kmctigue

Congratulations! I got in also. Decision just got harder...

Hi! Thank you very much for your detailed and honest response. This is extremely helpful, and exactly the sort of questions I should be thinking about. I estimated my work experience at 2 years on my CMU app, but its really sort of hard to estimate. I worked 30ish hours a week throughout all of my undergrad (at nonprofits and then at my current company as an intern) as a graphic designer and in communications. I've now been working as a front-end developer and UI designer for one year on an Agile team. 1. I think of my portfolio as pretty developed, but perhaps I've been overly optimistic. I will PM the link to you if you don't mind. But the timeframe is absolutely something to think about. I plan on working at my current company remotely and attending CMU part-time, so I would actually be doing a minimum of two years either way, unless I change my mind. I've been thinking of it as an advantage that CMU is a shorter program, because it means I'll be making a salary again sooner. However the portfolio development is certainly a factor. 2. In regards to curriculum, I meant that I think I will enjoy my education significantly more at CMU. I hadn't put a lot of thought into how recruiters would regard the curriculum. Again, I'm potentially being overly optimistic-- I should be thinking more long-term. 4. I want to continue working as a developer. Ideally I would end up with a job title like "UX Developer" or "UI Developer" and be involved in all stages of product development, from prototyping to implementation. I particularly like working with Angular. However, I also like working with users and the planning process of crating a new system, so I suppose I am somewhat interested in research. 5. This is a great idea. I really need to calculate ROI on all three programs, factoring for the time I spend in school not working, tuition, living expenses, etc. Thanks again for your time.

Short version: should I do into debt at my dream school, or accept a full-ride to my third choice? I was thrilled when I got into my dream program, the MHCI program at CMU. I never thought I would get in, and I feel like I won the lottery. Then today I was offered $80,000 scholarship from University of Michigan. Suddenly everything feels very real. I think CMU is a much better fit-- I want to make things, not research. I love that it is a professional program, and I like that it is smaller, and very focused curriculum. The curriculum seems perfectly tailored to my interests. Not going to lie, I also like the prestige. What I am worried about is that the economy will crash and I will find myself in debt and in a no-longer-high-in-demand profession. Not having to pay tuition would really help me get my adult life started on the right track (I am only 22, and this is my first time leaving my home town). I'm probably looking at upwards of $20k debt at CMU (I have savings and leftover Florida Prepaid to get through the first 2ish semesters). Then there is the University of Washington's HCDE program. I haven't even heard back from UW yet, but I visited last year and it was my second choice after CMU (really the first choice, since CMU was such a "reach".) If I get in, it will make this decision even harder. (UW curriculum is more my style than UM, and tuition is cheaper.) Another factor is that my husband is also moving with me, and while he is very supportive, I hate the idea of dragging him to Ann Arbor because the job prospects for him are much slimmer than in a larger city (Seattle or Pittsburgh). I don't really want to live in AA either.