NYU vs Uni. of Georgia vs Deferring

[IRFuture]

Hello All,

This is my first time posting and I'm hoping to get some advice. I have been recently accepted to NYU, University of Georgia, University of Miami, and waitlisted for GW Elliott school with a Masters in International Relations and am having quite a hard time making up my mind. So far I am leaning towards NYU (until I hear back from GW which is my first choice) but have been offered no funding, and after making a budget my overall cost of living seems like it would be over $60,000 a year. On the other hand University of Georgia has not yet offered me funding, but is significantly cheaper, with an annual budget of about $40,000.* all of this will primarily be paid for via loans*

Now my question is; should I suck it up, take out the loans needed, and go to NYU which is ranked pretty well and has name recognition, or go to University of Georgia where I wouldn't be too stressed about the cost and isn't as highly ranked in IR, but slowly moving up in the ranks? OR should I defer for a year, look for work in a related field, and apply to other schools and fellowships in hopes of being offered funding this next time around?

Again... any input or advice would be greatly appreciated

[sociologygradgirl]

If the rank of UGA is concerning you, you should ask them for a listing of job placements. Most departments will gladly hand over that information. If they are ranked lower but placing people in jobs you would like to have, then I wouldn't be so concerned about their name recognition.

[Cleo]

Hi IRFuture,

I'm in a situation somewhat similar to you. I've been accepted to NYU's master program in International Relations too. I haven't been offered funding either. I've also been accepted at BU (no funding) and The New School (with funding). For some reason I find myself leaning towards BU, but like you, I can't help keep thinking about the fact that NYU is ranked higher and has an overall better reputation. I think my final choice will depend upon, which program I feel is the better fit for me. I've thought about waiting another year too, especially because I now realize that my choice of schools might have been a bit random. It seems like the ranking of NYU is going to weigh in heavily, when we make our choices...

[brooklyn713]

i'd also keep in mind cost of living; if you are paying for either NYU or UGA via loans, living in NYC versus Athens is going to put a much larger dent in your wallet. i'd second what sociologygradgirl suggested; see where alumni have gone off. if UGA alumni are getting the same positions as NYU alumni, then i'd say the debt from NYU really isn't worth it. but NYC may offer you more in terms of overall networking in the IR world than will UGA.