Calgary vs. Penn State

[Diospyros]

I'm trying to decide between Calgary and Penn State. Penn State is offering me somewhat better funding, but I'd be able to make do in either place. I'll be doing a PhD in archaeology/biological anthropology.

Penn State has a few more faculty in my specialty, but both have good people to work with. I'm very reluctant about Penn State's location (too isolation, lacking diversity), but I think I'd like Calgary.

Okay, that was just rambling. Here's a real question:

Any other U.S. folks wondering about drawbacks to attending a foreign school for a PhD and then wanting to look for academic positions in the U.S.? I've had advice that it's really more about the network you make in your specialty than what country you're in... any thoughts?

I've asked in a different thread, but anyone been to Calgary and have any impressions of the city?

--Diospyros

[thepoorstockinger]

I'm trying to decide between Calgary and Penn State. Penn State is offering me somewhat better funding, but I'd be able to make do in either place. I'll be doing a PhD in archaeology/biological anthropology.

Penn State has a few more faculty in my specialty, but both have good people to work with. I'm very reluctant about Penn State's location (too isolation, lacking diversity), but I think I'd like Calgary.

Okay, that was just rambling. Here's a real question:

Any other U.S. folks wondering about drawbacks to attending a foreign school for a PhD and then wanting to look for academic positions in the U.S.? I've had advice that it's really more about the network you make in your specialty than what country you're in... any thoughts?

I've asked in a different thread, but anyone been to Calgary and have any impressions of the city?

--Diospyros

Have you ever been to Calgary? It's probably my least favourite Canadian town/city (and once spent a weekend in Stephenville, Newfoundland). I really, really dislike just about everything about it: it's socially very, very conservative by Canadian standards (which could also be a plus, depending on your own politics); is very new with tons of chain stores/restaurants, big box stores, and parking lots; mostly very new construction; and it kind of sprawling. The cost of living is also very high due to the oil boom. I am sure people have very different views on that city, but I would not want to live there under any circumstance. God, I just hate that place.

[psycholinguist]

I don't hate Calgary, but I don't love it either. It's certainly a lot bigger than State College, but it's also kind of isolated in that isn't really close to anything exciting: just lots of prairie on three sides. In State College you'd be within driving-distance of a lot of urban centres. And getting around Calgary without a car might be difficult. And the climate there generally sucks (really cold winters, really hot summers, and rain caused by rain-clouds running into the mountains nearby and bouncing back). If you do really like mountains, though, go for Calgary.

[Izimbra_]

I was about to give you a reply in the City Guide thread, actually, but then happened upon this and so figured I'd chip in here.

Evaluating pros/cons of location is such a subjective enterprise, and while I don't totally discount the claims of the other posters here, I do feel you should get the other side of the story too. Yes, Calgary is very suburban in nature, kind of cookie cutter, with a downtown that is mostly a corporate centre. Compared to its northern cousin, Edmonton, it's also not nearly as funky, artsy and liberal if that's your scene. However, I think Calgary also has a flair that is lacking in a lot of other cities. It has a lot of "western" character. It has a young population, an active population, is very clean and has a totally exhiliarting natural backdrop. Now, if you're not into looking into the mountains everyday, taking in those prairie summer skies, or visiting the badlands for a hike in the summer, then, well... maybe this doesn't matter to you, but I think it's a huge plus myself.

And no, you will not -need- a car to get around Calgary. Yes, the transit is crappy compared to large eastern cities and less than ideal, but so long as you aren't living somewhere too far from the university or downtown and get a place near the transit routes you'll probably find the buses and c-train more than adequate.

Cost of living. $11,000 is the figure I think you posted in your other thread. That's a pretty paltry sum for Calgary, to be honest, even if one lives a thrifty lifestyle. Rents are pretty high there as is the cost of living generally. I'd think pretty long on this when comparing offers.

Weather always comes up a lot when talking about Canadian cities so let me assure you that it's probably not as bad as you think. Yes, the days are really short in the winter months and the winter will certainly be colder and longer than what you're used to. But it's also a dry climate in Alberta, and a "dry" -20 feels a lot more tolerable than a "wet" -20. There are also chinooks that regularly blow over the mountains and bring in some quite mild temperatures. The summers are not "really hot". Again, there is very little humidity, so summers are actually quite comfortable (if short) and in my opinion, downright awesome. Lots of sunshine.

[psycholinguist]

Weather always comes up a lot when talking about Canadian cities so let me assure you that it's probably not as bad as you think. Yes, the days are really short in the winter months and the winter will certainly be colder and longer than what you're used to. But it's also a dry climate in Alberta, and a "dry" -20 feels a lot more tolerable than a "wet" -20. There are also chinooks that regularly blow over the mountains and bring in some quite mild temperatures. The summers are not "really hot". Again, there is very little humidity, so summers are actually quite comfortable (if short) and in my opinion, downright awesome. Lots of sunshine.

Apologies - I should have mentioned that I'm biased in that regard. I'm a West Coast girl, so any summer with an average high temperature of more than about 23

[jackassjim]

About getting a job later on, I think it must depend on your subfield. I'm at a Canadian university right now that is perhaps considered "more prestigious" than the university of Calgary, and I know that in my field it is notoriously hard for graduates to move to the US with their degrees. It is a SERIOUS problem for them.

[Izimbra_]

Apologies - I should have mentioned that I'm biased in that regard. I'm a West Coast girl, so any summer with an average high temperature of more than about 23

[psycholinguist]

ahh! Yea, them BC-ites melt like vampires when exposed to the sun, I hear...

I have the opposite bias. Born and bred Ontario, but hate the hot and sticky summers. I'm really going to miss the summer's here when it comes time to pack up and go back.

Pretty much. The summers back home are nice...though as someone with a certain susceptibility to seasonal affective disorder, I'd rather suffer through a hot and humid Eastern summer than an interminably dark and wet Western winter, so I think I'm more or less out East for good.