<p>Hello I am very interested in pursuing a PhD in mathematics with the goal to hopefully one day become a professor. Obviously, it seems like the better university you attend, the better chances you will have at getting a job at a university when you graduate. However, I live in Connecticut and was considering attending the University of Connecticut for a PHD in Mathematics. My question is although UCONN is not a "top-tier" school, would it put me at a big disadvantage when I graduate on trying to find a job? Any input would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!</p>
<p>The most important thing is to find a university where professors are doing top notch research in the specific area of mathematics that you’re interested in. This doesn’t necessarily line up with rankings. You also may have to look outside of your region. The most important thing in a PhD institution is not ranking, but fit.</p>
<p>I would try and see how many PhD’s from UConn mathematics are professors, and where. Some departments do well at placing graduates in academia, some do well in placing them in industry, and it does not always line up with the rankings.</p>
<p>Are you opposed to leaving Connecticut.</p>
<p>I’m suspecting that you’re using “not a top-tier” school in the sense of undergraduate U.S. News rankings, where UConn is a respected university even if it isn’t tip-top. I encourage you to look at the reputation of the department you want to go into and their program. One way is by using the NRC rankings as a guide. The National Research Council releases rankings of PhD programs every 10 or so years. I don’t recommend using this as the only way to select schools, but it’s kind of a complement.</p>
<p>Out of ~130-150 ranked mathematics PhD programs, UConn’s department is between 75 and 98 (NRC gives you a range rather than an absolute number). That’s not great - that’s towards the bottom, maybe low-mid-ranked. Will that impact you when looking for tenure-track professor positions? Well, yes. Jobs evaluate you holistically, and your publishing record, grants record and other factors like recommendations and the reputation of your advisor is more important. If you have a famous adviser at a mid-ranked program - or your program is best in your specific area of math and they’re hiring someone in that area - you can still have good chances. But generally speaking, going to better-reputed departments increases your job chances.</p>
<p>**With that said…**you seem to be interested in UConn not necessarily because it’s the best place for you in terms of fit, but because it’s close by. I encourage you to look outside of CT for your PhD. Unless you are obligated to care for relatives, then you should be geographically flexible and willing to move, perhaps across the country, to study at the best department for your needs. I’m not saying you need to move somewhere you’d hate (I deliberately excluded a few schools from consideration when I was applying for my own PhD, because I couldn’t imagine living in those cities for 5-6 years). But the best program for you may be outside of Connecticut, and maybe even outside of the Northeasst.</p>
<p>There are lots of great mathematics PhD programs in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic area - Harvard, NYU, Princeton, MIT, Columbia, Penn State, Yale, Brown, UDel, Boston U, Rutgers, Cornell, UMass-Amherst, URochester, Carnegie Mellon, Brandeis, Stony Brook, UMD-College Park, Penn, UVa. Conneticut’s not that far from most of those.</p>
<p>I really appreciate all the info you guys have provided. A few of you mentioned if I am restricted to CT. I am not restricted to CT. However, one of the reasons I wanted to stay in CT is that music is a big part of my life and as a part time job I am the director of music in CT, which I really love doing and the people there. This is not the only reason I chose UCONN because I do actually like the university. However, I asked this question because if staying in CT will in the future hurt my job opportunities in academia, then I may have to reconsider what I want to do. It’s a tough decision because I am interested in many of the universities in the north east mentioned above. However, I have to decide if it’s worth giving up my other job.</p>
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What does this entail? What makes you think you could not find a comparable job elsewhere? Music is hardly a passion limited to New England!</p>
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Well, I certainly do not think it will help. Getting an academic position is dependent on a lot of factors and certainly does seem to favor graduates of “better” graduate programs. Given the low numbers actually entering tenure-track jobs, I would not pass up even a slight edge.</p>
<p>Apply to UConn if you want, but apply to a range of other schools as well. If UConn really is your best bet then that is fine, but don’t take it over a program with a better track record of producing the kind of academic you want to be.</p>