[What was your experience like in LIS school?]

 

So here is my two bits. I hope it helps!

 

1. What was graduate school like for you?

I'm going to be blunt. The program is more of a means to an end for me. I am ready for my full-time job and the program is necessary to get to the position. I also have this perspective because I have already been working as a paraprofessional for the past five years. I have talked with people who have little to no library experience and they have seen great value in the program.

1. Was it easy or hard? Did it consume your life?

My MLIS program has been relatively easy. I had one class that was fairly difficult, but this was out of the ordinary. I would say the program has way more busy work than anything else. My program really focuses on getting you the experience than the academics. They flat out told us that straights As are pointless if you leave the program with no library experience. 

1. How close are/were you with your advisor? Did you get to choose your advisor?

I am not particularly close to my advisor. However, I believe this stems from the fact that I seek my advise from previous co-workers already in the field. 

1. Did your program require a thesis? If so, was it difficult to write?

My program did not! Thank goodness. I got into both of the programs I applied to. One of those required a thesis and the other did not. I opted for the program that did not. This purely came from that I just finished my master thesis for my history MA and did not have the motivation to pull out my toenails again. 

1. What were your classmates like?

AWESOME! You will never meet such a variety of people. I have met people who have lived very sheltered lives to people who have traveled the world.

1. My curriculum has a LOT of group work. Did you have group work? Did your group members actually pull their weight?

OMG, library school LOVES group work. Sometimes I want to slam my head on my desk when I hear about another group project. However, with this being said, I have never really had any problems with my group members. I've gotten pretty lucky that everyone has pulled their own weight. There are still some horror stories where a group member decides to dictate everything. You can normally put these in your evaluations of the group. Most of my instructors frown upon that one Nazi member. 

1. Were there any differences between your undergrad experience and your grad school experience?

I would almost say they are comparable. The only difference is that you are taking less classes and only meet once a week.

 

How many credits per semester is a full course load?  Is it three classes or four?  How long did it take you to complete your degree?  What is the best way to get library experience while at school? (is it through an internship that you find through the school or did you apply to internships yourself?) Were you able to get a job fairly quickly after you graduated from your program?  How many hours per week did you work while in school?  Also, did you get your internship right away?  Could you explain that process to me? 

[Pratt Institute accreditation?]

I did consider CUNY, and was actually accepted there for the MLS program a couple of years ago. To be honest, I decided against going there for two main reasons -- first, the program seemed disorganized and outdated; and second, their archives course offerings didn't seem very strong. Since I have a specific idea of what I want to do, it seems to me that it makes the most sense to find a program that can provide stronger, more specialized training -- which pretty much left me with Pratt or LIU, and Pratt was ultimately more convenient.

 

In terms of cost, I'm fortunate in that my employer will reimburse me for the cost of the degree. But even with the reimbursement, it's still a serious financial commitment. Believe me, I wish CUNY was a better program for my needs. :/

I want to attend Pratt or St. John's but don't think I can swing the cost.  I've taken out so many loans for my previous grad degree.  And I just fear taking out that much more.  Pratt and St. John's are literally three times the cost.  Did you think all of CUNY's courses were outdated?  I checked the courses out online and it seems like many of them are similar to the courses at Pratt and St. John's (i.e. the core courses).  As far as the electives go, unfortunately, CUNY only offers one course in the concentration I am interested in.  I wish CUNY was a better program too.  The cost of just two classes at Pratt is about half the cost of the entire program at CUNY. 

 

I hope the program at CUNY isn't totally outdated though.  I don't realistically have another option b/c of tuition.  Did you consider St. John's?  It's the same cost as Pratt pretty much.  I'm just curious.  Also, do you know anyone who attended CUNY?  What did they say about the program?

[Is a well renown school worth the extra money?]

Honestly, I think it is more about how the school will prepare you more than the name of the program. Your experience is going to speak more than what school you attended. I have talked with people who attended the best ranked MLIS program for youth services and they learned the same exact thing as I did. I also talked with someone who attended the school that I turned down, and I actually thought her class selections were better than mine. I guess it is all perspective.

 

However, RelaxBunny has a good point. If you are even thinking about working in the US the ALA-accredited program is huge. Many employers require that the school be accredited. 

All the schools I am looking into are ALA-accredited (CUNY, Pratt, St. John's).  I want to attend CUNY-Queens college because it is so much cheaper and I already have serious student loans from my previous graduate program.  I have compared the course selections at each school and CUNY actually has pretty good courses and many quite similar to Pratt and St. John's.  However, the other two schools have some specialty classes in the concentration I'm interested in.  I'm not sure if spending three times as much on the program is worth it though.  Has anyone compared these programs?  What do you think?  As an aside, have those of you who have completed or know people who have completed an MLS/MLIS program have any insight on the job market?  I really hope it is not extremely difficult to land a job.

[Is a well renown school worth the extra money?]

You might consider not so much name recognition as whether the program itself will actually better prepare you for your field... do you think that U of T truly has a better program and is best suited for your interested, or are you going on the school's overall reputation? It seems like as long as University of Manitoba has opportunities and courses you think will prepare you for what you want to do, it would be just as good to go there (I'm assuming it has equal accreditation and such). For my part, I desperately wanted to like CUNY Queens, as it's a dramatically cheaper, in-state option for me. However, my experience with them through their website and the application process pretty much convinced me I wouldn't get the preparation I needed for a LIS career. I don't know if this helped at all, but from everything I've heard, it's generally better to go on the program's individual strengths rather than the more-expensive, big name option.

what school did you end up going to?

[Pratt Institute accreditation?]

Hey folks,

 

Does anyone have any info or thoughts about Pratt Institute being downgraded to Conditional Accreditation by the ALA? I just applied for this fall so I've been all over their website (and the ALA website, etc...) but this is the first I've seen of it. Anybody hear anything about why this is going on?

 

Thanks in advance

Hey sorry I don't have any info about your question.  But, as I am in NY too, I thought I'd ask you why you decided on Pratt?  I am debating between Pratt and CUNY.  CUNY is much less expensive and I really don't want to take out such serious loans for the Pratt MLIS.   Did you consider CUNY?

[MSIS or MSLS Fall 2014 Applicants]

All of the librarians at the New-York Historical Society went to different grad school programs (both in the NYC area and out of state) including CUNY Queens.  NYPL did have a lot of archivists who went to Pratt but there were archivists from other schools.  But I only know about the Archives and Manuscripts division.

Does it matter if the program is an MLIS or MLS program?   CUNY has an MLS program and Pratt has an MLIS program.  I understand what the differences are.  I'm just curious if anyone has insight as to whether a degree from Pratt is really that much more useful than a degree from CUNY.  The cost difference is extreme and I really do not want to get further in debt if it is not necessary.  Any additional info would be great!  FYI, I am interested in being a law librarian.

[MLS/MLIS]

I'm based in NY and am thinking of applying to a Library Science program for the Fall or Spring 2014 semesters.  I am debating between CUNY and Pratt and Rutgers.  Some people seem to say that an MLIS program is much more useful than a MLS program.  Do you agree?  Why?  Also, is it really worth the extra money to apply to Pratt instead of CUNY?  The difference in cost is huge.  Are job prospects really affected by whether or not the program was an MLS or MLIS?  If anyone could weigh in on this, that would be awesome.  The cost difference is huge and I need some advice.

[MLS versus MLIS]

MLIS programs tend to have more technology based courses. These classes are beyond just how to use a database and simple web design which are pretty standard across the board. MLIS programs tend to have things like interface design, metadata, digital library building and other more in depth tech based classes.

The technology component is really important. If you take a look at job ads, there's a heavy tech component in a lot of positions and there seems to be a bit more demand for tech oriented librarians. There's a growing demand for technology in libraries, so there need to be librarians to meet it. I also think that the tech skills are something that can help a new grad get a position over a more experienced candidate without the tech background.

I am trying to decide between an MLIS and MLS program in NYC as well.  The program at CUNY is much more affordable.  Is the difference in terms of employment prospects and preparation for the job worth the extra money?  I'm interested in working as a law librarian at a law library.  If anyone has any advice, I'd really appreciate it.

[MSIS or MSLS Fall 2014 Applicants]

Some of my co-workers have done the NYU program and have wonderful things to say about it.  I personally am not really planning on staying in NYC.  I'm from where the Midwest meets the Northeast, went to school in Texas,  and I've always found myself feeling more connected to the Midwest which is where a lot of the schools I'm applying to are.  If you're interested in living in NYC, I'd say go for NYU.  Pratt is definitely the best LIS program in NYC though.  A lot of the faculty work for the best library institutions in the city including the New York Public Library.  

are employment decisions affected by what school the MLS comes from?  I was thinking of applying to the CUNY Queens program because it is a lot less expensive and I already have a graduate degree from a top university.

[MSIS or MSLS Fall 2014 Applicants]

I'm still getting some of my applications in but I'm applying for my MLS with a focus in archiving.  I graduated in 2012 and have been working for the New York Public Library and New-York Historical Society in the mean time.

was it difficult to get a job at the new york public library?  i am thinking of applying for an MLS for fall 2014.  I'd like to get some experience in a libary.  I wouldn't mind volunteering either but looked online and throught i saw that the volunteering, internship and job positions required that the applicant already be a student in a LS program?