kchana

Thank you all for your responses. I feel $50k is too much as well and am gravitating toward reapplying this fall... I will think about it a bit more time. Thanks again for your inputs!

Hi there- I am having a hard time making a decision for this fall and would appreciate any advice you might have... I am an international student who applied for PhD programs in clinical psychology but did not get any offers for Fall 2015. Then one of the programs admitted me into their master's program (no funding in the 1st year/TA or RA opportunities in the 2nd year). I accepted the offer because at that time it seemed to be the only choice... and a reasonable decision as it could boost my chance getting into a doctoral program later. However, attending the program would cost me approximately $50k/year (tuition + life expenses) and although I said yes to the offer, I still feel unsure. I have asked the POI, the program, and school for funding information but nothing seems available for this fall. Also I am not eligible for financial aid, and foreign scholarships I applied for would not be enough to cover tuition... So if I go, I will have to take out student loans to attend the program on top of my $60k undergrad student loan. Without this financial concern, I would not hesitate to go... Besides going this fall, I am currently thinking of these options: Apply for PhD programs in the hope to receive funding and start next fall Apply for master's programs that have funding opportunities Apply for English-taught master's programs in a non-US country that offer scholarships (and try my luck with US doctoral programs again in the future). If I attend the master's program, money is going to be a big issue but at least I will be working towards a master's degree. If I choose to put off going this fall, I might be able to get an offer with funding but of course there is no guarantee. I understand this is a personal choice and there is no single "correct" answer... but just for reference, what would you do if you were in my position and how would you approach decision-making like this? Any advice will be appreciated!