echolikebells

Looking for apartments in the Short North is killing me. I know it'd be easier if we widened our desired area, but I've lived in Columbus for 4 years now and I know we want to be in the Short North next year. The apartments get fully booked for showings in less than 24 hours from the time they're listed on Craigslist, and the property management companies want you to be making more per month than a grad budget allows, even though I know I can afford some of these places. Major headache! Just wanted to mention a neighborhood that doesn't get a lot of love from non-Columbus people, for those of you with cars that plan on driving to campus. Olde Towne East is much cheaper for 1-2 bedrooms than Short North, University District, and most of Clintonville, but the architecture is beautiful and it gives you walking access to a lot of Columbus stuff. It is a bit removed from campus, but those of you looking to stay away from the craziness of game days and undergrads and a gazillion frats and sororities might look into it and see if it is something you might be interested in!

I lucked out with quite a few of the faculty, although I'm not sure how many I'll get to interact with as a member of a M.Ed+Licensure program. OSU is much more in line with my own interests than Vanderbilt, and we're doing a lot of exciting stuff with queer theories/queer issues/intersectionality/feminism in the classroom and a lot of just personally interesting things with AYA literature, so I am excited!

I am definitely feeling this. I cried like a baby when writing the email to turn down the offer from the (better ranked and much preferred originally) program I decided not to go to. I keep telling myself that my program is the best possible program for someone looking to teach in Ohio, that is is $45,000 cheaper, that it is shorter. It has still put me in a funk that I'm having a hard time kicking.

Went to Nashville to visit Vandy's campus this weekend. It is gorgeous, and I loved Nashville, but my gut wasn't feeling it. Ohio State is where I want to be, so I accepted my offer there Sunday! A little nerve-wrecking to turn down the number one program just a few days after declining an offer (with partial funding!) from an Ivy, but I'm glad I finally made my choice.

I am going to visit Vanderbilt the weekend we have to tell them our decision, actually! haha And I currently attend the other institution as an undergrad student, so I'm very familiar with this area and atmosphere already, and somewhat familiar with the program and its instructors.

I wish I'd found this board earlier. You all seem like a totally great and supportive group-- I could've used that! (In other news, I still don't know where to go and I don't know how to choose. Yuck.)

While it is true that Columbus has a high crime rate, I do want to take the time to address this about the immediate off campus area in case anyone comes along that really, for one reason or another, wants to be immediately off campus. I live less than three blocks east of High St. and my apartment has never been broken into, neither have any in my building. Columbus is a city. It has the crime rates that accompany that. But if you've lived in a city, I don't think you will be negatively surprised by the crime here. If your ideal situation is trying to find an empty apartment in the immediate off campus area (not entirely sure you can by this point in the year, but it is possible) just keep these things in mind: 1. The higher the floor, the better. Rent prices will reflect this. I live on a third floor of a building and my rent is $20 more total ($10 per person) than the first floor. 2. Off-street parking can help avoid car break-ins because they are usually well-lit and right by the building. (Also, not leaving things just lying around your car that someone might want to steal helps avoid car break-ins.) 3. Your landlord should have lighting outside at night; the university recently sent squads out to check this and send notices to landlords who did not, then followed up to make sure this was remedied. 4. Buildings with a locked door into the building and then a secondary locked door into your specific apartment can be safer, and at least they keep people from sleeping in your stairwell.

Really just wanted to stop by and say you won't be going through this situation alone. I just turned 21 last week and am about to graduate undergrad and enter an M.Ed that attracts a lot of people who have already been working for years. I'm nervous about it too-- I'm just banking on them not realizing how young I am until they already either like me (hopefully) or don't like me (you can't win everyone over).

I would absolutely go, but I am not ashamed to admit I'd go for English instead of my M.Ed.

It is 100% true that Short North apartments open for immediate occupancy-- that is the problem I am running into because even though I live in Columbus, I have a lease on my apartment that lasts til the end of July. For people that want to live in highly desirable neighborhoods that open up like that, may I suggest looking at the sublets that will be more than plentiful in the University area in June, July, and August. The University Disrict area apartments are not great but they usually have AC and furnished essentials, are located very near campus to allow you to get to know campus and the immediate off-campus area where you will be spending a lot of time, and are right off of High St, giving you access via the #2 COTA bus to the neighborhoods you would be looking for housing in. This would allow you to be here with a roof over your head (and access to public transit if you get your BuckID!) while you wait for the perfect immediate occupancy lease in Short North, Victorian Village, or Clintonville. Just a thought!

I should note that I will also eventually be pursuing an advanced degree in English and hopefully looking for a career at a junior college/community college. Will school rep matter more for me than if secondary teaching was the end goal?

I am planning on seeking 7-12 certification, but I have no idea if I plan on staying (or even starting) in Ohio once I am looking for teaching jobs.

I posted about this once in the Decisions, Decisions thread, but I want to ask the opinions of the education people, since you lot are the ones that know the rankings for these programs. I am going back and forth between Ohio State and Vanderbilt and can't seem to decide. Ohio State is my undergrad institution, so I would only hold degrees from OSU and nowhere else. It is a well-ranked GSE but it is obviously not as high as Vanderbilt. The cohort is composed mostly of people I know and have had class with at one point or another. They offered me absolutely no funding, but it is still approx. $30,000 cheaper than Vandy for me. There are faculty here with areas of focus that I find incredibly interesting, but I would likely not get to work with them as they are more part of the literacy program than the M.Ed Teaching and Learning program. Columbus is a city I am familiar with (and I have always lived in Ohio). I could keep my current job, keep my current friends, and be within two hours drive of family. Vanderbilt accepted me and offered me partial tuition funding, but is still going to cost enough that, when combined with my undergrad debt, I will be $100,000+ in the hole. I love Nashville and think it would be an excellent living experience, although I would go by myself with no family or friends. This means I would be interacting with and potentially networking only with people I've never met before. This also means I would have moving costs that I could avoid by staying in Columbus. As a two year program, it could very likely make me more prepared to go into the classroom. I am not particularly excited about the research happening here that I've read about, but that could be a lack-of-exposure thing. Obviously I am more familiar with what is happening at my institution because, well, it is my institution. I am so intrigued by/feel so positively toward this program in my gut that even with the monetary difference, I haven't been able to completely abandon it. Is the additional experience and networking worth the added money, since I am going to be significantly in debt anyway? Should I stay at OSU for another degree to save the money, since it is still decently ranked?

Seconding WannabeSLP's suggestion. As a current (undergrad) student at OSU, I can tell you most of the current students actually already did the housing search for fall--- back in January/February. The sooner you can look into housing up here, the better! (Don't take all the good ones-- leave me one! )

Reading Clash of Kings (from the Song of Ice and Fire series) and re-reading Didion's The Year of Magical Thinking. Also reading From Hinton to Hamlet for fun, although it is from the suggested reading list of an education course I took last term.