Free Tuition vs. Reputation

[NRJ2801]

I was recently accepted to the Teacher's College Columbia (Art and Art Education) and Virginia Commonwealth Univ. (Art Ed and Nonprofit Management). VCU offered me a graduate research assistantship with a tuition waiver and a hefty stipend. TC forked over about a 50% aid package. How much should I factor in reputation? TC is top five for education while VCU is ranked #30. I mean it's hard to turn down a free education...does anyone feel there are repercussions to taking (what feels like at least) the easier way out?? There's a huge difference between the two schools. New York, NY and Richmond, VA are on two different planets. I feel like a bigger city would offer more opportunities for research, projects, networking and job placement but at a high cost. Thanks for any input!

[anthropologygeek]

Go with what you want. I know that turning down money can be hard but sometimes it's the best decision of your life.

[blankslate]

I'd pick the top five program, but I know nothing about your area.

[nadirv26]

^{Im in the same boat as you. Partially funded MA at UofT (in Canada), and fully funded at York. I have no clue which one to chose. Turning down free education seems so hard but turning down the best University in the country seems even harder even though I will have to go into debt for it. Sometimes I wish I was rejected at one of the schools so I dont have to make this very, very, very had decision.}

[imonedaful]

I always say, go where the money is. Generally, a school that offers you funding wants you there. Something you definitely have to consider is what you want to do after graduate school and how much you will get paid. If you are going to go into considerable debt for no guarantees that you are going to make more money as a graduate of program # 30 than program # 5 (which is almost always the case) then it will not be worth it. I know too many people who are 30 something years old graduated school a decade ago and are still paying off student loans. I am not sure what you are planning to do with your Art degree but you should look up the career path you want to take and see what the average salary is. Then consider how much you would have to pay, or how much you would have to take out in student loans over the course of your degree. Look at those figures, and then see how much reputation is worth to you.

[blankslate]

First off, the OP is not paying full tuition at the higher ranked university, it's a 50% aid package.

Secondly, if you look hard enough you may find opportunities for teaching assistantships or other part-time opportunities to help pay for your tuition while you do school.

Sure, money's a big deal in this economy, but so is the reputation jump from #5 to #30. It's not just the reputation, it's about networking, location and future opportunities.

In the end, it's all about what you want to accomplish, but the higher reputation will open more doors, and as hard as it is you need to try and put a long term value on that now so you can weigh that with the risk of paying off debt.

Good luck.

[emmm]

I wouldn't have attended graduate school without full funding, but I am a (much) older than typical student, and have college tuitions for kids to worry about. Still, I would be worried about taking on a lot of debt that you would be saddled with before even starting your career. If you intend to teach, that debt may be with you for a very long time. If you tend to go into administration, maybe not so long . . . don't really know about that, but that seems to be where the networking might really help out? Obviously, it's not my area, so this is all speculation, and I guess the main message I'm trying to convey is that you need to consider all the angles and think about how easy/difficult it is likely to be to repay any loans you take on. Good luck and congratulations on both your acceptances!

[delight]

VCU - and this is coming from someone who accepted an offer to TC awhile ago (in a different department). VCU has a decent reputation in art education and their art department in general is pretty stellar. Richmond is known for having a liberal, artistic vibe with lots to do for the size of the city. You won't get paid much to do anything in the art / art ed. field (whether it's teaching, museum, research) so you might as well follow the funding opportunity.

[busybee3]

If your future career prospects will be identical at either school, I would go with the full funding offer. If not, choose the program which best positions you for what you wish to do.

[laurenhefner]

If it helps. I went to VCU for undergrad - Richmond is a shockingly awesome place to live, and I miss it every day. I love VCU and the environment there is amazing compared to where I live (DC).

[juilletmercredi]

A 50% aid package at a school that costs $60,000 a year is still $60,000 for a two year program. What jobs are you aiming for after graduation? What kind of salaries do they make? What kind of debt do you already have? I think a top 30 school can still open doors without getting you into a lot of debt.