I am a Chinese student who wants to get a masters degree in TESOL. I already received two offers, one from U of Pennsylvania and one from BYU. I am torn between these two choices. I have concerns about cost, curriculum, English improvement, reputation and career outlook. What will you do if you were me??
If my calculation is correct, for 2 years, U Penn is around 67k and BYU is around 26k for tuition only. And cost of living in Philadelphia is similar to Provo. I plan to go back to China to teach in regional private universities after I get my degree, but I don’t completely limit the possibility of a plan change and staying in the US. My parents will subsidize me for the most part, but I already spent 40k per year for 3 years to finish my undergrad in the US so I don’t want them to continue spending a huge sum of money. I assume I will earn $38000/year at most as a novice teacher when I first go back to China. The tuition difference will cost me (more than) a year of work.
Both UPenn and BYU’s TESOL are (partly) geared towards EFL students so there is no difference in this respect. BYU’s curriculum has an educational administrative class (which UPenn doesn’t), and it can prepare me for a career in an administrative role if I decide to move up a level after being a teacher for X years.
According to my understanding, UPenn has a great reputation and Chinese people value reputation VERY VERY MUCH. The program is mainly made up of Chinese students (80 out of 90 are Chinese in the class of 2016, according to my knowledge). So there will not be a great deal of opportunities to improve my English. In comparison, I will have many chances to improve my English if I go to BYU. Of course, my major is TESOL and I hope to improve my English while in the US.
I’ve checked out the recruiting requirements of some Chinese universities, and they ask for overseas experience and a Masters degree. I know if I go to BYU, I can still get an interview and my education background is like a stepping stone to an interview. Everything afterwards will depend on my own abilities. But how much exactly does it matter if I graduate from BYU or UPenn?
One other point is, I am not Mormon. I have no problem with the honor code because I kind of already live like that. And I like the fact that Mormons are good people who strive to be better. But many people still have misunderstood about BYU or Mormons. I talked to an American and she said the fact that the school belongs to the Mormon religion overpowers the fact that it is a good institution. And when people hear that you are from BYU, they shift the focus and place judgement. I am not sure if my future recruiter/students/student’s parents will think of me.
Lastly, I checked out the career outlook of TESOL students from BYU and UPenn. Both programs don’t provide the option to get a license to teach in public schools. Students from BYU, except for those who got married, all went back to their own countries to become a teacher or open a school. Some students from UPenn stayed to teach English or Chinese, but the outlook is still not positive because Pennsylvania state law doesn’t allow foreign students to get a license. They can only get it in other states. If they don’t, then they only teach in private schools and earn 30 something thousand a year.
Sorry about the super long post and I appreciate your advice!
Rain
