Second MS in NYU or Internship at The Washington Center?

[MaximeD]

Hi everyone,

 

 

I'm a Computer Science MSc student from Belgium, expected to graduate next month.

 

I applied to pursue a second MSc degree in Applied Urban Science and Informatics at the novel New York University (NYU) Center for Urban Science and Progress (CUSP, http://cusp.nyu.edu). I've been accepted and in the end, if I recall correctly, around 35 of the 160 applicants made it.

 

The program duration is 1 year and the tuition fee is roughly $48k. Due to the late application deadline I have no external funding, besides a merit-based NYU scholarship of $28k. This will only be awarded if I reach a 3.5 GPA throughout the program, the feasibility of which is difficult to judge.

 

However, I'm also accepted to do a 4-month internship at Washington D.C., organized by The Washington Center (http://twc.edu). The full tuition and part of the housing costs are funded by the Flemish Government.

 

I am now facing the dilemma of going in debt for a second master degree vs. gaining work experience without debts. Many of my family and friends advice in favor of the internship and a professor was very clear about this: going in debt for a second degree is just not worth it. My long term plan is to pursue a PhD at an American, Canadian or Asian university.

 

As it looks now I will turn down the NYU offer and go with the internship. This, of course, is a big and difficult decision so I'm looking for all the advice I can get. And this is why I'm posting this message.

 

What do you think of the NYU offer? Does scoring an overall 3.5 GPA sound reasonable? Would the internship be more beneficial?

 

I value your input.

 

Kind regards,

 

Maxime from Belgium.

[juilletmercredi]

I don't understand how you have a contingent scholarship in a one-year program.  Is it like you have to borrow money and they'll pay back $28,000 if you get a 3.5 in the program?  Getting a 3.5 in a master's program is pretty easy.

 

Either way, it doesn't matter.  I'd take the internship hands down.  I would say that even if you didn't have a master's.  But you already have a master's; very rarely do you need a second one unless you are trying to radically switch fields.

[rising_star]

Definitely take the internship! There's very little (probably nearly zero) value in doing a second master's. The work experience will be more useful if you're wanting to change fields.

[MaximeD]

juilletmercredi and rising_star,

 

I have decided to take the internship. Thank you for your advice, it was very useful to me. If I can ever return the favor, let me know.

 

--Maxime