<pre><code>I'm currently an English major transferring out of the University of Chicago as a sophomore to a small college back at home. I came to this site for help because I have a major concern about WHERE I'll receive my BA degree. Does it really matter where I get my BA in English from? I'm thinking that after I earn my BA in English from my home university, I could transfer back to one of those "big name schools" to get my MA. I read that getting your MA from a "nice" school mattered more than where you obtained your BA. Is this true, and do any of you have any valuable advise that would help me decide?
I am planning on getting my B.A. in English, and my MA in TESL; however, I'm still not sure about what to do for my PhD. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
<p>It’s alright. I’d like to leave the University of Chicago because I have $3,600 in loans. I’m afraid it’ll continue to surmount to a much greater cost after graduation. Admittedly, it has always been my dream of attending a wonderful university like Chicago, but right now my family is my number one priority - personal family matters I’d prefer not to disclose within this thread.</p>
<p>The most important thing is YOU. However, it’s not to say that a grad program wouldn’t like to see that you did undergrad work at a top tier university.</p>
<p>since half (if not more) of the benefit of going to a top university is to show that you were accepted, you will still get that benefit. Presuming your GPA is decent, since you almost always have to report the GPA of every undergrad you attended, they’ll know you didn’t flunk out</p>
<p>Isn’t how well you do on your GRE more important than where you ultimately earned your BA? I agree w/ ilovebagels. You got into a top school, are leaving for solid financial reasons and presumably will keep up the caliber of scholarship that allowed you into Chicago in the first place. Do well on your GRE and it becomes less and less important where you finished your BA. Good Luck with your decision. I hope it all works out for you.</p>
<p>Would it help you to stop by the financial aid office and review your options? $3,600 in student loan debt should be very manageable. I know it will grow over the next three years, but assuming a similar increase each year, that still should not be a problem. The financial aid office should have repayment charts that show you what you can expect to be paying each month after you graduate. If you do go into teaching, there are some loan-forgiveness programs depending on your salary that will help out, too.
If other personal reasons are really driving this decision, then you have do what’s best for you. But if it’s financial aid and post-grad debt that are the biggest issue, I would urge you to explore your options within the University more fully.</p>
<p>Awwwww, my friend was in a similar predicament last year (I’m at Chicago right now; she was at Chicago too) and had a difficult year in many many respects (personal issues, family issues, money issues) and finally decided to say a tear-ridden goodbye to the U of C.</p>
<p>If there’s anything I, a U of C second-year English major can help you out with, let me know via private message.</p>
<p>As far as grad school prospects go, I think the expectation is that you challenge yourself and build opportunities for yourself regardless of the name on the diploma. I have a habit of checking the CV’s of professors at Chicago and elsewhere, and many of them completed a bachelor’s degree at no-name state before going on to a very prestigious grad program.</p>