pea-jay

Village Idiot

You're probably looking at PLUS loans then. The 24K limit only applies to direct loans. My package (with PLUS) was twice that for NYU. So, no you are not limited, at least by that ceiling. Now getting a PLUS loan...I dont know if you automatically can do that or is it based on a credit check and what not.

If you are considering ODU there really is only a handful of areas worth considering: * The areas immediately to the north, south or east of the university from W. 50th to W 40th or so and over to Colley. (+) Relatively cheap, college oriented. (-)Kinda noisy and aside from newer units, somewhat run-down. * Ghent. (+) nice neighborhoods, walkable, with services, lots of character (-) a little pricey and requires a short commute to campus. It is close enough to bike and served by a bus line that runs by campus if you dont want to drive/pay parking * Larchmont. (+) quiet mostly residential family neighborhood north of campus, easy access to campus on foot or by bike. Many places have water views (-) can be pricey, no convenient shopping opportunities like Ghent. Portions of Larchmont are also prone to flooding. Stick to those areas and you can't go wrong.

Jae: Thanks for the info and the Livepen tip. Have to check that one out. Joro: Oooh wearing a glove without finger tips to use a stylus would look pretty weird to say the least. Maybe I'll get a white glove and bedazzle a few rhinestones on it for some flair. Then again maybe not.

roasted pig

I still have to disagree. Student loan debt is one of the best types of debt out there. Debt that isnt accruing interest is even better. By pursuing a disciplined savings regimen during that same time frame you have the option of putting a large chunk down when repayment begins, but now you have additional options to work with: an emergency fund during school (instead of credit cards). Moving/transitional funds for relocation after youre done at the university. Flexibility to make that minimum payment from your savings account should you not line up the job you were hoping for upon graduation. If you make those payments now, you give up your flexibility in the future for no real financial gain but potentially serious ramifications if something goes wrong. Debt isnt a stigma nor should it be avoided at all costs. Getting rid of credit card debt is an excellent idea. Trying to dispatch with an effectively interest free student loan, not so much. Think carefully about this

foreign land

Be sure to factor traffic in if you are planning to commute into UCSD from any distance. The area was congested then and I doubt it is any better now. I was offered a job in that area, commuted one day and promptly quit. It sucked. The area is unusually dense for a suburban location (generating a lot of traffic) but lacks an effective grid to distribute traffic or comparable transit offerings found in the older parts (south of Mission Valley/La Jolla). If you can live there, it's a pretty nice area though.

Both of my schools' LORs took the form of essay questions along with a scaled ranking. For those questions that discussed my achievements, my boss wanted me to fill out what I have done during my tenure there. For those questions that dealt with his opinion of my performance, he filled those out along with the scaled ranking. Nothing resembling a full LOR pre-write though.

Baja Fresh

Admittedly I am an Apple fan but the idea of an iPad for grad school as a replacement for a notepad, some text books and calendar plus easy access to the web is intriguing me. Currently I have a MacMini as my main workstation. I do most of my work there and that probably wont change. My wife has a MacBook, which I also use from time to time. Watching the release of the iPad got me thinking about what I would find as a killer device for jotting down hand written notes (with a stylus) tagging them and annotating electronic reading assignments. On the other hand a full blown laptop would allow me to do more on the go. At this point I am waiting for the usual bugs to be worked out and useful apps to be released before purchasing during the back-to-school time frame (often when apple makes deals on educational purchases). The question for everyone is, would you get one of these devices instead of a laptop, assuming you have a dedicated computer at home? What would you consider a "must need application" in order for you to get one? Or is this some rich person's plaything?

two ply

Valencia California (Home of Six Flags Magic Mountain)

If the loan is truly not accumulating interest while in deferment then it really doesn't make much sense to pay them off. Not only can you put away money to save and potentially earn even a small rate of return, 4 years of inflation will lower the real dollar value of that debt. Inflation has been low of late, but any revival in the economy coupled with the US fiscal situation will drive inflation upwards. Not saying scary or hyper inflation but 3-6% per annum over four years would push that real dollar value of the original loan downward, especially if you are not accruing interest.

With threads like keep a word, drop a word, racking up posts is a cinch. Probably a third of mine are from those two threads

nuclear family

orange peel (and I have been to both Park Slope and MacArthur Park. Didnt know it was a song though) Jae: Sure is pretty countryside up here. Will miss that when we move

banana seat

game nights

I'm going through the same thought processes as I weigh an offers from both NYU and CUNY, although in different programs. As many folks are I gravitated to NYU as I heard many things about it. After I saw the price tag, I searched for public alternatives. Glad I did. This is a good thread. Going to nudge the decision meter back to Baruch.

In CA they definitely cover pregnant moms. Your income might be low enough to leave you in medicaid category, which is both a blessing and curse. Blessing for not having to pay so much but a curse because few docs like taking it.

People's Republic

Too little...

Park Place

big boy