I was recently contacted by someone who's planning on writing a book about getting into ivy-league schools, who found me through my How I Got Into the Stanford Psychology Ph.D. Program website. He asked me for some thoughts for his book, and perhps I'll end up contributing a short piece. In the meantime, here's what came up when I was thinking about it - it's been on my mind for a couple of years now, and it's nice to get the opportunity to actually spell it out.
Everybody Wins
Where do You have a better chance of being accepted - in a top-tier, prestigious program, or in a mid-level, reasonably good program? Hint: You may be in for a surprise.
My sense is that fewer people apply to very prestigious programs than to less prestigious programs. Most people simply never apply to the big-name programs, having been intimidated by the name or the (imagined) prospects of succeeding. I almost didn't apply to Stanford, by far the most prestigious of the places I was looking at, simply because I thought I wouldn't stand a chance of being admitted. I remember one friend, who believed in me more than I ever believed in myself. When I wondered aloud if I should apply to Stanford, my friend looked at me with some sympathy and said "Eran, come on, be realistic" - the only time I can remember that this friend ever expressed any doubt in me.
Relatively few people have been applying to the PhD program in psychology at Stanford, at least while I've been there. The same is true for other prestigious awards and fellowships - the really big ones seem to receive fewer applications than others. To this day, when I apply to less prestigious programs, I often get cut on the first round, while the more prestigious awards or programs give me more consideration.
The bottom line is this: If You want to be absolutely certain that You won't get in, don't apply. Otherwise, give it a try. You have nothing to lose (if application fees are a problem, most universities will be willing to help You with those), and a lot to gain. The universities will also profit from receiving more applications from more diverse applicants, and not just the people who have gone through the cookie-cutter process (graduated from top schools with top grades, worked as research assistants, applied to graduate school, yaddah yaddah...). And last but not least, You'll probably be facing less competition.
Go ahead, aim high. Surprise someone.
1 comment:
Hi Eran,
Your story gives me much hope in applying to PhD programs. I also have a B- average (about a 3.0) from my undergrad experience but I have taken many steps to counter that: research in my area of interest for 2 years, 2 first author papers published, I have retaken a couple classes that I did poorly in and did well this time around. I have yet to take the GRE but I am studying so hopefully I will do well. There is still however, a real anxiety feeling that I will not get accepted anywhere I apply. But reading your story gives me hope and inspiration that I will get in somewhere. So thank you for putting your story out there!
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