UCSB with decent funding vs. Texas A&M Univ with fellowship/great funding

[acetylcoa]

Hi everyone!

This is my first post. I have come to seek the sagely advice of the Grad Café gurus!

I have been admitted to Ph.D. programs in the humanities at both UC Santa Barbara and Texas A&M University. I have visited both universities, and feel that both would be a great fit for me for different reasons. The main factors that I am most heavily considering at this point are funding, prestige, girlfriend and job opportunities after graduation.

Funding:

UCSB has offered me a T.A.ship (valued at approximately 29K per year, 14k of which is fee remission) + $15000 in the first year, with the possibility of applying for fellowships in the future. With this package, I would definitely have to pay money out of my pocket to attend UCSB and live in Santa Barbara.

TAMU has offered me a prestigious Diversity Fellowship, valued at $103,000 over the course of three years. This would pay for all of my tuition, fees, and take care of basically all of my living expenses in College Station (the cost of living in College Station is much lower than in Goleta/SB).

Prestige:

UCSB ranks higher than TAMU.

Employability:

I would be more employable after graduation with a degree from UCSB. However, TAMU does have pretty good prestige within Texas if I wish to stay there.

Girlfriend:

EDIT: One last thing I forgot to mention is that my girlfriend of four years (who I will probably marry) is starting medical school in San Antonio, TX this Fall. If I lived in College Station, it would only be a three hour drive to visit her.

Thanks in advance for your insight and help,

Acetylcoa

Edited March 25, 2011 by acetylcoa

[theatrehippie]

However, TAMU does have pretty good prestige within Texas if I wish to stay there.

You should seriously consider if you wish to stay there. As a Californian who is currently living in Texas, I will say that there is a BIG difference.

[acetylcoa]

You should seriously consider if you wish to stay there. As a Californian who is currently living in Texas, I will say that there is a BIG difference.

This is indeed a very big consideration. What are your thoughts on living in Texas? What are the positives and negatives? One last thing I forgot to mention is that my girlfriend of four years (who I will probably marry) is starting medical school in San Antonio, TX this Fall. If I lived in College Station, it would only be a three hour drive to visit her.

[theatrehippie]

This is indeed a very big consideration. What are your thoughts on living in Texas? What are the positives and negatives? One last thing I forgot to mention is that my girlfriend of four years (who I will probably marry) is starting medical school in San Antonio, TX this Fall. If I lived in College Station, it would only be a three hour drive to visit her.

I've been living in the Dallas/Fort Worth area for about a year now. It's definitely not a bad place to live, just very different culturally. On the plus side, people are generally extremely friendly, cost of living is very reasonable, and (at least where I am) there is quite a good cultural scene. As far as negatives, things tend to be very spread out, and people can be a bit closed-minded and old-fashioned. It's just a different energy than California. The weather can be stiflingly hot and humid, and I find the landscape rather flat and bare (though that varies, I'm sure-- Texas is a big place).

[theatrehippie]

This is indeed a very big consideration. What are your thoughts on living in Texas? What are the positives and negatives? One last thing I forgot to mention is that my girlfriend of four years (who I will probably marry) is starting medical school in San Antonio, TX this Fall. If I lived in College Station, it would only be a three hour drive to visit her.

Also, I'd check out the City Guide Forums! They can probably give you a better idea about College Station, and even some of the other cities in Texas. I really haven't been here that long, so my perspective is limited.

[acetylcoa]

Also, I'd check out the City Guide Forums! They can probably give you a better idea about College Station, and even some of the other cities in Texas. I really haven't been here that long, so my perspective is limited.

Thanks for the great advice! I will definitely check out the City Guide forums and see what people think about both cities! This is a great resource and I appreciate any help I can get!

[chaospaladin]

What PhD are you pursuing?

[borderlands]

I'm no expert in the field of linguistics but funding should be taken into serious consideration, as well as your girlfriend if both of you are moving towards marriage.

While UC Santa Barbara shows promise it is limited in its resources as far as funding and limiting your research with a bind to TA. Also one cannot take serious empty promises of future funding that is not written. UC system, in general, is known for exploiting its graduate students--while you may be getting teaching experience there is a thin line between getting experience and being taken advantage of. How many courses would you have to TA for? What is the typical average class size? Ask for feedback from current graduate students how they handle teaching assistantships and doing research.

Another cost to calculate would be travel costs. Also how would the relationship work in far distance? These are the kind of questions only you and your significant other can figure out.

I would go where the funding is at but that depends on what you are planning to do with your degree. If Santa Barbara offers more opportunities are you willing to take the risk of limited funding?

[acetylcoa]

I'm no expert in the field of linguistics but funding should be taken into serious consideration, as well as your girlfriend if both of you are moving towards marriage.

While UC Santa Barbara shows promise it is limited in its resources as far as funding and limiting your research with a bind to TA. Also one cannot take serious empty promises of future funding that is not written. UC system, in general, is known for exploiting its graduate students--while you may be getting teaching experience there is a thin line between getting experience and being taken advantage of. How many courses would you have to TA for? What is the typical average class size? Ask for feedback from current graduate students how they handle teaching assistantships and doing research.

Another cost to calculate would be travel costs. Also how would the relationship work in far distance? These are the kind of questions only you and your significant other can figure out.

I would go where the funding is at but that depends on what you are planning to do with your degree. If Santa Barbara offers more opportunities are you willing to take the risk of limited funding?

Dear Borderlands,

Thank you so much for your valuable feedback. One of my major concerns with going to UCSB is precisely the lack of funding and the poor financial situation in the overall UC system. During my visit to TAMU, I realized that TAMU has a very generous endowment and that the students benefit from it directly. For example, the grad students I met mentioned that they were able to ask the library system to purchase almost any book and that they have never been turned down. This was really impressive to me.

Regarding the subject of TA exploitation, I will take your suggestion and speak to TA's. If you have any more information about the subject, please don't hold back... I don't want to go into this blind .

Travel expenses are also a very important subject which I admittedly hadn't thought of very deeply. If I fly from UCSB to San Antonio, Texas (where my GF will be going to med school), it will cost me approximately $360-$400 per flight. Our schedules will be very limited (more hers than mine), so it is possible that only weekends would be feasible. Even on those given weekends, the amount of time she may be able to dedicate to me would be limited. Even if I visit her on a bi-monthly period (6 times per year), I would spend approximately $2400 a year. Ouch.

One thing that my mother told me regarding my choice is that I don't need to worry about the financial situation. She really wants me to go to UCSB. She received her PhD in biochemistry at UC Berkeley and her postdoc at Stanford, so the prestige of the university from her point of view. Even though she told me that my family can help me with the financial aspect, I am honestly already 25-years-old and I don't want to be in my family's debt any longer.

Thanks again for your feedback and I hope you chime in with anything else you can think of! Your advice has really helped me.

Ace

Edited March 26, 2011 by acetylcoa

[breeden]

I agree with your mother. Unless you are going to be under severe financial stress, I think that the money aspect of you decision should be the least significant factor. I know that I don't share the same perspective though. I personally choose the school that offered the least amount of money per year that also had the most expensive average cost of living. But that doesn't matter much to me! Leaving meagerly for the few years that you are pursuing your studies--the time in which you are supposed to submerge yourself with your studies--is a very mild compromise.

On the other hand, I would consider your girlfriend as a more serious issue. Is it a serious relationship? Being separated like that for 4 years or so can be very intense. My wife is currently in Germany, so I understand how stressful it can be trying to maintain a long distance relationship. Luckily, we only had to manage for 2.5 years (1.5 down, 1 more to go), as opposed to, say, 4 years to earn a PhD.

Best of luck

Chris

[acetylcoa]

I agree with your mother. Unless you are going to be under severe financial stress, I think that the money aspect of you decision should be the least significant factor. I know that I don't share the same perspective though. I personally choose the school that offered the least amount of money per year that also had the most expensive average cost of living. But that doesn't matter much to me! Leaving meagerly for the few years that you are pursuing your studies--the time in which you are supposed to submerge yourself with your studies--is a very mild compromise.

On the other hand, I would consider your girlfriend as a more serious issue. Is it a serious relationship? Being separated like that for 4 years or so can be very intense. My wife is currently in Germany, so I understand how stressful it can be trying to maintain a long distance relationship. Luckily, we only had to manage for 2.5 years (1.5 down, 1 more to go), as opposed to, say, 4 years to earn a PhD.

Best of luck

Chris

Thanks for your thoughtful feedback, Chris. It definitely is hard to choose between prestige and proximity to my girlfriend, and great funding vs good funding (with the bad reputation of the UC system).

With regards to prestige, what do you (or anyone else who wants to chime in) think about the $103K Diversity Fellowship with TAMU? Would that, in part, help make up for the less prestigious university?

- Ace

[acetylcoa]

Does anybody else have any feedback on whether it would be worth accepting the generous Fellowship from TAMU, even though the school is ranked lower?

Thanks,

Ace

[chaospaladin]

Does anybody else have any feedback on whether it would be worth accepting the generous Fellowship from TAMU, even though the school is ranked lower?

Thanks,

Ace

What is the length of your PhD program? Because $103,000 for 3 years seems good. But what if you don't finish the PhD within 3 years?

[newms]

Does anybody else have any feedback on whether it would be worth accepting the generous Fellowship from TAMU, even though the school is ranked lower?

Thanks,

Ace

Ace,

Don't look so much at the ranking. Instead focus on how good a fit the departments are for your research interests as well as for your future goals. Where do graduates at each place end up? Do they get good jobs after finishing the PhD? You want to choose the school that's ultimately going to give you the better chance at being a success in your graduate school career, i.e at which one would you have a better adviser relationship? Which school gives you the better chance of doing quality research and getting published? Which gives you the better options after graduation? So once the funding is enough to make ends meet at both places, choose the school that ultimately gives you the best chance at succeeding,

Edited March 26, 2011 by newms

[chaospaladin]

Funding:

UCSB has offered me a T.A.ship (valued at approximately 29K per year, 14k of which is fee remission) + $15000 in the first year, with the possibility of applying for fellowships in the future. With this package, I would definitely have to pay money out of my pocket to attend UCSB and live in Santa Barbara.

TAMU has offered me a prestigious Diversity Fellowship, valued at $103,000 over the course of three years. This would pay for all of my tuition, fees, and take care of basically all of my living expenses in College Station (the cost of living in College Station is much lower than in Goleta/SB).

Can you give me the breakdown year my year for each school? So would it be like this:

UCSB

Year 1: $29,000 + $14,000 + $15,000 = $58,000

Year 2: $29,000 + $14,000 = $43,000

Year 3: $29,000 + $14,000 = $43,000

Year 4: $29,000 + $14,000 = $43,000

Year 5: $29,000 + $14,000 = $43,000

TAMU

Year 1: $34,000

Year 2: $34,000

Year 3: $35,000

Year 4: $0

Year 5: $0

I don't see why TAMU gives for funding if this is the case. If anything UCSB gives more funding.

Edited March 26, 2011 by chaospaladin

[acetylcoa]

Dear ChaosPaladin, here is the breakdown:

UCSB

Year 1: $29,000 T.A.ship confirmed (14K of which is fee remission, the rest money I can spend to live) + $15K: $44,000

Year 2: Possibility of T.A.ship (29,000K) based on continued academic progress and pedagogical success as a T.A. + Possibility of Fellowship

Year 3: Possibility of T.A.ship (29,000K) based on continued academic progress and pedagogical success as a T.A. + Possibility of Fellowship

Year 4: Possibility of T.A.ship (29,000K) based on continued academic progress and pedagogical success as a T.A. + Possibility of Fellowship

TAMU

Year 1: $34,000

Year 2: $34,000

Year 3: $35,000

Year 4: $Possibility of T.A.ship or Fellowship, have to solicit it

Year 5: $Possibility of T.A.ship or Fellowship, have to solicit it

The financial offer at TAMU is much better because I have three years guaranteed and the living expenses are lower in College Station, TX, whereas at UCSB I would need to qualify and solicit the T.A.ship/fellowship on a yearly basis to see if I can get additional funding.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts,

- Acetylcoa

[breeden]

I'd say go TAMU, be with your girlfriend (or fiancee).

[chaospaladin]

How many years does it take to complete a PhD program for your field?

[acetylcoa]

I'd say go TAMU, be with your girlfriend (or fiancee).

Thanks for your valuable feedback Breeden. Tonight I will speak with some graduate students from each respective college to get more information. I really appreciate your contribution to the discussion

How many years does it take to complete a PhD program for your field?

On average, we would probably be looking at 4-5 years. Thanks Paladin

[chaospaladin]

Ask each university how likely it is that you would get a TAship in your 2nd and 4th year respectively for UCSB and TAMU.

[acetylcoa]

Ask each university how likely it is that you would get a TAship in your 2nd and 4th year respectively for UCSB and TAMU.

Thanks for the advice, Chaospaladin. I will do so. From the conversations I have had so far, it sounds like I shouldn't have any trouble getting T.A.ships at either university.

[acetylcoa]

Ace,

Don't look so much at the ranking. Instead focus on how good a fit the departments are for your research interests as well as for your future goals. Where do graduates at each place end up? Do they get good jobs after finishing the PhD? You want to choose the school that's ultimately going to give you the better chance at being a success in your graduate school career, i.e at which one would you have a better adviser relationship? Which school gives you the better chance of doing quality research and getting published? Which gives you the better options after graduation? So once the funding is enough to make ends meet at both places, choose the school that ultimately gives you the best chance at succeeding,

Dear Newms,

Thank you for your great advice. I feel that TAMU is a great fit for my research interests. I felt a great connection to all three of the professors I met, who I would be working with closely. The problem is that TAMU's program is relatively new. Since its creation, six students have graduated with PhDs. Four have been placed and the other two may have decided not to continue in academia.

In contrast, UCSB has an excellent placement record for its graduates and a more established department in the field I am studying. Admittedly I didn't get a chance to meet as many professors at UCSB as I did at TAMU.

I received a very warm reception at TAMU and can tell that the faculty there are extremely supportive of their alumni. At the same time, UCSB has also shown that they really want me.

In the end, the decision is very hard because choosing UCSB means being long-distance with my girlfriend for four years; while choosing TAMU could mean fewer job prospects upon graduation.

Thanks again for your help,

Acetylcoa

[artschoolhopeful]

Hi Acetylcoa,

I'm not too familiar with your field, and I do believe it's the people and not the program that's most important, but be sure to think broader than the next 4-5 years. If you want to be in academia, you need to focus on you and pick the program with the advisor you think will be the most beneficial in securing your academic success--someone who is active in helping you develop your career and produce publications and a solid dissertation. If you plan on marrying your partner, being able to secure a job after grad studies near your partner should be your absolute focus, which means you have to pick the strongest grad program that will get you a job.

I've done long distance before and it's tough, but if you want to be in academia, the job hunt starts now. It's only 4-5 years out of a lifetime.

[acetylcoa]

Hi Acetylcoa,

I'm not too familiar with your field, and I do believe it's the people and not the program that's most important, but be sure to think broader than the next 4-5 years. If you want to be in academia, you need to focus on you and pick the program with the advisor you think will be the most beneficial in securing your academic success--someone who is active in helping you develop your career and produce publications and a solid dissertation. If you plan on marrying your partner, being able to secure a job after grad studies near your partner should be your absolute focus, which means you have to pick the strongest grad program that will get you a job.

I've done long distance before and it's tough, but if you want to be in academia, the job hunt starts now. It's only 4-5 years out of a lifetime.

Hi Artschoolhopeful,

Thank you so much for your valuable feedback. I am going to look for the program with the best advisor for my interests and take it from there. Right now, I am honestly leaning towards Texas A&M University due to the financial and personal considerations. Although UCSB has a longer history and an excellent placement record, I was also very impressed with the professors at TAMU and feel that the financial support may help me to better focus on my studies.

Thanks again,

Acetylcoa

[breeden]

is there any update on this?