<p>For PhD programs, one has to get out of the national ranking mindset and understand that in PhD-land it’s ranking that is field specific. While there is a common main can’t-go-wrong thread across top national schools or LACs, beyond that one has to drill down and see where the top researchers are located for each field to get a sense of how it would be regarded in a given field. </p>
<p>Opportunities to get to know and <em>work with</em> scholars at any school in one’s field is hugely beneficial. If my D were wanting her PhD (too early yet- she says that’s so boring mom!), I’d look for the best public schools in her area of interest (why waste money?) and find out what formal and informal opportunities there are to get research experience and letters of recommendation and guidance from professors at those schools. I would then encourage her to work on getting that experience once there. Might be volunteering in a lab, doing independent study or other such things. </p>
<p>Research experience is great for so many reasons:</p>
<p>a. We worry that applicants don’t know what they are getting into. Without research experience, how do you know you want to spend a lifetime doing it? So having it tells us you have some idea what you are in for.
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b. We look for applicants who have a genuine passion and excitement for research and the field. Research experience doesn’t guarantee that but helps a bit. Passion and excitement are almost the only drivers that will keep you going. </p>
<p>c. If someone in our field, who we respect (and often we are friends with- it’s a small world!) can tell us about their first hand insights about a student’s potential to do research, that is extremely useful to us. Such opinions come from faculty you get to do research with. </p>
<p>d. Faculty you get to know in your field of interest can guide you through the PhD application process. They can help you figure out what your strengths and interests are. Direct you to courses to take. They can point you to the schools you should be applying to. Look over your essays. </p>
<p>At our school- like a lot of top research schools in many fields- we are looking for future researchers who will publish a lot and impact our field with their discoveries. We will take those with promise and provide them with full tuition and living expenses for four years. We do not do this out of the goodness of our hearts: we get them to work as our research assistants which helps our own publication record, they add so much intellectual stimulation to our environment, we enjoy mentoring students into our world, and we hope they go on to become famous and everyone will know they came from our school 
We are fortunate to be in a field that has more jobs than good PhD students and decent salaries. So the ones we bring in need to have an aptitude for research and be excited about it (internally driven).</p>
<p>In the applicant process, we are trying to exclude some key people (and we have to read between the lines and look for clues or counter evidence, since few are naive enough to tell us about it directly):</p>
<ol>
<li><p>We don’t want people who want a PhD because it gives them status (e.g. my parents think I should get a PhD!).</p></li>
<li><p>We don’t want people who see being a professor as a cushy and stable job (e.g.flexible schedule, tenure, I get summers off!). Such applicants don’t have a clue about our work lives!</p></li>
<li><p>We weed out those who don’t know what they want but want a PhD for vague reasons: to avoid getting a job, to buy time, or because they think collecting more or higher degrees can’t hurt. We are not funding your hobby or personal growth! </p></li>
<li><p>And we would prefer not to take those students whose primary passion is teaching. While that is a wonderful goal in and of itself, and we pride ourselves on teaching well (and most of our students win teaching awards), our program is not designed for that particular focus. </p></li>
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<p>Please note I am only describing the orientation of top PhD programs in my field. I can not state with any confidence these admission points above are true across all fields.</p>