Great funding from my last choice, not so great from my top choice!

[stephclassics]

I am new to the forum, and posted this under another subheading before I saw this one, so I thought I'd post it here:

 

I'm really having a hard time understanding how I can decide which offer to accept until I know if I've received a SSHRC CGS (masters) (I am on the "short list" that my home university sent out).

 

Here is the situation:

 

I received a really great funding offer from Western U. Since I am from Niagara, it wouldn't be a terribly difficult move. The department is smallish, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. However, I am not entirely sure with whom I would work. I'm sure I could figure something out, but I would probably have to change my research path.

 

I received a not so good offer from UBC, which is my dream school. There is one faculty member that I am dying to work with, and he has unofficially agreed to be my supervisor. After some off-the-record insistence from a professor at my home school, they increased the funding to $16,000, guaranteed for two years (plus an additional TAship in the second year).

 

Here is the dilemma:

Going to UBC would mean a cross country move to an incredibly expensive city. If I win a SSHRC, it would be managable. But I won't find out about SSHRC until May. How am I supposed to decide which offer to accept when it depends so much on getting the scholarship?!

 

My gut tells me to go with UBC, but if I don't receive a SSHRC it would be DISASTROUS. I've made a commitment NOT to go into more debt.

 

Any advice would be much appreciated

 

Confused!

[SANDIEGO]

16,000 isn't absolutely awful.. except Vancouver is incredibly expensive. I think you could save some money if you were willing to live in less expensive locales (Burnaby?) and use public transportation (I'm not sure what the cost of student housing there is). But on the upside, Vancouver is mostly an incredible city to experience, even if you don't have a lot to spend (Stanley Park, Grouse Mountain, Whistler, etc.). I would pick UBC for reputation/professor/city, and I'd pick Western if I was in some kind of a desperate financial situation. Can you ask your parents for help if the scholarship falls through?

[selecttext]

16 is brutal for vancouver. are your tuition and fees at least covered? tuition at ubc with fees will be around 5000-6000. it sounds like you will have to take out a loan.  does your great package at western include tuition support? if not, you will be paying ~8000-9000 out of that stipend. 

 

Remember that it is only a masters and the institution you attend will be far less important than the quality and number of publications that you produce. if western works out financially so that you don't have to take out loans, I would go there instead.

[lypiphera]

$16,000 in guaranteed stipend seems like a pretty good amount, particularly for a masters.  I am assuming this is in addition to tuition remission, since you will be TAing, but if not that changes things.

 

The research fit is very important.  It really doesn't sound like you really like the research at Western U, and I can't imagine turning down your dream school.  Obviously if you really can't make it work, that's something for you to consider, but if I were in your place, I would go to my dream school with decent funding and hope for that scholarship.  It won't help much to have more money if you don't like the work you're doing and aren't working as hard in it.  Even if you do have to go into some more debt (I can't comment on how disastrous it would be without specifics), it will be worth it in the long run to come out with a stronger CV, ready for the job market.

[selecttext]

tuition waivers are very rare for canadian universities, especially at the masters level

[bedmas]

tuition waivers are very rare for canadian universities, especially at the masters level

i was pretty sad to realize this! but it's not so bad considering how much cheaper canadian tuition is (well, depending on the school)

[SANDIEGO]

16 is brutal for vancouver. are your tuition and fees at least covered? tuition at ubc with fees will be around 5000-6000. it sounds like you will have to take out a loan.  does your great package at western include tuition support? if not, you will be paying ~8000-9000 out of that stipend. 

 

Remember that it is only a masters and the institution you attend will be far less important than the quality and number of publications that you produce. if western works out financially so that you don't have to take out loans, I would go there instead.

 

I disagree completely. UBC > Western in both reputation and fit in this case. You will end up doing better work at UBC in any case since that's where you want to attend and has your dream professor (i.e. you have a higher likelihood of producing higher quality publications). The reputation will also come into play regardless of what you decide to do next (i.e. apply for PhD programs). You will find funding if you are committed to doing so, TAships and RAships are there if you are willing to put in the up front work of asking around and following up on leads. Like I said, only pick the other option if going to UBC kneecaps you so hard that you have to be miserable for the next few years of your life (which I doubt is the case).

[selecttext]

a dream professor? lol

 

 i have found that most anyone can find graduate school interesting if they are committed to research. i have seen people even hate their 'dream professors' and 'dream programs'. i don't think that ubc has more cachet as a general rule and this person needn't be made to feel poorly should he or she decide not to attend.

Edited March 9, 2013 by selecttext

[SANDIEGO]

a dream professor? lol

 

 i have found that most anyone can find graduate school interesting if they are committed to research. i have seen people even hate their 'dream professors' and 'dream programs'. i don't think that ubc has more cachet as a general rule and this person needn't be made to feel poorly should he or she decide not to attend.

 

Actually there is a HUGE difference in "cachet", or even global recognition. UBC is well known here in the states while Western is virtually unheard of.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Western_Ontario#Reputation

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_British_Columbia#Reputation

 

Given that this is the school that the OP wants to attend, feels that their fit is better with, has some degree of funding, AND has a leg up in reputation, I think it's preposterous advice.

 

You can always quote people who end up hating their "dream school" or "dream professor", but this would be like taking the anecdotes from people who dropped out of school and were successful. By and large, your instinct and gut will be correct in deciding on a school. Obviously, you might end up hating it, but it's a risk regardless of what school you take, and you're mitigating it to some degree by taking the choice you feel is the better one at this point in time based on the research you've done.

 

Good luck, hope this helps with your decision.

[selecttext]

You should always ask yourself "reputation to whom?". Ultimately, this person has a meager financial package from UBC that likely does not include tuition support, although we will soon find out. I would not recommend expensive decisions based on superficial factors like 35th best school vs 200th best school since these are questionable rankings to begin with. There is no doubt that UBC is a better known school international and that should be used among many criteria including job aspirations. Western is also very well known in Canada. It is conceivable that this decision could matter very little in the course of this person's life.  

Edited March 9, 2013 by selecttext

[stephclassics]

Thank you all so much. I think all of these comments have been valid and useful. Unfortunately my tuition will have to come out of that $16,000. I've looked up the stats on the SSHRC funding, and at the MA level, of the list of 24 top applications my home university sent out, 20 of them accepted the scholarship. I feel that my application is incredibly strong, seeing as for the MA level, they consider academic acheivments the most ( I have over a 90% major average). I also have a very extensive experience as President of our student soceity, which is very active in planning academic conferences and events.

 

Long story short, I think i have a really good chance at the SSHRC. Of course, it is still incredibly scary to think about relying on a chance.

 

I'd also like to add that my partner will be coming with me. He is a musician, and may be able to transfer his job at a music store to a location in Vancouver. That he would be contributing to our finances would hopefuly make the meagre $16,000 seem a little more feasible.

 

I'd love any further advice. I really didn't think this was going to be such a difficult decision!

[selecttext]

You should find out if UBC and Western top up students with external awards. For my M.Sc., my university gave me a $6000 signing bonus because I had NSERC.

[juilletmercredi]

Not too sure about Canada wrt financial aid in masters, but as a US student I would expect to incur some debt for an MA program in the classics.  The fact that you even got $16,000 for two years AND an additional TAship is amazing from my perspective.  I would take the UBC offer and borrow funds to supplement your funding while you are in BC.  It won't be disastrous, unless you have humongous insurmountable debt from undergrad.

 

I also completely disagree not making decisions based on reputation/rankings. Yes, rankings are questionable, but they also have some sort of value to people making hiring decisions.  Particularly at the PhD level, they can determine what schools will seriously consider you for jobs.  At the MA level, it may impact placement in PhD programs.  But I don't know anything about Western U and it's comparison to UBC (which I am a little familiar with).  It's possible that it wouldn't make a difference.  But I know in my field, getting an MPH at, let's say, Michigan vs. your state regional school WOULD make a difference in PhD admissions.  There are different people at Michigan would be perceived to be better researchers; your education would be perceived as more rigorous and more able to prepare you for doctoral work.

[selecttext]

Canada is quite different from the United States in terms of the competition between schools. By the way, in terms of entrance into a PhD program, no matter the school - excellent grades, a proven track record and excellent communication are much more important than which department you did your masters in. It is not rare to find a rather poor quality student or faculty member in a prestigious department or university. The reputation of your department will only add to your credibility if you are credible without it. This obsession with rankings is banal..but whatever makes you feel important...

Edited March 12, 2013 by selecttext