<p>My D was accepted to both and is deciding between the two. She will come out with a dual degree in Childhood Education and Special Ed. </p>
<p>If you were to put cost aside, what are the positives and negatives of each school.</p>
<p>Does it help when it comes time for her to apply for a job if she has a degree from Columbia?</p>
<p>Will she be better prepared coming from either school?</p>
<p>I heard someone say that some principals feel threatened by Columbia Teacher College graduates and feel that the new teacher will have an "I know it all" attitude. Is this true at all?</p>
<p>She is planning to live in Murray Hill. How is the commute from Murray Hill to each school?</p>
<p>Her goal is to work as a teacher assistant during the day and go to grad school at night. Are any schools hiring?</p>
<p>Thanks so much!</p>
<p>I don’t really think it matters, honestly - teaching is one of those jobs where pedigree is a lot less important. They want to see that you majored in the relevant field and that you are licensed, but either school will get a lot of respect in the city area as they are well-known here. And special education teachers are in such high demand at this point, even in the recession…</p>
<p>I know that TC has bad funding and I don’t think it’s wise to put cost aside when considering schools - if TC is going to be overly expensive for her I definitely don’t think it’s worth it. I think the only place where that’s not true is if she considers applying to work at selective private schools or the tony specialized public schools (like Stuyvesant, although if she’s getting a degree in childhood and special ed I doubt it). Those places appreciate pedigree, and they like having teachers with Ivy League degrees. Most public NYC schools, however, are just going to appreciate the training, and CUNY has a good reputation in the city.</p>
<p>The commute to Hunter from Murray Hill will be short and sweet - it’s on the East Side; the 6 runs through the area and she can easily hop on the 6 and get to Hunter (there’s the 68th St stop and when you get out, you’re standing on Hunter’s “campus”). Getting to TC will be a bit more cumbersome because it’s on the West Side and only the 1 stops close to TC, but the 1 doesn’t stop in Murray Hill. She can take a cross-town bus, if there is one, or she can get on the 7 or the Grand Central Shuttle and take it to Times Square and get on the 1 there, or she can simply walk crosstown when it’s nice to Times Square.</p>
<p>I just want to know how she plans to pay for an apartment in Murray Hill - a 1 bedroom down there starts at $1500-1600/month and easily goes over $2000/month. (I don’t know - maybe she has a partner.) For TC it may be more economical to stay in Harlem or Washington Heights, and for Hunter East Harlem or Queens or even just over the bridge in Brooklyn, but that’s not my business, of course.</p>