Prestige vs. Community - English

[thedhalia]

Hi all,

I've been accepted to two great programs for a MA in English. The one university's name carries some weight, but the second seems to have more faculty whose research interests intersect my own. They are both offering comparable funding packages with full tuition coverage, but the cost of living is drastically different. I seem to go back and forth every day and would love any input you have!

School #1:
School #1 is a small (~15,000 students), private university in a big city. Its name carries some weight: it's a top 20 in the US News rankings and most people are familiar with it, but I believe that it's mostly for its law and undergrad programs. In addition to the tuition support, it is offering a $7,000 stipend per term in the first year and an hourly wage for the second (it works out to be about the same amount). Instead of teaching, I would be working for a center it has for teaching with technology doing mainly editorial work and possibly some light research. I've visited this city a couple of times before and would absolutely love to live in it. However, the cost of living is quite high; a one-bedroom in a decent area will cost me around $1500/month, so I would be scraping by even with a roommate.

The program itself looks great overall, but I haven't yet found any faculty whose interests overlap mine (digital humanities). It also doesn't seem to have any real DH community at large. The one English class I could find for Fall 2013 with any sort of New Media focus is an undergraduate course (but which I could take for graduate credit). There is the option of taking classes at universities in the area for no cost, and a couple of these unis have renowned digital humanities centers. However, I do not know if I can do anything beyond taking classes.


School #2:
School #2 is a large "public Ivy" with about 50,000 students. It's a respectable university but not nearly as well known for its "prestige" as the former. Initially I was offered a ~$9,700 stipend per year, but upon learning about School #1's package they offered me a fellowship worth an additional $4,000 a year. I would be teaching 1-2 general ed writing classes per semester for the two years with the possibility of teaching a six-week course over summer, worth $3,100. Even though the funding is about even for the two schools, the cost of living is much lower at School #2: $500/month could land me a large one-bedroom, and $1,200 could give me an unnecessary-but-awesome four-bedroompalooza. The city itself is a college town with about 100,000 residents. It doesn't look like a bad place to live in but doesn't really stack up to School #1's city.

As for the program: there is a bustling digital humanities community at School #2. In addition to having a good number of course offerings I would jump on, there are several faculty with whom I could work (and one in particular looks like he might fit the bill). There are DH-related groups and a great DH library, too.


My family loves to say that School #1 will open all kinds of doors for me simply because of its name--and it's in a fantastic location to boot--but I'm skeptical of their advice. How much weight does the name itself actually carry in academia? I went for a masters in lieu of a doctorate because I wasn't sure about jumping straight into a PhD track, but it's still a big possibility. Should I even care that School #2 has all of these DH-goodies if I later end up going to a PhD program in the digital humanities anyway? The workload might also be easier at School #1 without having to teach, and they're certainly flexible enough to allow me to do my thesis/capstone on something DH-related anyway. It's just that School #2 might have better support for it.

Thoughts?

[Gauche]

To sum it up, #1 school has the name and would give you a better boost when you're looking for a job, but school #2 sounds like its reputation isn't anything to scorn either. Both offered you funding, but you would live comfortably at school #2 and on top of that, they really want you since they were willing to increase their funding to stay competitive. School #1 also doesn't sound like a very good fit as opposed to #2 as far as research interests go.

 

Personally, I would go with #2. But the choice is yours. What are you willing to sacrifice? Would you rather live comfortably or hope that the reputation of another school would make you more competitive when searching for a job? If a tenure-track job is your goal at the end of this, what is the placement rate for both of those schools? Where did they place their students? Do you want to teach in a top 20 when you're done or would you be happy at any school? Would you even do well in school #1 if you don't have someone you can work with or at least have interests that closely match your own? Does school #2 offer opportunities to make yourself more competitive when you go out on the job market by the time you finish? Think about what you really want from a program, what you're willing to sacrifice, and your goal by the end, and then decide.

[Gauche]

Looking at your post again, I realized you were accepted into MA programs as opposed to PhD programs. In that case, consider the following: Do these schools also offer a PhD? Do you want to get your PhD from these schools? What is the process for MA students to get into the PhD program? Is it a formality to reapply or is it a feeder program, etc.

 

If you plan to do your PhD at either schools, the stuff in my previous post still apply.

[thedhalia]

Thanks for your input!

School #1 does not have an English PhD program. School #2 does, and their policy is to evaluate you at the end of the two years and based on that potentially offer admission into the PhD program. It is also worth noting that this is the last year that it will be offering a terminal MA program, which is probably due to budget cuts.

[Gauche]

If School #2 is canceling their terminal MA program, will that affect your funding? How long is funding offered for both schools?

 

Right now, since you're looking at MA programs and you plan to attend a PhD program when you finish, the two most important things I would personally worry about is 1) funding and 2) opportunities that are available so you can thrive in a PhD program when you finish. Also, it would be nice if either programs have a thesis option since it would be a great chance to get experience in working on one before working on your dissertation.

[thedhalia]

No, the funding at School #2 is still good for the two years regardless of the program being dropped. Both schools' funding packages are for two years provided satisfactory academic progress, and if I get into the PhD program at School #2 I am guaranteed continued funding.

Both programs have a thesis option, but School #1 has the option of doing a "capstone project" instead (the details of which I'm a bit fuzzy on, and although it sounds like I could get creative with it I would probably end up doing the thesis). 

I am just now running off for a few hours so I won't be able to reply to anyone until I get back, but please continue to post any questions/input you have!

[midnight]

I'd go with #2: better funding, better fit, cheaper COL, good reputation.

[dazedandbemused]

Seriously, if I were you i would go with #2. It doesn't sound like school 1 really has anything at all except for its name going for you; school 2, on the other hand, has your specialty, better funding, and more security should you wish to remain there. MA prestige matters so much less than PhD prestige for English that it would be absolutely criminal to sacrifice the possibility to do great work just for a fancy name. In all probability, the quality of the work you would be able to do at #2 would outweigh the prestige of a degree from #1 that you had to cobble together yourself because of a lack of department support for your interests.

[thedhalia]

MA prestige matters so much less than PhD prestige for English

This is what I needed to hear. The allure that School #1 has for me is in the name and not much else (neat architecture aside). So what I'm gathering from all of you is that what matters more for graduate school is not so much where you went as what you did when you went there and who you did it with. 

I'm still visiting both schools before the 15th and I'm sure that meeting professors will be a huge help. 

Thank you all for your advice!

[juilletmercredi]

I'm adding in my vote for School #2.

 

-It has what you want to do, which will influence your PhD admissions as well as your experience at a PhD program

-Your stipend will go further in a place with a lower CoL (and from a grad student living in the most expensive city in the U.S., believe me, that will make a difference in your quality of life)

-It has a PhD program which you may be able to segue into especially if there are tons of people there doing the kind of work you want to do

-Sounds like they really want you if they were willing to increase your funding

-You say "public Ivy," which makes me think of a Berkeley, UCLA, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Penn State, Texas-Austin, UIUC, etc.  (Those are some of the bigger public names in my field, and many others as well).  I would say most of those places have just as much name recognition as a Harvard, Stanford, or Yale, and in my field some of those places are higher-ranked than some of the more well-known prestigious private institutions that people think of when you say "Ivy League."  They also have enormous alumni networks.  I know a LOT of Penn State and Michigan alumni who would hire another Penn State or Michigan alum before they hired a Harvard alum, lol.  Both within and without academia those places have good clout, so I wouldn't worry about the prestige factor too much.

[thedhalia]

-You say "public Ivy," which makes me think of a Berkeley, UCLA, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Penn State, Texas-Austin, UIUC, etc.  (Those are some of the bigger public names in my field, and many others as well).  I would say most of those places have just as much name recognition as a Harvard, Stanford, or Yale, and in my field some of those places are higher-ranked than some of the more well-known prestigious private institutions that people think of when you say "Ivy League."  They also have enormous alumni networks.  I know a LOT of Penn State and Michigan alumni who would hire another Penn State or Michigan alum before they hired a Harvard alum, lol.  Both within and without academia those places have good clout, so I wouldn't worry about the prestige factor too much.

I may as well go ahead and name the schools: School 1 is Georgetown, and School 2 is University of Florida. Everyone I know and their dog likes to tell me about how fabulous Georgetown is and how much more exciting living in DC would be than Gainesville, FL- but that is not of course why I'm going to graduate school. The input from people within academia is priceless, which is why I came here, so thank you!

(Still, GU does resemble Hogwarts... )