I was told that I should be getting in touch with prosepective PhD departments and the folks I would like to work with, so I've started sending off emails to my heroes. One of the profs here told me to 'look for a person, not a school,' and I think that's pretty good advice, but I feel a little awkward just coming out of the blue and asking them about their programs.
Dr. 'wrote a book that I would have loved to write' would probably be choice #1, but she's at a uni that I don't think would accept me. Well, ya don't know unless you try, right? and what's a hundred bucks or so for the application fee among friends, right?
Dr. 'wonderful researcher but at a uni that I'm not terribly fond of' would be great to work with, but I've heard that grad folks just get completely ground up over there. I think I would be more happy at a less 'prestigeous' school that one of those big name cutthroat schools.
Dr. 'Young and full of incredible new ideas' would be ideal to work with, but he's also at a very top tier school, and is doing so much right now that I probably wouldn't ever see him even if he were my advisor.
Then there are the departments that have two or three people I'd like to work with. Problem is that so would every other PhD applicant.
Then there are the schools that look really great, with really nice departments, but with faculty that don't quite cover what I want to do. I think that's the kind of place I'll end up. It's not such a bad thing. What I'm doing is relatively new, and the kind of mentoring that I need could be done by someone who isn't doing exactly what I'm doing.
The fact is that in all honesty, I would happily anyone's anything for a fully funded PhD slot. Pathetic, but true.
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2 comments:
I don't think any prof (who is worth working with) would mind you contacting them directly at all. There are a lot of factors to consider, but a good match for an advisor is only one of them, although an important one.
What else are you factoring in?
Sounds like the climate of the department matters to you over ranking of program.
Sounds like funding matters, too.
Well, money is unfortunately key. I would really like to at least put a bottom in this giant student load pit I've been digging for so long.
I think advisors and climate are very very important, but if one are the other are really a good fit, the other could be less so.
There are a couple of other things that are particular to the field, but I wont get into that.
If I'm going to be working somewhere for several years, I'd like to be near a biggish city, and I'd like to be nearer family, but honestly, I'll be happy if anyone will have me.
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