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This is my first post, so be kind!
I was accepted to UW-Madison for Fall 2008 & I'm starting to have second thoughts. One of my big concerns is the cost -- and the lack of opportunities for assistanceships there. I know a lot of people who went/are going there, and I've heard the financial aid is not exactly stellar.
I'm also afraid that maybe it's not the right place for me in general. In all the interactions I've had with various staff and faculty there, I never really felt particularly welcomed, or that they were interested in helping me, etc. I just get a bad vibe from being in the place! Additionally, with the probable lack of aid, I'll need to work full-time while going to school. It would be difficult for me to attend night classes, so internet classes are the best option for me -- but it seems like they don't offer very many.
One of my friends went to library school at SJSU & really liked it, so I've been considering going there. The cost is way less, and the fact that I could get my degree online is very appealing to me. But I'm not sure how good the program is, especially if you never have to set foot on campus.
Thanks for listening.
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UW-Madison is a top-tier school for library science, and Madison really is a sweet town. I've never heard anyone who's attended UW-Madison complain about their education or the town itself.
If financial aid is a concern, I encourage you to apply for scholarships! I am a member of the WLA Scholarship Committee, and I do help determine who gets what scholarship. The free money is there...
I know there are some UW-Madison SLIS students registered on here. Maybe they can chime in about Mad-Town.
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I cannot comment directly on either program. I will say if you are investing time and money in a graduate degree, you should make sure you are happy with the environment and the people. If you have concerns, do as you are doing and keep asking questions.
Brian C. Gray Head of Reference & Engineering Librarian Kelvin Smith Library Case Western Reserve University http://blog.case.edu/bcg8bcg8@case.edu
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Hi ohkeek,
I am a second year student at UW-Madison SLIS, so I can give you some sense of the environment here.
While the assistantships at SLIS itself are primarily for doc students, there are a lot of other PAships that you can apply for on campus. I know people who have said PA ships and the other departments are glad to take on SLISers. There are also a lot of student library positions open on campus, so you can also go that route as well. I was able to get a short term PA position this semester so if you don't immediately get into a PA position there's always hope! Before that I was able to get some financial aid and work study along with working part time. As Jess said above, there's a lot of scholarships that you can apply for, be it in the department or in WLA.
There are actually many students going the part-time route since they work full time as well. It depends on where you work at, but from what I see many of the part time students at night classes. I also see some part time students at morning classes and afternoon classes, but again this depends on where you work and what your hours are. Online courses vary per semester, but they include courses from both aspects of librarianship (public and technical services).
Most of the faculty here are inviting and welcoming. They are very helpful and understand that some of their students are part time, and will try to accommodate if something arises. Personally, I felt more welcomed here by the faculty as a whole than what I felt in my department as an undergrad... and they are of comparative faculty size, with my undergrad department having less students!
I guess one thing to consider if choosing between an online degree and a "traditional brick and mortar" degree is the social element. I have made many friends that I may of not have otherwise if I went for the online degree. I also made a lot of connections with librarians on campus, which will help me in the field once they cut me loose (Or I can graduate this May as well- whatever comes first :c) ). It also depends on learning styles. Some people do better online, others in a classroom. A good portion of my classes had mixed classroom/online components. We meet in class, and we carry the class discussion online.
Last, you should go to SLIS because it's in Madison... Okay, that shouldn't be the only deciding factor, but Madison is a very unique city that I haven't seen elsewhere. It will be very hard for me to leave when it comes to that time. If you haven't visited Madison yet, I would highly recommend so before making a decision.
If you have any more questions, feel free to ask away. Again, it all comes down to what you think is best for you.
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Thanks for everyone's advice. I already live in Madison, and that's one of the reasons I've been considering SJSU -- I want to move! I miss living in a bigger city (someplace with less snow would be nice too!), and the SJSU program would give me the ability to move whenever I want to/am able to. That's why I don't want to go to school at UW part-time, because I don't want to commit myself to living here 3-4 more years.
It's just really hard to make a decision, because I do realize that UW is a top tier school & I'm lucky to have gotten in. But will it work for me? I'm not sure. I feel like if I were younger it would be a lot easier to go w/ UW, but as an older student, the flexibility of the SJSU program is really appealing.
I guess the big question is: does it matter where I go to school, as long as I have the degree (as I saw someone mention in another thread)? Is it going to be a strike against me that I live in Madison but chose not to go to school there? And can an online degree prepare me for my career as well as a traditional program can? (I guess that's more than one question.) I work at a library now & I have to say, I think I'll feel like a pariah here if I don't go to UW, ha.
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ohkeek wrote:I guess the big question is: does it matter where I go to school, as long as I have the degree (as I saw someone mention in another thread)? Is it going to be a strike against me that I live in Madison but chose not to go to school there? And can an online degree prepare me for my career as well as a traditional program can? (I guess that's more than one question.) I work at a library now & I have to say, I think I'll feel like a pariah here if I don't go to UW, ha. The school is not as important as does it prepare you for your career path. Each school has focuses that they are known for. If you go to a school that is not know for your focus area, it just creates possibly more work for you to prepare for your career path. Online versus classroom is really up to your learning style. Both have positives and negatives.
Brian C. Gray Head of Reference & Engineering Librarian Kelvin Smith Library Case Western Reserve University http://blog.case.edu/bcg8bcg8@case.edu
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Hmm. So you're already living in a town with a top-rate program but want to move to a new place based on a friend saying she liked it? I'd stick it out in Madison, but go full time. Work hard to try to find a job at a campus library--in fact, once you decide for sure, go talk to the folks in the library in an area that interests you and see if they're hiring. Then you can crank out your degree in two years or less, and two years from now you'll be getting ready to move.
Undoubtedly you'll have to move to get a job. So why create all this upheaval now? Unless the other program is offering you a lot of money or something else you can't get locally, I can't see that it'd be worth the move financially or professionally.
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ohkeek wrote: I already live in Madison, and that's one of the reasons I've been considering SJSU -- I want to move! I miss living in a bigger city (someplace with less snow would be nice too!), and the SJSU program would give me the ability to move whenever I want to/am able to. That's why I don't want to go to school at UW part-time, because I don't want to commit myself to living here 3-4 more years.
I guess the big question is: does it matter where I go to school, as long as I have the degree (as I saw someone mention in another thread)? Is it going to be a strike against me that I live in Madison but chose not to go to school there? And can an online degree prepare me for my career as well as a traditional program can? (I guess that's more than one question.) I work at a library now & I have to say, I think I'll feel like a pariah here if I don't go to UW, ha. I graduated from SJSU (BA, that is) and so I know San Jose. Yes, it's a great place to live. It's expensive to live there, but if you have the money then hey, it's going to be worth it. You'll be near Silicon Valley - Google, Yahoo, Apple, HP, IBM ..., shopping is terrific (Santana Row), Winchester Mystery House is there, San Francisco is just a 30-45 minute drive north, the Pacific Ocean, Napa Valley, great restaurants ... well, you get the idea. (And gee, Disneyland is 8 hours away! An easy commute, really. And Hawaii is just across the pond for a weekend getaway. Seriously.) But to help you decide, you do have to consider the two programs. What's your specialty: public library, special / corporate library, academic, or medical? One program might be stronger than the other. Go with the strong one. Be practical. Wanting to move because you miss the big city isn't a good reason to go to SJSU if Madison has a stronger program in your specialty. And do the Suze Orman-thing, sit down and factor in how much it's going to cost to go to SJSU and live in the Bay Area vs. staying in Madison in the next 3 to 4 years. The financial truth might hurt, but it will help you make that final decision.
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