SOOOOOOOO UK or NY?

[crazyphd]

I sent out PhD applications to 8 Graduate schools that have a focus on political moments.  6 (SUNY-SB, DUKE, Notre Dame, UNC, UW Madison, Northeastern) Came back with rejections,  1 (UCI) is stringing me along with a likely rejection but wont actually tell me, and 1, the only Masters program I applied to Accepted me, University of Kent in the UK.   

 

As of Tuesday my wife and I were getting our affairs in order to head to the UK when OUT OF THE BLUE came an e-mail.  

 

Is basically reads like this: (with much paraphrasing O_O):

 

Remember that rejection letter we sent you a month ago, for the PhD program?  Nevermind, sort of.  How'd you like to come to our Masters program? 

Signed -  SUNY

 

Now the shit has hit the fan - Where to go?   In some ways we lean UK because it is what we have been heading towards and the UK is pretty darn cool.  On the other hand my wife will find employment MUCH easier in NY and NY is pretty cool too. 

 

Both programs are pretty good but Kent had more of a global interpretative focus while SUNY has a narrow analytical focus. 

 

What to do? 

[zabius]

Which of those two approaches (the "global interpretative focus" vs. the "narrow analytical focus") do you prefer? The location of the program is definitely an important factor to consider, but the top consideration should be your overall fit with the program. You should choose the one that most closely matches your own research interests and career goals. Also, is there a difference in funding at the two schools? That's something else to take into account.

 

It sounds like you would be happy in both the UK and NY, so I'd put more weight on the other factors (research fit, funding, program reputation/job placement, and your wife's employment prospects among other things).

 

As an aside, I've never been to the UK, but I'm from NY and can verify that it is indeed pretty cool. There's probably less paperwork involved in moving there as well, since you're already a US citizen.

[RandiZ]

First, CONGRATULATIONS!

 

Next, I highly recommend you visit Stony Brook. I'm a native NYer. I don't know what you think is cool about NY, but if it is big city life, Stony Brook is not NYC. You should experience how easy/difficult it is to get around, whether or not you need a car (you do), cost of housing, things to do on the weekends when the undergrads go home, etc. If it is only a two year masters program, it may not matter to you. But, if your wife actually does find a job, you may want to settle in. It should be someplace you like.

 

But I agree that program fit is much more important.

Edited March 8, 2013 by RandiZ