Columbia vs. NYU

[wmb]

Hello all,

 

Posting here in the hopes that I can help myself clarify how I feel through discussion or advice.

 

I've been admitted to fully-funded PhD programs at NYU and Columbia, both in French literature. The funding packages are fundamentally comparable, with slight differences in the distribution of the money, but overall about the same. The project I want to work on is historical and translation-studies-based; there are people who share my preoccupations at both schools, but there are methodological differences: at Columbia, more historical-style scholarship, and at NYU, more translation studies people. Potential advisers at NYU are extremely well networked, while Columbia is—well, Columbia. So it feels like quite the draw between the two and I have no idea what other criteria I should be looking at or how to progress out of this deadlock.

 

And, I should mention, I had a dreadful time visiting one place (the students and some professors were quite rude) and a very pleasant experience at the other—how representative do you think that is? Should I take these small sample sizes as important markers of some sort of departmental culture, or just chalk it up to chance that people were the way they were on that day?

 

Thanks for your help!

[JungWild&Free]

And, I should mention, I had a dreadful time visiting one place (the students and some professors were quite rude) and a very pleasant experience at the other—how representative do you think that is? Should I take these small sample sizes as important markers of some sort of departmental culture, or just chalk it up to chance that people were the way they were on that day?

 

Both offers sounded awesome until this part. I would worry about that because if there's any time for the students and professors to be enthusiastic and friendly, it would be recruitment weekend.  At my weekends, and it sounds like at your other weekend, everyone acted like it was pretty much the only place I would want to go.  If they can't even put on a friendly face for one weekend, do you want to be around these people for 5 years?  It seems like you can't choose wrong so I would choose the one where I felt most comfortable and supported if I were you. 

[pumpkinspiced latte]

Both offers sounded awesome until this part. I would worry about that because if there's any time for the students and professors to be enthusiastic and friendly, it would be recruitment weekend.  At my weekends, and it sounds like at your other weekend, everyone acted like it was pretty much the only place I would want to go.  If they can't even put on a friendly face for one weekend, do you want to be around these people for 5 years?  It seems like you can't choose wrong so I would choose the one where I felt most comfortable and supported if I were you. 

 

Agreed. Recruitment weekends are only once a year and if they can't even show their enthusiasm to prospectives.. well I don't know how they would be like during the regular school year

 

Both are very well reputed institutions. I don't know anything about French lit but I will assume both are well ranked. Both have similar funding and are in NYC. Both have the good research fit. Go to the school that has a better vibe, whichever it is.

[wmb]

Thanks for the advice y'all. You were spot on, JungWild&Free, about the presumption being basically: Why would you go anywhere else? At the same time, all of the professors I would work with at that university were out of the country when I visited—it felt very ad hoc. Nevertheless, the four students (out of thirty) that I met were quite... if not unfriendly, bizarre. I'll take all of this into consideration; you've helped me decide how to weight it, too. Any other thoughts? Am I missing something??