Got offers from NYU, Columbia, Brown, UChicago and The New School, for Liberal Studies / Humanities MA

[alm21]

Hi everyone! 

I am new to this site so excuse me if I'm not posting this in the right forum.

I am international fulbright grantee, and I have been admitted to the following programs with the following financial aid:

• Columbia University, MA in American Studies, 50% tuition reduction
• Brown University, MA in Public Humanities, 40% tuition reduction
• The New School for Social Research, MA in Liberal Studies, 55% tuition reduction 
• UChicago MAPH, $8,000 award
• NYU Gallatin MA in Individualized studies (waiting to hear about funding) 
• NYU Steindhardt MA in Media, Culture and Communications (waiting to hear about funding) 

If NYU does not give me a better offer than Columbia or The New School, these two are my top choices.

Right now I will have to get an additional $25,000 per year for Columbia or $10,000 per year for NSSR, which seems feasible considering there are two additional grants I can apply to, a great student loan I can apply to from my national bank (I have the funds but at the interest rate of this loan, it is way more convenient for me to take it) and University work. 

Considering my situation, should I risk the extra cost and accept Columbia or take less of a risk and go to NNSR instead?

In terms of the programs, NSSR seems way more cutting edge and heterodox, with which I identify, but I am sure I can get solid knowledge at Columbia too, even if -as it seems to me- it might be more academic and orthodox. 

I'd really appreciate any input!

Thanks

[rising_star]

Hi @alm21, for future reference, there's no need to cross-post to multiple sections of the board. I've deleted your duplicate posts. 

[deshypothequiez]

I will warn you, NYU/Columbia/New School may sound sexy, but cost of living in New York City is astronomical. It sounds like you're calculating how much extra you'll need to cover tuition, but I would add another $30,000/yr to live extremely modestly. (That's how much my first full-time job paid and I was living paycheck-to-paycheck with no savings and unsustainable levels of credit card debt to make it work before I was finally promoted.)

Edited March 29, 2018 by deshypothequiez

[Bayesian1701]

Look at the cost of attendance at all of these places because it’s an easy way to ballpark living expenses. Make sure you include the living expenses for the summer as well. Just subtract out your funding offers and see what they are.  If you don’t have an assistantship and since I think you have to work on campus as an international student (definitely clarify this) you probably will not make enough money working to cover living expenses.  

[alm21]

 

59 minutes ago, Bayesian1701 said:

Look at the cost of attendance at all of these places because it’s an easy way to ballpark living expenses. Make sure you include the living expenses for the summer as well. Just subtract out your funding offers and see what they are.  If you don’t have an assistantship and since I think you have to work on campus as an international student (definitely clarify this) you probably will not make enough money working to cover living expenses.  

 

1 hour ago, deshypothequiez said:

I will warn you, NYU/Columbia/New School may sound sexy, but cost of living in New York City is astronomical. It sounds like you're calculating how much extra you'll need to cover tuition, but I would add another $30,000/yr to live extremely modestly. (That's how much my first full-time job paid and I was living paycheck-to-paycheck with no savings and unsustainable levels of credit card debt to make it work before I was finally promoted.)

Thank you both, I am including living costs. I am mostly interested in defining which program is more convenient. 

[alm21]

1 hour ago, rising_star said:

Hi @alm21, for future reference, there's no need to cross-post to multiple sections of the board. I've deleted your duplicate posts. 

Thank you and sorry, I didn't know!