Inputs on Faculty Position

[Johnny_Boy]

Hi Everyone,

 

For PhD education, how does PROFESSOR reputation or UNIVERSITY reputation play its role for getting faculty positions or research positions at national labs? I chose a university with lesser reputation, though, reputed, over other highly reputed universities but has the best professor in my field along with research I liked the most. Plus I have very high chances of getting papers published at significant journals of my field with the professor I chose.

 

Will the U rep hamper my chances to be a faculty in future as I see graduates of universities (I rejected) being faculties?

 

Thanks

 

 

[TakeruK]

It might depend on field or even subfield, but in mine, I think professor reputation / your research output is more important than university reputation.

But it's hard to say because it's never just one or another. Being at a very reputable university will still be helpful of course, and there are benefits such as: more funding/resources to do high impact science and get published, more funding to go to conferences and meet future employers, more likely that other reputable professors will visit your school to give seminars and thus more chances for you to meet them etc. But if you are at a very good big school, and your supervisor has a ton of students and cannot give you the attention you need to reach your potential and/or does not have time to introduce you to their colleagues / help you get jobs / give advice etc. then that's a big minus too.

 

Similarly, having a well known professor go to bat for you when you are applying to jobs will open a lot of doors, no matter your PhD school was. But there are tons of great reserachers who are terrible advisors/mentors and if they don't help you out in the job search, it wouldn't make that much of a difference that your advisor was really well known.

 

That is, I think having a "famous" university or advisor "on paper" might give you a small benefit for having these names on your CV, but this small difference will be overshadowed by the actions your advisor actually takes and the resources that the University can actually provide for you, as described above. i.e. the real benefit of a "famous" school/advisor is in the resources they provide for you, not just in their name.

Edited May 7, 2014 by TakeruK