Purdue vs. UC Davis

[ejpril88]

Hi everyone! I'm going to start PhD studies in Communication this Fall and I have to decide between Purdue and UC Davis. Both schools offered me TA position with full funding (the TA salary offered by UC Davis is a bit lower but not significantly). I will visit both schools before making a decision but until then, I was wondering if any current students of these schools (or residents of Davis and West Lafayette) have some advice for me? I am 28 years old, moved from Serbia to US 11 months ago and will be moving with my husband who is a welder.

Davis pros: Location, weather, already talked to two professors and one of them was trying to convince me to say yes and wants to be my mentor because our research interests are really close.

Davis cons: Expensive rent, didn't find their PhD in Communication program on any ranking list. Also, the professor told me they had only 3 PhD generations so far. It would be much harder to move there from Chicago.

Purdue pros: Cheap, well known, not bad ranking, easier to move from Chicago. I could still spend time with my friends at least once a month.

Purdue cons: Location, weather, so far no one from the faculty contacted me.

[GreenEyedTrombonist]

Would you mind sharing what the coverage will be for each school and whether that includes payment for tuition or if that's waived/covered/factored in somewhere else?

[ejpril88]

I will PM you.