<p>I just learned I will get no financial support and no TAship for my MA program. I'm a bit disappointed, I was hoping to get a TA position or something. I'm already in debt and now I'm debating whether to go on and pursue the MA at this university or go to another one whose program is far from spectacular but cheaper.
What would you guys do?
The program I got into is great and I would love to stay here. The other program at a nearby university is really not great, although I heard it's improving. They don't even require LORs or writing sample for the application as long as you have a 3.0. I'm kinda bombed right now. All the grad students I had spoken to had told me they got a tuition waiver by working as TAs, and I was hoping for the same deal.
I spoke to one of my professor and she said she wouldn't advice to go to the less expensive program. I don't know what to do. Grad school is overrated :(</p>
<p>I would recommend you to go to the program which does not offer you financial support but is far superior. Funding situation becomes much better once you are inside so you might need to just survive for a year at max. Life would be lil tough for the time being but time flies and things will surely work out. </p>
<p>In any case I would like to congratulate you for getting into a good program. I wish I could get a chance to make choices :)</p>
<p>I would also recommend that you go to the better program. I believe that there is a chance you will be able to secure a graduate assistantship after enrolling. Additionally, going to the more superior program will open up better employment opportunities after earning your masters.</p>
<p>Start pounding the pavement. As an MS candidate in structural engineering, I got accepted to each of the top ten programs that I applied to... with no full funding anywhere (this happens a lot to folks who don't state that they're going to go all the way through to get a PhD, apparently... that was my first mistake). I started calling people at the program I'd gotten the best response from <em>immediately</em>. I let them know that I really liked their program but that I would really need an assistantship to be able to attend, and that I was starting to consider a doctoral degree (not a lie... I'd had a change of heart once I'd applied and had seen what research was all about... I had another change of heart later and so decided to get out with my MS, but my intentions had been for a PhD for a while there). Eventually it was discovered that one prof had thought another prof was going to offer me something but then I'd fallen through the cracks, yadda yadda yadda... Doesn't hurt to ask what's up.</p>
<p>You can always offer to work the first semester for a professor for free, and then see if you can get funding based off of the good job you did the first semester.</p>
<p>Thanks for the kind words guys!
Most people have told me it is better to go to the better program. I spoke to the grad adviser and she told me not to "rule them out", she said there was hope, haha. If I don't get a TAship I'm going to try and do what aibarr suggested; I'll be attending a graduate seminar next quarter, I'm hoping to do really good and make a good first impression.
Ah, I'll keep my fingers crossed in the meantime.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>