<p>Hello everyone,</p>
<p>I am an international student, and I got accepted into the M.A. American Studies at both Columbia and Brown.I was offered a 50k fellowship for one academic year, which I could use for either university. At this moment, I am torn between the two …</p>
<p>Both offer fairly different programs:</p>
<p>[Introduction</a> - American Studies | Liberal Studies Master of Arts](<a href=“http://lsma.columbia.edu/content/introduction-american-studies]Introduction”>http://lsma.columbia.edu/content/introduction-american-studies)</p>
<p>[M.A</a>. in American Civilization | Brown University](<a href=“American Studies | Brown University”>American Studies | Brown University)</p>
<p>The advantages for Brown Universty, in my opinion, are the fact that there is more free choice in terms of the curriculum, no dissertation and the possibility of an internship. Moreover, it is a 1 year program, which would be more interesting in terms of financing this degree.</p>
<p>Then again, Columbia has the better reputation (especially for the graduate school?) and might be more challenging or rewarding in terms of academics. The fact that it is located in New York City (I love big cities) and might open up more ‘opportunities’ are also a big draw for me. However, since this is a 2 year-program, it would be a lot more expensive.</p>
<p>I wondered if anyone had anything to add to this, or any advice to give…</p>
<p>Also, I wondered which one of the two would have the better ‘social life’ - I have read some negative things about Columbia in this aspect. Would it be easier to meet people and make friends at Brown since it is a smaller university in a smaller town?</p>
<p>You might consider asking in the Grad Student forum, since there are mostly undergrads here. Some might know the department.</p>
<p>Brown has a small grad student population so if you are willing to extend your friends to upperclassmen then you will have a wider social life. But I think it is usual to have a weekly department grad student tea to mix and discuss current work. The immediate surrounding area is good, with about 3 small commercial districts. Then you have the small city at the foot of college hill, just beyond the river. Easy to get to Boston or Newport to get away occasionally.</p>
<p>I thought that was supposed to be a really good dept at Brown, but I don’t know much about it. edit to say: I see it is the Ph’D program that is well regarded at Brown. I don’t think the one year program MA is comparable to the 2 year at Columbia. Make sure you know what you want because these ARE really different things. What is your Aim?</p>
<p>[Graduate</a> School - College Confidential](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/graduate-school/]Graduate”>Graduate School - College Confidential Forums)</p>
<p>I took a look at the Brown dept page and found that the 2 year MA in American studies, which is likely more similar to the Columbia program, is awarded as part of the PhD program. You might prefer to apply to the PhD program and see if you get accepted with funding. You will get the MA along the way and likely have a choice to drop the program, or more likely continue with it being paid. No way to find out except to apply and see what offer you get. </p>
<p>I really think the one year program is an entirely different animal and which program is better for you (Brown, Columbia, PhD) depends upon your career goals.</p>
<p>Well, Brown’s MA in American Studies is designed specifically for international students, which makes it interesting as well.</p>
<p>The thing is that I am not entirely sure (yet) if I want to do a PhD and if I actually ‘got what it takes’ to pursue this … I am hoping that doing the MA would clarify some things for me, help me realize if I am cut out for doing a PhD and IF I decide to pursue this, make it easier for me to get into a good, funded PhD program.</p>
<p>Otherwise, if I would not choose the path of academics, I would love to work in journalism or for a cultural/political (US) organization…</p>