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bluedevil527

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    Masters in Counseling

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  1. I personally have been using craigslist and then seeing which realtors seem to have the most listings that fit my budget and I plan on contacting those particular realtors... I'll probably meet with several before I find the place I want.
  2. The budget varies from school to school but it usually includes cost of attendance plus some living costs. Like where I work, the budget is usually about $15,000 more than the cost of attendance (the cost of living here is very, very low). So the budget is almost always more than the 20k you would be eligible for. But remember that's for an entire year and if you are taking Fall, Spring, and Summer classes, it will be split into three disbursements so you won't get it all at once. If you only take Fall and Spring, then it will be split into half. The government does not allow the full loan to be disbursed at once. And federal loans are completely within the realm of the school's authority because there are limits to how much a student can receive and the school has to determine if the student is getting too much and this is especially important in determing when students are eligible for subsidized or unsubsidized loans. That being said, your budget (in my experience) will be more than enough to allow you to take out that full loan amount. If for some reason your budget is not enough, schools are also allowed to make special cases for students if the student can prove that he or she needs the financial help. I would look at your school's financial aid website because they probably explain which things can affect your federal funding. Occasionally you might even have to pay back loans if you get a significant amount of non-loan aid that pushes you over your budget. This is usually more of a problem for undergrads than graduate students though because, once again, graduate student budgets are usually more than generous.
  3. I forgot to mention the Perkins loan. There is a limited amont of funding for Perkins loans at schools and only goes to students with extreme financial need. This is the best loan you can get although it is usually a smaller amount. It is a subsidized loan with a 9 month (as opposed to 6 month) post graduation grace period. It also has only a 5% interest rate as opposed to the standard 6.8%.
  4. Unfortunately for grad students, the FAFSA doesn't really make you eligible for anything but loans. Things like the Pell grant are not available for grad students. The base rate for graduate students for loans is $8,500 a year with a max of $20,000. Only $8,500 of this can be subsidized and the rest will be unsibsidized. Now, each school is required to come up with a budget for the student. This budget will vary by school and will affect what you are eligible for. You cannot go above your budget but where I work, we do not count a stipend toward the budget but we do count tuition remission. But here, the budget is well above what the tuition is so graduate students are able to usually take out at least the $8,500. I think it is a common misconception that the government says "okay, this is how much X student is eligible for" and sends that information to the school. What happens is that the FAFSA information is sent to the school and the important information is the Estimated Family Contribution (EFC). The school looks at the EFC (and sometimes other information depending on the situation) and then uses their budget and tuition information to determine what the student is eligible for. Of course the school has to follow government guidlines like the max for subsidized loans etc., but a lot of what you are awarded depends on the school you are attending and what they decide is an appropriate budget for a graduate student at their school. I hope this helps, I'm not the best at explaining things... let me know if you have other questions! Oh and in regards to the PLUS loan, I would personally wait until you hear about your full funding package because it can be annoying to cancel/pay back the loan after you take it out, but if you really think you'll need it, there is probably no harm in doing it now.
  5. Graduate school counts too. And I work in a financial aid office at a university and just checked with my boss to be sure! Hope that helps!
  6. It is the counseling for mental health and wellness program that I am turning down (just took the letter to the post office). And I graduated last June from college and have been working in an unrelated area (office work in a financial aid office). I did intern at a behavioral health center during college and i was a "big sib" all throughout college.
  7. Snail mail. it was for the counseling program.
  8. ACtually I just got my acceptance but I am turning it down (can't afford it!). Good luck and congrats to you all!
  9. I still haven't heard but if I do get in, I'm not going... I do have an n id number and an email address and all so I'm not sure what the hold up is, but oh well
  10. My program is in the Lynch school. I'm still trying to decide when I should start apartment hunting. I know they are having a housing fair in June but I didn't know if that was too late or not (for an August/Sept move in date). The area is fantastic. I absolutely love Boston. I've only been there twice so I'm not super familiar with it. Apparently the Housing Department is really helpful though so you'll definitely want to check with them.
  11. i am 99% sure I'll be heading there in the fall for their MA Mental Health Counseling program. Is your program in the Lynch School?
  12. i'm moving from georgia to boston. i have very little furniture i could bring and i've decided to just buy all of the big furniture i'll need up there. I figure i'll be living in a much smaller space (probably a studio) and will need furniture to fit it and IKEA can deliver it to me (being a small female, this is important to me). I asked this in another section but maybe someone can here can give me some advice: I just got admitted into Boston College and they are having an admitted students day April 17. I live in Georgia so making the trek to Boston is expensive for me (plane tickets, hotels, and time off from work). I definitely plan on going to this event and what I'm wondering is that too soon to look for apartments? I'm looking to move in August or September right before classes start. They are having a housing fair in June but that would require another expensive trip to Boston. And I'm too afraid to visit a place before I sign a lease... So when I go up in April, do I stay longer than just the weekend so I can find an apartment and avoid having to come back in June, or is that too early for a August/September move in date? Any advice would be appreciated; city living is completely foreign to me as is apartment hunting (I come from a small town where it is cheaper to rent small houses with a roommate or two).
  13. A logistical question... I just got admitted into Boston College and they are having an admitted students day April 17. I live in Georgia so making the trek to Boston is expensive for me (plane tickets, hotels, and time off from work). I definitely plan on going to this event and what I'm wondering is that too soon to look for apartments? I'm looking to move in August or September right before classes start. They are having a housing fair in June but that would require another expensive trip to Boston. And I know better than to not visit a place before I sign a lease... So when I go up in April, do I stay longer than just the weekend so I can find an apartment and avoid having to come back in June, or is that too early for a August/September move in date? Any advice would be appreciated; city living is completely foreign to me as is apartment hunting (I come from a small town where it is cheaper to rent small houses with a roommate or two).
  14. ugh, i really wish these grad schools had set dates like they do for undergrad. i called another school and they told me "probably some time in march". not helpful. don't they know this is driving us crazy? i really don't want to have to wait until april to find out!
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