Are lower tier schools even "worth it"?

[kgrove]

With the academic job market being so tight, is it even worth getting a PhD from a lower tier (not top 20) school if your goal is to be a professor?  If I don't get accepted to a top 20 school, would it be a good idea to rethink my plans all together?  What are the odds of getting a full time position if you are not in a top school?

[Roll Right]

Every new applicant asks this question. There will be a large share of snooty folks, who are attending top 20 schools, who will tell you that anyone attending a non top 20 school is screwed/inferior and largely unemployable. That perspective is simply wrong. I know many PhDs from non top 20 programs who were hired upon graduation for tenure track positions.

You won't be hired by harvard, but would you really want to work in that atmosphere anyway?

Edited October 20, 2014 by Roll Right

[lyrehc]

There are jobs out there. It really depends on your research. One of the schools I seriously considered was Mississippi State. They are definitely not top 20 but their faculty were very approachable when I contacted them. And for me, in part how I'll be trained is just as important as the school I attend - because my research can make up for "inferiority."

[Karl32]

if you can get admitted from a top 20 program, go and be successful there. If not, try to find a good professor who actually can help you.