Absolutely Torn

[Jarndyce]

Hey guys, I know there's already a thread on decisions, but my situation is a little specific.

I've been accepted to two MA programs. Both are state schools, but School A is ranked signifcantly higher than School B (50 vs 100s). Both expect the same teaching load, and both are offering full tuition for two years. School A offered me a slightly larger stipend (about $500 more a year), and the Chancellor ' s Award, which is a one time monetary gift of $5000.

So it seems like it should be a no brainer. But here's the issue: over the past year, I've really fallen in love with the idea of moving to the area where School B is. I have family there that I currently live 18 hours away from and usually only see once a year, and was looking forward to spending time with them. (One of these family members is my favorite uncle who had been fighting terminal illness for 5 years). Not to mention that it's a beautiful area (the higher ranked school is in an arctic tundra). It's also worth mentioning that I've never been to the area where School A is, neither will I have time to visit because I only have 15 days (!) to accept the Chancellor ' s award.

Honestly, the reason I applied to School A is that I've been going back and forth all year on whether I should do my master's at 1) the location that I love and that is near my family or 2) to the best school that will give me money. And now the rubber meets the road and I have to choose.

My heart is telling me that I should obviously go to the area that I want to live in and that is near my family. My head is telling me that I should obviously go to the better school that is falling all over itself giving me money. And write frankly, I know what I want to do: I want to go to school B. But I feel like I'm making that choice for emotional reasons, and that I'd be fool to turn down A ' s offer/that A would help me get into better PhD than B could.

I've been mulling over the same pro con list for the past 24 hours, so any fresh perspective will be greatly appreciated.

[kurayamino]

It might be worth mentioning to School B that you've received the Chancellor award at school A and the extra money is making it difficult to pick even though you feel very strongly about wanting to attend school B for all the reasons you listed above. Maybe doing this will help them find a little extra money for you?

[danica1]

I agree with kurayamino. It's worth the shot at least. Universities want to remain competitive, so if they have the means they may decide to offer you the same thing, or at least something closer to it. I would also think of it this way, if you choose school A or B do you think you would regret either choice? It sounds like school B isn't horrible, so as long as you do well and can get good LORs for your PhD applications it shouldn't be a big deal, in my opinion.

[Jarndyce]

I did mention the Chancellor ' s Award to school B, but only in the sense of "Hey, I still haven't received my funding packet in the mail and I have to respond to A in 15 days." So they emailed me the PDF of the contract I would be signing for my TA position. My fiancee wants me to call school B and negotiate once I get my official package in the mail, so I may do that.

If I go to school A, I think I might regret years from now putting money ahead of family. The only reason I would regret school B is if it hurt my PhD prospects.

[thepriorwalter]

Have you asked school B where their MA students are getting into PhD programs? I found out late in my program that the university largely rolls students over into their PhD program, so most were not applying out and, when they were, most were only applying to 3-4 top 10 schools (unsuccessfully), because they liked the offer they had from our program.

In the end, it meant people were surprised when I was applying out and committed to leaving the program. We've only had 2 other people do it in the last 4 years. It's caused a little strain between me and one of my advisers, and I have been asked on more than one occasion what I don't like about the department so much that I would leave.

Just some things to think about asking!

[Jarndyce]

It's interesting that you mention that thepriorwalter. I think what you're saying would actually be more of a problem at school A. I noticed that they only require TAs to take 6 credits a semester, which would make finishing in 2 years (the length they fund for) impossible. The only way to get additional funding if you don't finish in two years is applying for the PhD... which makes me wonder whether they try to funnel students into the the PhD. I don't particularly want to do my MA and PhD at the same place on principle, so it's something to consider.

[empress-marmot]

Hello Jarndyce! I'm making a similar decision between two schools. School A is ranked higher, is giving me a fellowship, and on paper, is a better fit for my interests. School B is located near my family, and though they're ranked lower, they have wonderful placement rates for a program producing cool research.  

 

If you had to choose a school in the next five minutes, which one would you choose? Why? 

 

Don't discount your emotions. If you spend two years being sad at School A, that might affect your performance in the program. Grad school is stressful enough; will going to School A strain your emotional health? 

 

Congratulations on your acceptances, and good luck making a decision. 

[kurayamino]

Also, is it possible to visit both campuses? My adviser suggested that I trust my gut with these things if all else seemed equal or impossible to compare. Good luck!

[toasterazzi]

I think that, as much as anything else in the process, happiness is an important factor. Part of my own decision making with the schools I applied to for both my MA and my PhD had to do with access to my family. We've been through a lot in the last few years, and even though I only tend to go home a few times a year, it's nice to know that I can get back there if need be within a few hours' time. Eventually, I do see myself possibly moving farther away, but for right now, I enjoy the relative closeness. And if that's important to you and the slight monetary different isn't that earthshattering for you and the academic opportunities are fairly equal, then I'd say go with the place that'll make you happiest.

 

FWIW I went to an unranked school for my MA and got into a school in the 20s for my PhD, so if you're worried that the lower ranked school may prohibit you from getting into whatever PhD program you desire, it may not be so much of a barrier. Granted, I can only speak for my own case, and there are no guarantees either way.

[MonicaBang]

I agree with everyone who has encouraged you not to discount your emotions. It really sounds like School B is where your heart wants to go, and I don't think that an MA from a lesser-ranked program will ruin your shot at a good PhD program in a couple of years. And if you end up on the TT job track, you'll have to relocate to who-knows-where, so being near your family now is a worthy deciding factor.

[Jarndyce]

Thanks for all your feedback guys. Part of the difficulty is that I don't have the opportunity to visit school A, because they only have me 15 days to respond, and the school is halfway across the country. I've never been to that part of the country, so agreeing to go there kind of feels like agreeing to marry a blind date. Also, the more I look at the funding package, the more I get the feeling that school A will want me to do my PhD there, which is not something I want to get roped into. I think this is one of those situations where I knew what I wanted, but wanted encouragement that it was ok to make the choice that didn't look as good on paper.

[1Q84]

If School A is part of the CGS funding agreement, they shouldn't be pressuring you to accept within the next 15 days.

 

Check here: https://www.cgsnet.org/ckfinder/userfiles/files/CGS_Resolution.pdf

[lyonessrampant]

There are ways around that.  According to the agreement, schools can't/shouldn't rescind offers before the April 15th deadline, but quite a few programs offer extra perks for accepting earlier.  It sounds like the extra $5,000 is one of those types of things, so if OP doesn't respond in 15 days, that goes away but the rest of the funding offer/acceptance would still stand.  Either way, sounds like OP prefers B anyway.