How to choose? Accepted to 2+ schools

[Tee Ell]

Couldn't find a topic on this for psychology PhD.... I recently just received offers from two schools. Two schools that I like a lot, but for different reasons. Any advice on how to make a decision on which school to go to? Or for those of you who have been in this position before (basically being admitted into two or more top choice programs), how did you make a final decision, what factored into it? I am feeling a lot of weight on my shoulders. I feel like I am going to let someone down since I was a first choice at both schools. As for someone who was rejected last year from all the schools I applied to and interviewed at, I understand how it feels to want someone to make a decision ASAP if you are on the waitlist, so please help with any feedback so I can make a final decision sooner rather than later.

[sackofcrap]

What are the schools? Which is your first choice. Lots of factors go into the decision. Money. Location. Faculty. 

[Applicant38]

I am in a similar situation so I understand the odd and complex feelings that arise from this! I have tried this: Write down the top 10 most important things for you in choosing a program. This could range from anything to stipend amount, geographic location/weather, research fit, faculty/program prestige, various outcomes etc. Then, assign a weight to each factor so that they add up to 1.00 (or 100, however you want to look at it). That is to say, if you think research fit is the most important, you will have to quantify just how much more important it is than other factors. If every factor were equally important, then .1 (or 10%) should be assigned to each factor (this is helpful to know how much higher you should rate one factor you like). Then, rate the two schools on a 1-10 scale with respect to each factor, multiple each value by the weight, sum them up and there you go: an overly quantitative way to look at this problem! I tried doing this multiple times, each time forgetting the factors I created last time and starting all over. This helps show you how much your feelings may change in a given day, week, etc (reliability!). 

In a more comprehensive approach to this problem, I also considered the career paths of recent graduates of each program. This will give you a feel for what the goals of the program generally are. 

Hope this helps! And sorry if it was too elaborate! I can't help it sometimes, which is why I applied to grad school in the first place I guess!

[ihatechoosingusernames]

1 hour ago, Tee Ell said:

Couldn't find a topic on this for psychology PhD.... I recently just received offers from two schools. Two schools that I like a lot, but for different reasons. Any advice on how to make a decision on which school to go to? Or for those of you who have been in this position before (basically being admitted into two or more top choice programs), how did you make a final decision, what factored into it? I am feeling a lot of weight on my shoulders. I feel like I am going to let someone down since I was a first choice at both schools. As for someone who was rejected last year from all the schools I applied to and interviewed at, I understand how it feels to want someone to make a decision ASAP if you are on the waitlist, so please help with any feedback so I can make a final decision sooner rather than later.

Hey there! I'm currently going through a similar process. I applied to about 12 schools, waitlisted at my top choice, and admitted to two great programs. There are quite a few factors I'm looking at (assuming I don't get off the waitlist), but here are a few that come to mind:

• Research fit with professors! 
• Number of publications from students and professors in the program (Are the profs actively publishing? Do they often publish w/ student co-authors?)
• Ability to get graduate certificates if I want to (I would like to end up with both an advanced stats cert and a gender/women's studies cert, personally.)
• Program focus (If I take the necessary classes/internships/whatever, will this program put me where I want to be career-wise?)
• Group dynamics (I visited the schools and met with current students. Did people like it there? Are they friendly? Helpful? Competitive?)
• Funding (Not just stipend; amount of credits they'll pay for, travel funds, summer funding, fees, school supplies, etc.)
• School/Program ranking (Is the school well known? How is the psychology program ranked? Are the faculty known in their fields?)
• Program alumni (Where are past students in my program working now? Academia or Industry? Where do I want to go?)
• School alumni base (Will I be able to network with alumni that may help me find a job/internship/post doc position in the future?)
• The city! (Is it expensive to live there? Will you need a car? Do they have a bus? Can I get the foods/coffee I like? What is there to do on a Friday night?)
• The campus (Too big? Too small? Easy to get places? Places I can get plugged in so I don't feel alone in a new university? What's the gym like?)

And I'll say this only because I'm going sifting through these same feelings too and have to remember to keep my ego in check...but no one is going to be super crushed if you don't accept their program offer. Obviously they would like you to attend, but if you don't they already have someone in mind. This happens every year, and no one is going to be let down if you don't choose their program. Every year thousands of students turn down offers across the U.S. and there is no great academic mourning session...at least that I know of!  

[fuzzylogician]

1 hour ago, Tee Ell said:

I feel like I am going to let someone down since I was a first choice at both schools. 

This is definitely not something you have to worry about. Schools fully expect some students to reject their offers. As long as you're polite, there is no problem. And you worked hard for your acceptances, so you should take your time to weigh all your options, though I think it's admirable and the right thing to do to notify the schools as soon as you have made a decision and you are confident you won't change your mind. 

The decision process is a very personal one, but you also didn't give enough details for us to really help in this case. For me, one major factor was compatibility with the school in general and with potential advisors in particular. Some schools were great on paper but when I visited I didn't feel like I belonged, and other places maybe I wasn't expecting much but I really felt at home. That to me was the most important consideration. Then, for my career goals, placement records were important. I also strongly considered location, because (again) given my career goals, I expected to have less of a choice in where I would live for the first job (or two or three) post-PhD. Since I was only supporting myself at the time, I considered funding only to the extent that I believed it would be enough to allow myself a reasonable lifestyle. I did consider other resources in/around campus (a richer school has more facilities and opportunities in general, being in a metropolitan area also means colleagues, talks, etc. at other nearby schools). In the end there was a school that I felt was the best fit and was at a good location, though it didn't give me the best funding of all my options and didn't have the best weather. Despite that, I am very happy with my decision. 

[Tee Ell]

19 hours ago, Applicant38 said:

I am in a similar situation so I understand the odd and complex feelings that arise from this! I have tried this: Write down the top 10 most important things for you in choosing a program. This could range from anything to stipend amount, geographic location/weather, research fit, faculty/program prestige, various outcomes etc. Then, assign a weight to each factor so that they add up to 1.00 (or 100, however you want to look at it). That is to say, if you think research fit is the most important, you will have to quantify just how much more important it is than other factors. If every factor were equally important, then .1 (or 10%) should be assigned to each factor (this is helpful to know how much higher you should rate one factor you like). Then, rate the two schools on a 1-10 scale with respect to each factor, multiple each value by the weight, sum them up and there you go: an overly quantitative way to look at this problem! I tried doing this multiple times, each time forgetting the factors I created last time and starting all over. This helps show you how much your feelings may change in a given day, week, etc (reliability!). 

In a more comprehensive approach to this problem, I also considered the career paths of recent graduates of each program. This will give you a feel for what the goals of the program generally are. 

Hope this helps! And sorry if it was too elaborate! I can't help it sometimes, which is why I applied to grad school in the first place I guess!

Thanks I definitely might try this. Thank you all for the advice! I know that no one will be crushed haha but I can't help but be mindful of something like this!

[Love3]

I am also dealing with a similar situation. The most important factor that I consider is fit. Does the professor have similar interests? Also, I don't know what field you are in psychology but you should consider your goals and what you wish to accomplish during your studies and once you start your career.

For example, let's assume that you are clinical. If you want to go into academia, make sure the school you attend allows you to extensively produce quality research, publish and present. If you want to do hands on clinical work, take into consideration how many practicums the school provides, where the practicum sites are and most importantly internship placement.

Schools always discuss fit during interviews. You should also be deciding if the school is the right fit for you. In  my opinion, being at a university that will provide all your educational needs is more important that weather and funding. Now if all of these things align than consider everything that is important to you no matter how big or little. I'm considering the overall climate of the program (how nice the faculty and students seem to be), location, funding, etc). 

This has helped me put my decision into perspective. Even though I still have two more schools to hear from, thinking in terms of FIT first has helped me begin to make my decision. 

Good Luck!