not be able to study the topic I had originally intended to pursue. - There is another faculty member who has experience with my main research interest (who was not taking students this year) and he occasionally collaborates with my potential PI, so I may be able to pursue my main research interests via side projects. - 25k stipend with tuition remission and healthcare, which is decent for my field. - The program is pretty serious about its course requirements. I'm not a fan of this, but I'm coming in with a master's degree, so not having as heavy of a courseload as other incoming students is a possibility. Program Y - Would have to move away from a medium sized city in the Northeast to a pretty big city in the south. I'm fine with living in huge cities, but the distance intimidates me. - I was not invited for an interview, and only contacted a week ago regarding my application by the PI, who seems to update me often, and seems genuinely interested in working with me. I've met him in person last year at a conference, and throughout this process communicated with him over the phone. I've done skype interviews and contacted current students via email to get a better sense of the atmosphere, but I was not given the opportunity to fly out there to see things for myself. - Research fit is better compared to program X. - Seems to offer more opportunities in translational research, which I would definitely take advantage of. - Similar funding, however the 5th year is not guaranteed. - This is a higher ranked program according to US News (top 40) while program X does not break the top 50. The PI here is a bit more well known than the PI in the other program as well. My main concern is justifying the huge move. I'm very content with my life in terms of location and relationships, so I keep asking myself if difference in quality of programs and fit in research is worth it. Honestly, I did not expect to be admitted to either one of these programs so I'm grateful for program X's offer regardless of the outcome. I guess what I'm trying to get feedback on is: Considering my situation, how much weight would you put on ranking of the program and the name of the PI for a future in academia? I don't see myself not enjoying the research interests of my PI in program X, but program Y's fit is definitely better. However, having such small differences with regards to pros and cons of both programs, I also don't want to make such a life changing decision and move away, only to work in a "somewhat" more fitting place. I guess hearing other people's opinions about what matters more to them while evaluating offers would help me decide my own situation. Definitely wrote more than I planned to, so apologies!
bsharpe269 Posted April 13, 2014 Posted April 13, 2014 If you get into program Y then I recommend it. It sounds like it would be a jump for you... something totally different and new. This is probably one of the few times in your life though when you wont have husband/kids etc to worry about in making a decision like this. If the school is a better fit, which is sounds like it is, then I say take the risk and go!
juilletmercredi Posted April 17, 2014 Posted April 17, 2014 Research fit is the most important thing in selecting a graduate school. It sucks to move, but if you want to seriously pursue an academic career, you need to expect to have to move for the good of career. Graduate school is a temporary state of being. I'm in psychology and ranking and the name of the PI do have a significant impact on the types of places you can work, and where you will be offered positions, in the future. In my own experience, my PI's connections allowed me to network my way into an excellent postdoc, and I find out about a looooot of not publicly posted postdoctoral fellowships and other offers through informal channels. Your PI's network becomes your network, so if your PI is well-known, he can connect you to more people. Besides, if the point is to do research, you really need to do research that fits you well as your *main* project, not as a side project.
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