StarvingStudentYeah Posted March 19, 2008 Posted March 19, 2008 Ok, I'm now into two of my highly ranked programs. BC Pros More elite school Boston is a fantastic city No need for car (YAY!) Many alums from my program are living BIG lives Funding seems more likely Less distance move (I'm currently in OH) Excellent culture Acela train to NYC BC Cons Expensive city (rent, etc a major consideration) Program not accredited by CACREP (Would be nice to have, but not essential since I'm going on to Counseling Psych PhD regardless) COLD winters - yuck. ASU Pros Fantastic climate (Sun, yah!) Excellent entertainment (I can probably afford sports in Phoenix and not in Boston) Program is accredited by CACREP Recreation in AZ Hiking, grand canyon, etc This U is quickly on the move - really progressive AZ Cons Less prestigious Need a car - Urban sprawl, ugh FAR and expensive move Somewhere deep down my heart seems to want BC for the city and life and ASU for the program (even though it's somewhat less prestigious). Any advice thoughts appreciated.
LaraAnn85 Posted March 19, 2008 Posted March 19, 2008 Funny, I am deciding between ASU and 3 others and I don't consider the climate fantastic! It's over 90 degrees for a good 6 months of the year! Compared to 3 months of a cold winter....pick your poison! In any case, I don't know how to decide either :? Boston would definitely be better than Tempe in my opinion, but I wouldn't choose based on location (unless everything else is equal which it never is). Which is a better research match? Who did you feel you clicked more with? I think those are the most important things, along with funding and reputation of the program. Please let me know if you come up with any other factors!
StarvingStudentYeah Posted March 20, 2008 Author Posted March 20, 2008 It's especially hard to even begin to make a rational decision as I still have 4 programs I haven't heard from. I feel like the area is an equally important factor in the decision process though, because there's a good chance I'll be there around six years, and ultimately a lot of living will go on where ever any of us choose. I know for me, I do far better work when I feel stimulated and satiated by my environment. Unfortunately, there is just no way to know what it's like to live somewhere until you've done it. About the heat - I can definitely understand where you're coming from. Heat is nothing to mess with and it can be absolutely unbearable at times. This goes back to what I was saying about living somewhere. I lived in Tampa and can tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt that you cannot quantify that kind of heat until you have lived in it. For whatever reason, a week or two of vacation does not have the impact. I didn't like the heat necessarily, but I did like what it afforded, health and year round outdoor activities. I have several family members who have lived in FL and AZ at various times and they all agree that the heat in AZ is better than that of FL. One said 80 in Tampa felt like 105 in AZ. Both still HOT, but one felt better. On the other hand, dehydration is a far more serious consideration in AZ. I guess that's my concern about location - if you choose a bad one it can be a major issue. I know a few ppl who nearly when crazy in FL - just could not thrive or function at a high level for large portions of time in that climate. I feel sort of the same about winter - but I actually like the cold until Feb, at which point I begin to loathe it. On the other hand, after a while I start to really miss the seasons. Did you say you visited Arizona St? If so, what did you feel about the atmosphere on campus? Did it feel academic or overly meat headed? I'm really interested in a nice scholarly/academic milieu.
LaraAnn85 Posted April 2, 2008 Posted April 2, 2008 It's especially hard to even begin to make a rational decision as I still have 4 programs I haven't heard from. I feel like the area is an equally important factor in the decision process though, because there's a good chance I'll be there around six years, and ultimately a lot of living will go on where ever any of us choose. I know for me, I do far better work when I feel stimulated and satiated by my environment. Unfortunately, there is just no way to know what it's like to live somewhere until you've done it. About the heat - I can definitely understand where you're coming from. Heat is nothing to mess with and it can be absolutely unbearable at times. This goes back to what I was saying about living somewhere. I lived in Tampa and can tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt that you cannot quantify that kind of heat until you have lived in it. For whatever reason, a week or two of vacation does not have the impact. I didn't like the heat necessarily, but I did like what it afforded, health and year round outdoor activities. I have several family members who have lived in FL and AZ at various times and they all agree that the heat in AZ is better than that of FL. One said 80 in Tampa felt like 105 in AZ. Both still HOT, but one felt better. On the other hand, dehydration is a far more serious consideration in AZ. I guess that's my concern about location - if you choose a bad one it can be a major issue. I know a few ppl who nearly when crazy in FL - just could not thrive or function at a high level for large portions of time in that climate. I feel sort of the same about winter - but I actually like the cold until Feb, at which point I begin to loathe it. On the other hand, after a while I start to really miss the seasons. Did you say you visited Arizona St? If so, what did you feel about the atmosphere on campus? Did it feel academic or overly meat headed? I'm really interested in a nice scholarly/academic milieu. Well I just met people in the psych department and they were all very down to earth and bright and friendly. I'm definitely not planning on hanging out with the undergrads if I went there! I have been giving it a lot more consideration and I'm actually leaning back toward ASU now. I'm going back to Tempe this weekend to give it a last lookover!
StarvingStudentYeah Posted April 2, 2008 Author Posted April 2, 2008 What program are you accepted into at ASU, Lara? I am still to solidify my decision, but am leaning heavily towards BC. Please post your experiences from this weekend - I'm still not ready to sign on the dotted line anywhere. I've heard from a lot of grad students in my program and they have been the most negative group I have spoken with yet. They're not bashing the program, but most are just satisfied rather than thrilled and most had a generally bad opinion of the university in general - but as a grad student it's really the dept. that makes all the difference. In the end, I just hope we ALL make the decisions that are ultimately the best for us - good luck to us all!
LaraAnn85 Posted April 3, 2008 Posted April 3, 2008 What program are you accepted into at ASU, Lara? I am still to solidify my decision, but am leaning heavily towards BC. Please post your experiences from this weekend - I'm still not ready to sign on the dotted line anywhere. I've heard from a lot of grad students in my program and they have been the most negative group I have spoken with yet. They're not bashing the program, but most are just satisfied rather than thrilled and most had a generally bad opinion of the university in general - but as a grad student it's really the dept. that makes all the difference. In the end, I just hope we ALL make the decisions that are ultimately the best for us - good luck to us all! Certainly. You talked to grad students at ASU and they were negative? What department are you in? I actually felt that the grad students in my program at ASU were the happiest, most cheerleaders for their school kind of people. At my other option school the grad students seemed happy enough but talked about how sketchy funding has been (apparently my advisor would be fine) and a faculty member told me there is a lot of tension and cliquishness between the students. I talked to people who have completed both programs a few years ago and the one from ASU couldn't say enough good things and the one from my other school told me ASU would probably be a better option.
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