U Penn USC WKU?

[Grad Panic]

Ok, so I have been admitted to U Penn, but they offer NO internal funding for MA students. I have also been accepted to University of Southern California and Western Kentucky with funding (relatively similar and still waiting for more funding info).

Would you attend an Ivy with no funding (so you are in essence, paying for the name) or USC or WKU?

Anybody have any advice about these institutions?

[rogue]

My understanding is that there's not the same stigma attached to paying for a master's as doing an unfunded Ph.D., so the only concern would be if you want to take on that debt, not how it would look. Could you apply for external funding, at least for your second year?

I'm not in anthro either, but I hear that Penn's program is pretty top notch. I guess it depends on what you want to do with the degree. If you want to go on to earn a Ph.D., it might be worth it to have that name recognition when you apply to programs next time around.

Also -- and this has nothing to do with funding, really -- Philly is a great place to live.

[bemis]

Ok, so I have been admitted to U Penn, but they offer NO internal funding for MA students. I have also been accepted to University of Southern California and Western Kentucky with funding (relatively similar and still waiting for more funding info).

Would you attend an Ivy with no funding (so you are in essence, paying for the name) or USC or WKU?

Anybody have any advice about these institutions?

This is so funny...where did you do your undergrad? I went to WKU for my undergrad and I personally don't find it too academically challenging. I only took one anthropology class there (anthropology of gender) so it might be an amazing department, but I just know from my experience the school as a whole isn't that great. I got into UPenn too so I'm kind of having the same issue over if I should go there or to the University of Michigan. I don't know how much your department's tuition is, but compared to what I thought Penn would cost it's really not that bad. I don't know too much about USC, but I can imagine it's a good enough school.