Indo-European/Historical Linguistics: UGA or UNC?

[EJD]

Hey everyone!

 

I’ve posted here a few times…I’m a freak-out queen, and everyone here has such good advice. I’m posting in the Classics forum again, since I figured folks here would have a good sense of the historical linguistics landscape, but if this is the wrong place, I’ll move elsewhere!

 

So, I’ve gotten into the Linguistics MA programs at UNC Chapel Hill and University of Georgia, and I intend to concentrate in historical linguistics.  (I’ve applied to UCLA as well, but, I’m not holding my breath!)  If I don’t get in now, I’d love to attend UCLA for their Indo-European PhD program, after I finish my MA.  Which school’s program, UGA or UNC Chapel Hill’s, do you think would give me the best leg up in the historical linguistics field?

 

I want to weigh costs, though, too—with UNC, I would get in-state tuition, cutting the price significantly.  Both programs seem to be a little tight in the way of teaching assistantships, but I’m hoping if I work hard once I get there, I might be able to get something in the way of aid.  I’m not sure if one might be more likely to offer some than another, though.  I would love to save a ton of money with in-state tuition, but if Georgia’s program is considered better and would give me a better chance at PhD programs, I’m wondering if that would outweigh the cost?  Has anyone heard anything about either of  these two programs in historical/Indo-European linguistics?  I’d love to be a language teacher one day, I just want whatever leads me down the right path, and I’m having trouble deciding between these two schools, both of which seem very nice.

 

Thanks for any and all advice, as always!

[ἠφανισμένος]

Wait . . . you want to be a language teacher and you're planning to do historical linguistics? Assuming Latin and/or Greek is the language you have in mind, an MAT in Latin would be more relevant and open more doors. I can't speak to the merits of either program you mention, but I can say that when I was admitted to UGA's linguistics MA a few years ago, they told me that assistantships for first year students were very rare. They did, however, offer me an out-of-state tuition waiver -- maybe that's something they could give you.

[EJD]

Thanks for the insight, Petros!  I will look into that for UGA - did they offer that to you automatically, or did you have to apply?  You are right, an MA in Classics would make a lot more sense for teaching Latin, but I'd really like to get into the historical linguistics field. I hope my Classics background will influence/guide me, however.  Thanks, again!

[ἠφανισμένος]

I think I applied for general financial aid through the program, and that's what they offered me. If they haven't said anything, it wouldn't hurt to ask.

[IuliaMaior]

I esteem Chapel Hill over Georgia just based upon my interactions with faculty, as well as the fact that many of my professors have much more complimentary things to say about UNC than UGA. Honestly, that's more for classics, though I think it may hold true throughout.