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I find myself hopeless trying to take a decision so can you help please ?
I got my master's from the UK ( from one of the top 10 universities, not Oxford not Cambridge though) and I have then been offered a scholarship to do a PhD in the same university in a topic that invloves a lot of theory than practice. I would not say that the topic is not interesting but it requires alot of theory and Math which I fear I might get bored with after a while. I have accepted the offer and started and now it is a couple of months since I started. I am doing ok . I have also won the Fulbright scholarship to do a PhD in the US and I been placed with a university in Texas which is part of the Texas system. I am having a lot of trouble deciding whether I should go to the USA and start a PhD there in any more practical topic of my choice or to just stay in the UK and carry on working on this rather theoratical PhD topic.
The comparison between the two offer are summarized as follows :
MONEY : The monthly living allowance I am getting in the UK is more than I will be getting from the Fulbright, because here I can save a couple of hundred pounds a month while there in the US the stipend I am offered is just enough to get by.
UNI rankings: The British uni is one of the top 10 in the country while the American one has a less world ranking but as I said it is a part of the Texas Uni System.
CITIES : both the city in the UK and in the US are great places and one of the best places in both countries.
Research Topics : Here in the UK the topic has already been chosen and the scholarship is offered to work on this particular topic while if I go to the American university I can choose whatever topic I would like to work on.
Tuition Fees : Here in the UK all fees will be paid for the whole period of my study while the Fulbright scholarship only funds the first 2 years of the program which means one should find their way of funding the rest of their study but I believe that in the US if one does well in their study a funding could be secured.
I have been thinking for months but I am not brave enough to decide. I would appreciate any help in this matte especially that there is not much time left to make a final decision.
Location: from houstoner to bostoner to new yorker to new jerseyite ;)
4,084 posts, read 12,683,084 times
Reputation: 1974
I would consider the reputation of the institutions and programs above all else. What will you be studying? Are you referring to the University of Texas at Austin? What are your plans once you've completed the program? Where are you planning to live and work?
Texas is different...and that's an understatement. It seems like the financials and the reputation lie positively on the UK side. New experiences can be fun, but sometimes it's better to go with what you know.
Have you ever been to Texas? Are you prepared for the culture shock?
No I have never been to Texas before ? are not there good places in Texas ? Well, from what I heared, I think Dallas, Houstin and San Antonio are among the biggest cities in the entire USA and I am going to one of those. So do you still think that I will be shocked ?
I would consider the reputation of the institutions and programs above all else. What will you be studying? Are you referring to the University of Texas at Austin? What are your plans once you've completed the program? Where are you planning to live and work?
I will doing a Phd in Science. No, it is not UT at Austin I am going to. I think Austin has much better ranking than the one I am going to ( we talking about a couple of hundreds places in the ranking )
I am thinking of working either in Canada or the US after I am finished.
Location: from houstoner to bostoner to new yorker to new jerseyite ;)
4,084 posts, read 12,683,084 times
Reputation: 1974
The university rank and the ranking of the graduate program you're attending are two wholly different things. UT Austin has some poor grad programs, while some universities lower in the rankings have some excellent grad programs.
Based on the information given, without knowing which UT system institution or branch of the sciences and what exactly your goals are after (teaching, I assume?), if I were you I'd probably pick the one that offered me the chance to study what I want and go with Texas. It doesn't sound like the UK option is doing it for you.
Don't even consider going to Texas ! You'll hate yourself.
If your idea of culture is rodeos,football and bar-b-ques and
you like trying to tie your shoe the same way your neighbor
does [because if you don't you'll be ostrasized] then you'll
like Texas.
Don't even consider going to Texas ! You'll hate yourself.
If your idea of culture is rodeos,football and bar-b-ques and
you like trying to tie your shoe the same way your neighbor
does [because if you don't you'll be ostrasized] then you'll
like Texas.
^ This is what we mean by posts that don't help anyone. Especially one's own credibility.
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Eeeek !
