Temple v CUNY v Albany

[cantdecideyet]

I've received all my decisions, and I cannot makeup my mind. I have been rejection from all the better ranked programs I applied to.

Temple and Albany offered me some sort of funding that's barely enough to cover all the living expenses (16k). I might have to take loans. My bad health and walk body require frequent doctor's office visits.

CUNY was my first choice, but they only offered a tuition waiver.

I'm worried about attending a low ranked program like Temple and Albany and not getting job after graduation.

My GRE score is 320 and I had decent recommendation letters. Should I retake GRE and apply again next year? I already have a master's degree.

[rising_star]

How's your research experience? Have you asked for additional funding from either Temple or Albany?

[cantdecideyet]

8 minutes ago, rising_star said:

How's your research experience? Have you asked for additional funding from either Temple or Albany?

My research experience is ok. I collected original data for my thesis, and interned at a large university. Both Temple and Albany said they wouldn't be able to offer more and encouraged me to look for outside funding.

[-0-0-0-0-]

I'd work on my writing sample and GRE then reapply. A CUNY Soc Ph.D. (Not to mention Temple and Albany) is not worth taking out loans for. 

[cantdecideyet]

7 minutes ago, -0-0-0-0- said:

I'd work on my writing sample and GRE then reapply. A CUNY Soc Ph.D. (Not to mention Temple and Albany) is not worth taking out loans for. 

Would all the schools ranked above CUNT fully fund students? I wouldn't have to take a large amount to go to Temple of Albany (probably around 30k), but I am still hesitant.

Is there any chance I can get into a good program if I managed to score like 330 combined and improve my writing sample? My GPA is somewhere between 3.6-3.7 for both undergrad and grad.

[-0-0-0-0-]

13 minutes ago, cantdecideyet said:

Would all the schools ranked above CUNT fully fund students? I wouldn't have to take a large amount to go to Temple of Albany (probably around 30k), but I am still hesitant.

Is there any chance I can get into a good program if I managed to score like 330 combined and improve my writing sample? My GPA is somewhere between 3.6-3.7 for both undergrad and grad.

 

I believe so. I got into two programs ranked similarly to cuny and they both offer tuition remission and pretty good stipends.

My sense is that 330 and a good writing sample should be able to get you into a top 20, taking you GPA into account. But this could be a faulty generalization based on my limited experience so take it with a grain of salt.