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I've found that dating someone outside of academia is actually pretty healthy for me. My boyfriend has not been able to go back to school and finish his associates degree, but the fact that he's not in school is actually a plus. He's out doing a real people job, and I think that makes it easier for him to pull me out of my school-related funks. He'll sit all night and listen to me talk about my field, but if I'm stressing out he calms me down. Meeting him was the problem because at the time I was working 70+ hours a week in practicum and a part time job. Online dating for the win. He's a deep thinker about things not even remotely related to my field, and it helps remind me that no matter how it feels, I am not living in a bubble made up only of MSW students and unending books on theory and therapy.

I've found that dating someone outside of academia is actually pretty healthy for me. My boyfriend has not been able to go back to school and finish his associates degree, but the fact that he's not in school is actually a plus. He's out doing a real people job, and I think that makes it easier for him to pull me out of my school-related funks. He'll sit all night and listen to me talk about my field, but if I'm stressing out he calms me down. Meeting him was the problem because at the time I was working 70+ hours a week in practicum and a part time job. Online dating for the win. He's a deep thinker about things not even remotely related to my field, and it helps remind me that no matter how it feels, I am not living in a bubble made up only of MSW students and unending books on theory and therapy.

@OhSoSolipsistic My program isn't on campus this year, but I'm familiar with Fairfax, so here's my two cents.
GMU is a commuter school, Fairfax is hella expensive to live in.It just is, and being a super economically stratified area there are parts of it that aren't very safe. I live two counties over in a less populated area. Fairfax right near DC so there are a lot of politically-important speakers that come down, which means part of the campus sometimes gets shut down around whatever building they're speaking in so the secret service/regular police can do sweeps and make sure it's safe. That doesn't happen too often though. Cheaper places to live include Bristow, Gainseville, Manassas (though also not very safe in some areas), Haymarket, etc. It's pretty easy to get on the metro in Vienna and head up into DC to go see the sights and the (free!) Smithsonian museums, and the area in VA is very historical, it's full of Civil War history.
GMU is one of the fastest growing schools and I know my program has had some growing pains to match. Other programs (my dad is in the engineering school) do not have this issue. I see you're a flavor of psychology; that program owns an off-campus building (my classes are there right now) where there is a mental health clinic and they do the educational testing for the local students. I know a fair number of their grad students get practical experience there. As far as I've heard from people in my program who were psych undergrads, it's a pretty good program.
TL;DR is the city is very expensive, the school pretty good and growing really fast, and overall the area in Virginia is pretty great.

@UrbanMidwest It is crap that we don't/can't get paid and like morlvera said, the fact that we have to pay for the credits makes it worse. My comment on funding for field students is maybe more specific to my institution. Out in Farmville (yeah, that's a real place) money for agencies is almost nonexistent, but when the agencies do pay a stipend my program ran into a bigger problem. The paid student were being treated like employees--they were under-trained, put into dangerous situations, and sort of supervised. Certainly not to the level that you want a field student to be supervised.
That being said, we were allowed to take paid positions. The catch was we had to find them ourselves instead of relying on help from our faculty coordinator, which was incredibly difficult.
Unpaid internships suck. But depending on how many classes you have and the number of hours you're in field per week, it's not impossible to pick up a part time job to give yourself some savings and some pocket money.

There are some issues with this; I think what you should do it take more than the 30 minutes in the beginning when you're practicing for these essays so you can get used to answering the questions well. As you get used to that, start timing yourself. Also, maybe write for a set time every day--write anything, just get used to writing and feeling what writing for 30 minutes is like. You have some good thoughts, but you don't really expand on any of them enough to form a complete argument.
The question is  the ability of humans to think for themselves will surely deteriorate, but you don't address the "humans ability to think for themselves," you talk about manufacturing and factory work. You aimed for the question, but you hit a little to the left of it. Really think about it--what impact does technology and all it's implications (globalization, AI, mob mentality on social media, having the internet teach our kids, etc) have on us and how we think? A good place to get ideas for that is old 50s-80s science fiction--The Man Who Evolved, The Twilight Zone show, even the Cybermen from Doctor Who, who rely on technology to the point of getting rid of human emotion so they always make rational choices. Get in the habit of asking these kinds of questions to yourself--question everything, believe nothing outright, and make connections from what you read to what you see in the world around you.

There are some issues with this; I think what you should do it take more than the 30 minutes in the beginning when you're practicing for these essays so you can get used to answering the questions well. As you get used to that, start timing yourself. Also, maybe write for a set time every day--write anything, just get used to writing and feeling what writing for 30 minutes is like. You have some good thoughts, but you don't really expand on any of them enough to form a complete argument.
The question is  the ability of humans to think for themselves will surely deteriorate, but you don't address the "humans ability to think for themselves," you talk about manufacturing and factory work. You aimed for the question, but you hit a little to the left of it. Really think about it--what impact does technology and all it's implications (globalization, AI, mob mentality on social media, having the internet teach our kids, etc) have on us and how we think? A good place to get ideas for that is old 50s-80s science fiction--The Man Who Evolved, The Twilight Zone show, even the Cybermen from Doctor Who, who rely on technology to the point of getting rid of human emotion so they always make rational choices. Get in the habit of asking these kinds of questions to yourself--question everything, believe nothing outright, and make connections from what you read to what you see in the world around you.

Waiting tables is the secret to getting rich quick.
Not really, but it's extremely flexible (much more so than retail), easy to trade shifts when you need it, and you leave with cash in your pocket every night. I work at a dying restaurant and if I work two doubles and Friday night I can pull down $300-$400 easy. In New York, you could be pulling that a day.
There are some pretty easy to find resources on learning how to save money, just Goggle around and they'll find you. I do it by putting no more than $75 in my wallet to spend from my tips every weekend. Everything else goes into an envelope that goes to the bank every two weeks, and I don't touch that money for anything but school expenses. If I have a surplus (birthday, holiday, Grandma sends money) it goes straight into savings. I work every shift that I can reasonable manage which is weekends right now. In two weeks I'll likely be working five or six shifts a week with at least 2 doubles.
I'm going to a public school and living with my parents because that's an option for me. Get room mates or move back home if you can. Work your butt off every hour that you can manage. Working in a restaurant for two months, two years or even two decades isn't shameful. It's an honest living. My grandfather was a short order cook for 40 years with little education outside of the army--he and his wife raised 7 children while they were dirt floor poor. All of those children have jobs and an education. One even got his PhD and now his daughters are planning on getting theirs after they do their master's. Mine will be funded in part by working in a restaurant. 

If the argument here is that higher education should be like grade school because of federal funding., then you are losing more right than you think you're creating. You would get in every time to a public institution, yes. But here's what you would lose:
Freedoms of speech and expression: grade school can limit what you say, the topics you write papers on, and how you dress
Freedom of assembly: Only school-approved organizations can meet on school property at designated times and in designated places
Freedom of the press: all school news papers are closely monitored, you cannot hang flyers without approval
Unlawful search and seizure: if on school property, you are subject to screening by a drug dog at any time and if they alert on your belongings, they can be searched without your consent
There are grad school interviews for very good reasons. For those getting funding, it is a job interview. For those not it's a chance for the faculty to see more of who you are. It can support a weaker application. It can tank you if you present yourself poorly. Just like a job interview, they are also for students to see if the school is a good for from their perspective. How else are you supposed to find out if a faculty member you have to work with is an ass, or that you don't like any of them enough to work with them?
 
And don't dare call your self a victim Golden Girl. There's no such thing as a free lunch and your are not entitled to anything. You want to get into a school? Beef up your application, do work in the field , learn how to interview properly. But don't for a moment call yourself a victim just because you didn't get what you wanted. You are not a victim. When you call yourself one, you detract from every person out there who suffers from hated and oppression.

If the argument here is that higher education should be like grade school because of federal funding., then you are losing more right than you think you're creating. You would get in every time to a public institution, yes. But here's what you would lose:
Freedoms of speech and expression: grade school can limit what you say, the topics you write papers on, and how you dress
Freedom of assembly: Only school-approved organizations can meet on school property at designated times and in designated places
Freedom of the press: all school news papers are closely monitored, you cannot hang flyers without approval
Unlawful search and seizure: if on school property, you are subject to screening by a drug dog at any time and if they alert on your belongings, they can be searched without your consent
There are grad school interviews for very good reasons. For those getting funding, it is a job interview. For those not it's a chance for the faculty to see more of who you are. It can support a weaker application. It can tank you if you present yourself poorly. Just like a job interview, they are also for students to see if the school is a good for from their perspective. How else are you supposed to find out if a faculty member you have to work with is an ass, or that you don't like any of them enough to work with them?
 
And don't dare call your self a victim Golden Girl. There's no such thing as a free lunch and your are not entitled to anything. You want to get into a school? Beef up your application, do work in the field , learn how to interview properly. But don't for a moment call yourself a victim just because you didn't get what you wanted. You are not a victim. When you call yourself one, you detract from every person out there who suffers from hated and oppression.

If the argument here is that higher education should be like grade school because of federal funding., then you are losing more right than you think you're creating. You would get in every time to a public institution, yes. But here's what you would lose:
Freedoms of speech and expression: grade school can limit what you say, the topics you write papers on, and how you dress
Freedom of assembly: Only school-approved organizations can meet on school property at designated times and in designated places
Freedom of the press: all school news papers are closely monitored, you cannot hang flyers without approval
Unlawful search and seizure: if on school property, you are subject to screening by a drug dog at any time and if they alert on your belongings, they can be searched without your consent
There are grad school interviews for very good reasons. For those getting funding, it is a job interview. For those not it's a chance for the faculty to see more of who you are. It can support a weaker application. It can tank you if you present yourself poorly. Just like a job interview, they are also for students to see if the school is a good for from their perspective. How else are you supposed to find out if a faculty member you have to work with is an ass, or that you don't like any of them enough to work with them?
 
And don't dare call your self a victim Golden Girl. There's no such thing as a free lunch and your are not entitled to anything. You want to get into a school? Beef up your application, do work in the field , learn how to interview properly. But don't for a moment call yourself a victim just because you didn't get what you wanted. You are not a victim. When you call yourself one, you detract from every person out there who suffers from hated and oppression.

@iamswwg If a violation of rights happened, then that's wrong. But what has been explained here is that someone thinks the admissions process is unfair. Golden Girl hasn't said they were denied entry because they were (insert race/religion/gender/orientation/anything else). All they say is that someone else on the thread is "victim blaming" but they don't actually explain how they could be a victim or what rights of their were violated. This thread has well established that getting into higher education is not a right--it is a privilege that you have to earn. Viewing higher education as a right is elitist, especially considering the appalling rates of literacy in areas like the Appalachian or your average prison.
If you didn't get in because you had your African American hair natural for the interview, then you're a victim.
If you didn't get in because you're pregnant, your rights have been violated.
If you didn't get in because your same sex partner dropped you off at the interview, then there is a serious problem at that institution.
If you didn't get in because you fumbled an interview or had a low GRE or not stellar letter of recommendation, then you take what you learn from that rejection and use it to strengthen your future applications. 
It's wrong, elitist, and entirely entitled to throw around the term "victim" like ti doesn't mean anything. There are victims of oppression in higher education and if Golden Girl is one then they have a case against the admissions process at that school. But otherwise no. If you did poorly in an interview you are not a victim. You were caught off guard. You had a bad day. The dog ate your notes, you got gum on your shoe, and you missed the bus so you were late. None of that makes you a victim. Being  discriminated against, oppressed, attacked, or otherwise victimized makes you a victim.

@iamswwg If a violation of rights happened, then that's wrong. But what has been explained here is that someone thinks the admissions process is unfair. Golden Girl hasn't said they were denied entry because they were (insert race/religion/gender/orientation/anything else). All they say is that someone else on the thread is "victim blaming" but they don't actually explain how they could be a victim or what rights of their were violated. This thread has well established that getting into higher education is not a right--it is a privilege that you have to earn. Viewing higher education as a right is elitist, especially considering the appalling rates of literacy in areas like the Appalachian or your average prison.
If you didn't get in because you had your African American hair natural for the interview, then you're a victim.
If you didn't get in because you're pregnant, your rights have been violated.
If you didn't get in because your same sex partner dropped you off at the interview, then there is a serious problem at that institution.
If you didn't get in because you fumbled an interview or had a low GRE or not stellar letter of recommendation, then you take what you learn from that rejection and use it to strengthen your future applications. 
It's wrong, elitist, and entirely entitled to throw around the term "victim" like ti doesn't mean anything. There are victims of oppression in higher education and if Golden Girl is one then they have a case against the admissions process at that school. But otherwise no. If you did poorly in an interview you are not a victim. You were caught off guard. You had a bad day. The dog ate your notes, you got gum on your shoe, and you missed the bus so you were late. None of that makes you a victim. Being  discriminated against, oppressed, attacked, or otherwise victimized makes you a victim.

If the argument here is that higher education should be like grade school because of federal funding., then you are losing more right than you think you're creating. You would get in every time to a public institution, yes. But here's what you would lose:
Freedoms of speech and expression: grade school can limit what you say, the topics you write papers on, and how you dress
Freedom of assembly: Only school-approved organizations can meet on school property at designated times and in designated places
Freedom of the press: all school news papers are closely monitored, you cannot hang flyers without approval
Unlawful search and seizure: if on school property, you are subject to screening by a drug dog at any time and if they alert on your belongings, they can be searched without your consent
There are grad school interviews for very good reasons. For those getting funding, it is a job interview. For those not it's a chance for the faculty to see more of who you are. It can support a weaker application. It can tank you if you present yourself poorly. Just like a job interview, they are also for students to see if the school is a good for from their perspective. How else are you supposed to find out if a faculty member you have to work with is an ass, or that you don't like any of them enough to work with them?
 
And don't dare call your self a victim Golden Girl. There's no such thing as a free lunch and your are not entitled to anything. You want to get into a school? Beef up your application, do work in the field , learn how to interview properly. But don't for a moment call yourself a victim just because you didn't get what you wanted. You are not a victim. When you call yourself one, you detract from every person out there who suffers from hated and oppression.

If the argument here is that higher education should be like grade school because of federal funding., then you are losing more right than you think you're creating. You would get in every time to a public institution, yes. But here's what you would lose:
Freedoms of speech and expression: grade school can limit what you say, the topics you write papers on, and how you dress
Freedom of assembly: Only school-approved organizations can meet on school property at designated times and in designated places
Freedom of the press: all school news papers are closely monitored, you cannot hang flyers without approval
Unlawful search and seizure: if on school property, you are subject to screening by a drug dog at any time and if they alert on your belongings, they can be searched without your consent
There are grad school interviews for very good reasons. For those getting funding, it is a job interview. For those not it's a chance for the faculty to see more of who you are. It can support a weaker application. It can tank you if you present yourself poorly. Just like a job interview, they are also for students to see if the school is a good for from their perspective. How else are you supposed to find out if a faculty member you have to work with is an ass, or that you don't like any of them enough to work with them?
 
And don't dare call your self a victim Golden Girl. There's no such thing as a free lunch and your are not entitled to anything. You want to get into a school? Beef up your application, do work in the field , learn how to interview properly. But don't for a moment call yourself a victim just because you didn't get what you wanted. You are not a victim. When you call yourself one, you detract from every person out there who suffers from hated and oppression.

@iamswwg If a violation of rights happened, then that's wrong. But what has been explained here is that someone thinks the admissions process is unfair. Golden Girl hasn't said they were denied entry because they were (insert race/religion/gender/orientation/anything else). All they say is that someone else on the thread is "victim blaming" but they don't actually explain how they could be a victim or what rights of their were violated. This thread has well established that getting into higher education is not a right--it is a privilege that you have to earn. Viewing higher education as a right is elitist, especially considering the appalling rates of literacy in areas like the Appalachian or your average prison.
If you didn't get in because you had your African American hair natural for the interview, then you're a victim.
If you didn't get in because you're pregnant, your rights have been violated.
If you didn't get in because your same sex partner dropped you off at the interview, then there is a serious problem at that institution.
If you didn't get in because you fumbled an interview or had a low GRE or not stellar letter of recommendation, then you take what you learn from that rejection and use it to strengthen your future applications. 
It's wrong, elitist, and entirely entitled to throw around the term "victim" like ti doesn't mean anything. There are victims of oppression in higher education and if Golden Girl is one then they have a case against the admissions process at that school. But otherwise no. If you did poorly in an interview you are not a victim. You were caught off guard. You had a bad day. The dog ate your notes, you got gum on your shoe, and you missed the bus so you were late. None of that makes you a victim. Being  discriminated against, oppressed, attacked, or otherwise victimized makes you a victim.

@iamswwg If a violation of rights happened, then that's wrong. But what has been explained here is that someone thinks the admissions process is unfair. Golden Girl hasn't said they were denied entry because they were (insert race/religion/gender/orientation/anything else). All they say is that someone else on the thread is "victim blaming" but they don't actually explain how they could be a victim or what rights of their were violated. This thread has well established that getting into higher education is not a right--it is a privilege that you have to earn. Viewing higher education as a right is elitist, especially considering the appalling rates of literacy in areas like the Appalachian or your average prison.
If you didn't get in because you had your African American hair natural for the interview, then you're a victim.
If you didn't get in because you're pregnant, your rights have been violated.
If you didn't get in because your same sex partner dropped you off at the interview, then there is a serious problem at that institution.
If you didn't get in because you fumbled an interview or had a low GRE or not stellar letter of recommendation, then you take what you learn from that rejection and use it to strengthen your future applications. 
It's wrong, elitist, and entirely entitled to throw around the term "victim" like ti doesn't mean anything. There are victims of oppression in higher education and if Golden Girl is one then they have a case against the admissions process at that school. But otherwise no. If you did poorly in an interview you are not a victim. You were caught off guard. You had a bad day. The dog ate your notes, you got gum on your shoe, and you missed the bus so you were late. None of that makes you a victim. Being  discriminated against, oppressed, attacked, or otherwise victimized makes you a victim.

@iamswwg If a violation of rights happened, then that's wrong. But what has been explained here is that someone thinks the admissions process is unfair. Golden Girl hasn't said they were denied entry because they were (insert race/religion/gender/orientation/anything else). All they say is that someone else on the thread is "victim blaming" but they don't actually explain how they could be a victim or what rights of their were violated. This thread has well established that getting into higher education is not a right--it is a privilege that you have to earn. Viewing higher education as a right is elitist, especially considering the appalling rates of literacy in areas like the Appalachian or your average prison.
If you didn't get in because you had your African American hair natural for the interview, then you're a victim.
If you didn't get in because you're pregnant, your rights have been violated.
If you didn't get in because your same sex partner dropped you off at the interview, then there is a serious problem at that institution.
If you didn't get in because you fumbled an interview or had a low GRE or not stellar letter of recommendation, then you take what you learn from that rejection and use it to strengthen your future applications. 
It's wrong, elitist, and entirely entitled to throw around the term "victim" like ti doesn't mean anything. There are victims of oppression in higher education and if Golden Girl is one then they have a case against the admissions process at that school. But otherwise no. If you did poorly in an interview you are not a victim. You were caught off guard. You had a bad day. The dog ate your notes, you got gum on your shoe, and you missed the bus so you were late. None of that makes you a victim. Being  discriminated against, oppressed, attacked, or otherwise victimized makes you a victim.

OP, srsly? 
 
 

Waiting tables is the secret to getting rich quick.
Not really, but it's extremely flexible (much more so than retail), easy to trade shifts when you need it, and you leave with cash in your pocket every night. I work at a dying restaurant and if I work two doubles and Friday night I can pull down $300-$400 easy. In New York, you could be pulling that a day.
There are some pretty easy to find resources on learning how to save money, just Goggle around and they'll find you. I do it by putting no more than $75 in my wallet to spend from my tips every weekend. Everything else goes into an envelope that goes to the bank every two weeks, and I don't touch that money for anything but school expenses. If I have a surplus (birthday, holiday, Grandma sends money) it goes straight into savings. I work every shift that I can reasonable manage which is weekends right now. In two weeks I'll likely be working five or six shifts a week with at least 2 doubles.
I'm going to a public school and living with my parents because that's an option for me. Get room mates or move back home if you can. Work your butt off every hour that you can manage. Working in a restaurant for two months, two years or even two decades isn't shameful. It's an honest living. My grandfather was a short order cook for 40 years with little education outside of the army--he and his wife raised 7 children while they were dirt floor poor. All of those children have jobs and an education. One even got his PhD and now his daughters are planning on getting theirs after they do their master's. Mine will be funded in part by working in a restaurant. 

If the argument here is that higher education should be like grade school because of federal funding., then you are losing more right than you think you're creating. You would get in every time to a public institution, yes. But here's what you would lose:
Freedoms of speech and expression: grade school can limit what you say, the topics you write papers on, and how you dress
Freedom of assembly: Only school-approved organizations can meet on school property at designated times and in designated places
Freedom of the press: all school news papers are closely monitored, you cannot hang flyers without approval
Unlawful search and seizure: if on school property, you are subject to screening by a drug dog at any time and if they alert on your belongings, they can be searched without your consent
There are grad school interviews for very good reasons. For those getting funding, it is a job interview. For those not it's a chance for the faculty to see more of who you are. It can support a weaker application. It can tank you if you present yourself poorly. Just like a job interview, they are also for students to see if the school is a good for from their perspective. How else are you supposed to find out if a faculty member you have to work with is an ass, or that you don't like any of them enough to work with them?
 
And don't dare call your self a victim Golden Girl. There's no such thing as a free lunch and your are not entitled to anything. You want to get into a school? Beef up your application, do work in the field , learn how to interview properly. But don't for a moment call yourself a victim just because you didn't get what you wanted. You are not a victim. When you call yourself one, you detract from every person out there who suffers from hated and oppression.

Not yet, the office of graduate admissions still hasn't attached my transcripts to my application. Now that I've called them (again) it'll be two to four weeks and I'll know. I'm pretty sure I'll get in to the advanced standing, but I'm still nervous. To be nosy taahir, what is your GPA and all that admissions whatnot like?