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I have two Ph.D. offers. One from a university in Germany which is considered one of the best in Germany and is ranked in the top 150 universities worldwide in my engineering field. The second offer I have is from a university in the US that is ranked at the 20th number in my field according to the QS rankings. My supervisor at the German university is more experienced in the field than my potential supervisor in the USA? Considering this should I prioritize the experience of my potential supervisor in Germany or the better university rank in the USA?

Daniel Sempere
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    Have you searched here for other questions about university rankings? What did you learn and what makes your question distinct? – Bryan Krause Jan 21 '22 at 14:34
  • Who cares about rankings IMO. Go where you will have a passion for research! – Shinobii Jan 21 '22 at 14:38
  • @BryanKrause My dilemma is about the experience of my potential supervisors. that's what makes my question unique. – Daniel Sempere Jan 21 '22 at 14:43
  • Thank you for your comment @Shinobii – Daniel Sempere Jan 21 '22 at 14:44
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    @DanielSempere Have you actually searched here for other questions? – Bryan Krause Jan 21 '22 at 14:45
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    Being in a top German university (place 1-3 nationally) is probably slightly better on average than being in a top-20 US university. Just look up the names, and you'll probably see that the amount of successful tenure-track professors from the former is higher (when normalized, etc.). Indeed, for countries with a strong HE system, it's better to graduate from their top universities than from a rank-20 US university, on average. – Dilworth Jan 22 '22 at 00:27

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There are a lot of things to consider and ranking probably shouldn't be at the top of your list. IMO, the supervisor trumps the university ranking by a lot. If you have someone helpful and skilled you will likely do well. And if they are also known, they can give you a boost in your later career.

But the country of the institution might also matter a bit. Do you want a career in Europe, especially Germany, or in the US. How about funding? How about general disruption of moving to a new place? Do you have family constraints or considerations?

Lots of things. Ranking is in there somewhere, but it would be a mistake to choose on that alone.

Buffy
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