Best city to go to grad school in

[EmK07]

Does anyone that is currently in a grad program or was formally in one, really love the city/town where their university was located? I really enjoy cities with a lot of culture and outdoor activities and I'm nearly always studying in a coffee shop. Just like everyone else that has and will be applying, I am concerned with just getting in somewhere, but the location of the program is a big factor as to where I'll be applying. Thank you for your suggestions!

[jmk]

My "perfect" city: good weather (limited to no snow), "hipster" parts, liberal bubble, and places to get outside and hike! I applied due to location. Some locations didn't the have the best weather, but have they also seemed to provide the 300k+ population & diversity I wanted. 

I did my undergrad in San Francisco, and loved it. 

For grad school, I eyed up Seattle, WA and Portland/Eugene, OR.  

I also applied to bigger cities like Philly. I did apply to places I wouldn't ideally live simply because I wanted to get into a program this year, and liked the program itself. If I end up with more acceptances, location/cost are my big factors at that point. 

 

 

 

[plume]

I live in Boulder, CO and think it's a great place to be! CU is a great university overall and it is nice to be near Denver. It is very outdoorsy (I just walked in the door from skiing and hiking is a few minutes away, for example) and it is definitely a place where you can find hip coffee shops to hide away in. I also like the size—it's not small, but not metropolitan, either. It is full of young people so there are a lot of fun things to do around here!

The one thing Boulder may not have much of is culture. It is very homogenous ( and the stereotype is that Boulder is full of wealthy people who are not originally from CO but wear their fanciest outdoor brands everywhere and brag about their Colorado lives) but there are cool farmer's markets and lots of great restaurants. Plus, like I said, Denver is close.

Edited February 27, 2017 by plume

[Crimson Wife]

Grad school is 2 years out of your life while student loans will take decades to pay off.

Take some advice from someone older and wiser- you WILL pay through the nose if you want to live in a "cool" city like S.F., NYC, Boston, Seattle, etc. and it REALLY isn't worth going into way more debt for. SLP pays decently but you're not going to be making $200k/yr like an investment banker or patent attorney or whatever.

A couple of years in some place boring is far better than being middle-aged and wishing that you hadn't spent so much to attend grad school in [insert name of cool city here].

[babykoala]

I agree with @Crimson Wife. Plus, you'll probably be far too busy to enjoy all that a cool city has to offer. You should also be able to find a coffee shop to your liking in most (all?) college towns.

I'm actually targeting programs in urban areas myself--not because I want to move to some elusive dream city, but because cities and urban areas tend to have more clinical opportunities. That seems more important than whether I find x city desirable. 

Edited February 27, 2017 by babykoala

[lily48slp]

I also agree with Crimson Wife. I would also add that some "college towns" (small cities with a large university like Madison or Iowa City) can be a lot more diverse and vibrant than other cities of their size because of the community that the university draws, but I often see people from larger cities dismiss them because they think they will be boring. You might want to consider the clinical structure of the program in addition to your location - do they have an in-house clinic? Can you go anywhere for your externship or do they prefer that you stay in the area? Are there major hospitals or other special facilities nearby? Are there pockets of diverse populations somewhat unique to that place (e.g. Muslim communities in Michigan or East African immigrants to the Twin Cities area)? All those factors might influence the type of student life and clinical diversity that you are able to access, and they might make some less expensive options more attractive at a second glance.

[jmk]

Also just to throw out some numbers- I currently pay $935/month to share HALF of a bedroom through student housing at SF State. & that was their cheapest option (and unfurnished). 

My friend in Portland pays $500 for her own entire bedroom! 

[plume]

To add to mine... I pay $750 (utilities not included) to live outside of Boulder with 5 other roommates. I share a bathroom with 3 boys. Not San Fran pricey, but it still comes with a cost to live here!