Comments | nomeda_g: grad school stress

nomeda_g

grad school stress

Feb 28, 2009 15:17

OK, so, I've been stressed and sad about picking a grad school, so I thought I'd share with the few people who read this ( Read more... )

Comments 10

mollishka February 28 2009, 21:58:47 UTC

I don't know how it works in your field, but in mine "silence" usually means "wait listed but we aren't going to tell you." So if you think you'd be uber-excited about going to the silent place, call them and ask and they might be more likely to accept you if you make it clear you want to go there.

Good luck figuring this all out!

mollishka February 28 2009, 23:14:59 UTC

Oh, also:
I go to Ohio State, which most people outside of astronomy would never consider to be a "good school." And many people in astronomy don't either (unless they've visited here), until you start listing people who are here and then they are like, wow. And I absolutely fucking love it here and I'm getting a fantastic education, and I'm really damn glad I'm not some place that has a "better" reputation (e.g., Harvard). So I guess what I'm trying to say is, don't let people's impressions of school names blahblahblah affect you too much.

ms_arithmancer March 1 2009, 00:05:16 UTC

It's good in Math too. (Ohio State, that is. :D )

nomeda_g March 3 2009, 02:00:12 UTC

thanks! it's nice to have this reiterated. i know i should know better, but it's great to have someone actually in this situation saying it. i'm glad you're happy where you are!

ms_arithmancer March 1 2009, 00:10:04 UTC

I totally agree with mollishka, call whichever of the two schools you most want to attend that has not rejected you. :D

It seems to me that either of the two schools you are seriously considering at present will be good. The one thing I would ask about school A, is what is their average time to degree compared to B, and the mystery school you'd love to attend that is not speaking to you at present? It's good they are not trying to push people out the door before they are employable in excellent postdocs, but check they don't keep you around *forever* slaving away.

nomeda_g March 3 2009, 02:01:05 UTC

the difference in average graduating time is a year. school A says approx. 6.5 yrs and school B 5.5 yrs.

ms_arithmancer March 3 2009, 02:46:47 UTC

That seems a reasonable difference to me especially if school A has good placement results.

(The comment has been removed)

nomeda_g March 3 2009, 02:04:07 UTC

thanks for the congrats. yeah, 130 isn't terrible, but having to pay for 2 places, a car and car maintenance would get to be a bit much. we had said that if it came to it, we could make it work, but it's starting to look more and more like i'll just stay closer to boston.

molliebatmit March 2 2009, 02:43:07 UTC

Forget school name -- which school has PIs you'd rather work with? It's the PI's name and work and lobbying on your behalf that will get you a postdoc (in addition, of course, to your own work). It's not the school.

nomeda_g March 3 2009, 02:02:40 UTC

this is good to hear too. i have to say, although some of the other schools i've been to are perhaps "more prestigious," schools A and B had people who got me way more excited about their research than in the other places. i came away from these schools feeling like "wow! between the ppl and the research, i think i'd have a blast in these labs!!"