Am I in good shape for graduate school?

collegemom3717
Wed, 13 May 2020 18:38:39 +0000

Those are great additions!

A suggestion for over the next year: figure out the people who are doing the kind of research that is interesting to you. Follow those researchers back to the universities where they trained, and the institutions where they are working now. Research those.

The single most important variable in your PhD is your supervisor, followed closely by the department. When you evaluate prospective programs evaluate potential supervisors - look for alignment with your own research objectives (ideally they will overlap but not be identical), where their grads go, how long it takes for them to complete their degree, etc.

It may be that Columbia, MIT, or Princeton is the best place for you- but you may also find that the right supervisor someplace unexpected. There was a parent here on CC whose daughter did her undergrad at Cambridge (UK), and he was astonished when she accepted a place at a university with a much less fancy name. But her supervisor is a world leader in her particular field, and the work that she is doing is both exciting to her, and setting her up for an amazing career. Keep your options wide open as you explore!