Down to the wire!

[britboi04]

So, my decision is down to the wire as next week, the 15th, is when my programs are requesting to hear back from me.

Basic summary of my options:

School 1:

Attended undergrad here, and I feel ready to move from the city. The program is good, but not as specific to what I want to do as the other two. I have a full time position that will pay for tuition for my Masters, in the field I want to work in, and a possible promotion coming up in May. I do like the job and people I work with, but dislike the city, and the program isn't an exact match.

School 2:

'Dream school,' in a city I really would like to live in, however with a significantly higher standard of living. The program is the perfect fit for my field, and the corresponding office on campus in which I could begin making connections is well-known in the field. I have a job interview lined up for a full-time position in the President's office of this uni. and thus the potential of 100% tuition being paid for after 3 months.

Still awaiting financial aid letter.

School 3:

Another very good school in a desirable location, though somewhat less so than school 2. Again, the program is a good fit for my field and the possibility of connections/networking is great in this school/city. I have been offered a partial tuition support award, with the potential for another grant. Possibility of securing a part time position in the office on campus I would want to work in, but I won't know until June and it's only part time.

So what to do?!

[portionsforf0xes]

So, my decision is down to the wire as next week, the 15th, is when my programs are requesting to hear back from me.

Basic summary of my options:

School 1:

Attended undergrad here, and I feel ready to move from the city. The program is good, but not as specific to what I want to do as the other two. I have a full time position that will pay for tuition for my Masters, in the field I want to work in, and a possible promotion coming up in May. I do like the job and people I work with, but dislike the city, and the program isn't an exact match.

School 2:

'Dream school,' in a city I really would like to live in, however with a significantly higher standard of living. The program is the perfect fit for my field, and the corresponding office on campus in which I could begin making connections is well-known in the field. I have a job interview lined up for a full-time position in the President's office of this uni. and thus the potential of 100% tuition being paid for after 3 months.

Still awaiting financial aid letter.

School 3:

Another very good school in a desirable location, though somewhat less so than school 2. Again, the program is a good fit for my field and the possibility of connections/networking is great in this school/city. I have been offered a partial tuition support award, with the potential for another grant. Possibility of securing a part time position in the office on campus I would want to work in, but I won't know until June and it's only part time.

So what to do?!

School 2 sounds best to me.

[so47]

Do you have means to pay for School 2 if you don't get aid or the full time position? Because for me, that is too many "if's" to be comfortable. But if you have a backup financial plan that can work, then I say go with your heart and go with school 2.

[Goodbye_BlueSky]

It's so ridiculous to be waiting on financial aid with less than a week until April 15th, but I'm in the same boat as you. (Get with the program, NYU! lol) It makes the process so much more difficult because it's such a big uncertainty. I've already told myself to suck it up and take out the massive amounts of loans if need be; I just can't pass up a program that is so perfectly aligned with my interests--both career and research. But my other option is not much cheaper and not as good a fit, so I may not be the best example (and I'm a little crazy as well).

I wouldn't go with school 1 since you already know you hate the city and the program isn't a match. When you hate the city you're in, it's hard to feel that great about the school, especially when the program isn't the best fit.

School 3 seems like a very viable option, depending on exactly how much the partial tuition support and potential part-time job would help.

I would be more inclined to go with school 2. But money isn't very high on my priority list. The fit of the program is much more important to me. The way I look at it, if I'm going to have to pay no matter which option I go with, I might as well fork out the extra cash and go with the program I love rather than the one I'm just okay with. But that's just my line of thinking.

So basically, you just need to figure out what your priorities are. Is it more important to you to go with the program you know you have at least some funding for, or are you willing to risk having to take out lots of loans for the program of your dreams? I know what my choice would be, but you're the only one who can decide what will be best for you.

[shakespearebro]

If I understand your situation, it boils down to a less than perfect "fit" but fully funded school versus better matched schools with uncertain financing. I'll repeat my standard advice and the conventional wisdom--don't pay for graduate school. If the financing straightens itself out or becomes more definite, then definitely choose the best fit. If not, then follow the money.

[rising_star]

Serious question: Will having a degree with the exact right focus open doors for you that a slightly less focused degree with 2 years of additional work experience cannot? Like, will the School 2 or 3 degrees help you get a job that the School 1 degree can/will not? If the answer is no, then I think you already know what the right answer for your career is. Then you just have to decide whether to prioritize location or your career. A master's is 2 years, maybe 3. But if you choose something now that will not improve or will narrow your career options, that can follow you for years to come.

[waldorf1975]

You just need to decide how much debt you're willing to take on regarding the full- versus part-time job situation. Also, this might be an off-topic question, depending on your field, but will working full-time cut into the time you need for coursework/research? School 1 sounds like the better deal on a financial level, but School 2 might allow you to accomplish more high-quality work.

[britboi04]

rising_star, I think you are very correct with regards to how a slightly off-focused degree won't matter that much if I am making up for it by gaining 2-3 more years of practical experience in the field.

I guess the real benefit of school 2 over 1 is that the possible connections I would make would be significantly better, especially since I have established connections at school 1 already. But having connections is no way a guarantee for future employment. So yes, there still are a lot of 'ifs,' but I think this week the loose ends will be tied up (hopefully before Thursday!)

And waldorf1975, I've thought about the full time job aspect, but no matter where I attend school, a job is something that I'm going to need, and I'm not so sure a part-time job would cut it. I don't think my field is as research-intensive as some other fields are, but there certainly will be a learning curve for me finding that balance between work and school-but this is something I am no stranger to.

The bottom line is if I decide to move to school 2, it will be a decision made with me knowing the amount of work it's going to take to keep me there, hence the stress and indecisiveness I've been experiencing.

My peers here all recognize that this is a great opportunity and almost too good to pass up as it provides a way to move on to the next phase of my career, start making new contacts, and moving to a place that we believe will have more to offer me in all aspects. However, once I get my financial aid letter and see how this interview goes, if I don't have enough financial support, I won't be able to deny the smart move saving money by staying here and gaining a degree plus more experience would be able to provide me. Now it truly is just a waiting game and then a last-minute decision :\

As usual, thanks for the discussion, it keeps me thinking of other angles to look at the situation, so keep your thoughts coming

[britboi04]

Ok..new developments...HELP!!!

So, as far as school # 2 goes, I had my phone interview yesterday for the full-time position in the Office the President. It went pretty well, as far as I can tell. The woman I interviewed with said she thought my responses were excellent and that I seemed like a good fit, but that there were other qualified applicants she would have to continue to phone interview as well.

She did ask me if I would be open to flying (at my expense) to meet in person for an interview since I am out-of-state, and I said yes, however because of the costs I would help she would only ask me after carefully considering my application, to which she said that goes without saying. Then she proceeded to say to make it worthwhile, she would see if she couldn't 'pull some strings' to get me interviews with the other 2 positions for which I applied just to make it as worthwhile a trip as possible because she said in the event they did award the position to someone else, she still thinks I am exactly the type of student they want at their school so wanted to help me in any way possible.

She told me to ask for an extension to make my decision with my department and she would get back to me with more details.

I was granted an extension, until the 30th so I thought great, I've bought myself some time.

Then my job here at school #1 threw me for a loop. There is already talk of a promotion coming for me in the next couple of months, but now they want to send me to Paris for the entire month of July as the program assistant for the program I have been coordinating.

The only catch? They need to know by...tomorrow.

Since my field is International Education, this of course is a very relevant opportunity, and it goes without saying that Paris is my favorite city in the world. But I'm not naive enough to recognize that I have to differentiate between short-term and long-term gain.

The first problem, besides having to tell them so soon, is that I don't know when the start date for the job at school #2 would be. She asked me when I could start and I said asap. So that means, if it was before July, and I already committed to Paris, I would be screwing my colleagues here, burning several bridges, and just feel like an all around horrible person.

The flip side of that is if I tell them I can't go to Paris, and then I don't end up getting the job at school #2 and moving away, my current job will most certainly think twice before ever offering me an opportunity like this again and I might have then reached a ceiling so to say because they'll just think I'm waiting for a chance to leave and am not serious about the job.

I'm really torn with what to do. I've e-mailed my interviewer making her aware of the situation I am now in, but I understand there is only so much she can do with other qualified applicants in the mix.

My gut tells me to consult with my direct supervisor as she has been a mentor with me throughout this process with regards to choosing a grad program (be it here or elsewhere) but she knows nothing of my job opportunities yet. As I said, I worry if I tell her, I might shoot myself in the foot if I end up staying.

Thoughts...?

[karough]

OOOOOH! La! La! - PARIS!?!?! That would decide me right away! FOR A MONTH!!!! OoooooooooooH! Go! Go! Go!

I know I am not being helpful, but my only excuse - the Lights of Eiffel Tower, are blinding me!

[britboi04]

Ok, well, I broke down and talked to my supervisor. She recognized the awesome opportunity that I could potentially have at school #2 working in the Office of the President and eventually getting my tuition paid, so she spoke with the director and they have agreed to give me until the end of the month to decide about Paris.

So...more of the waiting game, but I still appreciate the thoughts/opinions in the mean time!

[karough]

Your supervisor sounds like a wonderful person and they obviously think a lot about you to keep making changes. Good for you!

I guess it a waiting game now.

Good Luck!

[rising_star]

Yea, I'm still sticking with my original opinion. School #1 seems to be bending over backwards to keep you. Will the Office of the President job grant you an experience like the one you'll get by working in Paris?

Edit: I gave this some more thought. I recommend going through all the listings on higheredjobs.com, in the Chronicle of Higher Ed, and on insidehighered.com to see what qualifications employers are looking for in the jobs you want to hold. My guess is that it doesn't matter where the degree is from, provided you have both academic and professional experience.

Also, FRANCE!!! You are so lucky.

[britboi04]

Yea, I'm still sticking with my original opinion. School #1 seems to be bending over backwards to keep you. Will the Office of the President job grant you an experience like the one you'll get by working in Paris?

Edit: I gave this some more thought. I recommend going through all the listings on higheredjobs.com, in the Chronicle of Higher Ed, and on insidehighered.com to see what qualifications employers are looking for in the jobs you want to hold. My guess is that it doesn't matter where the degree is from, provided you have both academic and professional experience.

Also, FRANCE!!! You are so lucky.

lol, rising_star, yes...you see the inner-battle I am waging. It was so hard not to jump out of my chair when the director told me they wanted to send me to my favorite city--for a whole month! And I do realize that they value me here and the experience would certainly be great.

But even my supervisor and director see what an awesome potential working in the Office of the President at school #2 would be--they think the connections and opportunities to be gained would be innumerable, and in my dream-like state-of-mind, I agree. However, the timelines just don't seem to be meshing right now as the OotP told me they received so many qualified applicants and who knows when they will select their finalists.

Either way I go, at least now I know I'll have good options...and if I stay at school #1, it won't be with too much regret.

There's always the option of going elsewhere for the PhD., and I could use my month in Paris as a break and reset my scope on city #1.

Decision time is next week, so we'll see if I hear anything further!

*Edit: Great tip about checking those resources. I think after speaking with some of the advisors at other schools I've been accepted to I'd have to agree. Apparently, what matters most is the first job you have after you get your Masters, not exactly how specialized the degree is or necessarily what school it comes from.

Edited April 22, 2010 by britboi04

[britboi04]

Well, to give those of you who offered me some insight an update, I have chosen to stay at school #1. I talked with our associate director the other day and it was just a really good talk that gave me a sense of the direction they had for me if I stayed. And in 3 years she said she felt confident I could get into the PhD program at school #2 if I chose to apply again with all of the experience I would have behind me by going to Paris as the program assistant and the promotion I am up for. Couple this with my Masters being paid for and it just has turned out to be too good of an opportunity all around to pass up.

I feel so relieved to have made this decision--finally--and actually feel quite confident knowing that it is a smart one, even though the other schools were glamorous and my dream schools.

I guess I have a lot to be thankful for and wish everyone here success as they make their decisions.

Paris..here I come!

[karough]

Mieux commencer à pratiquer votre français mon ami. Prévoyez-vous visiter d'autres lieux en France? Je me demandais ce que vous aviez décidé, afin Merci pour la mise à jour. Profitez de votre temps à Paris.