As I prepare for the fall semester, I have some things to consider on top of the normal school things. Beginning in late September and early October, I have to start filling out applications for Ph.D. programs. And while I am normally a procrastinator, there is one thing that I have never procrastinated on and that is selecting the schools and programs that I want to apply to. I'm pretty sure that I started my undergrad search in the beginning of my junior year of high school, and I know that it was well before senior year started. And when I first thought of going to Chicago, I wasted no time looking for the programs that I could go to. When applying for graduate school, I had a list ready by the end of my junior year--though that was for law school and I changed my mind over the summer. So, of course, my search for Ph.D. programs started months ago. As a matter of fact, I have a detailed document with the schools and programs, the amount of funding they offer, the application fees and deadlines, and the averages of how long it takes people to get through the program.
And here's where you get to learn how ridiculous I am...
I have a system of rating programs to figure out which programs have the best combination of things that I desire. This involves the location of the school, the amount of funding available, and the features of the program. Each category gets a score, and then I add the scores together to get a composite score. Then the programs are ranked by composite score from lowest to highest with the lowest being number one on my list. I have 8 programs from 8 different schools on my list. I don't anticipate adding or subtracting any programs between now and the time applications are due.
So, let's go through the list.
