Decision Help! 2 Days to Decide

[Ezzy123]

I was finally accepted off the waitlist at a great school yesterday (April 15).  It is my only offer this application season after 5 rejections. The school is in a less-than-desirable location (actually my version of hot concrete hell) and has a somewhat discouraging placement record, so I'm wondering if I should turn it down and put all my energy into building a stronger application for next year (when I would try to apply to at least 10-12 schools). Is this incredibly foolish? All I can hear is the old "a bird in the hand" adage, and worry I'm taking an enormous risk by hoping next year will pan out. 

[echo449]

Can you give us more of a sense of the school? Does it fit your intellectual needs? Does it place people in your field, if not overall?

[Ezzy123]

It's a relatively good fit, however only one professor in the department has research interests that align with my own. 

[rising_star]

I would defer and apply to other schools next year were I in your situation.

[Dr. Old Bill]

Is this a Master's or Ph.D. program? If the former, and if it is funded, then it might be worthwhile to get the grad school experience at a "great school" as a lever into a more suitable Ph.D. program, if that is your ultimate focus.

Like Echo says, though, more information would be helpful!

[MeNotMe]

I'd advise you to wait and reapply, based on what you've said. FWIW, I had a great offer from a strong PhD program this season, one that I was sorely tempted to take, but which was not an ideal fit for my research interests and job prospects. I would have felt "stuck" with that degree, casting my lot with a set of unknowns and uncomfortable compromises that would be on my resume for all time. Because grad school (esp. the PhD, as Wyatt's Terps aptly points out) is so permanent, it only makes sense to accept an offer where you will have no regrets. In my case, the "other" choice was a good school, but the fit wasn't there, and no amount of prestige or wishcasting would make it so. I selected a school that felt right the whole way along, and I'd recommend you do the same. Best of luck, whichever way you go. We're all in for an amazing ride.

[Ezzy123]

20 hours ago, Wyatt's Terps said:

Is this a Master's or Ph.D. program? If the former, and if it is funded, then it might be worthwhile to get the grad school experience at a "great school" as a lever into a more suitable Ph.D. program, if that is your ultimate focus.

Like Echo says, though, more information would be helpful!

 

Edited April 17, 2016 by Ezzy123

[heliogabalus]

That's a good school, and if you applied to it, there's probably a good reason. You might want to think of going there and once you fulfill the MA requirements, see if you want to stay there or switch out,

[Ezzy123]

36 minutes ago, heliogabalus said:

That's a good school, and if you applied to it, there's probably a good reason. You might want to think of going there and once you fulfill the MA requirements, see if you want to stay there or switch out,

Thank you all for your help! 

I already have a master's so there wouldn't be any flexibility as far as switching goes. 

[Dr. Old Bill]

It's a tough one. Rice is a great school, as you say, but if you're not "feeling it," so to speak, then it's probably best to turn down the offer. Still, it's hard to imagine turning down a fully funded Ph.D. offer from a great program unless it was really repellent to you, and as peevish as the "why did you apply there in the first place" question might be, it's also rather valid...

Last year I applied to WashU, even though there was only one person in my chosen field (although he is quite a fantastic person in that field). I would have taken a Ph.D. offer in a heartbeat and figured it out from there, personally, but we're all different people with different takes and experiences. Your gut instinct is usually the best one to follow!

[echo449]

I don't know if you've made any decision yet, but: I would say you shouldn't take it. On dark nights, I find myself thinking of my other choices wistfully, even though I am overall happy with where I am. If you are having intense doubts now, before you've even started? I think that's a good way to set yourself up for a long term kind of questioning that will not be good for you overall. Of course, you know what's best for you, and R*** is not a bad program, and it's even kinda hip these days! So you would not be making a bad decision either way. 

Edited April 17, 2016 by echo449

[Guest]

I think it is a really good program. But I know some people there who have been frustrated with the lack of teaching opportunities. When you go to a non-Ivy school, you absolutely HAVE to get those teaching opportunities because teaching experience is what gives us an edge on the job market. And by "edge" I mean "makes us somewhat viable candidates who have a shot at getting the jobs at the teaching-oriented colleges, as most major R1s will not be interested." (There really is no edge these days.)

From my own experience, I will say that I had major, major cold feet before accepting my only viable offer one year--a funded MA program. It was in a location I hated, and the school's rank was only so-so. It was my absolute last-choice school and I was really torn about going--even had panic attacks in the months leading up to resigning my job and moving. But I went anyway, and I had two of the greatest years I had in my life. But that was only an MA (so I wasn't locked in for five or seven years), and the market was a very different beast back then. But I would have stayed on for the PhD if I hadn't gotten accepted elsewhere. 

Good luck!

Edited April 17, 2016 by my_muse