Hello, everyone. I am looking for advice. I am a thirty year-old transfer student with 35 credits under my belt. I have attended two community colleges in Texas, earning a 3.89 GPA. I am a veteran; therefore, I have free tuition to any public university, and I receive a housing allowance every month. Anyways, I have applied to UMD, CUNY, SUNY New Paltz, University of Delaware, and University of Massachusetts. Which college has the best teacher program, and which college has the best English program? I know much of my studies will be devoted to the classics, but I would enjoy studying some twentieth-century literature- think Beat and Lost Generation literature. I would love to gain insight from some people. Thanks.
If you mean for high school teaching, consider the teacher education and credentialing requirements in the state you want to teach in. It is likely that same state universities are more likely to offer the needed teacher education and credentialing course work (beyond the plain English major).
I’ve heard that CUNY Brooklyn and Queens both have really good education and english programs (in fact, the best english teacher I ever had went to Brooklyn)
CUNY is too broad - which CUNY? There are several different CUNY colleges.
If you are in your 30s, do note that the cost of living in New York is very high. Your MHA will be high too - the current MHA rate in New York is $3,636 a month, which is honestly enough to live on if you get roommates (and frankly, even if you don’t. I lived on almost half that in New York). But remember that you get a prorated MHA in December, January and May, and that you won’t get any for June, July, or August when you’re out of school. You’ll need to find employment over the summer to cover your rent if you go for a 12-month lease in New York (or anywhere, really).
New Paltz is a beautiful little college town, nestled in the Hudson Valley. It’s also a great school - a couple of my friends went there for undergrad. The MHA for the area is just under $1900, though; I don’t know if that’s enough to cover all of your costs. (It’s not supposed to be, really, but consider that you’d have to work or borrow).
There are also significant size differences - the individual CUNY colleges and New Paltz are quite small; UDel and UMass are medium-to-large, and UMD is large.
I agree with the advice that you should really attend college in the state in which you wish to teach, or at minimum, the state that has reciprocity with where you want to teach and/or has the easiest process to get relicensed in the new state. Do you see yourself staying in NY, MA, DE, or MD long-term? Also consider that with only 35 credits, and with general education requirements looming, and with the fact that the GI Bill covers 12 credits a semester, you may be in this place for 3-4 years at even if you do move right after college.
We’re about the same age, and if I was selecting a university I would be selecting on the basis of where I could see myself staying longer term (I’d say at least the next 5-7 years) - both state and regional. I’d also be selecting on the basis of reputation, because your experience as a non-trad is going to be different than the undergrads. My husband is a veteran attending university on the GI Bill and it’s been important that is university is experienced working with veterans and has experience working with non-traditional students (the School of General Studies was actually set up for returning GIs). Rankings aren’t the best for this because a lot of them are focused on cost because they’re outdated; investigate what the veterans’ affairs office looks like at the school or just what the support is for non-trads. Are there other people you can socialize with, too? That may be especially important if you choose to attend a college in a smaller town like New Paltz, or a small city like Newark, DE. You can’t exactly socialize with the professors.
If it were me I’d pick the University of Maryland. Best combination of good reputation, great location I’d want to stay in longer-term, and lots of opportunities to pick up part-time work to supplement that MHA. Considering that as a non-traditional student you’ll probably get an apartment with a 12-month lease and want to stay in that city over the summer, there are also lots of education-related companies/nonprofits/agencies where you can do a summer internship. Your student teaching placement is also more likely reachable by public transit in College Park (although no guaranteed, of course). Maryland also has a great English department. But that’s just me.