Decision time - how did you decide?

[rdr06001]

I realize that most of us still have a few weeks to decide, but I thought this thread could be helpful for those still grappling with their decision.

If you've already made your decision or are leaning towards a particular program, help out your fellow Cyburbians by walking us through your reasoning. What did you consider when evaluating programs and which of these did you weigh most heavily? Was it cost, faculty, location, a particular specialization offered, internship opportunities, reputation, etc.?

My aim isn't to start another "help me choose between program x and program y" thread or a results thread, but feel free to explain your background and/or your list of schools if you feel it could be helpful.

So to all the decisive future planners out there, how did you decide?

[dvdneal]

I was boring in my choice, I lived in Phoenix, wanted a degree, and wasn't going to move. Arizona State was there. It was a decent undergrad program.
What I would recommend is to forget the college and look at what city you want to work in. Then figure out what college leads people to working in that city. My Arizona State degree gave me contacts with a lot of Phoenix area cities, but if I wanted New York, I'd start looking at what New York colleges can set up the contacts to get me hired. From there your job experience will mean more than the degree, at least in my opinion.

[Boot]

I want to stay in Florida, ultimately, so I chose to apply to University of Florida and Florida State. I got into both. UF offered me an hourly position as a research assistant and Florida State offered me a full assistantship, with the opportunity working in a co-op program as well. I took the money and will be attending Florida State in the fall.

[mike gurnee]

I was accepted into 4. Two had very well-known reputations. I chose the one that offered the best deal.

[Ptowner]

I chose based on location. I got into a few schools that had better reputations than PSU, but I love Portland.

[JNA]

25 yrs ago only applied to the only in-state school, got accepted - done.