Help deciding between MA programs

[sunni3]

Hi I did late deadlines this cycle and am currently deciding between MA offers from Cal State Long Beach, Cal State LA, SFSU, CUNY, and the Chicago MAPH. Does anyone have advice or thoughts on any of these schools? or on how I should choose between them?

One of my biggest concerns, which I have not been able to find consistent answers for, is placement and prestige. My goal is to get into a good Ph.D. program after the MA, and the unsavory truth I seem to come across a lot is that top programs do care about prestige. I worry that even though CSULB and CSULA are apparently really good terminal MAs, these school names don't carry the prestige that top Ph.D. programs often look for. On the other hand, the UChicago and CUNY MA programs, even though schools with prestige, are described as cash cows. I am also concerned if the MA would help my application or not.

I also heard from grad students across all these schools that there aren't enough active professors, and the ones left are often unable to offer sufficient attention. I am also told that placement record has been bad in most of these schools, and the students who got into good programs are generally viewed as outliers rather than products of the programs. Are these growing trends among programs?

I am quite stuck and unsure about how I should proceed, so any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated! If there are any previous applicants who made their decisions, I would also love to hear your thought process. Thank you!!

Edited June 11, 2023 by sunni3