The Tough Decision of Choosing from Multiple Offers

It's a bit unusual to have another post so far out of relocating, but I thought I'd post about a very difficult decision I am in the process of making: choosing between two graduate programs.

Now, I know what you're thinking.  "But Jen, didn't you say that you are moving to the UK this September?  You were going to drink even more tea than you usually do and become a blimey limey!  Why are you dashing my dreams?"  I did say that.  However, that was before I found out that I've been accepted to an American university with full funding and a graduate teaching assistantship.  So, now I have the fun task of choosing between an overseas program and one that may be more suitable for what I want to do in the near future with my career.

There are pros and cons to both programs, of course.  My boyfriend, who currently studies in the UK, made a very relevant point in our recent discussions: he chose to study in the UK not only because the Ph.D. program was well suited for his focus, but also because of the opportunity to live abroad once again and experience something new.  This is also a very important aspect of the UK program for me.  I've been wanting to travel again on a large scale, and I've been excited at the prospect of making another big move and live in another cultural environment.  Though incredibly stressful doing the behind the scenes work, it's oddly comforting to me.  The downside, however, is that I am more likely to have to take out student loans to fund my studies and living expenses, as I won't hear back from scholarship committees until early April (and funding to US students is notoriously limited).  Additionally, I most likely will not get as thorough teaching experience with the program, although it more than makes up for it by laying the foundation for students relatively new to linguistics.

The US program, however, makes up for what the UK program lacks.  I wouldn't need to worry about funding, which is becoming increasingly rare in US graduate programs.  (In fact, I was blown away when I received the email that I would receive funding and an assistantship.)  The program encourages both theoretical and practical experience, so I could expect to get some teaching experience with this one.  However, my main concern is that this program would be a bit too advanced for my current level of aptitude in linguistics.  I am also concerned that I wouldn't be as happy at this location, and though this sounds like my emotions needlessly outweigh my logic, happiness is a fairly important factor when choosing where to relocate for the next couple of years.  And after having been set on relocating to England for a few months, this outstanding opportunity presented by the US program--which should be an automatic "yes," if I'm being honest--is making it extremely difficult to make a solid decision.

I'm not good at making solid decisions.  However, I suppose there can't really be a wrong answer at this point, can there?  And though this is a very stressful and angst-ridden process, I am very happy that I do have this "problem."  After almost five years of graduating college, I've still "got it," as they say.  I am "hip and with it."