skybythelight

I think this probably was supposed to be in the other thread, but I'm glad you guys have it worked out too! I feel really lucky that I have a partner willing to support this crazy dream I have, financially and otherwise.

We'll probably go through a realtor as well... I'd feel more comfortable that way than going through Craigslist without being able to see the place first.

He definitely makes more than I do! And we've discussed the possibility of my turning into a mooching academic for awhile in order to keep living expense loans at an absolute minimum. We've got it figured out.

UW funds about 50% of its incoming MA and PhD class for the first year. However, I would not be considered a first year because I will have done my MA there as well. One hundred percent of students who have wanted a TAship in their second through sixth years have gotten one over the past ten years or so.

Listen, guys, it's not that I don't appreciate the advice. I do. And I don't want this to come off the wrong way, but honestly, I didn't start this thread so I could get a bunch of people telling me to change my decision. I'm well aware that the prevailing opinion on this board is against unfunded MA degrees. I respect that opinion, I understand it, and this is a decision that I've wrestled with heavily. However, none (or at least very few) of us have any real sense of each other's real life circumstances, and none of us are in a position to dictate what is or is not right for each other. I did not start this thread asking for opinions as to whether or not I should attend an MA/PhD program with one unfunded year. I started it because I was interested in the experiences of those here who have gone through a similar process and may have some anecdotes or insights about taking out loans to share. Again, I respect your opinions and appreciate the advice but it is not necessary at this point. Please take it elsewhere.

Good luck! Feel free to PM me if you want to exchange findings/advice.

It's a lot of debt, yes, but I'm trying to look at the big picture. I'm guaranteed a spot in the PhD program, it's a great location for both my boyfriend and I which is huge, and I don't have too much undergrad debt.

It does, thanks. That's basically what I thought from the research I've been doing. It seems, though, that PLUS loans are really the only option beyond the $20,500 from the stafford for getting help with cost of living? In my case, if I were to attend full-time (which I may not), tuition would be about $27k. I can live as cheaply as possible but I'll still likely need to take out some extra to supplement my boyfriend's income. If I go part-time and get a part-time job... that will be a different scenario.

I was wondering about Grad PLUS loans. Anyone have any experience with them or insight?

I'm in the process of doing research on the different types of loans grad students are eligible for, as I'm fairly certain I'll be going to U Washington with one year unfunded. I was hoping to start a conversation about the pros and cons of different types of loans, and people's experiences with them, if they're comfortable sharing. For those of you that did have to fund some of your graduate education, how did you go about it? Any suggestions, loan types to avoid, etc.?

This is great, thanks! I'm also looking at a major move, from Rhode Island to either Colorado or Washington. It'll be my boyfriend and I and our chihuahua. Yikes. Does anyone have any experience with renting a trailer from UHaul or another moving service? We're thinking that we aren't taking enough furniture to warrant renting a truck and are hoping that the few things we do want to take along will fit in a small trailer that my boyfriend's car can tow.

Unfortunately, I'm not even on the alternate list. I think it's probably very likely due to low GRE and GPA... that's what I'm telling myself, anyway. I talked to Kathy Mork, one of the program coordinators, on the phone today. I thought I'd share what I learned in case anyone here is still on the fence. She said that about half of the incoming class attends unfunded. After the first year, funding increases dramatically and you are guaranteed renewal for years 3, 4 and 5 (if you choose to continue to the PhD0. So, Kathy said that it's nearly 100% of students that are funded for years 2-5. She emphasized the department's committment to supporting those students that do attend and make an effort to do well with funding in subsequent years, which sounded very genuine even to my cynical self. This year they accepted 50 students and made 20 TA-ship offers with 15 alternates. They're aiming for an incoming class of 20, with about half being funded.

Congrats, nothingatall! That's great. I, unfortunately, was also denied funding. I am still considering accepting, however, once I get a bit more information as to what the likelihood of second year/PhD funding would be.

Good luck to everyone waiting to hear about funding today. Well, I'm hoping it will be today but that may be wishful thinking.

I'm not quite sure what's going on with their PhD apps because I applied to the MA, but I do know that most of the graduate staff there is pretty good at communicating so if you were to e-mail you could probably find out. Also, I finally got my Maryland rejection today.

I haven't, no. I've been e-mailing back and forth a bit with Jennifer Siembor.... I'm not sure exactly what her title is.

I'm kind of wavering between numbers 1 and 3. I do have an acceptance from U Colorado, but I'm on the waitlist for funding which seems to be rather meager even if I do end up getting it. TA-ship with tuition remission and no stipend. I honestly think that I will probably end up at Washington no matter what, though a funding offer would obviously make that much easier and less anxiety-inducing. For me personally, I think it's worth the loans for the first year based on the percentage of MA students who receive funding for their second year and because the program feeds into the PhD.

It does, and makes my decision a lot easier. I'll likely be turning my offer down within the next few days... if only I knew the proper way to do so, ha.

Honestly, unless I'm offered a funding package I likely will not attend. I've also been accepted to UWashington, and though I haven't heard about funding from them yet, if I AM offered funding there it will be a much better package from what I can tell. If not, I have a guaranteed spot in their PhD program, so spending the money for the MA isn't such a gamble.

In case anyone is interested, this is the e-mail I received from Youngquist about funding. He had originally told me I was on a waitlist, and then I received that form e-mail simply stating that no funding was available, so I asked for clarification. "I'll be as clear as I can. You are on a waitlist at the moment for fall funding. This means we have made a number offers of MA admission that include a position as a TA in the fall. If some of these are not accepted, the funding package will devolve to you. It involves assisting in a large lecture by way of holding discussion sections and grading papers. We do our very best (and so far we have been successful at it) to award each of our MA students at least one semester of teaching over the course of four semesters in the MA program. So at the very least, you'd have that. Things right now are very fluid (many admits have multiple offers), so it's very possible to imagine funding coming your way. But at the moment I can't guarantee it."

Yep, got mine too. Finally!

Thanks for this.

Has CMU offered you any funding? Just out of curiosity. My best friend was accepted to their MA last year with a half-tuition scholarship, and I wasn't sure if that was standard for their MA candidates.

Just got my official e-mail of acceptance... "Unfortunately, we cannot offer you a teaching assistantship at this time, but may be able to do so at a later date. We make every effort to see that our MA students receive at least one semester of financial support in the form of a teaching assistantship during their two years in our program."

Thanks for all of your thoughts! I'm really interested in and appreciate everyone's input. I guess I could shed a little more light on my situation: I graduated in May 2012 with my BA, and turned down a funded MA offer last year for various reasons (I wasn't ready to move to the other side of the country, death in the family, etc). This year, I applied to 5 PhD programs and 3 MAs. If assumed rejections count, I've been shut out of the PhDs this year. Which... sucks, but I've come to terms with the fact that I really think I need to do an MA to get the kind of focus I need to be competitive for top PhD programs. My undergrad experience was wonderful, but it was at a very low level state school and I didn't really have access to a lot of the resources that I may have elsewhere. Long story short, I think I could absolutely benefit from doing an MA, but my eventual goal is the PhD. So that being said, I can't really see NOT going this year now that I'm in to these two programs. Especially because Washington is fully integrated so I basically would have a guaranteed spot in their PhD program provided I remain in "academic good standing" or whatever. I feel a lot less anxious about taking out loans knowing that, if that makes any sense. It doesn't feel like such a crapshoot. I suppose for me, I feel like were I to turn these offers down because they're (so far) unfunded and reapply next year, I would be met with largely the same results because at this point I do feel like doing a Masters is one of the few things that could most seriously improve my application.