What are my chances to be accepted in a PhD Physics program?

[MayCaesar]

Yes, that was my reasoning initially. However, in astrophysics and HEP these 3 schools seem to be on the equal level, and I do not know exactly how to compare them; the number of faculty members in the fields is comparable, funding is a little bit better in Notre Dame, but not significantly so...

My real question is not if the ranking matters in the actual studying and research process, but does it give any subjective benefits when applying for a job? Is a school being in the top 20 gives a good impression to employers just by being prestigious? Or are they more pragmatic and do not care about such things? I understand that, say, Yale is not very strong in Physics and is famous mostly for its business programs and such, but still, theoretically, its alumni should automatically gain some reputation?

I would really not want to pick a school based on its territorial situation, and, although I have dreamed of living in California or Florida since my childhood, I understand that I will be able to move there after graduation anywhere, even in Toronto. But, since in all other criteria the schools seem comparable with, maybe, a very slight advantage of Notre Dame, it is the only real difference I see here...

 

[MayCaesar]

OK, I've accepted the Notre Dame's offer. Maybe I should have waited for University of Toronto to make their decision, but after long consideration I decided that I wanted to study in the US. Also, with all these Crimea matters, I do not want to risk by delaying my decision - who knows what visa restrictions for Russian citizens may be introduced...

Now I am a little bit worried about interview in the US embassy. Should I honestly say to immigration officer that I am planning on staying in the US after graduation and get a Postdoc position there? I explained it in my Statement of Purpose and, I guess, the officer will have access to that document, so I better say the truth. On the other hand, I know that officers do not like to issue student visas to potential immigrant, so, if I mention my plans of staying in the US, I may have some trouble? How should I go about this?

 

[Vanadium 50]

You should tell the truth because a) it's the right thing to do, and b) PF cannot help you commit immigration fraud.

 

[MayCaesar]

Yes, that's what I intend to do. I just wanted to know if it could have any negative consequences. I guess many people applying for PhD program in the USA want to stay there afterwards, so this is a very common situation, and immigration officers should understand... Hopefully.

 

[lisab]

There is no 'honest' way to answer that question because there is a *lot* of ground to cover between now and finishing your PhD. Who knows what opportunities might be attractive to you then? You might fall in love with someone from Japan, or you might be homesick and want to return to Russia, or you may be given a prime research opportunity in Brazil, or...who knows?

The only honest way to answer is to say, "I have no idea what options will be open to me then. For now, my focus is on finishing my studies."

I hope you like Notre Dame!

 

[MayCaesar]

Thank you lisab for your opinion!

You are right, there is no way to tell what opportunities will come and go during study. However, they still usually asking for plans, for intents - and I will certainly have to mention my intent to stay in the US, as of now. I think I will say something along these lines: "After graduation, I am planning on taking a Postdoctorate position in a university. Whether it will be in the US or no, depends on what opportunities I will be able to find, but I do not exclude possibility of me staying in the US to continue working on my research". I think it is better to provide the immigration officer with all the necessary information and not to try to convince them in anything, just, as someone on another forum said, "let them do their job".

Luckily, the process is starting faster than I thought - with luck, I will be able to send the documents to the US embassy on the next week, and, if something goes wrong, I will still have time to reapply for visa.