kgorham

Hello all - Just wondering if anyone has experience funding a two-year, full-time thesis track M.S. in Biology program. I applied to the local campus of my state university and got in, but the maximum funding the program offers is full tuition remission plus an $11k per year stipend. I was accepted and recieved the max award, but this is still much too little to live on and of course the school doesn't allow outside employment, so I was forced to decline to offer for purely financial reasons (even though I loved the school when I visited and think the program would have been a great fit). I'm thinking about my options for the cycle for admission in the fall of 2012, and will most likely re-apply to the same school. But assuming the max award amount stays the same, even if I were to get a secret part time job I still wouldn't be able to make ends meet as I have some pretty hefty private undergrad loans that have no in-school deferrment options except for forbearance (which is basically when you just stop paying them - it would wreck my credit score). All in all I'd need at least $18k to survive, and even that would be extremely insecure - it wouldn't include ANY sort of safey net if a financial emergency were to present itself. Does anyone know of a Master's program in life sciences in the Mid-Atlantic that offers a more generous (read: livable) stipend? I'm open to relocating from the Baltimore/DC area in order to take advantage of lower costs of living, if that could make my budget work (but of course the one montly expense I'd still have to contend with is the $1,000/month loan payments...but I hope to have one of the loans paid off by the start of the fall 2012 term, so by then the payments should only be $800/month). I do have relatively high GRE scores and a good undergrad GPA from a selective private university, plus good refs, work experience, etc. I'm fairly confident I could get into a selective Master's program, but I'm ABSOLUTELY unwilling to take on any more student loan debt to do so (go figure!), so I've been focusing my search on less selective schools in the hopes of getting a better financial aid package. Also, if anyone knows of resources for outside funding for M.S. degrees (scholarships, maybe fellowships?), and could share that info. it would be really helpful. I'm just really hoping I haven't completely blown my chances of getting a graduate degree in the near future by INSISTING on going to an expensive undergrad institution and racking up all this debt...any suggestions/advice would be more than welcome! Thanks for your help.