[Is it crazy to pay minimum 30k for the MA at Harvard over a fully-funded phd program?]

Hi! I guess the title says it all but just to reiterate, is it crazy to pay minimum 30k per year for the two-year long MA at Harvard over a fully-funded phd program, if both are in the humanities? I know the general rule of thumb is ‘Go where the money is!’ but I’m concerned about securing a teaching position after attending the phd program. (It’s ranked the 27th according to the US news) Please weigh in anyone!!

[2020 Applicants]

1 hour ago, gooniesneversaydie said:

I just finished reading the forum "Is attending a lower-ranked program worth it?" and now I feel sick.

I honestly don't know if I could do this a third time... 

Tufts has a consortium with BU, Brandeis, and MIT. Surely that has to count for something? That I could have the opportunity to forge relationships with people in my field outside of my home program? 

Someone tell me it's going to be alright...

I’m having similar problems and wanted to ask what everyone thinks. I am still waiting for responses from JHU and UCSB but the chances of getting in seems really slim at this point. So far, I’ve been accepted to UCR and some MA Programs but a degree from UCR doesn’t seem very promising in terms of securing a job (I’ve had a professor who tried to talk me out of applying at all last year because she and her cohorts had a terrible time finding a job with a degree from Harvard) although the faculty there looks like an incredible fit for me. (I don’t intend to stay in the U.S. after my degree so the job market might be slightly different but isn’t the Humanities in any country having such a hard time? ) Because I am an international applicant with only a BA, I was inclined to accept the MA offers from highly-ranked programs, thinking that it’d enhance my chances of getting into a higher-ranked Phd program in the end, but all my professors are telling me that any phd program is better than doing an MA, mostly because of its ridiculously extravagant expenses. (I have an external funding resource that would barely cover the tuition and will have to find ways to pay at least 30k.)  Also, i have no idea how i should manage the gap year after finishing the MA. If I get into two-year MA programs with some funding, that’d be ideal, but if not, I feel like it’s a really tough call, especially because i’m aware that it is also possible that i won’t get into UCR even after earning an MA. So what do you guys think? Will getting an MA from Ivy schools (or its equivalent) enhance my chances as an international applicant and help me become an equally competitive applicant, compensating for my undergrad education? Or should I settle for what i have now? Any advice would be greatly appreciated! 

[2020 Applicants]

Hi Does anyone know when the Comp Lit department at UC Santa Barbara normally releases their admission decision? I received an e-mail asking more information on my external funding resource about 2 weeks ago and haven't heard anything back ever since. Should I e-mail the department?