<p>
</p>
<p>I would actually say that GPA is about 3rd in importance, unless it’s truly terrible. Research and recs almost always come first, and usually are far away the most important parts of your rec’s. I know plenty of people with near 4.0’s who couldn’t get into any top programs, and I know people with rather middling GPA’s who nevertheless got into all of their top choices. </p>
<p>For example, our eminent poster, molliebatmit, got something like a 3.3/4 GPA but nevertheless got into most (probably all) of the top Biology PhD programs and will be attending Harvard. I know several other MIT engineering students who had lower GPA’s than she did but nevertheless got back into MIT. Their keys were strong endorsements from profs coupled with strong research experience, including, in some cases, publications in top journals. </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I think this actually varies from Ivy to Ivy. Some Ivies are small. Some aren’t. Harvard, for example, is fairly decent sized, as far as graduate schools go. For example, in the year 2006 alone, Harvard conferred 483 PhD degrees. Couple that with “Phd-equivalent” degrees like the Doctor of Science, Doctor of Theology, Doctor of Education, etc. (but not M.D. or J.D. which are obvioulsy not Phd-equivalents), and you are talking about 550 or so PhD or equivalent degrees conferred. That’s fairly large, relatively speaking. </p>
<p><a href=“http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/2006/06.08/42-degrees.html[/url]”>http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/2006/06.08/42-degrees.html</a></p>
<p>
</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I wouldn’t classify such a person as a ‘fool’. I would simply say that different people have different goals. Some people really do just want to go to Harvard just for the brand-name. I don’t necessarily see anything wrong with that, particularly when you consider the fact that obtaining a tenured academic position or a strong industry position is rather difficult in some fields. </p>
<p>Heck, even completing the PhD itself is far from certain, as attrition rates in many programs exceed 50%. If you choose Harvard, you can at least say that, for the rest of your life, that you are a Harvard alumni (as Harvard considers any student who has attended for 1 year to be an ‘alumni’, whether he graduated or not), and you may also be able to pick up a consolation master’s degree, which means that you now have a Harvard degree. What if you turn down Harvard for Stony Brook, and then end up not being able to complete your PhD at Stony Brook? Or what if you actually get your PhD in clinical psychology from Stony Brook, and then can’t get an academic/research position? At least with a consolation master’s from Harvard, you can go off to management consulting or investment banking. </p>
<p>Hence, Harvard is clearly the risk-averse choice. If nothing else, it at least gives you the security of the general brand name of the school. If you end up having to take a job outside of your field, that general brand name is going to be mighty useful. </p>
<p>I’ll give you an example. I know a guy from Turkey who is getting his doctorate at Harvard, even though he doesn’t really think that Harvard has the best program in his field and he got admitted to several other programs that are probably better in his field. He chose Harvard for one simple reason - he intends to go back to Turkey to work, and maybe even one day run for political office, and the truth is, the people in Turkey don’t really know about his field. In fact, hardly any of them know much about American universities at all. All they will see is the Harvard brand name. He told me that the mere fact that he went to Harvard, regardless of whether he even graduates or not, will get him a very nice cushy teaching/consulting job back in Turkey. Heck, even if doesn’t even manage to graduate from Harvard, he would probably still end up with a nicer job back in Turkey than what he could get if he actually finished his PhD at a school that is higher regarded within his particular discipline, but that has a lesser worldwide brand-name. Whether we like it or not, Harvard has the indisputably best general brand name in the world when it comes to higher education. </p>
<p>I would hardly characterize this guy as being ‘foolish’. In fact, the exact oppositie is true - this is a very sharp and shrewd guy. Rather, he just has different goals. Frankly, if I was him, I’d probably be doing exactly the same thing. And that’s the point - different people have different goals in life. Some people really do want to garner the highest possible academic respect within their discipline. Other people want to accomplish different goals. That’s not a matter of ‘foolishness’, it’s just a matter of different preferences.</p>