Kanga

This can be a complex answer and question. As BamaBelle mentioned, a rule of thumb is the equivalent of your starting salary. Here are some suggestions to consider. Keep in mind, your likelihood of employment in the field is very high. The real variable is where you will work and the starting salary. What amount are you talking about? Run that amount through a calculator (just google to get a loan calculator) . Many loans are 10 yerars....that can give you an idea. Where do you leant to work? IIf it's a school district, virtually all publish their salary tables. Look at the district under human resources and you will probably find it. WHat will it cost you to live in that area? Do you have an option of getting a job and living at home for a year, so make big payments towards loans? You can also calculate take home pay in the area you want to live. Google federal and state (specifiy your state) take home pay calculator and you can figure out your take home pay. It's not just fed and state tax, but Medicare, social security, etc. It's hard to really say how much is too much, because everyone's situation is different. For example, my friends son took out loans to attend a prestigious STEM university. I think he owed about 40K after undergrad. He lived at home for a year and had them paid off in that year. However, that amount would have been high for someone who has to support themselves and is a preschool teacher!

You are correct...your GRE is on the lower side. I would work extremely hard to have excellent grades this fall. Make sure that you are actively involved in your CDS classes.....see the professor during office hours, etc. That may help you have a stronger letter of rec from that professor (if needed) I second using Magoosh to prep for the GRE. In the back of my mind, I would have a back up plan to pursue if you application isn't successful. It's not uncommon for applicants to have to apply a second season.

Can you clarify the 22K differential? Is that 22K total, or per year (for a total of 44k?) What about your living expenses? Will that add to the debt? How are you paying for grad school? Loans? If you share the actual total amount between the schools, I'm sure you'll get more input. For example, 22K loan at 5% over 5 years is $415. Over 10 years is $233.

Is the price difference just for tuition? How will this decision impact your living expenses? Will it be more expensive, the same, or less? Aside from rankings, how do the programs compare? How are you paying for school? Borrowing money? As a thought, 30K borrowed at 10 years at 7% interest is about $350 per month. Good Luck with your decision. Kanga

It seems like UT Dallas has a couple of ways of supporting students financially no assistantships for Masters level students. At least some out of state students get in state tuition We were told that all students who are eligible who want it get work study. To receive work study you have to meet eligibility under FAFSA. You must be a US citizen or eligible non citizen, have a social security number and other requirements noted on the FAFSA. The pay is currently $10.50 per hour and you can get up to 10 hours. i hope this helps.

I have some clarification on this. The course catalog says the degree is 48 units, but it is actually 57! Each semester you take 3 units of practicum and then one semester of internship (6 units) We were told to expect 14 units the fall semester and 15 the spring semester during the fist year. In terms of the extra $40 fee, that is only for classes with the COMD prefix. So practicum, because it has a HCS prefix, you don'[t pay the extra $40 on those units, just the academic classes. But internship is a COMD class, so you pay the extra $40 on that. Also, the way UT Dallas works, whatever rate you have for the first semester, you pay that rate all of your semesters. So, if there is a rate increase your second year, you don't pay the rate increase.

This is a quote from KristaLeigh89. It was from page 1 of this thread and was posted in April 2013: "There actually aren't a ton of group projects/work outside of the class, but often you might work in groups for in-class assignments depending on what class it is!"

That's exactly what my daughter did. Her school just sent out their acceptances yesterday. She informed them on Tuesday that she was withdrawing her application because she committed to another program. She would have liked to have known, but it was the right thing to do.

Okay, here is some info on housing we discovered. Caveat.....we visited, we obviously have not lived in any of these properties. So these are impressions of what we saw, heard, etc. The Villages. www.thevillageapts.com/ There are 14 communities. We were told by a professor at UT Dallas that the originally community was developed as companies were bringing in lots of young college grads to fill the booming companies. These were developed like a college dorm environment, with community amenities, like baseball fields, a clubhouse, walking trails, etc. Currently, there are the original apartments (obviously renovated) as well as new complexes (much nicer and prices can be a lot more). We were there the weekend before Easter and there was a community egg hunt on the fields (free to families living in the Villages) but you could also invite guests for a fee. It looked very nice. Each apartment complex has individual features unique to each, and only for that complex (all have pools, some have fitness centers, clubhouses, etc). In addition, there is what is called the “country club” that is accessible to everyone. This is a clubhouse, restaurant, gym, tennis courts, an Olympic sized swimming pool that has a bar (think small cabana sized I think) in the summer. The community has sports leagues, book clubs, etc. What I do think is an advantage is that you can choose to live in a budget apartment (not as fancy, older units) and still have some nicer amenities that are at the “country club”. And if you are in the less expensive apartments, you are still surrounded by really nice ones, the lovely grounds, all the open space, etc There are a lot of walking trails. The Villages are pre-wired for Time Warner cable/internet. The complexes have their own rep you contact directly, which makes for an easier installation process. We were told you can choose other options as well. A feature that seems really nice is that some of the apartments have the electricity, water, trash and gas billed directly to them and you pay your portion (for example, the electricity is metered, so you pay what your apartment uses). But, it means you don’t have to set it up yourself and it can be paid when you pay for rent. You are also paying commercial rates, not private/individual. The apartments that do this tend to be the older ones. Then you only have to set up internet. For example, in The Corners, we were told an average price for these 4 bills is $60-$70 for a 1 bedroom and $100-120 for a 3 bedroom. There are eight of the complexes that do this: Cliffs, Corners, Gate, Green, Hill, Lakes, Meadow, Park We were told that there is a company called Smith Patrol that monitors the Villages 24 hours per day and there is 24 hour a day emergency maintenance. All the apartments require renters insurance (we found this in many places, not just the Villages). We were also told that your income generally needs to be 5 times the rent, for parents as guarantors. It’s about 15-20 minutes from Callier and it’s also about 15-20 minutes from Callier Center at Richardson. There is a shopping mall really close as well as lots of other shopping. I made a spreadsheet with all of these apartments, if they have the commercial rates for utilities, allow pets, phone numbers and how many bedrooms in each (efficiency, 1, 2 and/or 3) and any general comments we had after seeing them. If you end up accepting Dallas and want me to send it to you, you can private message me.

On the website the highest amount noted is for 15 units. I believe clinical hours are paid for via coursework. In other words, you enroll in a class that has a certain number of units and that's how it's paid for. That's what I was trying to "guesstimate:" in above posts. But I could definitely be wrong, so my numbers could be low. I have actually looked in the course book (the online schedule for classes) and haven't found the courses that are offered online, but was told they can be registered for. Maybe the clinical courses are the same? If you are interested, here is the link to the schedule of classes: https://coursebook.utdallas.edu/ You can see previous term schedules to get an idea of what will likely be offered and at what time. These are the boxes you can fill in: Term: choose whatever you want to see Class prefix: COMD Class Level: gradute

It's hard to know for sure, because the tuition varies based on how many units you take. Plus, there is an extra $40 per unit fee for speech path classes. I think the quantity of classes taken each semester varies as well. If you figure 39 units of coursework (minimum), plus 9 units of clinical, gives you 48 units. Over 5 semesters (with summer carrying less) that's about 11 units per semester, plus about 6 for summer (give or take). 11 units is $6646 for this spring + 440 ($40 per unit) which is $7086. 6 units in summer $4151 + $240 = $4391. I assume fall 2016 tuition will be a little more, and of course books, which puts you right at $7500 for the 4 semesters, plus maybe $4500 for summer. I am guessing that maybe $35,000 for all five semesters is a good, realistic estimate unless you plan on taking more the normal class load.

It's been beautiful!!! A high of low 70's. Comfortable in jeans and shirt during the day with a light sweater later in the day. We were told it's the nicest weather so far this spring.

I searched Trulia maps for theiir crime maps. Gnerally, the area in the medical district were green, the Villages and Residence in Midtown yellow (middle). The Residence at Midtown: about 9.3 miles from Callier. The apartments have been renovated. No washer hook-ups, ut there is a laundry facility on site. Rooms are pretty small. A studio runs about $675, 1 bedroom $755 and 2 bedroom $975. Initially 12 month leases, then can be extended in increments. Water/gas/trash is $10 and pest control $4. There is a free after school program for kids. Not our fvorite. The Southwestern: about 1.1 miles away from Callier in the medical district. Pricier. One bedrooms run from about $1000-$1500, 2 bedrooms from $500-$1900. Valet trash is $25 per month. Elecricity runs about $50, water about $25. Includes a washer/dryer. It has a 24 hour athletic club, and a beautiful resort like pool and a club house. They offer events for residents 2 times a month. Granite countertops, stainless steel appliances and walk in closets. It was gated. It was amazing. 5225 Maple: 1.1 miles, in Medical district. Gated. A lovely pool area. The apartments are not as updated as the Southwestern. white painted cabinets but I think others have been upgraded. Lots of storage in the apartment. Washer/dryer hookups but you have to rent or buy. There is a 24 hour courtesy officer. Free parking or $25 per month for assigned in garage? Can't remember what the extra payment gives you. Has about 4 events per month for residents. A nice place. I think it has a grassy fenced in area for pets.

We visited three aeas near Callier. These areas were Uptown, the Village and the Medical District. A couple of commets. Uptown looks fun and really didn't seem noisy. But, many of the apartments are pricey. The two that are most reasonable that we found are The Villas at Katy Trail and Carlisle on the Katy Trail. The Village has 16 properties in the area. We talked to both students and staff at Callier and none had heard of bug problems. They were actually surprised i mentioned it. We were told that many students live in the village. The Bend is probably the cheapest of the 16 and at the other end, The Upper East Side is most expensive. West Side, Dakota, Northridge and The Lakes are also on the more expensive end. The Chase, The Park and The Meadow are in the lower trange and are similiarly priced. The Village has a main Village Relocation Center, where you can get ifo on all the properties and hear all of the availability at the same time. The Medical District is closest to Callier. It is generally not cosidered the best area, but we really thought it was nice. It's definiteky an area going through urbaln renewal, but we thought it was lovely. Lots of people who work in the area, students, residents, interns, nurses, etc. All the apartments are gated. Most of these apartments host events for residents 1-3 times per month that sounded really fun. After acceptances happen, if you are looking for roommates, the departmen will collect names and share information (if you allow them to). I will post specific about each apartment we visisted, but it will take me a couple of days.

We flew in to Dallas yesterday. Landed at 3:30, in our rental car by 4:15 and toured two apartment complexes before they closed. Today we visited 6 and were at Callier Center, getting specifics on the course of study, work study and clinical hours. A quick dinner at Spiral Diner (super cute, tasty vegetarian restaurant), a visit to Sam Moon and back to the hotel to crsh. Tomorrow more apartment hunting, hopefully a trip to Richardson and a flight out at 5:30. I will try and report on every apartment and area we saw, but it will probably take me a few days! Visiting the university was very helpful. We were told the reason the course of study is not online is due to how complex it is. Three specific comments: 1. there are tons of course that fulfill the 9 required units in adult/child language. You take 3 courses, either 2 focusing on child language and 1 on adults, or two on adults and 1 on child. You can totally personalize those courses. There are 8 courses that fulfill the requirement for child language, plus two others (basically special topics). Then there are 6 that can fulfill for adult language (again, with 2 that are basically special topics). 2. There are a bunch of online courses, all 1 unit each, and all pass/fail. These targeted a very specific area that are of specific interest. These cannot be taken until the third semester. You can on;y count 3 units towards the required 39 units. 3. There are 6 required courses totalling 16 units four are three units each and two are two units each, and three required language courses (9 units). Since ASHA requires a minimum of 39 course units, this allows for at least 14 units of electives. The summer program is 8 weeks (UT Dallas actually has 3 summer schedules, for 5, 8 and 11 weeks). We were told that if you quailfy for work study, thr department can typically offer you some kid of job (professor assistant, research assistant, clinic assistant. The pay is $10.50 per hour. I will start another post on housing.