Purdue or Florida? (MA in English)

[lindenscoopers]

I got admitted to both Purdue University's and University of Florida's MA program in English. Both offer TAships, Purdue for $11830 a year and Florida for $9200 a year. Florida ranks higher though for English (46 vs Purdue's 56 in the last ranking). I also think the cost of living in Gainesville, FL is lower than that in West Lafayette, Indiana... What would you choose? Any suggestions? Thanks a lot~

[Minnesotan]

I always heard Purdue had a fairly good English program. Either way, you might want to take other things into consideration. Crime, diversity (whether you consider that good/bad), cost of living, college town vs. urban center, etc.

You have to live there for two years, so you had better check out the whole story.

[lindenscoopers]

Thanks for your reply. The thing is both have advantages and disadvantages, but as an international student, it's even harder for me to decide because I really have no clue on how these schools are viewed generally. The idea I have is that people think of Purdue as the better school, but the idea I got from all the info I looked up is that Florida is a better grad school for English. So... ARGH!! An impossible decision.

[ZachAJ]

I went to Florida for undergrad and know several people who lived in Purdue. Florida and Purdue are similarly ranked academically (In USNews undergrad rankings, 47 for UF and 64 for Purdue). You should know that Florida is a bit more of a "party school"...if social life is important to you, Florida has a lot of it, but if you don't like it, Florida has that reputation.

In terms of cost of living, I'm not sure about W. Lafeyette, but you can get an apartment in Gainesville anywhere from $300 a month in bus range to $500 a month 2 blocks from campus. There is also no state income tax in Florida. $9200 is definitely liveable.

When I was applying to grad school (disclaimer: I'm Electrical Engineering at Berkeley now), I thought the most important aspect was finding people/profs I would be comfortable working with. I'd recommend heck out the English dept web sites and see which program has profs that work in your specialization and has the classes you want to take.

[lindenscoopers]

Thanks.

[Minnesotan]

Wow! You know the fit's gonna hit the shan when articles like that start popping up in school papers. How often do you see a university professor stating his/her opinion under conditions of anonymity? Normally they're complete publicity whores. =)

[caffeinequeen47]

I also did my undergrad at Florida (College of Fine Arts). Gainesville is very much a college town, but there is also a large international student population there, especially from Asia and India.

Some perks about UF: You do not have to pay gym membership fees, and you do not have to pay for the bus, it's free with your Gator1 Card. Gainesville is large enough to provide all the commodities/entertainment you might need, but small enough that there is not much crime. I lived on about $9,000 a year from grants, student loans, and work study. I lived in a one bedroom apartment about a mile from campus and still had enough money to buy food and go out with friends. Also, the winters there are extremely mild and it never ever snows.

Now a word of caution: Brace yourself for the most unbearable heat and humidity you have ever experienced. August is the worst. The campus is literally built in the middle of a swamp.

[caffeinequeen47]

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at UF is currently undergoing a budget crisis (something like a $5 million deficit) and they are cutting profs, courses, and funding to their less popular programs. I'm not sure if English is on the chopping block, but this issue is definately something you would want to consider.

[ZachAJ]

When you are evaluating the budget situation, make sure you read the Gainesville Sun also. The Alligator and the Gainesville Sun often have opposing opinions on many issues.

Gainesville Sun:

http://www.gainesville.com/

Editorial from Administration:

http://www.gainesville.com/apps/pbcs.dl ... 6864138775