Faking interest

[katalytik]

I know some people who really are not that interested in a prof research topic but feign interest (the topic is in a similar area of their interest), only to get admitted to Ivy U.

..... and then switch after getting in. Any thoughts about this? Im not sure what to say...... because Im not sure I can do that easily

[socialpsych]

I'm guessing that could lead to some unpleasant situations with the advisor, if the advisor isn't actually interested in what the student switches to doing. And if the advisor is in fact interested in that...then...why not write about it in the first place? I guess it seems like a recipe for bad times to me.

A totally different situation is "feigning" interest in a specific topic when you aren't exactly sure what you're interested in. A lot of people find themselves with more open research interests than the SOP calls for, and they might, for example, represent their interests slightly differently in each version of their SOP to fit with the interests of faculty -- which might really be things that are interesting to them, so the mere fact that they have different SOPs does not mean they are faking anything. Also, once they start the program, many students end up doing something slightly different from what they thought they'd want to, and that's okay too. What I don't get, though, is the situation I think you're asking about, where someone deliberately misrepresents his/her research interests as a strategic move.

[rising_star]

I know some people who really are not that interested in a prof research topic but feign interest (the topic is in a similar area of their interest), only to get admitted to Ivy U.

..... and then switch after getting in. Any thoughts about this? Im not sure what to say...... because Im not sure I can do that easily

That can totally backfire because you may not be able to switch, depending on the situation. For example, my advisor has been very carefully reigning in the number of students he takes in preparation for taking on more administrative and service duties. As a result, he's basically been admitting only one new student for the past few years and plans to take on zero new students in this cycle. BUT, my program admits people to the department and not to work with a specific person. What does this mean? It means people come here, assuming that the person they're initially assigned to based on the interests in their SOP is a temporary person that they can switch from after they get here. Sadly, that's not the case as he is refusing to be the advisor to any of them (though he is more than willing to be on their committees). Basically, there are some disappointed people out there who don't have their first choice of advisor. It's not quite the same as you said but similar enough to be relevant.

[origin415]

Think of it this way: if the school turns you down because they don't believe you would be happy with what you'll be researching when you get there, then you really didn't want to go there in the first place.

Lying about your research interest just helps you (if at all) get into a school whose research interests differ from yours.

[mudlark]

It probably changes depending on the discipline, as well (doesn't everything?). In my department, nobody's funding is riding on who their supervisor is, and nobody's doing the kind of research that needs supervision in the first year. As a result, a lot of people come in without supervisors lined up, and it's not uncommon for students to completely change their focus from the project they applied to do. Heck, I *just* formally lined up a supervisor last Friday.

Trying to deliberately game the system that way is different, but it also sounds like it'd be super hard and not make much sense as a strategy. You would need to know a whole lot of department info--who's taking on students now, how many do they take, are the students they want the same as the students the department wants, is the person you want to switch to taking students, how they feel about switching--that it's really unlikely you could figure out. And even if you did, the applicant pool could throw a monkey wrench into the whole thing (ie you 'feign interest' in the prof you think is the best bet for admission, and then three people with better CVs apply to the same area).

[Qin Shi Huandi]

I wouldn't call it lying, but one of the professors with whom I want to work has a completely different type of historiography than I have ever before experienced . I said on the SOP that I'm really interested in it, when I actually have no idea. He's a really prominent professor and I'd like to try his "system" because it sounds really neat, so I'm not lying, just bending the truth a little.

Now, if you want to study medieval history and apply as an Americanist because you don't have the Latin background to get in but plan on switching later, I say shame on you.

Edited January 17, 2010 by Qin Shi Huandi

[Lauren the Librarian]

If I don't get in to the program I want because my research interests don't match the department's, then I will find some research interest of mine that does match and reapply next year with an SoP with my "new" interests. The program is great, and I know I'd be great. But if the committee isn't so sure, then I'll sure as heck can find a commonality to convince them otherwise.

[peppermint.beatnik]

It probably changes depending on the discipline, as well (doesn't everything?). In my department, nobody's funding is riding on who their supervisor is, and nobody's doing the kind of research that needs supervision in the first year. As a result, a lot of people come in without supervisors lined up, and it's not uncommon for students to completely change their focus from the project they applied to do. Heck, I *just* formally lined up a supervisor last Friday.

Trying to deliberately game the system that way is different, but it also sounds like it'd be super hard and not make much sense as a strategy. You would need to know a whole lot of department info--who's taking on students now, how many do they take, are the students they want the same as the students the department wants, is the person you want to switch to taking students, how they feel about switching--that it's really unlikely you could figure out. And even if you did, the applicant pool could throw a monkey wrench into the whole thing (ie you 'feign interest' in the prof you think is the best bet for admission, and then three people with better CVs apply to the same area).

I agree with this. Also, I don't understand why you wouldn't tailor your project to the resources of the department--it would be foolish not to. So, if you want to study Y, from perspective Z, but the department studies Y, from perspective X, why wouldn't you say that that you want to study Y from perspective X?

If you're a perfect fit, that's great, but it's not always the case.

Lots of profs pursue research in grad school that is not necessarily what they absolutely want to study. When they get tenure, they switch. It's still in the same area, but not the exact same focus.