ParticleGirl's Journal: And So It Begins.

After much deliberation, I've decided that I am turning down Harvard's generous offer and getting my PhD in Pittsburgh. My friends and family won't let me live it down, but hey-- I'll get a better education and do more useful research. I never wanted to be the president of a university, anyhow. Now, to find an apartment in Pittsburgh!

On another note, I wonder what it will be like, to ramble into the void. I started posting on /. a few years ago, but have had less and less to say to the hordes of trolls for the past year or two. It will certainly be interesting to be the one initiating conversation.

Good luck to you.

[Xerithane]

It's very admirable that you set your own path, and are walking down it. Event against what your family wants you to do. I wish you the best.

Re:Good luck to you.

[ParticleGirl]

Oh, my family is plenty happy for me. They just can't believe someone would turn down Harvard. :) Thanks for the luck.

Curious: Why there?

[OpenGLFan]

I'm just curious -- I turned down an offer to get my PhD at Stanford to go to the University of Texas because of money; UT gave me a fellowship, and Stanford didn't.

Are you really getting the kind of flak for your decision that I am? I just couldn't see spending the next ten years of my life in serious debt when UT is a top school too...

(PS: I'm going for EE/CS, starting this fall; how about you?)

Re:Curious: Why there?

[ParticleGirl]

Actually, Harvard offered me quite a bit more money than Pittsburgh. What I have at Pittsburgh is a teaching position for a few years, which covers tuition and a modest stipend. I think I'll be able to live on it, if I'm careful and if I keep applying for additional funding. Harvard, on the other hand, offered me more than enough for tuition, cost of living (comfortably) and traveling expenses for summers and research for five years, three of which are fellowship, so I wouldn't be teaching. The 300 lb. gorilla rears it's tantalizing head.

Money was definitely an issue-- I wasn't going to go somewhere where I would end up in debt. But, while Harvard's got the prestige and clearly the money to throw around, their department is in very bad shape. Hiring practices there are bizarre, and in a department with a half dozen professors there are three open spaces. Two of those spaces will be filled with people focusing on the areas I'd like to do my thesis in. If they every hire anyone. The spaces have been open for several years now, and there don't seem to be any serious candidates at the moment. That leaves two professors in my area of interest, one of whom is essentially a technician (I'm interested in theory, so while he'd be useful he probably wouldn't be able to be terribly supportive) and the other is fantastic but currently the department head. Not taking any students at the moment. Certainly not much time for little old me.

The final, deciding factor for me was this: I am going to school for Archaeology, and went to undergrad at just about the best school for archaeology in the country. Talking to profs there, it became clear to me that Harvard is not well perceived in the academic community (in this field-- of course, every department is different.) Researchers and professors there are said not to have a strong grounding in theory and to turn out PhDs who are not capable of thoughtful research and analysis. I kind of doubted this at first-- thought it was a bit of exaggeration, of professional rivalry. Then I went to a professional conference and talked to a student from Harvard. He said he was really enjoying himself, but felt like all the students he met from other schools knew more than he did. That, to me, was really telling.

For me, the question became was where I was likely to get the best education. It seemed more and more like my decision was to either A) Get a PhD from Harvard!! or B) Become a well-educated PhD capable of independent research and of holding a faculty position at a university (what I'd eventually like to do.) People generally hear the choices initally and gasp, "you're turning down Harvard!? "; so dazzled by the name that it doesn't occur to them to question the comparative content of the programs. Didn't occur to me at first, either. But I think I made the right decision.

Anyhow, as I said, I'm going for archaeology. I did engineering as an undergrad and am a programmer now; interviews at archaeology departments prompted a lot of very confused questions. :) I'm definitely looking forward to it, though. I have a good friend who's going to UT (Austin; is that where you're going?) this fall, starting the PhD program for CS. He's interested in machine learning. I should give you his email address. What's your area of interest?

Re:Curious: Why there?

[OpenGLFan]

Nifty!
Right now, I have a pretty split-personality AOI: Graphics and Digital Design, but I'm willing to be wooed by any professor with something interesting.

And yeah, I'd definitely like to know at least SOMEBODY before I head out there. My current email is j o h n g r e e r @ b a k a s p a m . k n o l o g y . n e t
(without the spaces or bakaspam. Isn't it sad what spammers reduce us to these days?)
Sounds like fun -- and maybe he and I can figure out what classes to sign up for in the first term.

Thanks!