UW, WSU, and Boyfriend

[MichiganAbe]

Hi everyone.

 

I recently got accepted into Washington State University, which is a VERY small town:  Pullman, WA.  I got into their Materials Science PhD program with full tuition waiver and a $2100 monthly stipend on top of that.  I want to get a PhD because I'm passionate about research and liked the program when I visited their recruitment session.

 

I also got word that I've been accepted into the Applied Masters Program in Materials Science at the University of Washington, which has no funding and I'd be paying out of state tuition.

 

The catch is that my boyfriend, who's in web development/software engineering, would have difficulty finding a job in Pullman.  Obviously Seattle would be much better for his sake.  My logical mind says that going to Pullman is a no brainer, since the program is a good fit and I'd be getting a PhD.  However, I could apply to UW PhD program after completing their Masters program, and UW was my first choice.  It's also worth noting that I had a pretty unstable / abusive childhood and my current boyfriend is very emotionally supportive.

 

Thoughts?

[ihatechoosingusernames]

If you're okay with a commute, you might see if he can't get a job in Spokane, WA. It's a 1.5hr drive, but might be worth it if he can find a job. You could also try to live somewhat closer to Spokane so you could split the distance. I don't know how much work there would be in Moscow, ID, but it's worth looking in to. Also, is there any chance he could telecommute to a job that's based in Seattle? What are his thoughts on all of this? 

Personally, (and this is coming from someone who LOVES Seattle and UW...Go Huskies!) I'd go with the paid Ph.D. program and see if he can't find something nearby. It would be sooooo expensive to live in Seattle and pay out of state tuition. Have you thought about long distance? I see you're in Portland. Is there any chance he could drive/fly out to see you on weekends? I'm doing the long distance thing with my spouse. It can be tough, but totally doable with Skype, text messaging, and phone calls. 

[StephMSW]

1 hour ago, ihatechoosingusernames said:

If you're okay with a commute, you might see if he can't get a job in Spokane, WA. It's a 1.5hr drive, but might be worth it if he can find a job. You could also try to live somewhat closer to Spokane so you could split the distance. I don't know how much work there would be in Moscow, ID, but it's worth looking in to. Also, is there any chance he could telecommute to a job that's based in Seattle? What are his thoughts on all of this? 

Personally, (and this is coming from someone who LOVES Seattle and UW...Go Huskies!) I'd go with the paid Ph.D. program and see if he can't find something nearby. It would be sooooo expensive to live in Seattle and pay out of state tuition. Have you thought about long distance? I see you're in Portland. Is there any chance he could drive/fly out to see you on weekends? I'm doing the long distance thing with my spouse. It can be tough, but totally doable with Skype, text messaging, and phone calls. 

As someone who is also currently in a long distance relationship, I agree. You should focus on your career goals and what is best for you (including your financial situation). If your relationship is solid, long distance shouldn't be too much of a problem. It's certainly not ideal but it is only temporary. 

[MichiganAbe]

Thanks for the suggestions.  However, after researching LinkedIn profiles and the networking between the two schools, I've decided to take the plunge and go to the University of Washington.  From a professional networking perspective, Seattle far outranks Pullman.

[juilletmercredi]

Well, yes, from a non-academic professional networking perspective being in Seattle is better than being in Pullman. That's unequivocally true.

But that's not the only consideration here. If your ultimate goal is to get a PhD, you're accepted into a PhD program. It sounds like the program is a good fit for you and you want a research career; all of the networking in the world won't help you if you don't have the degree necessary to enter a research career. And if you want a PhD either way, doing the MS at UW adds money and time to that endeavor - potentially a lot of money. And being in a big city won't necessarily be a networking boon for academic positions, if that's your goal. I did a short postdoc in a small college town and honestly those professors there were some of the best networkers ever, far better than some of the professors from my graduate program in New York. It was cheap to bring people to campus so they invited all kinds of speakers and big people in the field to come speak, and they knew everybody!

I love Seattle so much and I'm a huge advocate of being happy during your graduate program - it's as much a part of your life as anything else that you do. But you also have to think about long-term gain as well. Pullman and Seattle are about 4.5 hours apart; you could do a long-distance relationship for the PhD program, and see each other most weekends. It's okay for that to be completely unacceptable and for you not to even want to consider it, of course. (Personally, I did an LDR like this for a year, and that got really old. In hindsight, not sure I'd want to do it for more than 2-3.)

There are some shorter-term benefits, too - $2100 a month will go a lot farther in Pullman.

 

[rising_star]

3 hours ago, MichiganAbe said:

Thanks for the suggestions.  However, after researching LinkedIn profiles and the networking between the two schools, I've decided to take the plunge and go to the University of Washington.  From a professional networking perspective, Seattle far outranks Pullman.

Wait, you're choosing an unfunded masters program over a PhD program basically because of your boyfriend? Wow! You didn't say what your career goals are but, if they involve academia at all, I wouldn't pay attention to what's on LinkedIn. Also, no amount of networking is going to make up for the debt you'll accrue during that 2 year master's program. 

[MichiganAbe]

3 minutes ago, rising_star said:

Wait, you're choosing an unfunded masters program over a PhD program basically because of your boyfriend? Wow! You didn't say what your career goals are but, if they involve academia at all, I wouldn't pay attention to what's on LinkedIn. Also, no amount of networking is going to make up for the debt you'll accrue during that 2 year master's program. 

I'm interested in organic photovoltaics.  Professor Alex Jen is one of the world's leaders in this field.  Even if I break up with my boyfriend, I know that I'd be a lot happier in Seattle than Pullman.  In terms of debt, yes, I'll accrue quite a bit.  But I decided to take that plunge for myself.

[Need Coffee in an IV]

Does your boyfriend realize how much of an impact that he's having on your choices? I know my boyfriend would be floored/unhappy if I choose an unfunded program over a funded one partly because of him. Then again we are all different. I would choose the small town with no debt than big city with big debt. You could always visit Seattle for day trips. But if you made up your mind then no one here can say anything.  Good luck!

[MichiganAbe]

On ‎3‎/‎19‎/‎2016 at 6:55 AM, Need Coffee in an IV said:

Does your boyfriend realize how much of an impact that he's having on your choices? I know my boyfriend would be floored/unhappy if I choose an unfunded program over a funded one partly because of him. Then again we are all different. I would choose the small town with no debt than big city with big debt. You could always visit Seattle for day trips. But if you made up your mind then no one here can say anything.  Good luck!

He does and he specifically told me to pretend that I wasn't in his future plans and decide for myself. 

 

On ‎3‎/‎18‎/‎2016 at 9:51 AM, rising_star said:

Wait, you're choosing an unfunded masters program over a PhD program basically because of your boyfriend? Wow! You didn't say what your career goals are but, if they involve academia at all, I wouldn't pay attention to what's on LinkedIn. Also, no amount of networking is going to make up for the debt you'll accrue during that 2 year master's program. 

... and I guess it's also worth mentioning that the Master's program is only 36 credits which ends in a STEM internship (do-able in a year on the quarter system).  I've been working as an engineer for 4 years and have a mutual fund which will continue to accrue interest in the course of the next year.  My plan is to liquidate that at the end of a year to shave off a considerable chunk off the debt, re-apply to their PhD program at UW after having a solid connection with professors, and apply to an internship during their summer quarter.  In terms of future investments, I already have $50K in a 401K which I'll pretend does not exist and leave be to continue to grow.  I'm not completely without funds, just without fund-ING.

[MichiganAbe]

On ‎3‎/‎15‎/‎2016 at 10:20 AM, MichiganAbe said:

Hi everyone.

 

I recently got accepted into Washington State University, which is a VERY small town:  Pullman, WA.  I got into their Materials Science PhD program with full tuition waiver and a $2100 monthly stipend on top of that.  I want to get a PhD because I'm passionate about research and liked the program when I visited their recruitment session.

 

I also got word that I've been accepted into the Applied Masters Program in Materials Science at the University of Washington, which has no funding and I'd be paying out of state tuition.

 

The catch is that my boyfriend, who's in web development/software engineering, would have difficulty finding a job in Pullman.  Obviously Seattle would be much better for his sake.  My logical mind says that going to Pullman is a no brainer, since the program is a good fit and I'd be getting a PhD.  However, I could apply to UW PhD program after completing their Masters program, and UW was my first choice.  It's also worth noting that I had a pretty unstable / abusive childhood and my current boyfriend is very emotionally supportive.

 

Thoughts?

It's almost like I was playing Devil's advocate here about why I shouldn't go to Seattle.  Thanks again for everyone who posted.

[Need Coffee in an IV]

@MichiganAbe Good luck and enjoy Seattle! It's one of my favorite cities.