@tfa2o18@honeybeeee These are both helpful responses; thank you! I’ve spent the past two summers in D.C., and I personally never felt very unsafe on the metro even at night, but that’s really the only city experience I have. Chicago is actually probably going to be my number 1 choice, so insight into that city specifically is really helpful! My best friend lives there now and loves it, so I would be thrilled to go there.
@CatsandMoreCats Glad to know someone else is in the same boat! I’ve lived/gone to school in upstate New York my whole life and I’m ready to get out of the rural area. I’m not opposed to staying in the northeast if I could be in maybe Boston/Philly/Providence, but the idea of going somewhere completely new is also so enticing! My parents definitely want me to stay closer to the east coast too, although they’re trying not to admit it. I’m an only child and I’ve always been close to home, so I think it’ll be tough on them (and me), but at the same time I’m ready to leave. What regions are you looking at right now?
Also, my understanding is that you can leave the training on weekends, so while it would be a hassle, you should be able to fly home that weekend. I wouldn’t narrow down where you’ll spend the next two years based on one Saturday!
@Ranza123 Ahhh!!! I so hope you get placed here, then!! Even though I’m highly preferring Chicago, I’m probably gonna end up in one of the high priority regions I’m also highly preferring. I know you will love it here. <3
And I’m an only child, too! I’ve never lived out of state. My parents want me to stay in Chicago or nearby in Wisconsin or Indiana, but I kinda want the excitement of someplace brand new! I guess we can take comfort in knowing that once we submit our regions, it’s out of our hands and we will end up where we are meant to end up.
@tfa2o18 That’s a good way of thinking about it, although it’s scary not having control! Have you ever been to Milwaukee? I’m considering listing that as my high priority region but I don’t know anyone who’s been there or who can give me any insight into it.
@ctg2018 ahh it’s so reassuring to know someone else is in the same boat as me. I’m talking with a regional consultant tomorrow too, so hopefully he can steer me in the right direction! What regions are you looking at currently?
Also, has anyone noticed that the “date you need to be available by” thing keeps changing? Are we just supposed to hope they don’t update them after we get assigned someplace? My only concern is that my graduation is on May 27th and some of these dates are dangerously close.
It’s been a crazy week so just now catching up on all these posts but glad to know everyone is feeling as overwhelmed as me! @ctg2018 I’m also listing ATL as a top pref so maybe see you there!
@Ranza123 currently I have 6 regions that I’ve preferenced, and in no particular order yet. Hopefully my recruiter will be able to assist me tomorrow morning when we chat.
I currently have Arkansas, New Orleans/Louisiana, Baltimore, Eastern North Carolina (as my high priority region), Memphis, and Indianapolis.
I’m currently leaning towards Indianapolis and Memphis right now because I would be able to teach biology, middle school science, or high school science, the cost of living is relatively low there, and cerification costs are also low. I know it shouldn’t be all about money, but I’ll have to make due with my salary and any money I’ve saved up so far.
Regardless of where we all get placed, we will know where we are spending the next two years of our lives by winter break, more or less.
As a side note, does anyone happen to know what “middle wcho general science” or “high school general science” mean? I’ll probably just have to ask my recruiter tomorrow.
@ctg2018 It’s actually “need to be available beginning” and it’s the date the summer training starts I guess that’s listed in bold when you click each region on the map!
@CatsAndMoreCats Money is definitely an important factor, so I think those are all good reasons to choose those! My dad was a high school general science teacher a long time ago, and it could mean something different now so I would still ask, but basically he taught everything (biology, chemistry, physics) because he was the only one qualified in his school to teach them. I would assume it means you teach science generally across the grade spans, but I could be wrong!
@Ranza123 I grew up about an hour outside Milwaukee and now live about 15 minutes from downtown. Milwaukee is beautiful, especially in summer with all of the different festivals along Lake Michigan. Cost of living is still really cheap because it doesn’t attract many people from out of state since most young people choose to move to the Twin Cities, Madison, or Chicago instead. The city (and Wisconsin as a state) are really segregated, as most suburbs are all white while the city’s Northside is predominantly African American and the southside is mostly Latino. The book “Evicted” gives a pretty good picture of these parts of Milwaukee. The city has a lot of buses, and I know some friends doing City Year there that get around alright without a car. I hope this helps give a fuller picture!
I’ve lived in Wisconsin my entire life, and grew up in a small town, so I’m very ready to move away and into an urban region. I’ve always wanted to live in the Northeast, but everywhere in the Northeast has so many applicants. So I’m torn between trying to get one of those cities or settling for a more midwestern city. I want to teach HS Biology or General Science, which is in high need in most regions I’m looking at, but I’m also open to HS Math or English. I really want to end up in the DC region but I also have Baltimore, Cleveland, Massachusetts, Philly, Dallas, Charlotte, Indy, Detroit, and Tulsa. My parents really want me to be somewhere with lower crime and costs aka Dallas or Indy. Anyone have input on these regions?
I just got off the phone with my recruiter, and he was very helpful with information about the regions that I’ve been thinking about, as well as giving me regions to look more into.
Some things that he said that were really helpful, and might help y’all, is that we should all be comfortable with the 10 regions we preference. Also, be sure to rank/categorize them in the order that you want them. He told me that one person he knew was “Bay Area or bust,” but was shocked when she got Alabama. She ended up going to Alabama to teach, but it wasn’t her top choice. So be mindful of that.
Also, we are free to roam around on the weekends/“turn off,” as my recruiter said. (So I will be able to attend my brother’s high school graduation!)
@ctg2018 I talked to my recruiter about ENC, and he said that it’s a large region. People think that they will be placed in a city like Charlotte, and that’s usually not the case. In some cases, you may be the only TFA rep at your school in ENC, so that’s something to keep in mind.
I must say, I’m a bit less overwhelmed now that I’ve chatted with my recruiter about regions, and he gave me some fantastic insight into what life is like in the regions, and about the schools themselves (ie: how tough it is to teach in that region).
I talked to a placement consultant this morning, too!
For those of us worried about subject placement, she said that lately the individual schools have been doing most of that work. TFA puts us in our region and gives a vague subject placement, and then the school that hires us looks at what they need + we want based on our college courses. It’s possible that you teach 4th grade math one year and get moved to kindergarten the next, depending on what the school needs that year. Apparently it allows more flexibility for the schools and our own preferences.
@tfadawghopeful I just chatted with a consultant and he said its good to have more than 10. I have 11 listed. He said if you have more in your highly preferred then TFA can do a better job of placing you somewhere you really want to be.
My consultant said a big thing is to make sure your Highly Preferred is all places that you would be really excited to end up in whether it is your #1 or #5, then Preferred should be places you would still be very happy, and Less Preferred should be anywhere you’re unsure about but are very open to. To TFA’s algorithm getting you in your #4 Highly Preferred is a big win, so make sure all HP are places you are really excited for!
I also spoke with a regional consultant and my recruiter this morning, and after going through basically all the regions/taking notes/watching the videos on the regional pages, I’m feeling much better! I currently have a list of 14, and I’ll probably cut a few, but I think I could see myself at any of them.
I’m thinking of only listing my very top places in most preferred, and listing the majority in preferred. I have small preferences within that category, but overall they’re mostly all just a tier down in my mind from my most preferred ones, and I know the algorithm takes the broader categories into larger consideration than individual rankings.
My consultant emphasized just being really open-minded about your placement; obviously take into account the factors that are important to you, but be willing to step out of your comfort zone beyond that. My recruiter also said that there are a bunch of nuances in terms of subject/grade level within each region, so be willing to explore the subject in your region once you get it assigned. He said, for example, everyone in Buffalo has a special education component to their teaching, but that doesn’t prevent them from teaching (for example) high school chemistry. But he also said if you end up still feeling uncomfortable about your subject assignment, it’s something you can talk over with the people in your region to try to find a better fit.
@ctg2018 I wasn’t told that any regions were nearly full, but I also didn’t consider ranking DC. If it’s true, hopefully you’ll luck out and get one of those last spots!
What are everyone’s final rankings? I took the plunge and submitted my list this morning with:
Highly preferred: Tulsa, Chicago, Milwaukee, Kansas City
Preferred: Nashville, Cleveland
Less Preferred: Indianapolis, St. Louis, Detroit, Southwest Ohio
I feel weird listing four regions in less preferred, but the placement consultant told me to move them, so I guess it’s fine? And although I was pretty not into it at first, I am really hoping I end up in Tulsa. The consultant said I probably will since it’s my top pick, but I’m still really nervous!
@tfa2o18 I have to submit my rankings, and I’ll probably do that this morning because I am way too busy the rest of today and all of tomorrow. Here’s where my rankings stand:
Highly preferred: Indianapolis, Arkansas, Massachusetts (highly preferred: Western Mass; preferred: Boston; less preferred: South Coast), Greater Tulsa, Memphis
Preferred: Oklahoma City, Nashville (highly preferred: Nashville; preferred: Chattanooga), Eastern North Carolina
Less Preferred: Greater Philadelphia, New Jersey
Whenever I’ve mentioned some of the regions to my friends, they’ve said “oh that sounds awful, don’t live there,” and honestly, I’m just taking their input with a grain of sand because most of the time they’ve never been to one of those regions. I’m really hoping that I end up in Indianapolis, but I would still be excited to end up in any of the regions I’ve listed.
@CatsAndMoreCats Yes!! I got that reaction when I told people I wanted Tulsa. The thing is, though, these kids need us wherever we go, and for a multitude of and varied reasons. It’s silly to change our regions just because a friend or aunt tells us that area of the country sucks.
@tfa2o18 I bet you end up in Tulsa since it’s your top pick and high priority! Ahh it must feel so good to have it out of your hands now (or not); I’m still working on mine but I’m much closer to being done. Also just curious, why did your placement consultant tell you to move your less preferred regions? Where did you have them before? I think it’s totally fine you have 4, because you’re just supposed to have 5-8 across the other two tiers.
@CatsAndMoreCats That looks like a good list!! Definitely don’t listen to your friends; I’ve only been asking advice from them on places I should live, not places I shouldn’t. All of these places are livable, and all of them need people, so that’s what matters! I’m also just curious what you like about Indianapolis/Western MA and/or if you’ve ever been there? Those are two I’m considering and they seem good but I don’t know anyone who’s been to get a first-hand account!
@Ranza123 I chose Western Mass because I currently go to school in the area and I could definitely see myself living here. There’s so much to do in and around the area. As for the cities, Holyoke has the highest per capita number of Puerto Rican’s living outside of Puerto Rico. Springfield is notorious for being a “bad area,” but honestly it’s not like you’ll be fearing for your life living there. When I was talking with my recruiter, he was telling me that Western Mass has a strong TFA teacher environment, with many of the first year teachers doing similar things (with a similar skillset) as second year TFA teachers.
As for Indianapolis, I’d be able to teach biology or middle school general science, it wouldn’t cost me too much to live there, and honestly I could just see myself living there. I would also receive a masters degree by the end of my two years teaching in Indianapolis (it’s a requirement), and that’s also an incentive.
And for the most part, I haven’t been listening to my friends telling me “oh don’t go there, it sounds terrible” because as I see it, TFA regions are where they are because the students need us there. So, I’d honestly be fine anywhere that I can teach something in the STEM field (preferably science) and not go broke living there.
@Ranza123 I initially had SW Ohio and I think St. Louis in my preferred category. I told my placement consultant that I was really afraid that I would end up teaching HS or middle school STEM, which I am confident that I am not qualified to teach (despite what state law might say).
I guess the placement people work hard to give us a region listed in highly preferred, but if not, they’ll place us in a preferred region. They rarely put people in a less preferred region, unless they have no other choice. Basically, she didn’t want me to put any regions in preferred that had a higher need for STEM than for elementary or English, so she was like, “move them, just to be safe.” It makes sense, but I kinda feel bad for putting four regions in less preferred and only two in preferred; I don’t want to look inflexible.
Later in the conversation, I asked her if it even mattered what I ranked in preferred and less preferred, since Tulsa is my top choice and I have Milwaukee and Kansas City on highly preferred, too, and she sort of hinted that it didn’t matter. Like, even though I ranked Chicago as #2, I’m not gonna get Chicago. I’ll get one of the three high priority regions I highly preferred, but most likely Tulsa.
SO, tl;dr, I think what she was saying was to just be strategic. If you’re only putting more competitive regions like LA, NYC, Chicago, and DC in your highly preferred list, probably make a longer highly preferred and preferred list so you DON’T end up in, like, Arkansas if you really, really don’t want to be there. But I’m highly preferring three high priority regions, so the other two groups don’t matter as much, because the placement people will just put me in one of those three, unless something crazy happens or whatever.
Does anyone have any additional information about how often the pre-assignment preferences get honored? I had to list Metro Atlanta as a pre-assignment preference and is also my #1 top choice, but still feeling really nervous about not getting it…
After rearranging my list like 20 times, I finally submitted it. I ultimately listed 12 regions, and I decided to put the majority of them in the preferred category (saving highly preferred for my top two and less preferred for my high priority region, although I still wouldn’t mind getting assigned there). I feel nervous but pretty good about the regions I picked! I think I could see myself working in any of them, even though I haven’t visited any other than my top 2.
Highly preferred: Chicago, D.C.
Preferred: Nashville, Charlotte, Dallas, San Antonio, Philadelphia, Houston, Indianapolis, Massachusetts, Rhode Island
