student#1

It's down to the wire. I want to go to Berkeley but they offer little in the way of stipends -- full funding but only 5k stipend in the second year. UC Davis is offering me stipends during my entire time there totaling 8k per year as well as full tuition funding. So there's a good chance that I would have to borrow some money to go to Berkeley (probably only a little 5-10k). I would not need to borrow any money while at Davis. I have some savings that would be totally used up in living expenses if I went to Berkeley. If I went to Davis I would use the savings to pay down loans from undergrad, so not only would school be free but I'd come out with less student loan debt than I went in with (but not debt free). But overall I think Berkeley has a better reputation (?). Plus they are closer to other artists and art professionals because of the SF bay area, but living in Berkeley is super expensive. On the other hand Davis is in the boonies, which has it's plus and minuses. Ugh. I didn't think this would be so hard! Forum thoughts?

Thanks for the input. I appreciate it. Berkeley offered full tuition waiver but practically no stipend (just one semester). Cornell offered TA stipend for every semester, but I have to pay 5k of tuition per year (10k total). Not a huge difference between the two, just seems structured differently.

Hi Forum -- I'm hoping to get people's opinion. I was accepted into a couple of programs and had pretty much made up my mind that I would go to Berkeley. Then yesterday, I got a call from Cornell saying that I was accepted there. Now I don't know what to do. I'm wondering if any of you might have any thoughts. I visited Berkeley a couple of weeks ago and liked it. I like that SF and Oakland are right there so you can connect with an art scene outside of school. BUT their studios are located 7 miles from campus, away from the wood shop, the printmaking shop, etc, and I won't have a car. There's a shuttle, but it only runs until 6pm and doesn't run on weekends. There's a beautiful bike trail that goes along the bay and takes you directly to the studios, but it's close to a 30 minute bike ride. Also, berkeley is super bike friendly, but Richmond (where the studios are) is less so. I have a car now but I would fund my move by selling it (I'm on the east coast), so I wouldn't have the money to buy another car there. In order to move I'd probably have to also sell of my life possessions too. On the other hand, I am on the east coast so moving to Ithaca would be way easier. I wouldn't need to sell my car and I could just move all of my things there (studio furniture, tools, desktop computer, etc). And living in Ithaca is CHEAP -- I'm talking $400 to rent a room (Berkeley $700-$900). I haven't visited but it looks like their studios and facilities are in two adjacent buildings on campus, making everything more accessible (unlike Berkeley). But I've been told that upstate NY is an island and there's no real connection to NYC. And obviously there's no art scene outside of the university. Does anyone know anything about these programs, living in these cities, the toll of moving across the country (and starting over), etc that might help me make a more informed decision? Funding offers from both programs are somewhat similar. Also, I'm very much aware that the weather in Berkeley is paradise and that Ithaca is brutal.

It appears that UCSD has already notified students that were accepted http://thegradcafe.com/survey/index.php?q=San+Diego&t=a&pp=250&o=p&p=12