Considering graduate school at WVU (Charleston, Morgantown: how much, home, employment)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Quick summary about me: I'm a 40-year-old (will be 41 in a few months) single black male. I'm originally from Southeastern Michigan and currently reside in Southern California. I earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from a university in SE Michigan back in 2006. I worked two "professional" jobs in the late 2000's but have been in the manual labor industry since 2009.
I've decided to fulfill a dream I've had since the mid-late 2010's in attending graduate school for a particular field I'm interested in and skilled at. The new field isn't engineering. West Virginia University offers a graduate program (that consists of a good curriculum) in the field I'm interested in. I meet the academic requirement for the program. I emailed the chair of the graduate program, and he provided a very good (prompt) response.
This is the 4th thread I've started here on City-Data. I started a thread in the Boise, ID forum for Boise State University. I started a thread in the Ohio general forum for Youngstown State University. I also started a thread in the Dallas, TX forum for the University of North Texas in Denton, TX. I really appreciate all of the responses I've received.
The graduate program I was interested in at Boise State put an indefinite hold on admissions applications, so I removed BSU from my list of universities.
As much as I liked the graduate curriculum (of interest) at Youngstown State University, I'm not sure if Youngstown is a good fit for me. I wouldn't say YSU is completely off my list, but it's not my top choice.
Lately, I've really been considering North Texas University in Denton, TX. I emailed the coordinator for the graduate program I'm interested in and received very enthusiastic responses. I like the curriculum for the graduate program I'm looking at. Denton seems like a nice enough city. UNT is a top choice.
A while back, I discovered that West Virginia University also offers a graduate program in the field I'm interested in. I like the curriculum. WVU seems like a solid university. Morgantown seems like a cool college town. I like the size of the Morgantown area. Before I decide which graduate program I want to focus on, I thought I'd ask about WVU and Morgantown.
I've never been to Morgantown. However, back in the May of 1998 and May of 1999, I traveled with my high school class to Southern West Virginia for white water rafting. Each time, we rafted down the Gauley River (all day) on the first day, and the New River Gorge (half day) on the second day. I'd say we were at least an hour South/Southeast of Charleston (we rode through Charleston during the road trip ... I remember seeing the WV state Capitol building from the freeway.) West Virginia is a beautiful state.
Reading some prior threads in this forum, several of you already said that there isn't really a "race" issue in Morgantown, so I'll leave that topic alone.
Some people have described the cost of living in Morgantown as "expensive," but I'm assuming that is relative to the rest of West Virginia because Morgantown doesn't seem expensive to me. In fact, I prefer being in a smaller, more affordable city ... which is one key reason why I was looking at YSU in Youngstown, UNT in Denton, and now WVU in Morgantown.
How exactly are the Winters in Morgantown? I expect the Winters to be very cold and snowy ... similar to the Winters in Michigan. Are the Winters really "gloomy" with very little sunlight? That "could" be a concern for me. I lived in Seattle, WA, and the lack of sunlight and constant drizzle during much of the year was depressing.
I know this is a long post (I tend to get carried away at times ), but I appreciate your time and assistance. Thank you, guys!
A lot of your questions about cost of living, housing costs, weather, climate, precipitation, cloud cover, employment, health care, schools, etc., can be found there. You can find similar information about the other cities that you have under consideration.
A major part of Morgantown is West Virginia University. As such, there is a good racial diversity, a higher than average education level, and the range of amenities common in college towns, like sports, arts, and entertainment. Morgantown has a lot more going for it than one would normally expect from a city of 30,000.
After you have checked the demographic data, ask any specific questions you have. There are several members here that living in and around Morgantown. One of our regulars moved here from Texas, so his answers may be particularly helpful for you.
A lot of your questions about cost of living, housing costs, weather, climate, precipitation, cloud cover, employment, health care, schools, etc., can be found there. You can find similar information about the other cities that you have under consideration.
A major part of Morgantown is West Virginia University. As such, there is a good racial diversity, a higher than average education level, and the range of amenities common in college towns, like sports, arts, and entertainment. Morgantown has a lot more going for it than one would normally expect from a city of 30,000.
After you have checked the demographic data, ask any specific questions you have. There are several members here that living in and around Morgantown. One of our regulars moved here from Texas, so his answers may be particularly helpful for you.
Thank you mensaguy for the link. I read through the general information on the site. It looks like I had an accurate assumption about the weather (which is not a deal-breaker.) WVU in Morgantown is definitely an option.
Thank you again, mensaguy, for taking time out of your day to provide me with valuable information and linking me to an excellent resource.
I'm actually from Denton, TX! Although I usually just tell people Im from Dallas, since most wouldnt know exactly where Denton is. And it is part of the DFW metroplex, bout 40 miles NW of Dallas and 40 Miles NE of Ft. Worth, and its all urban sprawl. (which I actually love, Im very much a city boy) Directly West and North of Denton is still more rural-ish, Denton is pretty much where DFW ends in the North.
Anyway, on to Morgantown.
Well, It's SUPPOSED to be Cold and Snowy anyway, but the last few years have been very mild, and especially this one so far! We had one weekend of arctic air that affected most of the country, and its barely snowed but a few times with very little to no accumulation. It is definitely Gray skies alot though. Whatever else, Morgantown or Denton related I can help with, just ask!
I'm actually from Denton, TX! Although I usually just tell people Im from Dallas, since most wouldnt know exactly where Denton is. And it is part of the DFW metroplex, bout 40 miles NW of Dallas and 40 Miles NE of Ft. Worth, and its all urban sprawl. (which I actually love, Im very much a city boy) Directly West and North of Denton is still more rural-ish, Denton is pretty much where DFW ends in the North.
Anyway, on to Morgantown.
Well, It's SUPPOSED to be Cold and Snowy anyway, but the last few years have been very mild, and especially this one so far! We had one weekend of arctic air that affected most of the country, and its barely snowed but a few times with very little to no accumulation. It is definitely Gray skies alot though. Whatever else, Morgantown or Denton related I can help with, just ask!
Cool, cool. I appreciate your response. You have very valuable insight given your experience in Morgantown and Denton. Question: In your experience, would you say that the cost of living is about same in both cities, or would you say that Denton is a little more expensive? From the data I pulled up here on City-Data and other sites, it seems that Denton is a bit more expensive. What has been your experience regarding the living costs in both areas?
If you don't mind me asking: What motivated you to move from Denton, TX to Morgantown, WV? Assuming you like Morgantown more so than Denton, what makes Morgantown a "better" or "more desirable" city in your eyes? What advantages and benefits are present in each city? Also, how would you compare the University of North Texas with West Virginia University?
Cost of living is definitely higher in Denton, which is to be expected being in such an urban area. Although Im always told that DFW is kinda cheap for a major metro area.....I just always remember that, in a TX Summer, if you wanna be comfortable, your electric bills can be pretty steep, Im talkin $200-300 a month.
Im not gonna get into to many details about why I live here in Morgantown as opposed to Denton, but the most basic answer is my Wife is originally from Morgantown. We were actually living in Denton happily, then she had some family stuff to deal with that required us to come back, and what was originally just supposed to be for a few years has turned into 8 years now, but mostly because the job I took wound up becoming a career.
So, although overall I would much prefer to be back in TX, WV has grown on me and very much feels like home, I would be just fine living half the year in one and half the other kinda thing.
Advantages and benefits of each city are always gonna come down to personal preference of course....Im kind of an oddball on most stuff, So for me personally.....
1. Weather- Morgantown wins, because I absolutely hate Summer heat and humidity. Dont get me wrong, it still gets way too uncomfortably humid in Morgantown, but the temp rarely gets into the 90's....its usually like mid to upper 80's but very sticky, muggy dew points. As opposed to DFW being slightly less sticky, BUT 100+ and sometimes still being in the low 90's upper 80's even at 2am, ugh! I will take a crisp 30-40 degrees anyday over 80-100+ stickiness....Anyway you get all 4 seasons in WV for the most part, TX is pretty much just 2. Also I prefer the gray skies as opposed to the blaring sun, which I know is weird for most people.
2. Traffic- Morgantown wins Big! After awhile of living here you will say things like "oh man the students are back" with some cursing involved. But if you've ever lived in a bigger area, you will also remember how much worse it could be and quickly be at ease. And thats just "city" traffic, the highways/interstates around here are like ghosts towns compared to major cities.
3. Terrain- For MOST people this is another win for Morgantown- with all the hills, trees, Mountains just off to the East. For me though? Give me flat land where I have a 360 degree unimpeded view as far as my eyes can see! And I'd rather see skyscrapers and urban sprawl as opposed to empty fields, farms, ranches, the same trees over and over again etc.....
4. Restaurants- Denton wins this HUGE!, Denton has all the same chains you would find in Morgantown and then some, probably at least 3 or 4x over, and then of course the same goes for local establishments and fine dining etc....If you like to eat out alot, you will get bored fast in Morgantown. And on top of that, if you cant find what you want in Denton, you can hop down to Ft. Worth or Dallas in 45 minutes (if traffic aint bad). In Morgantown you have to drive up to Pittsburgh. (75 miles- 1 hr and 15 miles if traffic aint bad)
5. Shopping- Pretty much copy and paste from #4.
6. Recreation- Again, depends on the person. Morgantown and WV as a whole have a TON of outdoor options. Me personally, Im not an outdoorsy guy. The only Summer outdoor thing I care for is the occasional lake day, where you can access a nice, large public beach area, and then if you know someone with a boat, then bonus! Morgantown has a beautiful but pretty small lake called Cheat Lake, its great for boating if you know someone, but the large public beach area is missing. And they havent even come close to developing it like they could, so much potential for more marinas, lakeside restaurants, camping areas, various other attractions etc.........Denton/DFW on the other hand, has like 5-10 massive man made reservoirs, with tons of all that Ive mentioned.
7. Bugs- You will probably have roaches in TX, no matter how clean you are its almost inevitable. You can pretty much just control the extent. Mosquitoes, fire ants, locusts, noisy grasshoppers and crickets. Spiders? I would say its a tie, in TX you have to worry more about Brown recluses, but from what I hear, they have made there way up to WV. The main Spider problem in WV is Wolf Spiders, which are just alarming at first because of how big they are, but it just depends on where you live. The main problem bug in WV, at least in the current place I live, is stupid stink bugs! Harmless, but they do indeed stink if you have cats that bat at them, or if you accidentally crush them when scooping them up to flush down the toilet, lol. If you Google what stinkbugs smell like, the most common answer is Cilantro, but that is definitely not accurate, cause Cilantro is one of my favorite smells, Mexican food without Pico De Gallo is just wrong in my eyes, lol.
8. Snakes- You more than likely wont see snakes in either place, unless youre out hiking or swimming in some secluded spots. Of course TX has more of them, and more deadly ones. But Ive yet to ever see a snake in WV period, in TX, the most I ever saw them was ran over dead on some of the less major roads. Scorpions in DFW you will hear about every so often, but its not a common thing like out in the desert.
9. Sports- This is my #1 thing I miss about DFW, I cant just get up and go to a Cowboys, Mavs, Rangers or Stars game like I used to. And even the Mean green there in Denton, been to plenty of basketball games at the "Super Pit". Of course WVU has a very proud and prestigious football and basketball teams, but beyond that, its just the stealers (gross), Pirates and Pens up in Pittsburgh.
As far as WVU and UNT compared?- I dunno other than the sports aspect, which doesnt even compare- WVU is obviously superior in sports. UNT is however, the biggest university in the DFW area by way of student enrollment, at least the last time I checked. The other major universities in the area are TCU in Ft. Worth and SMU in Dallas, both Private religious schools. I think UT-Arlington would be the only other one considered a major university. Baylor is 2 hours south of Dallas in Waco, and another private religious school. The only other things of note about either University I know of are that UNT is considered a good music school, and WVU is a great party school. At least thats the reputation anyway.
Thank you very much Colt .45 for your detailed, informative post. That pretty much covered everything. I really appreciate the time you invested in answering my questions.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Colt .45
Cost of living is definitely higher in Denton, which is to be expected being in such an urban area. Although Im always told that DFW is kinda cheap for a major metro area.....I just always remember that, in a TX Summer, if you wanna be comfortable, your electric bills can be pretty steep, Im talkin $200-300 a month.
Im not gonna get into to many details about why I live here in Morgantown as opposed to Denton, but the most basic answer is my Wife is originally from Morgantown. We were actually living in Denton happily, then she had some family stuff to deal with that required us to come back, and what was originally just supposed to be for a few years has turned into 8 years now, but mostly because the job I took wound up becoming a career.
So, although overall I would much prefer to be back in TX, WV has grown on me and very much feels like home, I would be just fine living half the year in one and half the other kinda thing.
Initially, I thought you might've relocated because there was something about Morgantown that really appealed to you, or Morgantown offered something (of interest) that was lacking in Denton. I didn't know there were personal reasons involved ... my bad.
Quote:
Advantages and benefits of each city are always gonna come down to personal preference of course....Im kind of an oddball on most stuff, So for me personally.....
1. Weather- Morgantown wins, because I absolutely hate Summer heat and humidity. Dont get me wrong, it still gets way too uncomfortably humid in Morgantown, but the temp rarely gets into the 90's....its usually like mid to upper 80's but very sticky, muggy dew points. As opposed to DFW being slightly less sticky, BUT 100+ and sometimes still being in the low 90's upper 80's even at 2am, ugh! I will take a crisp 30-40 degrees anyday over 80-100+ stickiness....Anyway you get all 4 seasons in WV for the most part, TX is pretty much just 2. Also I prefer the gray skies as opposed to the blaring sun, which I know is weird for most people.
I might have to think about this one. I like Summer, but don't like Winter ... even though I'm originally from Michigan. I'd say anything over 85 degrees will start to feel uncomfortable to me. I generally don't want to be outside when it's in the 90's (definitely not when it's over 100 degrees) and will constantly find myself "hustling" to find shade to stand in if I'm out-and-about.
Winter is my least favorite season, but I can deal with it depending on the type of city I live in. Plus, cold weather (even snow) doesn't have to be a huge issue as long as I'm dressed appropriately for it (thick/heavy Winter clothing.)
Quote:
2. Traffic- Morgantown wins Big! After awhile of living here you will say things like "oh man the students are back" with some cursing involved. But if you've ever lived in a bigger area, you will also remember how much worse it could be and quickly be at ease. And thats just "city" traffic, the highways/interstates around here are like ghosts towns compared to major cities.
I don't have a car and don't plan on getting one. I know that public transit isn't as convenient as having a personal vehicle, but it's cheaper and involves less responsibilities.
Speaking of which, that PRT system in Morgantown looks very cool. I'm saying that as someone who has used mass transit in over a dozen cities across the country. I didn't know Morgantown had anything like that.
Quote:
3. Terrain- For MOST people this is another win for Morgantown- with all the hills, trees, Mountains just off to the East. For me though? Give me flat land where I have a 360 degree unimpeded view as far as my eyes can see! And I'd rather see skyscrapers and urban sprawl as opposed to empty fields, farms, ranches, the same trees over and over again etc.....
For me, it's kind of like the weather: I prefer hills and mountains and valleys, but I can deal with flatness depending on the type of city I'm in.
Quote:
4. Restaurants- Denton wins this HUGE!, Denton has all the same chains you would find in Morgantown and then some, probably at least 3 or 4x over, and then of course the same goes for local establishments and fine dining etc....If you like to eat out alot, you will get bored fast in Morgantown. And on top of that, if you cant find what you want in Denton, you can hop down to Ft. Worth or Dallas in 45 minutes (if traffic aint bad). In Morgantown you have to drive up to Pittsburgh. (75 miles- 1 hr and 15 miles if traffic aint bad)
5. Shopping- Pretty much copy and paste from #4.
That won't be an issue for me since I'm not a "foodie" or a big shopper. I don't mind eating at the same restaurants as long as I like their food. Believe me, I'm OK with basic retail stores ... which Morgantown seems to have.
Quote:
6. Recreation- Again, depends on the person. Morgantown and WV as a whole have a TON of outdoor options. Me personally, Im not an outdoorsy guy. The only Summer outdoor thing I care for is the occasional lake day, where you can access a nice, large public beach area, and then if you know someone with a boat, then bonus! Morgantown has a beautiful but pretty small lake called Cheat Lake, its great for boating if you know someone, but the large public beach area is missing. And they havent even come close to developing it like they could, so much potential for more marinas, lakeside restaurants, camping areas, various other attractions etc.........Denton/DFW on the other hand, has like 5-10 massive man made reservoirs, with tons of all that Ive mentioned.
I'm not into outdoor recreational activities. Cheat Lake does look very nice.
As much fun as I had on those white water rafting trips in Southern WV back in the 90's when I was in high school, I did not come up with that idea. Someone else came up with the idea, and most of the students in my class voted in favor of it. Those memories still put a smile on my face ... 25 years later.
Quote:
7. Bugs- You will probably have roaches in TX, no matter how clean you are its almost inevitable. You can pretty much just control the extent. Mosquitoes, fire ants, locusts, noisy grasshoppers and crickets. Spiders? I would say its a tie, in TX you have to worry more about Brown recluses, but from what I hear, they have made there way up to WV. The main Spider problem in WV is Wolf Spiders, which are just alarming at first because of how big they are, but it just depends on where you live. The main problem bug in WV, at least in the current place I live, is stupid stink bugs! Harmless, but they do indeed stink if you have cats that bat at them, or if you accidentally crush them when scooping them up to flush down the toilet, lol. If you Google what stinkbugs smell like, the most common answer is Cilantro, but that is definitely not accurate, cause Cilantro is one of my favorite smells, Mexican food without Pico De Gallo is just wrong in my eyes, lol.
8. Snakes- You more than likely wont see snakes in either place, unless youre out hiking or swimming in some secluded spots. Of course TX has more of them, and more deadly ones. But Ive yet to ever see a snake in WV period, in TX, the most I ever saw them was ran over dead on some of the less major roads. Scorpions in DFW you will hear about every so often, but its not a common thing like out in the desert.
I brought up the bugs/spiders/snakes issue in the thread I started in the Dallas, TX C-D forum. I lived in Wichita, KS back in the late 2000's to early 2010's, and brown recluses were an issue down there as well, although I don't recall seeing any. Wichita might have a lot of the same critters as the DFW area. Years later, I learned that Wichita also has those same roaches, even though I don't remember seeing any.
When I lived in Philadelphia, PA in 2006, I resided in a rowhouse that was infested with roaches and mice. I got used to them after a while.
Quote:
9. Sports- This is my #1 thing I miss about DFW, I cant just get up and go to a Cowboys, Mavs, Rangers or Stars game like I used to. And even the Mean green there in Denton, been to plenty of basketball games at the "Super Pit". Of course WVU has a very proud and prestigious football and basketball teams, but beyond that, its just the stealers (gross), Pirates and Pens up in Pittsburgh.
Yeah, I stick with my home teams as well. I've never been a Steelers fan. It looks like the Detroit Lions are finally heading in the right direction ... finally!
I'm a lifelong Michigan Wolverine fan ... which a lot of West Virginians may not want to hear since Michigan "stole" West Virginia's football coach (Richard Rodriguez) and, especially, their basketball coach (John Beilein.)
Quote:
As far as WVU and UNT compared?- I dunno other than the sports aspect, which doesnt even compare- WVU is obviously superior in sports. UNT is however, the biggest university in the DFW area by way of student enrollment, at least the last time I checked. The other major universities in the area are TCU in Ft. Worth and SMU in Dallas, both Private religious schools. I think UT-Arlington would be the only other one considered a major university. Baylor is 2 hours south of Dallas in Waco, and another private religious school. The only other things of note about either University I know of are that UNT is considered a good music school, and WVU is a great party school. At least thats the reputation anyway.
I understand. I heard good things about the music program at UNT. In that other thread, someone said that UNT has an excellent jazz program. From images, UNT and WVU both seem to have nice campuses.
I rode the PRT once when I first moved here, I was the only one in it so it really was like my own Personal transit, it was kinda neat. As far as using it all the time, Ive always heard it can be unreliable, I would defer this topic to some of the students who use it alot, thats who its ultimately designed for.
I can definitely attest that both campuses are gorgeous.
I rode the PRT once when I first moved here, I was the only one in it so it really was like my own Personal transit, it was kinda neat. As far as using it all the time, Ive always heard it can be unreliable, I would defer this topic to some of the students who use it alot, thats who its ultimately designed for.
I can definitely attest that both campuses are gorgeous.
Thank you Colt .45 (and mensaguy) for your help and insight. I appreciate the fact that you invested some of your valuable time in reading and responding to my posts.
I've decided to enroll in the (desired) graduate program at West Virginia University in Morgantown, WV. The curriculum for my desired program at WVU is more suitable to my interests. That particular program guarantees two-year graduate assistantships for all graduate students (Master's and PhD students), which will help shorten the amount of time it'll take to complete my degree. The programs at UNT and the other universities I looked at offer limited assistantships that (obviously) aren't guaranteed to all grad students.
Those graduate assistantships are teaching positions, which will benefit me in a number of ways:
*It'll force me out of my comfort zone.
*It'll help me get over my fear of public speaking.
*It'll help me get over my discomfort when it comes to being in leadership or authoritative positions.
*It'll help me improve my public speaking and verbal communication skills.
*It'll open me up more socially.
The deadline for the admissions application was last month, which is fine since I wasn't ready to complete or submit that application anyway. My plan is to relocate to Morgantown by this Spring, seek full time employment at West Virginia University, and (granted, things go according to plan) enroll in WVU as a non-degree student and take the very first class of the curriculum this Summer ... and the second class of the curriculum this Fall. Those two courses will help me obtain the required references for the admissions application. I have almost a whole year to work on all of the application requirements.
I plan on officially applying for admission into the program later this year .... likely, by November or December. I would like to take my third graduate course in the Spring of 2024, my fourth course in the Summer of 2024. In the Fall of 2024, I would start taking a full load of graduate courses and working my graduate assistantship. Everything continues to go according to plan, I'll graduate in 2025.
That's my plan! Now, it's time to EXECUTE that plan.
Another reason why I chose WVU is due to Morgantown itself. I like the size of the city. Yes, Morgantown is growing, but it's not growing as fast as Denton/Dallas or Boise or a number of other cities across the country. I don't want to be in a VERY popular city (I currently live in a very popular, touristy area in SoCal.) Hey, I like the hills and mountains. From what I gathered, it seems like Morgantown will be a great city for my academic and self-improvement goals. Morgantown might be more expensive than the rest of WV, but from what I seen it's still reasonably affordable. Like I mentioned earlier, the PRT looks really cool.
Right on man! and again, no problem, thats what this place is for!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
), but I appreciate your time and assistance. Thank you, guys!
