I am not at one of the programs you mentioned, but I did apply and get accepted to Tufts. I visited there and didn't like the faculty a whole lot, but there are some people who do like the school so you should ask around. Tufts also costs about 30k a year, and the package they offered me was only 25% tuition remission, so I declined for financial reasons as well. Have you considered applying to Boston College or Georgia? I know they both have funded MA programs as well. Good luck with the applications! I'll post my results as soon as they start coming in