Decision help: Nebraska-Lincoln or Penn State?

[charlottearoora]

TL;DR: Do I choose the closer school with the better funding offer or the school with my dream program, okay funding, and a less-than-ideal location?

First off, I am super fortunate to have been accepted into grad school, and especially to have received funding offers.  I should be thrilled.  However, right now I am sick to my stomach with the realization that I have zero idea how to make this decision.  I feel like I'll have made the wrong decision whichever one I choose.  Any wisdom/strategies/psychic advice is welcome.  I have less than two weeks to decide and I'm really torn.  I haven't visited either school, but I'm visiting UNL at the end of the week.  I can't afford to visit Penn State before the deadline.

Some things that matter to me:

• Not leaving with debt
• Not being crazy stressed/busy (to the point of it affecting my mental health-- I don't need a TON of downtime, but I do need introvert not-surrounded-by-people time to stay sane)
• Being able to roadtrip back and forth from Seattle if possible (I hate planes and have a dog, which makes travel more complicated)
• Living in a dog-friendly town (dog parks nearby, hopefully some kind of agility/nosework/barnhunt classes available in town)
• Leaving with the skills to be an AAC specialist in schools

These are the two offers:

A. University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Pros:

• People and town seem friendly
• Low cost of living
• Assistantship + fellowship offer that should (if I budget correctly) cover tuition, insurance, travel, and housing, and allow me to walk away with extra money
• Roadtrip-able (not a short trip, but I could manage it), and two airports within an hour and a half of the school if needed

Cons:

• Would require working up to 20 hours/week in the department (for the second year, this would likely be work related to my thesis or my own research)
• AAC department has a good reputation, but seems to do more assessment and work with adult aphasia clients, so I'm not sure I'd come away with the skills I'd need to do the kind of work I want to do in schools

B. Penn State

Pros:

• Offered a very selective grant (tuition + small stipend) with the opportunity to get AAC training/experience from some really well-known researchers in the field
• Their program and approach to AAC are exactly what I am looking for and it would provide the perfect experience for what I want to do after grad school
• No work requirement during grad school
• More clinical opportunities due to proximity to larger East Coast cities (Philadelphia, DC, New York, etc.)
• Closer to my best friend (in Connecticut)

Cons:

• Funding would not cover travel costs and living expenses
• Too far away from Seattle and affordable airports are 3+ hours away
• Not psyched about the town/geographic area (I've lived on the East Coast before and did not enjoy it-- this is not quite the coast, but I'm worried it might have the same feel)
• Higher cost of living
• Commitment to work in schools for four years after grad school (I am planning to do this anyway, but this means I couldn't change my mind)
• The program seems pretty intensive and might be overly stressful

HELP!!!!

[bibliophile222]

It sounds like the only real reason you would have for picking Penn State is the AAC program. Since UNL still has an AAC department and some pretty amazing pros, I'd go for that one. I think as long as you have some sort of AAC training you'll be fine heading into schools. You might get to work with kids with AAC in your school placement anyways. The location and the fantastic funding sound too good to pass up.

The only con I can see to UNL is the 20 hour a week work requirement. That is steep, but you also mention that Penn State seems pretty intensive, so I think either way you'll be pretty busy. If you have good time management skills I think you could handle it. Honestly, the idea of 20 hours a week would terrify me, but I also have some major procrastination issues and probably could fit 20 hours of work into my schedule if I actually started assignments when I said I would! 

Edited April 3, 2019 by bibliophile222

[samiamslp]

I don't really have any advice to give you, but I am in a very similar situation with two schools. I would love to read other peoples' thoughts to your dilemma. I don't know if this is helpful, but when I was freaking out about me potentially picking the wrong program and not knowing, someone told me yesterday something very simple: "If you have two programs that are great options for you, there is no 'bad' decision." Might you be more successful in an area if you went to one program over the other? Maybe. Might you have less stress cost-wise at one program, or less stress work-wise at the other? Possibly, but you do still have some time. Have you reached out to other students at these programs and asked their thoughts? Anyway, I haven't made a decision yet, but reminding myself that I have two great options and that at either program I will (and you will!) be successful has taken a lot of the pressure and anxiety off of the decision itself so that I can think about it more rationally. I can't tell you where I would go, but you will find your way whichever path you take and, it sounds like, come out a very competent SLP either way! 

[sarah189]

@charlottearoora Congrats on both schools! Sorry that this is off topic, but when did you hear about funding from Penn State? I'm still waiting to hear about that, and that's a big influence on me making a decision. Thanks!

[charlottearoora]

On 4/3/2019 at 8:09 PM, sarah189 said:

@charlottearoora Congrats on both schools! Sorry that this is off topic, but when did you hear about funding from Penn State? I'm still waiting to hear about that, and that's a big influence on me making a decision. Thanks!

I heard this past week, but it's a very specific grant that I applied for (I think they can fund two students).  I don't know about how assistantships work or when they will be given out.  It's frustrating how late funding is given out and how opaque the process is!  Good luck with your decision.

[charlottearoora]

On 4/3/2019 at 7:11 PM, samiamslp said:

I don't really have any advice to give you, but I am in a very similar situation with two schools. I would love to read other peoples' thoughts to your dilemma. I don't know if this is helpful, but when I was freaking out about me potentially picking the wrong program and not knowing, someone told me yesterday something very simple: "If you have two programs that are great options for you, there is no 'bad' decision." Might you be more successful in an area if you went to one program over the other? Maybe. Might you have less stress cost-wise at one program, or less stress work-wise at the other? Possibly, but you do still have some time. Have you reached out to other students at these programs and asked their thoughts? Anyway, I haven't made a decision yet, but reminding myself that I have two great options and that at either program I will (and you will!) be successful has taken a lot of the pressure and anxiety off of the decision itself so that I can think about it more rationally. I can't tell you where I would go, but you will find your way whichever path you take and, it sounds like, come out a very competent SLP either way! 

Thanks, these are good thoughts.  I visited Nebraska and I don't have a great gut-feeling about it, but I haven't visited Penn State (only talked to a student and professors over the phone), so I may very well have the same gut-feeling about it if I had visited.  I know neither town is ideal for me (I really don't enjoy sports and both are HUGE football towns), but I got a better feeling from talking to professors at Penn State.  I'm also worried about the work commitment after graduation-- what if I find out that working in schools is not a good fit for me and then I end up stuck in a job I hate for four years?  I doubt this will happen, but it's possible.  Sorry for the rant and good luck in your own decision-making!

[samiamslp]

On 4/6/2019 at 11:40 AM, charlottearoora said:

Thanks, these are good thoughts.  I visited Nebraska and I don't have a great gut-feeling about it, but I haven't visited Penn State (only talked to a student and professors over the phone), so I may very well have the same gut-feeling about it if I had visited.  I know neither town is ideal for me (I really don't enjoy sports and both are HUGE football towns), but I got a better feeling from talking to professors at Penn State.  I'm also worried about the work commitment after graduation-- what if I find out that working in schools is not a good fit for me and then I end up stuck in a job I hate for four years?  I doubt this will happen, but it's possible.  Sorry for the rant and good luck in your own decision-making!

I totally understand! I have been certain I want to work in a school setting since second grade, and now, faced with this big decision, I am second-guessing everything! Don't apologize-- we're all in the same place right now, and your feelings are completely valid and understandable. Thank you! Let me know what you decide?