Top Biochemistry Schools Anyone?

Phead128
Fri, 18 Jul 2008 17:13:59 +0000

Does producing 1% more pHD graduates mean much? How can you take such a difference and use it to compare undergraduate schools?

Most of those schools only differ by 0.1% is marginal at best.

My question to you is this. Whose decision is to to pursue a higher degree of education? Are you basing your assumption that if everyone in that undergrad person wants to apply for a graduate degree, pHD programs would cherry pick from the best schools with the best programs.

That is not the case. Its mostly individual decisions that govern whether or not they even decide to get a pHD. Its like not quality of the program dictates whether or not they will get a pHD. Its the tendency for schools to attract students who want to rigorously apply for and get a pHD in the first place. With that said, it shows that certain schools have more students with the mindet of getting pHDs, not the list of schools the are the most successful in getting students into pHDs. Two very different things.

One example can be ou can have an average program, but the school is filled with students who are likeminded and many people want to pursue a terminal degree. Given the larger applicant pool from this particular school, you may have a significantly great chance of producing more pHD students just by the volume of percentage recieved. Quality may play a role, but that cannot be the only inferrence that can be made from this list. Is it because these schools attract bright minds to want to become pHDs to begin with? Could be as well as quality of the program. It could be both.

I agree that faculty productivity ranking may be an even worse proxy. It is atleast a biochemistry ranking lol.