hailmerry

Hi yivorechecho, That's exciting to hear how much you liked BU. I have decided to attend the more expensive option though I am unable to attend an open house until April 13. Now that I've settled on it, I hope that I am just as excited after attending an open house as I am now. I will have to turn down a scholarship at another school by April 1 so it is sort of putting all my eggs in one basket, but I am confident it is the right choice. I will have to work part time to afford this option which I'm not as thrilled about, but I think it will be worth it in the long run. Also, I am pretty shocked that parents would attend a grad school open house. Not to sound judgemental, because I'm sure most parents are just curious and not trying to rule their children's lives. As for me, I'm 24 and every time I try to get a little advice from my parents, they refuse to give me anything other than that "its up to me." I'm glad they don't put any pressure on me, but I think they think its a little foolish to turn down a full scholarship for one that only covers half. I've crunched the numbers and still think its worth it, so bring on the loans!

I disagree that "It is always wise to pay back student loan debt as slow as possible," though I agreed 100% with your other comments regarding debt. Then again, I am a fan of Dave Ramsey. If you haven't heard of him, he doesn't advocate debt of ANY kind, with the possible exception of a 15 year fixed rate mortgage with 20% down. His basic arguement is that paying down debt is a guaranteed return (in terms of the interest you are not paying), where as investing in the stock market carries risk. In the best of times, it would be wiser to invest your money in the stock market gaining 12% and pay the minimum on a 1.7% loan. However, the subsidized stafford loans offered today are 6.8% and that is a far better return than you will earn in the stock market. Now is a fantastic time to pay down debt. I tend to see debt as a barrier to wealth as opposed to a "leverage," but that's just me. That said, I am going through the same thing as tulip ohare, we are both in speech pathology where it is possible to find an excellent job as a practicioner with a masters. I have been able to find funding for tuition only (not living) through "service agreements," where you agree to work for a particular population/geographic area after you graduate. I really really wanted to attend Vanderbilt, and they have given me 50% tuition remission the first year with assurance it would probably continue into the next year. I attended a cheap state school and lived at home as an undergrad b/c as I said I hate debt, but I am wondering if I should revise my whole philopsophy on this. If I attend Vanderbilt I will be given the opportunity to train in a subest of the field, feeding and swallowing in children and infants, thats highly specialized and may pay better. I requested more funding and we'll see what happens!

Hey I'm here! Currently deciding if I can afford to attend Vanderbilt with 50% tuition covered. I love everything I have heard about it, but I am just very concerned about student loan debt in this economy. On the other hand, I feel that it would offer me the best preparation for my interest in feeding/swallowing in pediatrics. Tulip O'hare, I just heard back from UMD at the end of last week, via email. In the email they congratulated me on my recent acceptance, in reference to a letter, but I have yet to receieve anything in the mail. They must still be notifying students, so dont worry! I also haven't heard back from TC, although someone else did on grad cafe apparently. Good luck! Which was your top choice?