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StudyMom: Thanks for the reply. Yes, I have a decent enough resume. I've been out of undergrad for about two years and in that time, I've been working as a technical writer for a mid-to-large Government contractor. My goal is academia. Practically speaking, I've heard that the only thing that really matters is your ph.d program, not your ma program. However, my ability to get into a top ph.d program could be impacted by my choice of ma program. I feel so stupid talking about name recognition and top this and that. School is what you make of it. In some ways, I'd like to go to a lesser known school and pave my own way just to show that it can be done. Good luck to you as well.

Hi, I'm a Media Studies/New Media Studies/Journalism Studies person over here. Cindy: I think that Missouri has a more "respected" journalism porgram, but Texas is, as an university, more prestigious. Don't know if that helps, but a trusted professor of mine in the field basically ranked: (1) Columbia (2) Northwestern (3) Missouri. So, yeah. In my case, I got into Simon Fraser, Villanova, NYU, and San Diego State for Media Studies programs. I'm still waiting on Northwestern to make a decision and release it. It's something of a longshot, but Northwestern is my #1 choice and I would love to get in. Practically speaking, though, I'm down to SDSU and NYU. On one hand, SDSU offered me some pretty decent funding and a GTA position that I would really love. On the other hand, NYU is very respected. SDSU would be cheaper and I'd probably get more attention at the MA level while NYU will cost me a ton and I'll most likely just be one of many students with similliar abilities. The faculty at both places is pretty good, with NYU obviously having more "big names." This is just for MA study. In applying to Ph.D programs, name recognition matters, but just how much is what I'm trying to gauge. And in SDSU's case, I have to factor in the stigma attached to Cal State programs. My GTA position at SDSU would include digital media, which is blowing up in acadamia right now. With all these factors, anyone have any points of emphasis? I've looked at the pros and cons for both schools and I'm even more confused than I was to begin with. My goal is to go to a top ten Ph.D program, would that still be achievable if I chose SDSU?