SUNY Binghamton vs. University of Florida

[doctoralgrad23]

I got two acceptances in this cycle and I need to choose one of them.

 

Binghamton offers me a terminal MA before PhD, UF do offer PhD directly...

 

I have outside scholarship.

 

My Subfield is IR and I would like to do further studies on Int security  and IR theory(realist theory).

 

I am open to all advices from intellectual environment to living costs.

 

Which one?

[ThisGuyRiteHere]

Is your admission to SUNY a PhD admittance, or just a MA?

[doctoralgrad23]

Is your admission to SUNY a PhD admittance, or just a MA?

I asked them this. Here is their answer:

 

Our MA program is integrated with our PhD program since you take the same courses and together with PhD students. Our department does not have a self-standing MA program. So you have been admitted to the MA track if an integrated MA-PhD program, as far as I can figure it out. Your eligibility to continue to the PhD track will be determined before the end of your third semester if all goes well.

[grantman]

I asked them this. Here is their answer:

 

Our MA program is integrated with our PhD program since you take the same courses and together with PhD students. Our department does not have a self-standing MA program. So you have been admitted to the MA track if an integrated MA-PhD program, as far as I can figure it out. Your eligibility to continue to the PhD track will be determined before the end of your third semester if all goes well.

 

What it seems like to me is that they are offering conditional admission, rather than full admission. Why they did this I am unsure, but conditional admission tends to be offered to applicants who have something in their background that worries the faculty or the school, but I could be mistaken in this case.

[ThisGuyRiteHere]

Oh, I am quite familiar with this. I was going to apply to Binghampton. That sounds REALLY conditional.

IF your progress is good enough, you can continue on = Conditional.

You have been accepted to Phd.... = No Conditions

Honestly, since you already have outside funding, they may not have had to give you a "hard" yes or no, because funding was not the issue. Therefore, they can admit you conditionally and see if you pan out or not. Whereas someone who was looking for funding, would need a yay or nay (in terms of funding). <--Speculation

Anyway i am quite sure this is conditional. UFlorida is a college town. Binghampton, I am not sure about. Which is a better fit for your research??

**Since you were conditionally admitted to Binghampton, I am already leaning towards Florida. Also, remember, UFlorida has like 50,000 students also. So if you are looking for a big institution in a college town there is that too.