kar86

Do you have any advice for my actual situation? I'm changing fields, so being admitted straight into a fully funded graduate program is not a possibility. It's great that you didn't have to pay, but not everyone has that option.

I've been admitted to an unranked masters program in Computer Science at a a private school (my background is not in computer science). My goal is complete a thesis masters and then continue to a PhD in Computational Biology. The tuition at the school I have been accepted to is about twice that of local public schools (two of which are higher ranked programs). My question is, am I better off taking classes at one of the higher ranked and cheaper public schools in the hopes of being admitted after a year, or should I just take the offer I have? The school I am admitted to is a fine program that will not hinder my odds of getting into a doctoral program. This decision is strictly a matter of finances and possibly time, if attending another program as a non-degree seeking student might require an extra year. Thanks for any advice or perspectives.