More experience vs. Prestigious School

[OwlKirbyPenguin]

Hi there! I'm new to this website and I had a question to you all, that I couldn't solve by searching all the forums or thinking by myself... I want some advice from the people who are actually going through all this.

So my current situation is this: I'm a grad student in Korea, studying Sociology(1st semester). I'm interested in migration studies, and I know that one of the best places I can study this topic well is the US. I had applied for a bunch of master's programs and phD programs in the US last year, and got accepted from all the master's programs that I applied and gor rejected from all the phD programs(no wonder why haha). 

Among the master's programs that I got in, I cannot decide which would be the best for my career, when considering that my final goal is to get a phD.

The first program is MAPSS, and for anyone who doesn't know about this program, it's a 1-year-master's degree program in University of Chicago for interdisciplinary studies for social science students. I know this university is a very well-known, prestigious school, and I'm kinda thrilled to be having this opportunity. However, it's a one-year program. I don't have much experience in my area so far so it feels like in order to get in a phD program in the future, I would need to have a very relevant, preferably long-term experience in my area, which is migration studies. 

Regarding that, the second program might be a better fit for me, which is a 2-year Migration Studies master's program in University of San Francisco. It's no University of Chicago, and I know this university isn't a very well-known school. But according to the school website and my own search, this school has a good connection with lots of local communities, and even undergraduate students join their professors' research often. It seems like I would be able to have good real experience in my field if I go to this school. 

I guess my question can come down to this: when it comes to applying for phD programs, does it help more to have been in a top 10 university or have had a lot of experience in the field? 

 

Thank you so much!! 

[rising_star]

Experience helps more. Have you contacted anyone to get feedback on why you were rejected? If not, you may want to try doing that. MAPSS isn't going to give you time to gain more research experience because it's such a fast program and you could be applying again after just a couple of months there. Would you be finishing your degree in Korea before coming to the US? I ask because another option might be to get a job doing immigration-related research or work for a year or two and using that experience to bolster subsequent PhD program applications.

[qeta]

I agree with @rising_star. Bay Area also houses tons of students/scholars of migration from sociology and other disciplines: not just USF folks, but also people from UC Davis and Berkeley. I have benefitted enormously from this community in my work on migration and citizenship. If you end up going to USF, please PM me and we can chat.

[OwlKirbyPenguin]

20 hours ago, rising_star said:

 Would you be finishing your degree in Korea before coming to the US? 

 

@rising_star  no I wouldn't be finishing my degree before going to the US. Migration studies isn't a strong field in Korea yet, so there aren't many professors who are studying this topic, and even if my university is considered as having the best sociology program in Korea there isn't any professor who is familiar with this topic much. 

@qeta will do  thank you for your advice! I am leaning towards USF cause I think I would be able to have lots of opportunities there since it's Bay Area. I'll for sure PM you when I make a decision. 

[rising_star]

@OwlKirbyPenguin, do you really need someone who does exactly what you do? As long as they're familiar with the theoretical and methodological framework(s) you're using, you should be fine. My dissertation advisor wasn't familiar with my particular topic but that didn't mean that he couldn't help me study it.

[OwlKirbyPenguin]

@rising_star I just thought if I had my mater's degree in the specific department that I wanted to study then I would be having a much closer, real experience in the field. Of course professors in the university that I am currently attending are helpful and I know it wouldn't be a bad idea to study with them, but I thought USF would be a better chance for me.

[rising_star]

So what you're saying is that your current degree isn't giving you any real experience in the field? I would put the onus on you to make that happen, in that case. I'm really not sure what you gain by leaving halfway through a master's program to pay to do another master's and nothing you've said has convinced me that it's the logical next step in your academic career. If it's not a bad idea to study with the professors in your current program, why are you trying to leave? What are you hoping to gain in two years at USF which you can't gain otherwise?

[OwlKirbyPenguin]

@rising_star I want to have experience that is related to my interest and the leading country/community in migration studies is the US. Yes, I can try my best to make the most in Korea in migration studies, but I would get so much more help and more research topics in the US, especially in San Francisco. Also, people keep saying the door to get into a phD program is getting smaller and smaller, so as an international student, if I want to be in a phD program in the US then it would be better if I started studying in the US as early as possible. 

[rising_star]

I still think you're looking at this too narrowly. What will get you into a top PhD program in the US is doing excellent research as a master's student. You can do that from where you are (or, rather, you could if you had any confidence in your own ability to do so). Graduate school isn't about getting help or having someone give you research topics. At the MA level, you get advice shaping your project but it's up to you to identify and develop that project on your own. Surely there is a history of migration into and out of Korea which you could study as a master's student, right?