Choosing between unfunded, top-ranked M.A. or a fully funded unranked M.S.?

[n0ro]

Hi all,

 

I'll do my best to keep this as brief as possible. I have been admitted to my dream school, NYU, for the Masters of Political Science. I have also been accepted, with full funding, to my safety school, which also happens to be my undergraduate university (Virginia Commonwealth University), for an M.S. in Sociology. I was denied to the fully funded Ph.D. program I applied to.

 

NYU will leave me with ~$90,000.00 worth of student loan debt. However, it is #15 overall for Political Science, and as my goal is ultimately the Ph.D., I believe that NYU's reputation and rigorous program will assist me in getting into a strong doctorate. However, the debt terrifies me (I am not a wealthy man).

 

Although I have been given an assistantship with a full tuition waiver at VCU, I am concerned that this degree might prevent me from getting into a top Ph.D. as it is not a well-known or highly recognized program (I can't find any rankings). It also is in a different discipline, sociology (my school does not offer anything above a B.A. for political science).

 

Perhaps I just hold off this year altogether and reapply in the fall? I have strong credentials which include a 4.0 major GPA, 3.76 cumulative GPA, a research conference presentation, and a few internships. Would it be wise to reapply to a much larger swath of schools, including several more Ph.D's, and see if I can nail down a funded program?

 

Any feedback is greatly appreciated!

[GeoDUDE!]

Funded.

[bakalamba]

I'd attend the funded M.S. program, as long as you feel you'll gain knowledge and skills, and are able to work with faculty in areas of your interest (in your case, areas leaning more towards political sociology or political science). If your ultimate goal is a PhD, you can apply for that in a year or two (depending on how long the MS takes), and certainly you'll be better off with a Masters than without - I'm not in the field so I can't comment about rankings. Getting a Masters at NYU or any top ranked school does not guarantee entrance into the PhD program (and would you spend $90,000 on this chance?) - and even guaranteed funding at NYU does not ensure you won't have to take out loans or seek other funds, due to cost of living and un-subsidized housing.

 

If your choice is between funding and no funding, I'd choose funding. If you're thinking about waiting a year, there is a case for that as well - you may benefit from a wider range of schools, and get a chance to visit programs and meet faculty. However, what better way to wait and improve your CV than a Masters with an assistantship?

[n0ro]

I'd attend the funded M.S. program, as long as you feel you'll gain knowledge and skills, and are able to work with faculty in areas of your interest (in your case, areas leaning more towards political sociology or political science). If your ultimate goal is a PhD, you can apply for that in a year or two (depending on how long the MS takes), and certainly you'll be better off with a Masters than without - I'm not in the field so I can't comment about rankings. Getting a Masters at NYU or any top ranked school does not guarantee entrance into the PhD program (and would you spend $90,000 on this chance?) - and even guaranteed funding at NYU does not ensure you won't have to take out loans or seek other funds, due to cost of living and un-subsidized housing.

 

If your choice is between funding and no funding, I'd choose funding. If you're thinking about waiting a year, there is a case for that as well - you may benefit from a wider range of schools, and get a chance to visit programs and meet faculty. However, what better way to wait and improve your CV than a Masters with an assistantship?

 

Thank you so much for your comments! I really do appreciate it. 

 

I do think you make a strong case; I will be able to place an assistantship on my CV, along with a new degree. Indeed, there never is a guarantee of getting into a Ph.D. program, and you raise a good point regarding what might ultimately be a $90,000.00 wager.

 

Leaning toward the funding!

[rising_star]

Think of it this way: How long will it take you to pay off that $90K? What job will you get that allows you to service that debt? Difficult, right? Go with the funding.

[juilletmercredi]

Go with the funding.

-MA programs in the academic social sciences are not often funded, so holding off and reapplying may not yield any better results for MA programs.

-If your ultimate goal is the PhD, NYU vs. VCU honestly won't matter that much in terms of prestige.  What will matter is your performance and research experience.

-On the other hand, assuming you want to be an academic, there's no easy way for an academic to pay off $90,000 of debt.  You don't want that hanging over you.

However, if you only applied to two MA programs and one PhD program, you may have been selling yourself short especially if you have a 4.0 major GPA and a conference presentation.  What does your research experience look like otherwise?  Were those internships in research or practice?  Do you have ~2 years of research experience in college?  Because if you do, your denial may have been due to the fact that you only applied to 3 programs rather than any fault in your package.

 

This is a situation in which you should really discuss with some mentors in your program, and ask them honestly to evaluate how competitive of an applicant you are.  You don't want to sell yourself short.

 

HOWEVER, I'd say that you have nothing to lose by going to VCU next year, since it's funded.  You basically have two options: go to VCU's funded MA program this fall, or take a year "off" to reapply to schools.  But since you're going to be "off" anyway, you may as well spend the time getting some research experience and taking some classes!

[RomulusAugustulus]

Since you got your BA at VCU, why don't you email one of your undergrad profs in poli sci there and see what they would recommend? Since it wouldn't be their program you would be rejecting, they would probably give you a pretty straight answer about whether the MS would set you up to get into a top PhD program. They can probably give you a better sense of how this would look in your field then we (or at least I) can. Good luck!