Again, it's a personal, not one-size fits all choice. I'm certainly not seeking a life of luxury either, but independence is expensive (especially in California! ). This time around I'm going about things differently. I started in a different field and acquired a lot of debt and it was less than fun to pay off. Since OP really liked the program in the smaller town, cost becomes a lot more relevant. I don't think those advocating for the cheaper option see it as the be all end all of picking a school. I didn't join this field to live a life of luxury and if I'm going to pay for school I may as well go to a place I actually want to go that will help me reach my career goals. If SLPs make as much ASHA reports they make, the debt shouldn't cause me to live a lifestyle of squalor. I also, unlike many people, am okay with having some debt. But, if you're like me and wanting to get placements in more competitive medical based settings, it may be worth the extra money to go to a school that offers those classes and has all those connections. It makes sense that maybe you wouldn't care about school name, school networking/resources if you're planning to be a school based SLP in a small town or something like that. I understand that at some point employers aren't going to care what school you went to and just care about past work experience but you have to get those first jobs to start with! And your school is obviously going to be something that they look at. It kinda bothers me that everyone just has this blind advice that the cheaper option is the be all end all of picking a school. But, if you're going to be sad and feel suffocated the whole time in the rural area then maybe that's not the best idea? To the original poster, I think that the program itself should take priority and if it costs less than that a huge benefit! Grad students I've talked to seem to not have enough free time for it to weigh so much into a decision. But, if you're like me and wanting to get placements in more competitive medical based settings, it may be worth the extra money to go to a school that offers those classes and has all those connections. I didn't join this field to live a life of luxury and if I'm going to pay for school I may as well go to a place I actually want to go that will help me reach my career goals. If I lived in a small town, my view may be different. Having said that, I am not an expert on this - my opinion is based on my perceptions and observations of life as I live in a competitive city. But for me personally, I would go for the higher ranked programs (more debt is not necessarily bad if you earn more money over a lifetime to compensate for it). Now I don't agree with the system - in fact I think it's unfair as we write common exams at the end of it all so you could be getting an equally good education at a lesser known university. It is why students at elite universities like the Ivy Leagues tend to have better job prospects and statistically earn more. Even though we are in a field that is in demand, you would be competing with students from other universities and recruiters definitely base their hiring decisions on university names. If you are based in a part of the country where there is a lot of competition (larger cities for example), it is my belief that the name of your university carries weight. However, I may be part of the minority who disagrees with that. I have noticed that most advice on this board is based on going for the cheaper option.
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