<p>Assuming the BEST case scenario (that I get accepted into all of them), which graduate school is considered the most prestigious and will increase my chances of getting a job? I plan on going straight into the phD program in Immunology.</p>
<ol>
<li>University of Alabama at Birmingham</li>
<li>Baylor College of Medicine</li>
<li>University of Florida</li>
<li>Emory</li>
<li>University of Texas Southwestern--Dallas</li>
</ol>
<p>Please rank 1-5, keeping in mind the overall quality of the science phD programs (especially Microbiology, Immunology, and Genetics)</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>Here’s a link to the recently released NRC rankings for grad fields: [Tables:</a> Doctoral Programs by the Numbers - Faculty - The Chronicle of Higher Education](<a href=“http://chronicle.com/article/Tables-Doctoral-Programs-by/124789/]Tables:”>http://chronicle.com/article/Tables-Doctoral-Programs-by/124789/)</p>
<p>Keep in mind that graduate program “ratings” aren’t necessarily linked to success or a good fit. Your PI is likely to be the person who most shapes your experience - You could go to a top rated school and still do poorly if you’re not a good match. Good luck.</p>
<p>Thank you for the site. Looks like Baylor may be the best and Florida may be the worst. Unfortunately I was hoping this would be opposite (I would LOVE to live in Florida, and I love their curriculum)</p>
<p>If anyone has any input, it would be greatly appreciated. Is UF a great school? How will it look having a phD from UF vs a phD from Baylor?</p>
<p>It’s not about which graduate school is most prestigious, it’s about which lab you join and whether the PI of that lab is well-known and well-connected in the field. </p>
<p>You should be thinking about labs and about the quality of the science at each place, not about some general prestige of the program.</p>
<p>You could go to the best school and be miserable, which could hurt your grades and motivation. You could end up with an advisor that has little time or interest in you. In that case, the “best” school could provide you with the worst experiences before entering employment. You need to find a good match between yourself, your interests, and your advisor. The happier you are, the more likely you are to be productive - and THAT will help you to gain employment more than the name of the school you attended. </p>
<p>I am familiar with someone who worked under a <em>very</em> well known researcher at a very well respected school…and since obtaining his doctorate he has not achieved very much in the realm of publications and recognition and is currently working at a rather less impressive university. Names are not as important as the opportunities they offer. Having a great advisor (meaning famous, or at least very successful) does not ensure that you will follow in their footsteps. But having a thoughtful, supportive advisor can lead you in a much better direction. Who knows, maybe the most prestigious school on your lists offers that - but another school could possibly offer even more.</p>
<p>That makes perfect sense. Thanks for your input. What’s the best way to know if an advisor will be a good match? Would it be out-of-line to email the director or a program as ask to set up meetings with a couple of selected faculty? I’m not really familiar with the “proper” way to go about this. I don’t want to ask too much and leave a bad first impression.</p>