In case you hadn’t heard, I finally got letters back from Harvard and Brandeis, two places I applied to, to do master’s degrees.

Both offered me places. History at Brandeis, Teacher Education Program at Harvard. Both are incredible schools (one a little more so than the other).

Both cost a small fortune to attend.

I thought figuring out which schools to apply to, and what to study there was hard; now I am faced with difficult task of deciding what I actually want to commit myself to doing. Where do I want to be? What do I want to be doing? Where do I want to end up? And of course, how much am I going to be getting into debt?

So, I have lots of thinking to do. And I would certainly appreciate any comments of any type from anyone out there. Do I pick one over the other? Or do I reject both, and focus on trying to find a job? I suppose the biggest pro of being offered a place, is that it is something set in stone; it’s a guaranteed way for me to get another visa and stay here in the US. On the other hand, I wouldn’t be staying here in Madison, WI, a place I truly love, and the place where my apartment and my beautiful girlfriend Nicole are.

I know I would really enjoy doing an MA in History. I love practically all aspects of the subject, and felt throughout my undergraduate degree that I would love to be doing more. Exploring wider periods and places, and going deeper into the topics I love. But, though Brandeis could reduce my tuition my $19,000, I would still have to pay $20,000 myself, plus living expenses. Boston is not cheap.

Furthermore, I am not really sure how much getting an MA in History would advance my career prospects, or my life goals (not that I really know what they are!) After all, many BA graduates in History don’t really know what to do with their degree, so what difference would an MA really make, besides putting me a little ahead of others and giving me a Master’s Degree.

So while I know I would have a great year at Brandeis, I can’t help but feel it just wouldn’t really get me anywhere.

Harvard on the other hand is different. I think the biggest draw about Harvard is that it is the number one university in the world. Number One. That really is something incredible, definitely not something to take lightly. Any kind of degree from Harvard will surely benefit me, whatever I choose to do.  But even with financial aid, Harvard would still be $30,000. And whose to say I would enjoy it there- Ivy Leagues do seem to have a certain type of air about them, and based on what I saw in The Social Network recently, I can’t really say it appealed. Of course, that was “fiction”.

Harvard would provide me with a Master’s degree which I could put to work; namely, giving me a M.Ed. and training me as a teacher. But is that really what I want to do? I have always thought I would make a very good teacher, and the experience I have had in that field has always been rewarding and enjoyable. But I never really “studied” the area, and it has never been a strong desire of mine. More of just a fall back. Do I really want to spend time and money on something I don’t have super strong feelings about? Plus, I would have to attend a summer school, and would only be qualified to teach in Massachusetts. I would have to go through more time, training and cost in order to teach in the UK or anywhere else in the US.

Still, it’s Harvard!

I initially wanted to apply to the Kenendy School of Government at Harvard, but those programs were only really suitable for those with more work experience than I had. So I decided to wait on that one. Hopefully in a few years time.

I suppose ideally, I’d like to be working towards getting more experience. And saving up. That way I have a better chance of affording Grad school. However, there is no guarantee that I could get a job. I’d love one here, but I just don’t know if that is possible; there is no guarantee I would even find one in the UK. Grad school does offer some security at least.

Basically, it all boils down to the fact that, I really don’t know. Perhaps I should take the advice one very very wise man once said to me: “If there is a doubt, there is no doubt”