CU-Boulder vs Northern Colorado (funded) for SLP

[CO_SLP_Grad87]

I was thrown a bit of a curve ball earlier this week.  After writing schools to decline their offer and inform them I had accepted at CU-Boulder, the University of Northern Colorado extended me a full-time graduate assistantship and stipend.  I moved to Boulder hoping to be accepted at CU a year ago and have really fallen in love with the city, I've made great friends and feel like I want to spend the rest of my life here.  That said, it's hard to pass up an offer to leave graduate school debt free...so the facts

 

CU-Boulder

-Funding undetermined.  There is a possibility of getting a half-time TA or GA position, but you must apply and we were told the positions are very competitive.  I have TA and GA experience, so I might have a leg up in the application.  Either way I'll have to make a decision before I know.

-I can keep my part-time job at the whole foods here to help with expenses

-Nationally recognized faculty + research

-Faculty whose research interests match mine (aphasia!)

- Expensive, I'm looking at around 50,000 in loans if  I receive no funding

-At the open house I was impressed with their clinical placements and feel confident I would land my dream job graduating from this program

 

UNC

-Located in Greeley, a not-so-great farm town to live in

-Fully funded, plus stipend = graduating loan free

-I will land a job, likely a good one, because Im in the right field

-I won't be as competitive of an applicant for the clinical placements and subsequently jobs I go after

-I'm not sure if there are any faculty doing research in my area of interest.  I've emailed them inquiring about this, but am waiting to hear back.

 

 

I know in the moment my heart is stuck on Boulder, but I'm worried it's a decision I will regret two years out when I start making those loan payments...Any advice or comments are greatly appreciated!

 

 

[zabius]

I know that there are many, many SLP people on these boards who can probably give you more specific advice, but in my opinion I think you should take the funded offer. Fully-funded master's programs aren't exactly common, and if the program at UNC can get you a good job, why take out $50,000+ in loans? I can maybe understand going into that much debt if UNC had a terrible job record, or if the difference in quality between the two programs was vast. But UNC sounds like a genuinely good school... maybe not as good as UC-Boulder, but still good enough that you'll come out of the program with good job prospects. So, I think UNC is the way to go here, unless you think that UC-Boulder can prepare you for a particular job that UNC cannot.

 

I can understand not wanting to move to a "not-so-great farm town." My master's was in a rural North Carolina town that I positively couldn't stand. But it's important to remember that a master's program is only two years long... you'll be in and out of that farm town before you even realize it. You say that you could see yourself spending the rest of your life in Boulder, but your master's program is only a tiny sliver of your entire life. You could always get the degree at UNC and then try to land a job in Boulder.

 

Another thing to keep in mind... one of the programs that I applied to (in a completely different field, so take this for what it's worth) also offers a small number of highly competitive, part-time TAships. In our case, every student has an RAship, but can apply for a TAship to get supplemental funding. Anyway, the DGS told us that they preferentially choose students who *don't* have prior teaching experience for the TAships, so that those students can get the experience to put on their CVs. So, having prior TA experience might actually work against your chances of getting a TAship at UC-Boulder. Or, it may not... I don't know what things are like in your field/at that school. I'm just putting this out there.

 

Basically, I think you should choose UNC because (1) it's funded and (2) it's only a 2-year program and you can always move back to Boulder later if you want. The only really compelling reason to choose UC-Boulder is if you find that no one UNC is a good research fit for you. Fit is really important in my field (probably the most important thing... especially for those of us looking to stay in academia), but I don't know how much it matters in SLP. And again, if CU-Boulder can help you land a "dream job" that you simply couldn't get with a degree from UNC, then maybe CU-Boulder is the way to go. I just have a hard time recommending 50,000+ dollars in loans if you have a fully-funded offer on the table that doesn't really seem that bad at all.

 

But again, I'm an "outsider;" someone in the field of SLP can probably give you a somewhat more informed opinion. Good luck with your decision!

Edited April 20, 2013 by zabius

[ArtHistoryandMuseum]

I know that there are many, many SLP on these boards who can probably give you more specific advice, but in my opinion I think you should take the funded offer. Fully-funded master's programs aren't exactly common, and if the program at UNC can get you a good job, why take out $50,000+ in loans? I can maybe understand going into that much debt if UNC had a terrible job record, or if the difference in quality between the two programs was vast. But UNC sounds like a genuinely good school... maybe not as good as UC-Boulder, but still good enough that you'll come out of the program with good job prospects. So, I think UNC is the way to go here, unless you think that UC-Boulder can prepare you for a particular job that UNC cannot.

 

I can understand not wanting to move to a "not-so-great farm town." My master's was in a rural North Carolina town that I positively couldn't stand. But it's important to remember that a master's program is only two years long... you'll be in and out of that farm town before you even realize it. You say that you could see yourself spending the rest of your life in Boulder, but your master's program is only a tiny sliver of your entire life. You could always get the degree at UNC and then try to land a job in Boulder.

 

Another thing to keep in mind... one of the programs that I applied to (in a completely different field, so take this for what it's worth) also offers a small number of highly competitive, part-time TAships. In our case, every student has an RAship, but can apply for a TAship to get supplemental funding. Anyway, the DGS told us that they preferentially choose students who *don't* have prior teaching experience for the TAships, so that those students can get the experience to put on their CVs. So, having prior TA experience might actually work against your chances of getting a TAship at UC-Boulder. Or, it may not... I don't know what things are like in your field/at that school. I'm just putting this out there.

 

Basically, I think you should choose UNC because (1) it's funded and (2) it's only a 2-year program and you can always move back to Boulder later if you want. The only really compelling reason to choose UC-Boulder is if you find that no one UNC is a good research fit for you. Fit is really important in my field (probably the most important thing... especially for those of us looking to stay in academia), but I don't know how much it matters in SLP. And again, if CU-Boulder can help you land a "dream job" that you simply couldn't get with a degree from UNC, then maybe CU-Boulder is the way to go. I just have a hard time recommending 50,000+ dollars in loans if you have a fully-funded offer on the table that doesn't really seem that bad at all.

 

But again, I'm an "outsider;" someone in the field of SLP can probably give you a somewhat more informed opinion. Good luck with your decision!

 

 

Zabius gave you pretty much the advice that I wanted to share. I fully agree with the above. Thanks Zabius for saying it nicely and more eloquently than I could! 

 

As for Boulder and CU Boulder -- like you, I love so much! I cannot tell you how much it broke my heart for me to decide NOT to apply. But I knew it was not a good research fit. I just could not do it. The art that I wanted to do would not be there, and I would struggle for a likeminded POI.

 

Sometimes, though I wish I had applied. I love Boulder so darn much; and uniquely, for my course of study, I could get graduate assistantship to work in one of their two museums (not all art history programs offer this).

 

Ugh - I really wish I could have attended CU! But in the long-term it is not a help, and you should consider that taking out loans in the long-term, may also not be of assistance for you either.

 

Anyway, I wish you the best of luck deciding!

[midnight]

I thought it was interesting that at the open house, someone pointedly asked if Boulder students were more competitive in the Denver metro job market than UNC grads, and one of the presenters essentially said yes. I'm honestly not sure how true that is or could be; UNC seems to have a really strong program, and there are lots of great career opportunities throughout the state. Is there any way to find out what some of the UNC SLP alumni are doing now?

 

Anyway, I think you should take the funding as long as you feel you'll receive adequate clinical and research experiences at UNC. It's true that Greeley is a small farm town, but it's only a little over an hour from Denver and 45 minutes from Ft. Collins. Also, as zabius noted, the program is only two years, and you can easily relocate after you graduate.

 

Best of luck with your decision!

[hesadork]

This is totally random, but I happened to be on the phone with my parents when I saw your post.  My dad was a SLP in New York for 35 years before retiring.  (BS from Emerson, MS from Wisconsin-Madison, both in SLP.)  I read him your post...and his strong recommendation was to go with the funded offer.  He loved Wisconsin but hated the 15 years worth of loan payments the degree created.

 

Anyway, take that for what it's worth and best of luck with your decision.

Edited April 20, 2013 by ADLNYC

[msocean]

Ask others you know who have graduated with debt...how long it took to pay off, opportunities they passed by because of the debt responsibility, the emotional side of living with debt.  I know plenty of people who have not been able to buy a house or a new car or accept a job offer, because it would have impacted their ability to meet their student loan payoff responsibility.  I also know plenty of graduates who have room mates or moved back home with their first jobs so they can afford their loan payments.

 

You may land a more prestigious job out of UC-Boulder with better pay, but they also know that you have loans to pay off so they have to offer Boulder students more.  On the other hand, you may be able to be more seletive about where you WANT to work if you have no debt, even if the pay is less but the job would make you happier.

[CO_SLP_Grad87]

Thanks for the advice...I think I might have not been giving Northern an entirely fair comparision because I was so focused on Boulder.  I'm sure they have some amazing facultly members and even if they don't have a go to Aphasia person, I can tell they have faculty that work with adults and do some interesting ressearch.  I emailed the staff at Northern with my questions and asked to come visit campus.

 

I emailed CU-Boulder earlier this week (before recieving the GA offer) with some questions and still haven't heard back.  I know they are a little short staffed, but it's a bit concerning that it would take them this long to reply to an email.  It's  possible that the Northern faculty are a little more student focused because their time resources aren't as drained by other responsibilities, which is important to me. 

 

Graduating with 40,000-50,000 in debt is going to change my post-grad life and make me put on hold a lot of other things.  Really great advice, I think I needed to hear it.... At the end of the day I am going to get out of a program what I put into  it and there's no reason I can't land a dream job graduating from UNC.

[CO_SLP_Grad87]

Plus I don't have to live in Greeley, I can always commute from a surrounding city

[ArtHistoryandMuseum]

Plus I don't have to live in Greeley, I can always commute from a surrounding city

 

Like Fort Collins! While I love Boulder more, I loved Fort Collins. Well - I might have also been swayed slightly by the stop at the New Belgium brewery... 

 

:-)