kayrlis

I think any (public) school where the state's laws make residency available to graduate students. I'm attending CU Boulder, and it's $26k for the first year, but I will get in-state after that: only $8k per year. Plus, since it's a pretty small program, they help you out a lot in giving their students TAs, work study jobs within the department, heads' up on a bunch of scholarships, etc. And Boulder is beautiful.

Northwestern is on trimesters, so the yearly cost of attendance is about $40,000. Yes, $40,000. Their estimated expenses, per a letter they sent with acceptance, for 2011/2012 read like this: Tuition (3 quarters, excluding summer) $41,593

I've decided on Boulder and declined the following schools (in case anyone on their waitlists is wondering): U Illinois (told them about 2 weeks ago) Northwestern BU Teachers College UMD College Park (I was offered Fin Aid, so I hope it goes to someone here) University of Washington, post-bacc program Purdue University (I will tell them once I get confirmation from Boulder) I'm truly excited!! Good luck with your decisions and the rest of your waiting!

I'm going to Boulder! I literally just sent my email. I was there from Saturday night till yesterday afternoon. It was lovely. There are tons of eating options for vegetarians. I myself am a veggie, and I had no problem walking around and finding delicious food to eat where ever I went. Leaf Vegetarian Restaurant at Pearl & 16th had a pretty good seitan cheesesteak (something I've never tried before), and awesome sweet potato fries. I cannot overexaggerate how beautiful the city is. I walked maybe 2 miles from my hostel, and I was up in the Flatirons, high enough to see all around. The conservation-mindedness of the city means that there are recycling bins and bike lanes everywhere, curbside composting, and lots of local and organic food available. The sun refuses to stop shining (300 days a year!). There's a state law in Colorado that cars must stop for pedestrians, and they DO. This is a more-or-less ignored law where I come from, so it was refreshing to be given the right of way. I went out alone downtown (Pearl St.) on Saturday night, and met some lovely, friendly, down-to-earth people from the area. All in all, I had a great experience in Boulder. I look forward to living there for several years! ETA: The department was so positive and supportive, the preschool (where I will want to spend most of my time) looked exactly like a good preschool should, the facilities were well-decorated, of good quality, and inviting; and the people in the department were very intelligent. I think Boulder's going to be a great fit. I will be doing the moving-across-the-country housing shuffle this summer, finalcountdown, so if you want advice about looking for housing from afar, I'll be well-versed in it come June. The international hostel is of pretty decent quality, for a hostel. I plan on staying there for a week ($190 plus a refundable $10 key deposit) while I find more permanent digs.

Have you visited both (or either)? What about cost of living? Bloomington would be much less expensive than living in NYC. My thoughts about Teachers' College are that if I went there, the most affordable living options--most likely living with friends from undergrad--would be a solid hour commute away, in an outer borough. That's another factor to take into consideration. You can find less-expensive, safe housing in New York, but it might be fairly far away. Bloomington is beautiful, and I've heard it's quite liberal. I've only visited the areas around it (Oliver Winery, Nashville, Brown County State Park), but it is quite lovely. And Indianapolis, though not as big as NYC by any means, is a city that is right there. And IUPUI has a great med school if you're looking to get into the medical setting. Have you called both the departments and spoken to actual human beings? I find that that's been helpful in my decisions for where to go for SLP right now.

I did, but it was just whatever I could get from the Fed. TC sent me an email saying my scholarship information was now available, or something like that.

I've got it narrowed down to 3 schools, and one of them is CU Boulder. I'd be going to Speech/Language Pathology. I'll be going to visit on April 11th, and I'll do my best to remember to let you know what I think! I was in Boulder for a day last year, and it was beautiful. I'm mostly concerned about the rigor and prestige of the department. Good luck in deciding!

I'm having the same issue for SLP! I'm deciding between Purdue or CU Boulder (or maybe Washington?). Tuition-wise, the former two would be comparable. Buuuuut one is in West Lafayette, IN, and the other has mountains and a much more liberal culture. The worse location is the more prestigious, too. Personally, I'm beginning to believe that prestige doesn't matter as much in a terminal SLP degree. The job market is good enough that you are going to be employed once you graduate. If you plan on going into research or teaching, maybe pick based on reputation. Or, if one program has clearly better clinical connections (which I can't imagine being true, seeing as NYU is in NYC), pick that one. Also, I'm a prereq student, so I'm going to be spending three years at my program of choice, and I want to ensure that I can be happy outside of class and clinic time. But I'm glad I'm not the only one! Cost of living is a little bit higher in Boulder, and it's a little less prestigious, but.... it's Boulder over Indiana. I'm visiting to see how it feels, so if that's an option, do it!

Gosh, I am. I can get in-state at two schools I'm looking at, but one is in a so-so location and the other isn't as prestigious. And then there's UDub, where I will be in debt forever but... it might be perfect. I don't know what to do, except keep working (where I make about $200 a week... not a way to save up for school if you ask me...) I'm glad I have company, though!

I received an email on March 17th to check the online application system. I was accepted. No word on financial stuff yet.

Thank you all for the thorough replies! You're right that in my heart I'm drawn to School B. I'm visiting, and I'll do my best to let my gut decide.

Here's my current dilemma: Let's say you have two offers from schools that would end up costing about the same amount of money. What do you choose? School A: Very prestigious (top 5 in the country). Small program, close-knit community. Big, state university. Very structured curriculum, many clinical opportunities. Study through the summers. BUT, the town is less than ideal. It's kind of in the middle of nowhere. I currently live in the state, and I'm frustrated by how hard it can be to find people I enjoy spending time with. I might be car-dependent. And the surrounding landscape is very flat. School B: Fairly prestigious (top 25 in the country). Small program. Big, state university. A little less structured in the curriculum, many clinical opportunities. Summers off, and the area offers many relevant jobs I could have in the summers. The town is pretty idyllic. I'll be visiting in a few weeks to see for myself. It's a more liberal environment, and there are mountains to climb up and ski down, and it's very bike-friendly (I want to sell my car). Of course, I run the risk of being surrounded by yuppie-hippies. My degree would be very clinical (speech-language pathology) rather than research-based and I would be in a three-year program at either school because I lack certain prerequisites. I just don't know how to weigh whether going to School B would hurt my chances of gainful employment after graduation, or whether going to School A would mean a miserable social life for the next 3 years, or if I'm over-thinking it. I know I'm very lucky to have this issue, but I'm afraid to choose wrong. Any advice? I appreciate any counsel you have to offer!

Did BU end up sending the letter to your permanent or your mailing address? I'm habitually checking the mail and calling my parents, but I'm away for the weekend (and so are they) and want to know who to bug first come Sunday.

I got an acceptance to UIUC. They notified me via email on Sunday afternoon. I thought it was a weird time. Good luck!

Only Purdue. Though (I see in your signature), I did also apply to Northwestern & I'm eager to hear from them!