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Old 12-19-2005, 01:20 PM   #1 (permalink)
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How much for graduate school?

I am thinking about graduate school. Before I even consider this -I have to figure out how much I will get in Loans (yes, sigh) and other Aid. Does anyone have experience with this recently?
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Old 12-19-2005, 06:45 PM   #2 (permalink)
 
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What do you want to study? That is the main question.

Personally, I am studying something that I would NEVER pay for an advanced degree in: anthropology. The pay-off after graduation, even with a PhD, is too uncertain/low to consider going into any kind of debt over. Thankfully, as with most liberal-arts PhD programs, I haven't had to pay a dime so far (just got my MA last spring, on the road to the PhD now) because of assistantships. If the day comes when my assistantships or outside aid runs out, that'll be the day that I quit graduate school! It's just not worth paying for myself.

Now, if you were going into law or something money-making like that, you can expect to take out a LOT of loans. Close to $100,000 if not more, depending on the school and prestige, etc. But the bonus is that you end up *making* so much more money that the loans are really not an issue.
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Old 12-19-2005, 07:19 PM   #3 (permalink)
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My masters only cost me $180 a credit hour. I think that was $11K-ish. Books ran me $400 per semester. I took out around $18K total in loans to cover everything since I was a lowly paid intern at the time. Two years, full time. That's at UCF in Orlando, five years ago, but they're still running mostly the same. And now I'm the proud owner of an MSW. It doesn't pay jack.
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Old 12-19-2005, 07:41 PM   #4 (permalink)
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As abaya says, it really depends on what you're studying. I'm going for my PhD in engineering right now, and the research assistantship pays around $20k a year. I don't know what degree you're going for, but in engineering a department that won't give a paycheck isn't worth your time.
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Old 12-19-2005, 08:23 PM   #5 (permalink)
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The main question is where you want to go. For graduate school at Stanford, the cost is about $31,200. Thats tuition only!! Books are around $1600 per 9 months. God am I going to be in debt when I get done.

Depending on whether you live on or off campus will also determine how much you pay as well.
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Old 12-19-2005, 08:43 PM   #6 (permalink)
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$180/hour??

I pay over $750/hour at my school, for undergrad classes!
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Old 12-19-2005, 09:00 PM   #7 (permalink)
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I'm a Junior in Undergrad still, but I'll give a third on abaya's statement that it depends on what you're going for. For most Grad school positions I know of(bio/chem) you're looking at a stipend of 20k or so a year for bio, 30k or so for chem, but this will depend on where you go, which in turn depends on how good your GPA/School is. I know the Chem department here is VERY good. I think there were only 8 or 9 Chemistry majors(straight chem, not biochem or forensic chem) last year and the lowest stipend recieved by any of them was 28K(as reported to my by other underclassmen straight chem majors).
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Old 12-20-2005, 06:30 AM   #8 (permalink)
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I really haven't made up my mind what I want to study. My undergrad is in applied math -statistics. My professional background is in Telecommunications, Software Engineering and Insurance.

The "what" of studying can be broken into two parts: 1) I can study what interests me at the moment: Neuroscience... or 2) I can study what others will be interested in: Actuarial Science. The fact that I have no background in Neuroscience doesn't dissuede me. I just have to take the GMAT (or whatever) and pass. I am pretty good at regurgitating on tests (thus the Math degree).

I'm kind of sick of thinking about it. If I went for something like Anthropology -I wouldn't leave without a PhD. Honestly the "what" isn't as important as the "how".

As good as I am at tests -I am terrible at making ends meet right now. My finances simply suck, and I need that warm fuzzy feeling of "everything will be alright if I do this".
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Old 12-20-2005, 07:05 AM   #9 (permalink)
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If you focus your search on schools that provide assistanceships or fellowships, that will help your finances greatly. If you are interested in Neuroscience, you might be interested in the Neuroscience Cluster program at the University of Rochester.

For PhD students at U of R, the University Neuroscience/ Brian/Cognitive science departments cover full tuition (books are on your own) plus a yearly fellowship of approximately $22,000- it is more or less depending on the specific program of study you choose to follow. I have chosen not to apply for grad school starting in 06 as I feel I need the mental break, but I limited my initial search to schools that DID provide at least 80% assistance with the costs.

Dr. Dave Knill at U of R does a lot of research with statistics and probability modeling - if that sounds like something you'd be interested, lemme know and I can get you more info
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Old 12-20-2005, 11:31 AM   #10 (permalink)
 
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... did I mention that my stipend is $14,000 a year, gross? That's right folks, my monthly paycheck is about $1,200 a month, and I don't get paid in the summer months.

Needless to say, it's enough to live on, and the assistantship waives tuition. I will not have any debt when I finish. But it really does matter what school you go to and what you study there.

Astro, I'd really give thought to "what" you want to study, because believe me, 5-7 years of studying it and you'll be miserable if you're not in love with the subject from the beginning (for the PhD). Not to mention you have to make a career out of that subject *after* the degree is done.

MA/MS is more manageable, since it's only 2 years on average. Anyone can do 2 years of anything, even if they hate the topic (though, why would you?). But don't just go to grad school because you have nothing better to do.
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Old 12-20-2005, 02:28 PM   #11 (permalink)
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I don't know... I have a few job interviews coming up soon -many second interviews. I think I'm caught up in the game of getting underpaid for jobs that I work my ass off in and don't even like -by that comparison a graduate degree in anything looks good.

I'll look at U of R but I can't afford to move presently (unless I drive to Rochester and sleep in my car). I live in MA and there are TONS of schools here. I used to have the plan that I would WORK FOR A SCHOOL and take the discount on tuition... However, it's easier said than done because nobody from the schools have even bothered to call me back.

I'm just trying to get a handle on "If I go back to school -can I afford it". Believe it or not the answer is "not without bankruptcy". F'n debt.
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Old 12-20-2005, 06:28 PM   #12 (permalink)
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Astrocloud
I'm just trying to get a handle on "If I go back to school -can I afford it". Believe it or not the answer is "not without bankruptcy". F'n debt.
I'm not sure if you understand what most of us are saying, which is that unless you are getting a professional degree (medicine or law, maybe engineering), it is almost standard to get ample funding for an advanced degree.

Yes, you have to pay for your bachelor's, but you should NOT have to pay for an advanced degree. Funding should be your last worry when going back to school, if you play your cards right.

I have not taken any loans or spent any of my own money (other than on alcohol ) on my degree, nor do I ever plan to do so. I don't know anyone who has had to pay for their own degree, except for those in medical or law school, or if they were international students maybe.

EDIT: Thanks BigBen, an MBA would also go down with the "professional degree" category as something you can't get funding for. But again, the payoff for an MBA makes it worth it, from what I hear. In this case, graduate school fees would be a profitable investment down the line.
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Last edited by abaya; 12-20-2005 at 06:46 PM..
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Old 12-20-2005, 06:42 PM   #13 (permalink)
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$20,000 for my MBA, books included.

Remember, a graduate degree today is what an Undergrad degree was 25 years ago.

An undergrad degree today is what a high school diploma was 35 years ago.

A High School diploma today is what a grade 8 education was 30 years ago.

As far as employability, IMHO.
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Old 12-21-2005, 04:50 AM   #14 (permalink)
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Typically, it will be worth it. You can't get as many fellowships for your law, medical or MBA, but they are (generally) high-paying occupations so you will easily make up what you borrow to attend (I know the school I'm thinking of applying at for my MBA says the average repayment is only 4 years, based on typical graduate salary). And most others offer some sort of fellowships, but you are best served if you get in good with the staff for those. I don't know how long you've been out of school, but did you have any professors in the fields you're interested in you got along well with? It can be a problem to break into another school's grad program and get a decent fellowship without either 1. stellar GRE/GMAT and grades or 2. connections. Usually, students in the university will have already snatched the prime positions. I know at my school, a couple grad students I know pretty much didn't even have to go through the application process for admission because they were well known in their departments. And one of them said his ex-wife got into one with less than stellar grades, simply because she was friends with one of the professors. So networking really pays dividends in getting in a good program.
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Old 12-21-2005, 04:53 AM   #15 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by abaya
Yes, you have to pay for your bachelor's, but you should NOT have to pay for an advanced degree. Funding should be your last worry when going back to school, if you play your cards right.
Should be the opposite.. an undergrad degree is pretty essential in today's job market, it shouldnt be a struggle for people to pay it... an advanced degree is a choice - you make that choice -- you should pay for it.
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Old 12-21-2005, 10:38 AM   #16 (permalink)
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by maleficent
Should be the opposite.. an undergrad degree is pretty essential in today's job market, it shouldnt be a struggle for people to pay it... an advanced degree is a choice - you make that choice -- you should pay for it.
Well, I agree. Maybe I wasn't clear, though. I meant that realistically, you *will* have to pay for an undegrad degree, whereas most people in graduate school (except for med, law, MBA, etc) will *not* have to pay for advanced degrees. Whether this reality should or shouldn't be the way it is, is another thing...
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Old 12-22-2005, 09:22 AM   #17 (permalink)
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What makes you think that people don't pay for professional degrees? What big secret is there that lets you get it for free? Internships only? I don't buy it.
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Old 12-22-2005, 10:26 AM   #18 (permalink)
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hardknock
What makes you think that people don't pay for professional degrees?
You didn't put a name in your post, but if you are talking to me... please read my posts again. I said that people DO have to pay for professional degrees. That's the only degree you have to pay for (I excepted med, law, MBA, etc in my posts).

If you are getting a liberal arts degree or even engineering, at some universities, it is most likely paid for by assistantships. You will probably NOT have to pay for a liberal arts degree, in that sense.
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Last edited by abaya; 12-22-2005 at 10:29 AM..
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Old 12-23-2005, 03:24 PM   #19 (permalink)
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Okay, here's the question. What exactly is an assistantship?
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Old 12-23-2005, 05:16 PM   #20 (permalink)
 
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Assistantship = either TA (teaching assistantship) or RA (research assistantship). These are the most common forms of support for graduate students. They generally entail a commitment of 20 hours a week, although on my TA job it averages out to about 10 hours a week. I've never had an RA, but they are supposed to be even better... less work, more freedom. As a TA my biggest load has been to teach 3 undergrad sections of intro classes each week, preparing the material for those and then preparing exams, grading them, grading papers, and submitting grades for all students at the end of the semester. (You see, professors do jack shit at research universities... it is all about the grad students.)

Of course, the best way to go is to get a fellowship, but those are few and far between unless you are an absolutely stellar applicant. (They are basically the same as scholarships, no obligation to do anything.) As a student I am middling-to-fair, and happy with my assistantships and the opportunity to gain resume experience with my job.
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Last edited by abaya; 12-24-2005 at 01:14 AM..
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Old 12-24-2005, 12:57 AM   #21 (permalink)
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Go out and get yourself some grants young man!
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Old 12-24-2005, 10:26 AM   #22 (permalink)
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Based on your interviews this may be tough to manage, but I think the best situation for you would be to find a job in an area you are interested, and then do graduate school part-time. Many career-level jobs will provide education assistance for the classes, and by working while you study you'll be able to apply what you're learning. I've found that I've become a much better student after two years of "the real world" between undergrad and graduate school. This depends on what type of field you're going into, of course, since a graduate degree can often be a prerequisite to the job you'd like to get. But if you are going into business, engineering, and probably many others, I think this is a good choice.
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Old 12-28-2005, 10:11 AM   #23 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by abaya
Assistantship = either TA (teaching assistantship) or RA (research assistantship). These are the most common forms of support for graduate students. They generally entail a commitment of 20 hours a week, although on my TA job it averages out to about 10 hours a week. I've never had an RA, but they are supposed to be even better... less work, more freedom. As a TA my biggest load has been to teach 3 undergrad sections of intro classes each week, preparing the material for those and then preparing exams, grading them, grading papers, and submitting grades for all students at the end of the semester. (You see, professors do jack shit at research universities... it is all about the grad students.)

Of course, the best way to go is to get a fellowship, but those are few and far between unless you are an absolutely stellar applicant. (They are basically the same as scholarships, no obligation to do anything.) As a student I am middling-to-fair, and happy with my assistantships and the opportunity to gain resume experience with my job.
I would probably really kick ass at being a TA considering that I used to be a red pen for a professor (head of the math department -no less). Can you TA in any subject or just ones that you are currently studying? Meaning that teaching math to undergrads would be easier than teaching other subjects.

I think what is going to happen is that I am going to take a job completely unrelated to what I want to study. -Cause I need money and stuff. Sooner or later I will buy an MCAT study guide and then after that take the damn test. I am still uncertain as to what I will study but I'm thinking of some sort of engineering. BME at BU is a possibility.
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Old 12-28-2005, 01:17 PM   #24 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by abaya
Assistantship = either TA (teaching assistantship) or RA (research assistantship). These are the most common forms of support for graduate students. They generally entail a commitment of 20 hours a week, although on my TA job it averages out to about 10 hours a week. I've never had an RA, but they are supposed to be even better... less work, more freedom. As a TA my biggest load has been to teach 3 undergrad sections of intro classes each week, preparing the material for those and then preparing exams, grading them, grading papers, and submitting grades for all students at the end of the semester. (You see, professors do jack shit at research universities... it is all about the grad students.)

Of course, the best way to go is to get a fellowship, but those are few and far between unless you are an absolutely stellar applicant. (They are basically the same as scholarships, no obligation to do anything.) As a student I am middling-to-fair, and happy with my assistantships and the opportunity to gain resume experience with my job.
From the sound of it, you are getting off easier than I've heard in my experience. All the grad students I've talked to said that being a TA is usually better, as it's less work. Also, they all average around 30 hrs/week. But I guess it really depends on your situation and university
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Old 12-28-2005, 05:01 PM   #25 (permalink)
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Something that attracts me more to an RA is that most likely you will be more closely involved in research that is similiar or directly related to your own thesis, and to me THAT is why I am there. I do not actually plan to go from grad school into academia permanently, and so being a TA is personally less appealing to me.
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