hello3angel Posted March 15, 2012 Posted March 15, 2012 As a 2nd year teacher, a representative from UofM came to observe my classroom today. Afterwards, he asked me what my plans were for the following year. Upon telling him I was going to do my doctorates at USC, he responded with a "Oh, you know, that's funny. I recently saw a list of the top 10 Education programs, on no, I meant top 20 programs, UC Berkeley and UCLA were on there, and of course Michigan was there too, but USC wasn't on the list." My mental thought process: A. What list were you looking at again? B. Check the list again. He then left my classroom saying "Have fun in grad school! Well, not so much fun with all the loans you'll have to take out." My immediate response: "Oh, I have an incredible financial package, free ride to college and an amazing stipend. So yes, I will have tons of fun in grad school." (Cue double fist pump in the air!) He left my classroom thinking I'm nuts. Heh... =.='' Wow... what was his problem? Mr. Negativity is what I'll call him...
PhDreams Posted March 15, 2012 Posted March 15, 2012 As a 2nd year teacher, a representative from UofM came to observe my classroom today. Afterwards, he asked me what my plans were for the following year. Upon telling him I was going to do my doctorates at USC, he responded with a "Oh, you know, that's funny. I recently saw a list of the top 10 Education programs, on no, I meant top 20 programs, UC Berkeley and UCLA were on there, and of course Michigan was there too, but USC wasn't on the list." My mental thought process: A. What list were you looking at again? B. Check the list again. He then left my classroom saying "Have fun in grad school! Well, not so much fun with all the loans you'll have to take out." My immediate response: "Oh, I have an incredible financial package, free ride to college and an amazing stipend. So yes, I will have tons of fun in grad school." (Cue double fist pump in the air!) He left my classroom thinking I'm nuts. Heh... =.='' FYI - you are awesome!!!!!!!
critic1 Posted March 15, 2012 Posted March 15, 2012 Good for you Hitomimay- what a rude person. He's probably bitter because he never got accepted to USC
litjust Posted March 18, 2012 Author Posted March 18, 2012 As a 2nd year teacher, a representative from UofM came to observe my classroom today. Afterwards, he asked me what my plans were for the following year. Upon telling him I was going to do my doctorates at USC, he responded with a "Oh, you know, that's funny. I recently saw a list of the top 10 Education programs, on no, I meant top 20 programs, UC Berkeley and UCLA were on there, and of course Michigan was there too, but USC wasn't on the list." My mental thought process: A. What list were you looking at again? B. Check the list again. He then left my classroom saying "Have fun in grad school! Well, not so much fun with all the loans you'll have to take out." My immediate response: "Oh, I have an incredible financial package, free ride to college and an amazing stipend. So yes, I will have tons of fun in grad school." (Cue double fist pump in the air!) He left my classroom thinking I'm nuts. Heh... =.='' I think a lot of people are just unaware of how grad school funding works. But he does sound like he was trying to be an intentional downer. Jealous, maybe? You'll have a BLAST in grad school
abr2116 Posted March 19, 2012 Posted March 19, 2012 Visited Michigan Friday and had a good time. The program is obviously very impressive but don't think it is a good fit for me and my long term goals. The fact that the program takes 6 years to completion as a full-time student basically removes it from consideration. Looks like I'm down to USC and Arizona...I'm very excited about both options.
PhDreams Posted March 19, 2012 Posted March 19, 2012 Visited Michigan Friday and had a good time. The program is obviously very impressive but don't think it is a good fit for me and my long term goals. The fact that the program takes 6 years to completion as a full-time student basically removes it from consideration. Looks like I'm down to USC and Arizona...I'm very excited about both options. . I was at Michigan too this weekend! Did you stay the weekend for the events?
abr2116 Posted March 19, 2012 Posted March 19, 2012 I was there for most of the events but had to miss Saturday. What is your "concentration"?
wildviolet Posted March 21, 2012 Posted March 21, 2012 It's been too quiet on this thread! OK, serious question though... for those of you having a tough time deciding... are you going to visit both schools first? Here's my dilemma. I'll be visiting MSU in less than two weeks, and they're paying for me to go. UW is happy to have me visit (on my own dime). But, I don't want to pay for it (trying to save up). But, I don't want to wonder "what if," either. Do you think I can be sure that MSU is the place for me if I never visit UW? What to do...???
PhDreams Posted March 21, 2012 Posted March 21, 2012 Michigan funded our visits, but I went to visit HGSE on my own dime last year and I'm glad I did. I really fell in love with the program. There is just no way to know how you feel about a program until you go visit. I say you should definitely go if you can manage it. You may love or hate it. You just never know.
hitomimay Posted March 21, 2012 Posted March 21, 2012 (edited) I'll be visiting MSU in less than two weeks, and they're paying for me to go. UW is happy to have me visit (on my own dime). But, I don't want to pay for it (trying to save up). But, I don't want to wonder "what if," either. Do you think I can be sure that MSU is the place for me if I never visit UW? What to do...??? Take my response with a HUGE CHUNK of salt, but I feel like the fact that they aren't covering for expenses for you to visit might be a small testament to how much funding they have. Obviously your stipend is covered and guaranteed, but I'm talking about paying for other expenses such as conferences/travel. My school offers $1000 a year for that, but they have an unspoken thingy where their students to go to conferences beyond that stated amount. Funding also shapes just how much research you can do (some of our students conduct research out of state). I dunno, personally I'd feel better going to a school that is a little more financially secure? But I might not know what I'm talking about. ><'' Visited Michigan Friday and had a good time. The program is obviously very impressive but don't think it is a good fit for me and my long term goals. The fact that the program takes 6 years to completion as a full-time student basically removes it from consideration. Looks like I'm down to USC and Arizona...I'm very excited about both options. Come to USC! Its warm and inviting California weather is beckoning you!!! How can you possibly resist. Edited March 21, 2012 by hitomimay
wildviolet Posted March 21, 2012 Posted March 21, 2012 Take my response with a HUGE CHUNK of salt, but I feel like the fact that they aren't covering for expenses for you to visit might be a small testament to how much funding they have. Obviously your stipend is covered and guaranteed, but I'm talking about paying for other expenses such as conferences/travel. My school offers $1000 a year for that, but they have an unspoken thingy where their students to go to conferences beyond that stated amount. Funding also shapes just how much research you can do (some of our students conduct research out of state). I dunno, personally I'd feel better going to a school that is a little more financially secure? But I might not know what I'm talking about. ><'' Funding is a major consideration for me. It's a HUGE testament to how much funding they have! I'm concerned about conferences/travel, too. MSU has indicated that each of their PhD students receives about $8,000 to $10,000 during their whole time in the program to attend conferences. On the other hand, the stipend and travel allowances at UW are not guaranteed. Although my potential adviser has said that he has been able to provide stable funding for his grad students, one of his former students told me that he knew of currently unfunded students! Anyway, I am also concerned that most of the large public universities are still cutting back for next year. Anyway, your opinion is much appreciated! (Of course you know what you're talking about!)
wildviolet Posted March 21, 2012 Posted March 21, 2012 Michigan funded our visits, but I went to visit HGSE on my own dime last year and I'm glad I did. I really fell in love with the program. There is just no way to know how you feel about a program until you go visit. I say you should definitely go if you can manage it. You may love or hate it. You just never know. Thanks for your input. The thing is that time is short--I wish they had notified us earlier so that it would be easier to make travel plans! Right now the cost of just the plane ticket alone is enough to deter me.
wayoutwest128 Posted March 21, 2012 Posted March 21, 2012 @wildviolet, although I researched each program I was considering exhaustively, by visiting I learned that information is not presented in the same way online (and through publications) as it is in more personal settings. A PhD is a huge investment of time, and the cost of a plane ticket pales in comparison. If you're seriously considering UW, you should visit, especially if a formal visit day is offered. If Michigan State is the clear front-runner but you want to do due diligence in your decision-making--that is, to make sure you're not missing some key bit of info that could complicate your decision--IMO you could probably get away with skipping the visit if you were willing to be extremely proactive about scheduling time to chat with a handful of current students and faculty in the program (I would say at least 5 students and 3 faculty). Good luck!
wildviolet Posted March 21, 2012 Posted March 21, 2012 If Michigan State is the clear front-runner but you want to do due diligence in your decision-making--that is, to make sure you're not missing some key bit of info that could complicate your decision--IMO you could probably get away with skipping the visit if you were willing to be extremely proactive about scheduling time to chat with a handful of current students and faculty in the program (I would say at least 5 students and 3 faculty). I think this is the key point for me. Right now I would have to say that Michigan State is the front-runner, but I have to visit to be 100% sure. I've had contact with people at both institutions (and one person who was at Michigan and is now at UW), and I'm pretty sure that Michigan is going to be a better fit for me. Thank you all for answering my cry of frustration! It was nice to have an acceptance from UW, but it just complicated the decision-making process. Thank goodness this will all be over soon!
PhDreams Posted March 21, 2012 Posted March 21, 2012 To be even more personal, my visit to Michigan confirmed that it was not necessarily the best fit for me based on my interactions with current students. I simply could not see myself in a cohort with them and unfortunately that is something that no amount of online investigation could have prepared me for.
wildviolet Posted March 21, 2012 Posted March 21, 2012 To be even more personal, my visit to Michigan confirmed that it was not necessarily the best fit for me based on my interactions with current students. I simply could not see myself in a cohort with them and unfortunately that is something that no amount of online investigation could have prepared me for. Thanks for this. Ugh, you're right. I should visit UW, too...
PhDreams Posted March 21, 2012 Posted March 21, 2012 I know that it really sucks, but I promise that it will be worth it. My Michigan offer looked perfect on paper, but my opinion changed after my visit. I'm reallllllllyyyyyyy glad I went. It sort of confirmed what I already knew about HGSE. I immediately connected to HGSE in a way I didn't expect to. After your visit, trust your gut. litjust 1
litjust Posted March 26, 2012 Author Posted March 26, 2012 Thanks for this. Ugh, you're right. I should visit UW, too... Yeah, I agree with a few other people and I think you should visit also. I visited Madison in December (before I was accepted) and I'm glad I did because they also did not offer money for a campus visit, although I have received a fellowship for the program. I'm glad I went because during my visit, it immediately became my top choice. I fell in love with the program and the city in a way that I couldn't have simply by reading about it and communicating with people electronically. I wonder if there is a way for you to get a cheaper ticket. Maybe you can name your own price on Priceline? I've had tremendous success with this for hotels and rental cars, but I've never tried for a flight. It might be worth investigating.
wildviolet Posted March 26, 2012 Posted March 26, 2012 The fortune from my cookie today reads: "You shall soon make a long, overdue personal decision." LOL, I sure hope so!
PhDreams Posted March 26, 2012 Posted March 26, 2012 The fortune from my cookie today reads: "You shall soon make a long, overdue personal decision." LOL, I sure hope so! Yay! Good luck!
PhDreams Posted March 26, 2012 Posted March 26, 2012 Also, just a big thank you to litjust for creating this thread and getting us all through this cycle!! litjust 1
abr2116 Posted March 27, 2012 Posted March 27, 2012 FYI, Vanderbilt Peabody professional tuition will be about $1334 per credit not the $1600+ mentioned earlier.
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