How heavily should school location be weighed?

[canadiangirl]

I was lucky enough to be accepted to my three top choice schools that I applied to for an MA (in Canada). I am almost certain that I am going to accept an offer from a great school, with a great advisor and a great funding package (let's call is school A).

The problem is that I really don't care for the city that the school is in...

The other two programs are equally great, and both are top schools. Both of these schools are located in interesting and vibrant cities that I would LOVE to live in - hands down. Neither of them gave me a funding package, and the cost of living is comparatively quite high in these cities.

I'm really excited about the program at school A, and they seem to be really interested in me and enthusiastic about my academic interests. And I know that I will get exactly what I'm looking for out of the program. I just can't help but be disappointed about the location. Is anyone else dealing with this issue? Am I putting too much stock in the location?

[brinswan]

I feel your pain, but I think the fact that one school is offering you funding while the others aren't is by far the most important factor, especially when the school that's funding you is the best academic fit anyways. I say go to school A and make the best of it - hey, maybe you'll even end up liking it.

[sfbbgurl]

I am having the same issue. Ive been accepted to two schools, UC Irvine in Orange County, California...and New School Milano, in NYC.

I love love love NYC, and am not too fond of Orange County, but the school in Orange County is much higher ranked than the school in NYC. I am still waiting to hear from NYU, which would complicate this even more, but right now I am leaning towards UC Irvine. I figure, after I graduate I can move anywhere I like...and hopefully be able to get whatever job I desire. I figure a better school will help this process.

[goose2009]

The way I think of it is how much time am I going to have to be out enjoying the city/weather/whatever while I'm in grad school anyway? Maybe it will motivate you to get work done

[engguy]

-- not at all, if we're talking a funded MA vs. unfunded in an expensive city. You'll be there for two years, three max.

[thepoorstockinger]

What cities are you considering?

School A must be located somewhere absolutely hellish if they're less vibrant than Ottawa (I kid.... sort of. I don't hate Ottawa but I find it to be sort of a dead city that feels like exactly what it is: the seat of this country's bureaucratic machinery). Some cities with bad reputations are in fact great places to live (particularly if you're basing that reputation on what someone from Toronto said).

I turned down the option to live in Vancouver to move to Peterborough, so I didn't make the decision based on the most exciting place to live, but geography did have something to do with it: I wanted to be close to NYC where my archives are. Sometimes talking about location seems to be reduced to lifestyle/culture/weather when in reality location means a lot more. Proximity to libraries and archives, neighboring schools/scholars access to transportation to get to other cities (i.e. does it have an airport nearby? Is it an airport that doesn't have excruciatingly high flight prices?), proximity to conferences you'll want to attend, etc. are all academic reasons to make a decision based on location.

That said: it's only an MA so it's one or two years in a given location.

[Michelley262003]

I feel the pain in your decision. I have been accepted to two very good schools. One in a very large city- not a huge one, but big enough. And a school in a smaller, very beautiful city. I have decided to go to the school in the smaller city.

My advisor at my undergraduate advisor pointed out that it does not matter where you go to get your PhD. It's what you do during your 5-7 years that really matters. There are people who went to the best, most well known schools who have done nothing with their degree. Then there are people who go to little schools, with great academics and accomplish more than most would accomplish at large institutions.

What I feel is most important, and what I would encourage anyone to consider is the following question: Is this what I want? And will this make me happy?

Ultimately your happiness is key. Do what you feel makes you happy.

[belevitt]

For me, the issue of location was make or break. I didn't apply to any place that was too expensive (for cost of living) and I declined interviews at places where I wouldn't absolutely love the city. I wouldn't underestimate the role of location in your grad experience.

[fuzzylogician]

The issue of location is very important for me, considering that I'll be spending at least 5 years wherever I choose to go. I have several funded offers of comparable strength so I can afford to take factor this a consideration. However, if only one of my offers were funded, then the money factor would outweigh any other factor, unless I felt I would be utterly miserable living in a certain place (I didn't even bother applying to places I knew I couldn't live in). In your place, I think school A would be my hands-down winner.

[studdent]

What's your hobby? If you like to play computer games, basketball, weight-lifting, or other simple activities, then location should not be weighed heavily.

Now, if you need the superficial scene, great spots for hiking or snowboarding, love the beach, etc, then location would be a huge factor.

I think most people who say "it's all about the research fit" is correct in a sense that you will be spending most of your time on academia, and some ppl do think research is the only / one of the few fun things to do. So, they will be happy wherever they end up.

But in reality, there is a portion (albeit, small) of PhD applicants who need to have fun outside academia. So it comes down to your own lifestyle and personality. Personally, I need a day break once in a while (once every 2 weeks at the minimum) and I also like to explore new things. I ranked research, funding, and non-academia factors in this order (without much distance b/w each criteria). You can add family, prestige, and more factors; write it down, so you can weigh your options in an old school scale fashion.

[psycholinguist]

Proximity to libraries and archives, neighboring schools/scholars access to transportation to get to other cities (i.e. does it have an airport nearby? Is it an airport that doesn't have excruciatingly high flight prices?)

Do I ever know this one! I'm an undergrad in the middle of nowhere in upstate New York. Heck, it takes a good half-hour even to reach the nearest interstate highway! Flying into the city airport, while the only convenient option for getting here, is expensive and hard to tack onto the earlier flight I need from the other side of the continent where my parents' house is. I usually end up taking the train.

Here's another example: my Undergraduate University and University of Most Likely Graduate Studies are, according to Google Maps, about five hours apart in terms of driving-time (not including the border-traffic). Yet I'm probably going to be flying into the same airport to get to the latter as I currently do to reach the former. Go figure.

[saritapie]

Location is really, really, really important to me: I grew up on the California coast, and I need sunshine and ocean like I need air. I learned this the hard way, after letting my high school counselors and my mother convince me that I could love a Northeastern liberal arts college even though I hated New England. They were dead wrong and I didn't last two months. I didn't even like living in the lively, scenic, and progressive little city of Missoula, Montana. I stuck it out there long enough to get through my master's coursework, but I moved back to California to write my thesis.

Having said that, two things strike me about your situation: First

[flit]

Peterborough was not high on my list of places I wanted to live...and it still wouldn't be my first choice... but the school itself was definitely the best fit for me.... and I'm glad I chose it, even though, based on my initial funding offers, I should'a gone to Brock (got an OGS, so it worked out in my favour anyway)

[liuaqiang1]

I was lucky enough to be accepted to my three top choice schools that I applied to for an MA (in Canada). I am almost certain that I am going to accept an offer from a great school, with a great advisor and a great funding package (let's call is school A).

The problem is that I really don't care for the city that the school is in...

The other two programs are equally great, and both are top schools. Both of these schools are located in interesting and vibrant cities that I would LOVE to live in - hands down. Neither of them gave me a funding package, and the cost of living is comparatively quite high in these cities.

I'm really excited about the program at school A, and they seem to be really interested in me and enthusiastic about my academic interests. And I know that I will get exactly what I'm looking for out of the program. I just can't help but be disappointed about the location. Is anyone else dealing with this issue? Am I putting too much stock in the location?

Personally, I suggest you going to School A. I don't quite know about your family financial situation, but I do think funding is a serious problem, especially when your study is going to extend years long. If the city is just in countryside, I think it's quite okay for as you discribed, School A is fantastic, then I suppose it enjoys high reputation. In that case, I guess location should not be taken into account.

Good luck and congratulations on your offer!

[Aceflyer]

Location is really, really, really important to me: I grew up on the California coast, and I need sunshine and ocean like I need air. I learned this the hard way, after letting my high school counselors and my mother convince me that I could love a Northeastern liberal arts college even though I hated New England. They were dead wrong and I didn't last two months. I didn't even like living in the lively, scenic, and progressive little city of Missoula, Montana. I stuck it out there long enough to get through my master's coursework, but I moved back to California to write my thesis.

Having said that, two things strike me about your situation: First

[fes_alum]

Hi CanadianGirl,

I can definitely relate to your dilemma. When choosing a PhD program, I was in the frame of mind that the school which could best support my research interests, had a great faculty, and was highly ranked in my field was the school of choice for me...despite its location. Now several months into my program I totally regret moving here and, as of two days ago, withdrew from the PhD program. Thankfully, I have been admitted into programs at Harvard and NYU so I can return to a city that is a lot more vibrant and culturally diverse than where I am currently living. My decision to drop-out of my program wasn't solely based on a desire to live in "vibrant and culturally diverse" cities though. Other things I considered were: social & professional networking opportunities; centers, programs, and resources that could support my research such as libraries; volunteer, internships, or part-time job opportunities in my field; and access to job markets after completion of my program. Where I currently live these resources and opportunities just don't exist.

I don't know if I've given you any valuable advice/information, but I think it's important to think beyond the scope of what a particular school or program offers (i.e. faculty, money, etc.). It's also important to think about what DOESN'T exist at a particular school or in the community in which it exists.

Best of luck making your decision!

[studentfromLA]

I moved from Los Angeles to Madison, Wisconsin for grad school and am now coming to the end of my first midwestern winter. While I'm not crazy about the cold weather, I actually like Madison, and am not upset that I made the choice to come here, despite being admitted to a school in CA, and having previously only ever lived in NY and LA.

That said, from my perspective, with the amount of work I am doing as a grad student, I really haven't had that much time to do much other than study. Especially for a two year master's program, I would think that going to the best school, with funding, would be your best bet. A Ph.D. is a longer commitment, and location might be more important in that case. But for a master's, and a choice of funding or no funding, I'd go with your school "A". In this economy, you really don't want to be incurring more debt than you need to, and if your program is anything like mine, you may not see much other than your department and the computer lab/library for the next two years anyhow.

Good luck with your decision!

[Tritonetelephone]

I didn't make the decision based on the most exciting place to live, but geography did have something to do with it: I wanted to be close to NYC where my archives are. Sometimes talking about location seems to be reduced to lifestyle/culture/weather when in reality location means a lot more. Proximity to libraries and archives, neighboring schools/scholars access to transportation to get to other cities (i.e. does it have an airport nearby? Is it an airport that doesn't have excruciatingly high flight prices?), proximity to conferences you'll want to attend, etc. are all academic reasons to make a decision based on location.

That is one thing influencing my dilemma as well. One of my schools is in a mecca of the culture that I'm trying to study. Which I would think translates into better academic opportunity? Plus, they have a major airport nearby (vs. my other top choice, where I would never get a direct flight anywhere). But their funding offer is the smallest (I haven't started bargaining yet), their cost of living the highest, and the weather is the opposite of what I'm used to. I've been hung up on the weather thing until now, but you're right about those other things being very important when considering location!

[Michelley262003]

I feel like I should offer my two cents here.

I am from Southern Cali. On the coast. Some of the most beautiful weather in the world. I did my undergrad in the deep south. We had the hottest summers, icy winters, tornados, hurricanes, 20 plus inches of rain a year. My point: weather was awful. However, I loved it. I fell in love with the school, the faculty, even the 120 degree summers. I was very happy there for four years. I am now going to grad school on the east coast. In one of the coldest places in the country. And I can't speak to the future, but I have a feeling that I will love this place too.

I think a lot has to do with the type of person you are. You must ask yourself: How flexible am I? How willing am I to put myself into an unfamiliar situation?

Only you know.

[canadiangirl]

Thanks for all the input everyone! Some very good points out there... After some consideration, I've accepted the offer from School A. While I'm not overly excited about the city, I think there is a lot about it that I don't know about and I'm hoping that I may end up pleasantly surprised. If finances didn't play such a big part I may have made a different decision. But after weighing the options, School A _really_ was the overall best choice. Unfortunately my family is unable to offer any financial support, and I have taken the past two years off school to try to pay down my pretty substantial chunk of debt from my undergrad. Location is really important to me... but I figure that not having to deal with the stress of adding to my loans (and possibly having to find a part time job as well) outweighs location in this situation.

That being said, I am glad to have finally made a decision! And I'm really looking forward to this program. Thanks for all your thoughts!

[psycholinguist]

Thanks for all the input everyone! Some very good points out there... After some consideration, I've accepted the offer from School A. While I'm not overly excited about the city, I think there is a lot about it that I don't know about and I'm hoping that I may end up pleasantly surprised. If finances didn't play such a big part I may have made a different decision. But after weighing the options, School A _really_ was the overall best choice. Unfortunately my family is unable to offer any financial support, and I have taken the past two years off school to try to pay down my pretty substantial chunk of debt from my undergrad. Location is really important to me... but I figure that not having to deal with the stress of adding to my loans (and possibly having to find a part time job as well) outweighs location in this situation.

That being said, I am glad to have finally made a decision! And I'm really looking forward to this program. Thanks for all your thoughts!

Congrats on the decision! (I think it was a good one, too. I was pretty worried about coming to university in a little town in the middle of nowhere, but I've been kept so busy that I haven't really had time to notice that there isn't that much to do here.)