somethinbruin

My understanding is they function similarly to GTAs. In instances where professors select research assistants from existing grad students, the competition is usually intense (since everyone wants funding, naturally). Again, I would just say buyer beware: if it's not guaranteed from the start, don't count on ever getting it.

Hi! First off, it's good that you have options, and congrats on your acceptances. In my opinion, one offer clearly trumps the other. Given the state of your chosen industry (journalism) I would highly recommend considering how much debt you want to incur in graduate school, as you are likely to have a difficult job search and low paying entry-level jobs when you graduate (I speak from experience--I left this industry recently). $300/month will not go very far in upstate New York, whereas $10,000 will allow you to be fairly comfortable in Missouri, where the cost of living is very reasonable. So at Syracuse, you have the potential to graduate with significant debt that you may incur to cover living expenses. Both programs are solid with good reputations in the industry, and you have the requisite fashion knowledge from your undergrad, so the fact that it looks like Mizzou doesn't have as specific a fashion focus as Syracuse shouldn't be a big deal. If you're nervous about not visiting Missouri, see if you can get a faculty member or student to talk to via phone on Monday. It's not a visit, but it will give you a chance to ask some questions and get a feel for the program. I really would urge you to consider the overall state of the field (people told me this before I entered journalism, but you never think it will effect you. Everyone thinks they are the exception) and diversify as much as possible when you're in grad school. Acquire transferable skills (web programming/web design/marketing) because the journalism industry is in a state of decline without a turnaround on the horizon. Honing these skills will make you hire-able outside of journalism should you be unable to find exactly what you want (particularly since your focus is very narrow) or decide to pursue something else. The best advice that I ever got from a professor was this: "Don't go to a graduate program that isn't willing to pay you." This can be modified to fit your situation. In both instances, the programs are willing to pay you, but one is fully-funded and the other is a significantly smaller stipend. If you have to incur debt to go to Syracuse, that would be a big drawback for me. That's just my two cents. I hope this is helpful as you make this difficult decision. Let me know if you have further questions or if you make a decision. Best of luck to you!

This is going to sound mean, but the harsh reality is that if you don't get funding the first year, the chances of getting funding from the school in subsequent years is extremely low. Schools allocate GTA lines/funds to bring in new students, not fund students who are already in and paying their own way. Once you are in and paying, they are not going to give you a GTA position, no matter how good your work is. It's not about performance. It's about economics. If you're paying, they will use the money to bring in someone else because they know you're stuck--they know you can't transfer PhD programs easily. So if you commit to School A, you should do so only if you're prepared to pay your own way for the full PhD, and that seems foolish since you have a funded offer to another school. I saw this very scenario play out at my school this year. A student was admitted to my program last year, but applied after the funding deadline. She was told she was a good candidate for an assistantship and encouraged to apply the following year. So she entered the program and paid for the first year. When she applied for funding the next year, the administration would not approve her for a GTA spot because she was already in the program, and GTA lines are dedicated to recruiting new students, not keeping existing ones. This student got screwed and she doesn't even know it. I was taken aback at this process, and I asked around to some other friends who work at other universities. Their response has been universal: this is how all of their schools function. With this in mind, I would urge you not to engage in the sort of thinking that lets you rationalize that "If I excel in the first year, they'll give me money in the subsequent years" because realistically, that probably won't be the case. The funding process is not a meritocracy. I think you've got a good option in School B, with the possibility of funding throughout.