Oregon State U vs CUNY vs working

[arienandthesun]

Hello,

This year I applied for PhD and you can see my results from my signature. Because of financial reasons, I am not able to go to TAMU. It was the school I really wanted to go. In addition, I have a very high debt (masters in Ivy) and a full time offer from a very good well known company.

I would like to know your opinions about Oregon State and CUNY Graduate Center. I want to look for a job in the academia after PhD or at least I do not want to work in a software company afterwards. My friends are suggesting me to go for work in that company and reapply again later when I am out of debt.

I would really like to hear your thoughts about this situation or schools.

[papado]

I can't really help you on the CUNY vs OSU issue. What I can tell you is that if you go to work first and reapply later, you will have a harder time getting good LoRs from people you worked with and studied under during your MSc, especially if you didn't cooperate closely with them.

Keep that in mind before making your decision.

[arienandthesun]

Actually, that is my main concern. I think my current advisor will still give me LoR but I am not sure about those other two professors. Optimistically, they can use their old letters. I know that those two other professors did not give me really good letters, probably they are average. I had a chance to read one of them, the prof offered me, which was probably considered average, ok letter.

To be honest, I am not sure why I applied to those two schools. I think I was having hard time and did not want this process to be a failure again. Currently, I feel like, if I go one of them, I will not like it there and will always regret.

I am currently a little depressed about not being able to go where I want and do what I want issue.