How much does ranking really matter? (English PhD)

[dignifurfpurfs]

I'm a student coming right out of undergrad. I've been accepted to Tufts with a pretty awesome funding package, and overall the school is a decent, if not perfect fit. I've been waitlisted at UNC Chapel Hill and Boston University, and rejected everywhere else. Needless to say I've been obsessing--over fit, over ranking, etc. So really--for English PhD, how much does ranking/reputation actually matter in the long run?

[GeoDUDE!]

I'm a student coming right out of undergrad. I've been accepted to Tufts with a pretty awesome funding package, and overall the school is a decent, if not perfect fit. I've been waitlisted at UNC Chapel Hill and Boston University, and rejected everywhere else. Needless to say I've been obsessing--over fit, over ranking, etc. So really--for English PhD, how much does ranking/reputation actually matter in the long run?

 

Whats the long run mean?

[HistoryGypsy]

I would analyze your future career plans and think about how competitive of a field you are hoping to enter once you have your PhD. That can give you a better picture of how beneficial the ranking will/won't be in the long run. Also, it's really good to look up statistics for how many of their graduates are finding employment after coming out of their program. Sometimes being highly ranked does not translate to graduates actually getting jobs. For example, Brown is Ivy League, but their American Studies program has a much lower rate of employment after degree than schools like Purdue and Penn State do. So for me, Brown would actually not have been the best fit (had they accepted me). As far as the funding, use that as a lower criteria in your decision-making. After all, it's just temporary -- you need enough to live on, and then once you graduate, you can get a much better paying job. Congrats on Tufts, by the way -- it's a good school!