How to Choose a Graduate School
Choosing universities is an important step of the application
process. I would argue for quality over quantity. That is choose
5-10 universities if you are a top student and 8-15 universities if
you are an average student. Choosing more than 15 universities makes
no sense because you won't be able to apply personal approach to
each university (by that I mean correspondence with secretaries and
faculty members, adjustment of your statement, preparation of
specific documents which only some universities ask for, etc).
First, taking into account your level choose 20-30 universities in
which you might be interested (you will later select fewer of them)
and ask all of them to send you application materials (see Sample
Letter). Select most of the universities with ranks corresponding to
your level, add 3-4 better ones and 3-4 sure-shots (the ones which
are definitely below your level and readily accept students from
MIPT, MSU, etc). Top students usually apply to the top ten
universities, and add such sure-shuts as Stony Brook, Rochester,
Rutgers, etc. if we are talking about PhD in Physics. Average
students choose 3-4 from the top ten universities and select most
universities in the 10th-30th range. (In 1997 I applied to 12
universities mostly 20th-30th; in 2000 I applied to 7 universities:
6 - top ten + UC Davis).
You might want to make your final choice of the universities after
you know your test scores, though usually one can approximate his
knowledge level quite well beforehand. When making the final choice
keep in mind that filling out application materials is quite
time-consuming and painful, so please think about quality.
Another comment, when choosing universities besides ranks do
consider location, this is an extremely important factor, you will
definitely understand that when you come to US. Preference for
location is a very personal thing. But generally the following is
true: Middle states are more conservative, more traditional, family
oriented and usually more boring. Southern states are generally
friendlier, but I can't think of the reasonable incentive which will
make me choose the university in Texas or Arizona (just think about
melting pavement in summer... :-) But that's me, some of my friends
live there and are quite happy (you can drive in air-conditioned
car, stay in air-conditioned buildings and go outside at night). My
favorite states (and quite many Russians will agree with me) are the
most Eastern and Western states, I mean California, New York,
Massachusetts, New Jersey, Connecticut, etc. These states are the
most culturally diverse once, people are more educated, you will see
less "average Americans" around, women dress better, more cultural
attractions, and many more advantages. Also, think about the city
where the university is located. Some universities are located in
small towns in the middle of nowhere others near or in the big
cities. Both of these have its advantages and disadvantages and is
mostly the matter of personal preferences. My first choice would be
either San Francisco or Boston.
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