While I was sending out all my applications this year and dreading the possibility that I might not receive even one acceptance letter, I never anticipated how hard it would be to decide between the programs that actually did admit me. As the flurry of acceptances (and more rejections than I care to admit) is winding down, I find myself considering two programs that are completely different. I cannot, for the life of me, take one definitive stance and stick with it for longer than 24 hours. Luckily, I am visiting both campuses in the next couple weeks, so I am hoping to be able to make a confident decision after experiencing the campus and the people. Unluckily, I will be visiting one campus just one day before my decision is due. Below I've written out the defining characteristics of each program, followed by the questions that are haunting me. Any advice from those who have been through this, or are going through this, would be greatly appreciated.
The first program is very small and the university is private and religiously affiliated (I, on the other hand, am agnostic). They have offered me a TA which comes along with a tuition waiver and a stipend. The school is located in a city in the midwest, an area of the country very unfamilar to me and very far away from my family. Most of the graduates get tenure track positions, but they are all at schools in the midwest (although this may be their preference). I am somewhat worried about the seeming lack of motivation in their faculty to seek out publications and engage in the academic community, but my mentor is the exception to that rule. She seems incredibly accomplished and was recommended to me by an old undergraduate professor. The program is ranked in the 90s by US News and World Report.
The second program is huge and the university is one of the largest public universities in the US. The have not offered me funding, but a TA might still come through I can apply for a TA again next year. Only 25% of their grad students receive a TA, and their compensation package isn't very generous. The school is located within driving distance of my family, which would make my life much easier. Most of the graduates receive tenure track positions, but those positions are often in ed programs, not English programs. Quite a few are hired to work at the university after graduation. Their faculty is motivated and growing and the program is full of exciting people doing great things. I would have a mentor who is amazingly accomplished, if a little cold. The program is ranked in the 50s by US News and World Report.
My main concern is getting a job after I graduate. That said, is ranking more important than teaching experience? How important is it to hiring commitees that your graduate studies were funded? Is it terribly stupid to turn down a funded position in a lower ranked program for a higher ranked program and the chance of maybe receiving funding? The second program has more success in placing graduates in tenure track positions, but could that be because people end up teaching education classes instead? What should I do?
I decided on the lower ranked program. I didn't want to start out my career as the person who doesn't honor their commitments.
