location, location, location

[seattleph09]

i live right outside of chicago and did a masters at UIC. honestly, i don't like chicago. i hate the traffic, the public transportation is somewhat dirty and dangerous at night. there are too many dangerous parts of the city. some things are just ridiculously overpriced, and the weather stinks for at least half the year.

i'd move to san diego in a heartbeat. and i probably wouldn't mind seattle either.

I went to UIC for undergrad, and have a similar feelings about living in Chicago. My biggest issue was the weather, and then how spread out everything is. I hated the rude people on the el (subway), too. However, there are aspects of Chicago I love that are just as easily enjoyed as a tourist during the few weeks in which the weather is pleasant :wink: - the food, the architecture, and the art museum. I only fleetingly considered applying to UIC for grad school - I have no desire to move back, even with my family living a couple hours away.

I moved to Seattle over 8 years ago and I love it here. Yes, there can be long streaks of dreary from November to May, but I'll take gray and rainy in the 40-50's over sunny and single digit wind chills any day. And I'm convinced we have the best summers in the US! I'm really thrilled to have been accepted to UW so, barring a too-good-to-pass-up funding offer from another program, I don't have to leave. I know if I do go to school out of state, I'm going to want to move back here, so I may as well stay here and network, right?

That said, I also think San Diego is great, based on a trip I took there a few years ago. I would have definitely considered moving there if they had a school with a highly ranked program in my field.

[seattleph09]

Duh! Haven't you seen The Wire? Just kidding. But I was tempted to apply to a school there so they would pay for a trip and I could see what it was really like.

Haha, I was thinking the same thing when I considered applying to Hopkins.

[seattleph09]

Interesting topic

Anyone wants to share an opinion about Urbana-Champaign?

I grew up in Bloomington-Normal, which is another college town (ISU, IWU) about 40 minutes away from there. U-C is a typical medium-size Midwestern college town. Kinda like a suburb without all the benefits of being close to a city. If you're used to living in a larger city, you'll probably be bored, unless you're looking for a big change of pace. Pretty campus, though. I almost went there for undergrad, and used to visit friends who went there.

[Tonights]

Case in point: the one person in this thread with significant first-hand experience with Baltimore had good things to say.

Thanks for discounting my experience, but I live outside Baltimore, go into the city for work and visits nearly every week, and find it hideous. Just because I don't live there doesn't mean my experience with the city isn't significant.

[psycholinguist]

I guess I should say what bothers me about san diego.

It is ridiculously expensive--even if you live in the not so nice areas.

I liked it for the first 2 years I lived here, but then it gets old. I get sick of having to drive everywhere, I get sick of paying huge amounts of money for rent and having nothing left to spend to do fun stuff, and I get sick of having the same weather every single day.

It is very touristy, and therefore a lot of the "fun stuff" to do is really expensive. If you want good restaurants, you will have to pay for it!! Sure, you can go downtown if you like a "night on the town," but with parking nearly $15 alone, it is way too expensive to be worth it.

If you surf, you will like it. But if you live having spare change to grab a drink, for about it--it all goes to rent.

As someone who's spent a fair bit of time in San Diego but only as a tourist, and who is now thinking about moving there, I really appreciate these points. The climate is probably my biggest worry; I find that here in the Northeast I really like the constant changing of the seasons, even if the winters are longish and pretty cold.

[synthla]

As someone who's spent a fair bit of time in San Diego but only as a tourist, and who is now thinking about moving there, I really appreciate these points. The climate is probably my biggest worry; I find that here in the Northeast I really like the constant changing of the seasons, even if the winters are longish and pretty cold.

And don't forget, with the recently passed California budget, you will now have the joy of having not only the highest state income taxes in the country (outside of NYC), which were raised by 5% for next year, and one of the highest state sales taxes (9%+ depending on county), but you'll also have the pleasure of the fact that they nearly doubled the annual vehicle registration fee... I forget the exact numbers but plan on paying 1%+ of the value of your car each year just for the privilege of driving it on California roads. All in a state mired in political gridlock, with education being the only thing that the politicians can agree is worth cutting funding for, and intractable social service issues. It's a joy here!

[ewurgler]

As someone who's spent a fair bit of time in San Diego but only as a tourist, and who is now thinking about moving there, I really appreciate these points. The climate is probably my biggest worry; I find that here in the Northeast I really like the constant changing of the seasons, even if the winters are longish and pretty cold.

I think it would be taxing to live in san diego if you like seasons--you just don't get them here. (80 degrees today). BUT, as a ucsd undergrad, I LOVED the school and highly recommend it. I don't know much about the linguistics department, but I was in the social sciences and loved it. Even though they are having budget crises, they are generally committed to funding all graduate students. Because the hard sciences are so strong and bring in major research dollars (a large chunk is taken off the top to goes into a general university fund), they do have other resources. (I worked in fundraising for a while at ucsd).

Anyway--i loved ucsd and if you do end up going, send me a PM or look at my post on the san diego city guide thread. There are certain neighborhoods that I have found much more bearable (and cheaper) that will REALLY make your life more enjoyable than living in La Jolla.

[synthla]

Just saw this article if anyone considering moving here is looking for a general current overview of the state of the State of California: http://www.newsweek.com/id/185791.

[Phonologist]

Thanks for discounting my experience, but I live outside Baltimore, go into the city for work and visits nearly every week, and find it hideous. Just because I don't live there doesn't mean my experience with the city isn't significant.

I wouldn't have said that had you included that information in your first post. Chill out.

[psycholinguist]

And don't forget, with the recently passed California budget, you will now have the joy of having not only the highest state income taxes in the country (outside of NYC), which were raised by 5% for next year, and one of the highest state sales taxes (9%+ depending on county), but you'll also have the pleasure of the fact that they nearly doubled the annual vehicle registration fee... I forget the exact numbers but plan on paying 1%+ of the value of your car each year just for the privilege of driving it on California roads. All in a state mired in political gridlock, with education being the only thing that the politicians can agree is worth cutting funding for, and intractable social service issues. It's a joy here!

Very good to know, especially since I also have the Canadian-American exchange-rate to worry about. Now, I don't have a car (in fact, I don't even have a license), but that's just one more concern about SD.

I think it would be taxing to live in san diego if you like seasons--you just don't get them here. (80 degrees today). BUT, as a ucsd undergrad, I LOVED the school and highly recommend it. I don't know much about the linguistics department, but I was in the social sciences and loved it. Even though they are having budget crises, they are generally committed to funding all graduate students. Because the hard sciences are so strong and bring in major research dollars (a large chunk is taken off the top to goes into a general university fund), they do have other resources. (I worked in fundraising for a while at ucsd).

Anyway--i loved ucsd and if you do end up going, send me a PM or look at my post on the san diego city guide thread. There are certain neighborhoods that I have found much more bearable (and cheaper) that will REALLY make your life more enjoyable than living in La Jolla.

Input much appreciated! I think the decision probably will come down to funding, and I'll be finding out about that probably by the first week in March. I did see your post over in City Guide, but I'll keep you in mind if I really start leaning towards UCSD. Thanks!

[sonnyday]

I live in Baltimore, and I'd cross that off of your list immediately.

I'm a city-girl originally from DC, so I don't have too much problem with urban life. But many can't deal with the high crime, traffic and whatnot. And Baltimore's got the worst of it all.

HOWEVER, if you are thinking of Johns Hopkins, it has an absolutely beautiful campus, Baltimore's only 30 minutes away from DC (a bus takes you there too), and you wouldn't even feel like you are in B-More. You may not want to venture outside that area, but its quite nice. I am applying to JH and I'd go in a heartbeat, although I hate living on the west side.

Go for San Diego though.

[nandelle]

I grew up just outside of Seattle and moved back here after graduation...love it here. If you like natural beauty, and if you're an outdoorsy kind of person (hiking,backpacking, skiing, biking etc) then Seattle will be great fun for you. Yes, it does rain a lot usually from Nov to May or June (except for this year which has been kind of weird) but our summers are lovely, and after spending four years in Montreal I can honestly say I'll take the temperate rain climate over the -20 with wind chill ANY DAY!

UW is a very pretty campus, too, and there are a lot of nice neighborhoods around that area.

[orangepotato]

For your field, maybe think about which city has the best saturation of future employers -- e.g., internship opportunities, research partnerships, adjunct professors who could give you a reference for a new job, etc.

[plisar]

Michigan's CS program is excellent, the faculty are committed, and the city is awesome. Ann Arbor is an amazing place!

[cooperphd]

I've lived or spent significant time in almost every city you mentioned. Here is my run down.

Chicago: great city, very affordable, great food. Hyde Park (U Chicago) is a little harder public transportation wise, but is really a cool neighborhood if you like a little grittiness. There are some great restaurants. Commuters to UChicago neighborhood find parking difficult, but you can have a car easily if you live in the neighborhood. Amazing festivals in the summer. The weather is its worst attribute, serious cold in the winter and serious heat in the summer.(Basis: attended UChicago undergrad and lived in Chicago for 6 years)

Baltimore: Another great city, if you live in Fells Point area near all the shops and restaurants. Some of the other neighborhoods get a little sketchier. Another great food city. As for living in DC, it is more like 45min-1hr commute, not the 30 minutes another poster noted earlier. (Basis: visit best friend in Baltimore ~10 times per year and I lived in DC). Easy commute up the east coast corridor.

Ann Arbor: Great smaller city. Not really located near much. Good food but heavy emphasis on the frat and football culture. If you like big games and streets sometimes littered with beer cans you'll be fine.

Seattle: Mostly concur with the other posters. Asian grocery stores are great. Good food. Public transportation is great comparatively. They all complain but mostly because they need something to complain about. Nice easy drives to the country for outdoor activities as well as nice parks in the city.

NYC: most overrated and extremely expensive. You can get all NY has to offer in some of the other locales for way less. Live on the outskirts currently

San Diego is my only blank spot

[faccha]

I dunno abt the other cities but I am kinda surprised to see so little being written about Ann Arbor. Well, Chicago might not be the ideal place you would like to go to. Southern part is too dangerous, full of crime. Everything is over priced. And its not particularly safe to roam around at night.

On the other hand, AA is an awesome city. Small yet elegant and B'ful. there is lot of student activity going around throughut the year and even the campus is very b'ful. Just did my summer internship there last year and loved the place.

[humdevphd]

help! chicago, baltimore, new york city, ann arbor, san diego or seattle?????

please explain why?

could you also tell me which one (s) are at top and which one(s) would be at the bottom and why?

I think one of the most important things to consider is your major. What are you studying? That may be a good way to determine where you should go. For example, if you're studying something in the Social Sciences, it might may sense to study somewhere where there's an eclectic mix of people (culturally, financially, etc.). If you're studying Math, you're location can merely be someplace where you enjoy your surroundings. Sorry if you've already posted your major, but I didn't see it so I may be repeating.

Anyhow.

Every city you posted has it's good and bad qualities. What are you studying? Maybe I can be helpful, but only if I consider the whole package!

[thedaydreamer]

Any thoughts on Boston and Atlanta?

I also have an offer at Pittsburgh and I was there over summer and loved the place. Haven't been to Boston or Atlanta yet. Atlanta depends on the admit so right now between BU and Pitt.

[dagger]

I feel like this whole thread would be better suited for the City Guide section. Granted, it is discussing a decision based on two cities. However, the thread has turned into a debate of the merits of each city, which, IMO, would have fit great in the City Guide section instead of a host of cities being tucked away in one thread.