K.Ash

I'm struggling with a similar issue - I'm working full-time while in school full-time, coming out to 40 hrs/wk working, 8 hrs/wk in class, 20 hrs/wk or so on hmwk, and am a) struggling and unsatisfied. I actually think B is making A an issue and that if I was happier at work, I'd be more okay with the situation. Really lost on what to do, as I don't want to cut my work hours and lose the income but don't want to cut a course because I have a scholarship that requires I study full-time.

Don't take out private loans unless you decide you truly 'need' one for moving expenses. Private loans are generally a very bad idea when it comes to education. You can take out grad plus loans to cover the entire estimated cost of living provided by your university. I'd suggest you do more research on this.

Out of three roommate situations I've had, only one of them was a pleasant experience. I'm not exactly pumped to return to this way of living after 3.5 yrs on my own. That said, I'm moving from a small city to a major metro area. It'd be a miracle to pay what I currently do for a 1 bdrm, for my portion of the rent in a 3 bdrm. I'm not taking on additional debt for cost of living, so roommates are kind of essential. I am fairly optimistic since it was the last roommate out of the three experiences that was best. We're actually meeting in the coming weeks to check out potential apartments, and of course to make sure none of the others are absolutely insane Also, to the OP - I know when I say roommates, I'm talking about sharing an apartment but having my own bedroom. No way in heck am I sharing a bedroom with someone I don't really know. Particularly given scary crap like the link posted above, I will be checking for locks on the doors until I trust these chicks lol. In terms of finding them, my grad program has a listserv and google group... so many people have been connecting that way.

I'm moving about 400 miles... I'm only 23 but have been living on my own for about 2.5 yrs so I have a good amount of furniture. Granted, almost all of it is second hand. However, last year I bought this AWESOME red couch that I am just not willing to part with so it is a big reason I'll need a U-Haul. Although the reality of the cost is certainly setting in, a U-Haul will cost me only slightly more than what the couch did... sigh. I've got a certain attachment to it as it is my first piece of 'adult' furniture. My parents also recently relocated from my hometown (currently 2 hrs away from me) down South (where, conveniently, they will be 2 hrs away from my new home) so I don't have any storage options here. I don't plan on moving back up here so it would have to get down there eventually anyway.

I'm really happy to see this thread b/c I'm probably currently in just about the best shape of my life, extra motivated by a cruise in July, and have been kind of concerned about fitting in fitness once I start grad school since I will be studying FT and working close to FT. then again, I'm selling my car so the several miles a day I'll be walking to metro stops should count for something

I'm staying til mid July - gave department director notice earlier this week. Was not a good day for her, as my immediate supervisor also gave notice and is leaving for a new job soon (... we're a department of 3).

This is a very comforting thread to have come across. I'll be relocating more than 6 hours away for my Masters in August, and after talking through the options my SO is going to stay here for now. I think this will really be a huge test for us... if we can do this, I know we're in it for the long haul. but I don't know if it will. He grew up in the city we currently live in, and pretty much his whole (very large) family lives here. He would be okay staying here forever. I don't have ties here, I actually will very soon no longer have family in the state, and can't have the career I desire here. Its a tough time, so for now we're just enjoying as much time together as we can

It is obviously a shared feeling, haha. I don't hate my job, but I've had some transitions in the leadership of my small team in the last year and lets just say it hasn't been smooth sailing so I'm really quite excited to get out of here. That said, I want to save every penny I can before I start school so I'll be working until about July 18th, then have a few days to pack up, going on a cruise with my SO , and then my lease ends July 31 so I'm looking to move in August 1. Then I'll have August to adjust to my new city and hopefully start a FT or PT job there. A break is great, but I get bored easily and I really don't want to take out loans to support my cost of living expenses so I will be looking to work. How have others handled giving notice? I'm really torn. The timing of my departure won't be very convenient for some events we have going on, so I'd like to give ample notice... but not so much notice that they decide I should leave sooner rather than later. Really torn over this currently.

The debt felt really scary to me, too. Up until a week or two ago, I just wasn't comfortable taking out this much money in loans. While PSLF and IBR are great, I'm not relying on those for my piece of mind. My piece of mind comes from knowing I do not make a whole lotta money right now and still manage to do SO MUCH with it. If reading about how someone else makes it work won't ease your mind, then ignore the below. Right now, I bring home about $35,000/yr. I only put away $50/month in savings. yeah, its crap, but its something and I transfer in additional money whenever it looks like I've got some extra floating around. I pay $250/month on my undergrad loans. In the last 14 months or so, I've made trips to Boston, Pittsburgh, D.C., wine country in Canada, and Denver. I have a gym membership, I go out, I don't always have self-control when I'm shopping, and for awhile I had cable (cut that crap out, useless!). Occasionally, I have large expenses like car repairs. There is a lot of stuff I spend money on that I do NOT need to, I just figure I'm young and should be enjoying myself to some extent. So if I have all of this disposable income now, then when I'm making at least $15,000 more a year I'm sure I can easily handle doubling my student loan payments. Thats only $3,000 more, so then I can put the other $12,000 into savings (because honestly, I'm pretty happy with the way I live and will continue in a similar manner). Without grad school, stepping up the ladder is going to be really difficult. So this is 100% the right decision for me. Hopefully this helps you?

Hi all, Is anyone else on the NYU waitlist? I am curious because I am, and I elected to stay on the waitlist until May 1. Tonight, I missed a call from a 212 number and came home to google what it might be. Welp, it is the phone of Vanessa Hutchinson... Asst Director of Admissions at NYU Wagner. However, she did not leave a voicemail. Currently speculating what this means and options include: 1 - obviously, I got in! 2 - they were gonna let me in, but since I didn't pick up they called someone else (does it work like that?) 3 - she didn't mean to call me in the first place OR 4 - she will just call me again in the morning The missed call was well after 5 PM, which is particularly interesting. Anyone got thoughts? Experience in this area? Wanna join me in speculation-ville?

I'm not sure if my experience will be helpful, but here it is. This morning, I finally made my decision and submitted my deposit to American-- I'll be getting my MPA with a focus in international management. I've been agonizing over this for a few weeks because I couldn't shake the idea in my head that George Washington, my other top choice, has a better reputation (even though they are ranked the same). When I really looked at the courses that both programs offer, though, American has more classes that tie into my interests. And in the end we are in fact paying for an education (and credentials, but that part doesn't help us make a decision). I don't know anything about Security Studies, except I hear its very hard to get a job in -- so I guess that could work two ways: 1) a more generalized course of study is better because you can cast a wider net for future job opps or 2) a more specific focus may make you the stellar job applicant they are looking for. I'd lean towards A, personally. Despite our best intentions, remember a lot of people go into school thinking they want to do ABC and come out with a slightly different plan. I'd suggest you take a hard look at the coursework and see if that helps you decide. I've known in my gut for a week or so that American was the right choice... I just had to take the leap. Good luck to you!

I'm waiting to hear from the school I'm 99% sure I'll be attending about a particular scholarship I applied for, which I hope to hear about tomorrow or Tuesday. I'm also kind of holding out because I have this horrible idea in my head that School B has a better reputation then School A. Alas, School A is a better fit with my interests academically and just feels right so I know unless something earth shattering happens I'll be picking School A lol. According to one of my good friends who was in our place this time last year, it feels so much better once you accept an offer. I'm REALLLLLYYYY ready for that haha.

If I can remember correctly, I spoke to someone on a Thursday or Friday and got the letter on a Tuesday I think. Good luck!

Don't assume its a rejection. Back in February, I was really sweating my University of Maryland admission. They said they'd notify us around like 2/7 or something like that. I called the department 2x and they said that they were behind schedule. Second time, though, they added that they had made decisions and were mailing out letters in 2-3 days. They said almost the exact thing you wrote to me, and gave no indication if I got in or not. I got the letter in the mail before my online info was updated. Some schools just do things a bit odd.

Something that I've heard is that many schools focus on your GPA for your last 60 credits, because they like to see how you were doing as your studies got more focused, you had adjusted to college, etc. If I recall correctly, Duke actually makes you figure that out for them. I didn't have any Fs, but I had a rough semester in which I only had a 2.5. Despite being on our Dean's List every subsequent semester, my overall never passed a 3.3. The worst grade happened to be in a foreign language class, and that obviously didn't stop me from getting some pretty good admits to MPA/MPP programs with an International Development focus. I also had a withdraw on my transcript, but in an unrelated class. I'm not sure how to tackle the question of addressing it in your application, but my advice would be to keep it simple and honest. Don't try and BS them. They have seen it all a dozen times over. Good luck!