I think "better" is, well, better defined by what your field or subfield is. My friend of mine got his graduate certificate in Film Composing, so he obviously wanted to be in LA at USC where he had access to the major studios but on the other hand, a theatre student would probably want to go to school in NYC where the Broadway shows are. As far as tuition goes, I'm not 100% sure, but I should think that cost of living for the area would factor into that. The institution has to pay the faculty and staff a livable wage for that area, they have to pay their own utility bills, and there's additional upkeep that has to be factored in somewhere. The state government has a lot to say about tuition costs as well if it's a state university (this is a HUGE deal in Florida right now).
This. When I was driving through the area (I'm from the Northeast, and moved to CA), I was amazed at how everything in the West/Southwest besides CA is really inexpensive--food, land, rent, gas, etc. You could afford to buy land for a university, maintain buildings, and pay all of your staff a livable wage on so much less than in more populous areas like the Northeast, so it makes sense that universities can afford to have lower tuition.
Well, Seattle is expensive compared to Buffalo, no doubt, but not compared to NYC, Boston, Washington DC, or Philadelphia (or for that matter any number of Californian cities). I know people who live in Seattle, who live in Portland, etc., and I would be quite pleased to be paying their rent (and be getting their much larger apartments) than my own.
And Alaska's costs really aren't relevant to its location, but rather it not being part of the continental US, just like I wouldn't argue that Hawaii is cheap to live in because it's in the west.
I don't think that the East Coast is automatically better than the West Coast, that is too much of a sweeping generalization.
I'm not sure why there is such a huge difference in tuition.
I can tell you from experience that the cost of living isn't particularly high in the area around UNH, particularly if you are willing to live outside of Durham and commute. Avoid living in the graduate dorm, Babcock Hall, unless you like tiny rooms with one window small enough to be an arrow slit. The waiting list for Forest Park, the graduate/family apartments, generally is a year long, and they are decent and not too expensive.
Well that's why I used quotations, because I don't think that it is necessarily better or worse than anywhere else, but the schools over that way are more "prestigious' and such.
Comments 19
Reply
Reply
Reply
Everyone I talk to thinks so.
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
As far as tuition goes, I'm not 100% sure, but I should think that cost of living for the area would factor into that. The institution has to pay the faculty and staff a livable wage for that area, they have to pay their own utility bills, and there's additional upkeep that has to be factored in somewhere. The state government has a lot to say about tuition costs as well if it's a state university (this is a HUGE deal in Florida right now).
Reply
Reply
(The comment has been removed)
And Alaska's costs really aren't relevant to its location, but rather it not being part of the continental US, just like I wouldn't argue that Hawaii is cheap to live in because it's in the west.
Reply
I don't think that the East Coast is automatically better than the West Coast, that is too much of a sweeping generalization.
I'm not sure why there is such a huge difference in tuition.
I can tell you from experience that the cost of living isn't particularly high in the area around UNH, particularly if you are willing to live outside of Durham and commute. Avoid living in the graduate dorm, Babcock Hall, unless you like tiny rooms with one window small enough to be an arrow slit. The waiting list for Forest Park, the graduate/family apartments, generally is a year long, and they are decent and not too expensive.
Reply
Reply
Reply
Leave a comment