dividedby5

Thanks guys- I just wanted validation that I wasn't crazy for not wanting so much debt.

I figure this applies to all MFA's, not just the studio folks. I had told myself earlier in 'the season' that I wouldn't/couldn't go to grad school if I was offered no funding. I just wasn't prepared to take on $60k in debt for a degree with low job prospects. Now, I've been admitted somewhere (funding letter hasn't arrived yet). The process seems is so fickle that it seems like a stupid to "throw away" an acceptance, even without funding. I feel like I've been so discombobulated by this whole process that it's like someone asking me to split one hundred dollars, but 90/10, and I'm going- well, it's better than nothing... Any of you preparing to pay for everything? Or- will you not go rather than have debt?

I lived near Hobart and Western, which is a pretty good area (by Koreatown standards). If you look around Hobart Elementary School, you'll find some good buildings. It's a block by block, building by building judgement call, pretty much. We lived in a well maintained, pretty cute building (840 S. Hobart), and two doors down it was a crummy building. Three blocks over looked really run-down. So take some time and check it out. That area is all: wealthier Korean families, 20's artsyish folks, and a few hispanic families.

I made $13k when I lived in LA. I lived in Koreatown (there's a nice side to it, I swear!) and paid $400 for my half of the rent. My friend had a studio upstairs where he paid $600 for his own place. Utilities were included (!). You can make it on that little money, but you've gotta be real frugal, or not mind living on some credit cards (I did a little of both).

I loooove the Chapel Hill area. Did my undergrad there, moved away, then moved back. There's lots of very expensive good food, and some cheap food too. Good bars, and great coffee shops. It's a chain of small towns, so everything's easy to find. Having a car is helpful, but the bus line is FREE and really CLEAN. Not sketchy at all. If you choose to live far out (to save $$, which a lot of people do, rent can be 1/2 as much if you go 5 rural miles away), there are park and ride lots with bus service every 15 minutes. Also great hiking, canoeing, bike trails, etc, etc. For the liberals, hippies, queers, anarchists, hipsters, environmentalists, artists, coffee snobs, foodies- your haven is Carrboro (which is abou 1/2 mile from UNC). Welcome. You will like: Weaver St Market, Cosmic Cantina (which is the great uniter of everyone who wants a great $3 burrito), Cafe Driade, Orange County Social Club (bar for older hipsters), the SpeakEasy, Padgett Station (coffee), Open Eye (coffee), Queen of Sheba's (Ethiopian), and now I'm tired of listing things. Hope that helped a little.

They're practically the same- Old Town and S. Pasadena are expensive, but there are surrounding areas that aren't so bad. Pasadena areas SHOULD be slightly cheaper, but $1k won't make much of a difference...

Get a roommate and it's totally do-able. You should be able to share a place for between $400 and $600 depending on where you choose, and how many ways you're splitting it. Gas prices are high but rent is cheaper the farther you live from Westwood. You can get your own crummy studio with a distance to drive for like $500 or $600 if you prefer. Food isn't more expensive than anywhere else. I scraped by on $13k in LA being very, very, very frugal.