MA: 15k for Dream School, Even for mid, +15k for low

[Lyzl]

I have three offers I'm considering for a masters in philosophy:

A is essentially the top school in the world for my sub-field (or tied). It's one-year, in Europe where I'd love to live, and I would have the ability to improve my french and potentially german (I study french and german philosophers). The tuition is essentially nothing but there's no funding, so the estimate from a friend who went there is $15-18k in living expenses.

B is a good school for my sub-field, perhaps the best for my interests in Canada (where I live). Its in Toronto though, which is very expensive to live in. Although the funding is very strong, the tuition and living expenses mean I'll be breaking even. I love Toronto as a city and would be happy to live there, and my potential advisors come with highly positive reviews.

C is my undergrad school and has one person in my sub-field available for supervising. They are as strong as anyone in B, if not even better as I know we get along very well. I'd like to move out of C as it is my hometown. If I continue living with my parents, I could save as much as $15-20k by accepting this school. 

 

Any advice would be appreciated, as you can imagine, I find all three offers are very tempting. I plan to pursue a Ph.D. at the strongest school I can get into in my sub-field, I am pretty dedicated to my sub-field and don't see myself changing it too drastically.

[rising_star]

Take option B. You need to go somewhere else, you really shouldn't live at home as a grad student, and you don't want to be $20K in debt for a MA if you plan to do a PhD.

[Lyzl]

That sounds right to me, thank you for the input. I'm going to be visting B campus next week which will help solidify the decision. Here's hoping it goes well!

[juilletmercredi]

Eh, I would pick either A or B. It would depend on how much debt I had from undergrad.

Assuming I had no to very little debt ( <$15K) from undergrad, $20K in debt for a master's really isn't that much. Sure, no debt is better than some debt, but a little bit of debt for a year of living somewhere you'd love to live and attending the top school in the world for your field isn't a bad deal. I guess it would just depend on how badly you wanted it.

B is a good option, too. No debt is excellent, Toronto's a great city and it's the top school for this field in your country. I feel like you can't go wrong with either of these options.

 

 

[Lyzl]

Yes, I see where you're coming from juillet. I think it will come down to my visit to the Toronto school and continued reflection on the two experiences. There are many things that cause me concern about going to the top school (lack of supervision, risk of complications going to a new country, tight deadline for Ph.D. applications) whereas the Toronto school has been very welcoming and interested in their correspondance. 

[Apogeee]

I am a parent who is a grad student, and I highly recommend option C. Can your parents provide you a quiet place to study? Are your parents willing for you to stay there? Because if you move out, you are going to have to room with someone, and that can be a huge nightmare.