CQE

GradCafers stick together, lol.

Wahhhhhhhhhh Wish I could be in Cambridge for the weekend. Alas, it wasn't meant to be at this point in time. I hope everyone else enjoys themselves, though! And I'd certainly appreciate any feedback regarding any financial aid details that have not been discussed here! Us GradCafers need to have a get together in August, too. You know, closer to when the real fun begins.... Anyway, have fun!

If you don't mind sharing, could you please answer this question: Relative to how much you would've paid per month without ICR, what is the % difference in monthly payments that ICR has provided you? I'm not at all looking for specifics...just trying to get a general idea of how much it can help (though one person is obviously not a very good sample size, lol).

Indeed, that is the length of my program. However, there is an optional second year I could do for extra certification (CAS). If I ultimately decide to work within schools, I'll probably do that additional year because it's supposed to be helpful in landing a school job. So, 1-2 years is what it'll be for me. The six years was more so in reference to my fiancee. I'm a current senior in undergrad, whereas she's a current sophomore. She'll be transferring into a Boston school (Tufts, BU, or UMass-Boston) to finish her final two years, and then shoot for vet school at Tufts. 6 years is the minimum, as she would have to be accepted into Cummings Vet School her first go 'round for it to be only 6 years. It could wind up being 7 or 8 or 9 depending on how long it takes her to get in. If she gets into another vet school, we could leave earlier than that, but she's pretty set on Tufts for vet school. But, we might stay in Boston beyond that as well. It really just depends on how happy we are in Boston when that time comes, or if one of us gets a great opportunity elsewhere. Lots of variables, but I'm confident and hopeful she gets into Cummings at some point. Thus, the reason I said at least 6 years.

Yeah, that sounds about right for a 10-year repayment plan, if you have some undergrad debt to go along with it. Of course, you can lower your monthly payment to make it more manageable by extending the repayment plan. But, as we know, this comes at a cost due to the interest having more time to accrue. Life Problems FTW!

ss, Considering you weren't granted IBR, did you try going the ICR route? I'm interested in your response because according to the link below, those who can't get IBR go for ICR. http://www.studentaid.ed.gov/repay-loans/understand/plans/income-contingent

Another thing about IBR: You have to reapply annually, even if you receive it the first time around. Theoretically, I suppose this means you can get it one year and not another. Moreover, if you are granted it year-by-year, which is the best-case scenario, it will be adjusted accordingly based off of changes in income. So, if you receive a raise or change jobs and end up having a higher salary, I imagine it's going to be offset by your new, higher IBR payment to some degree (assuming you're granted it again).

Yeah, the fact that it is not definitive certainly makes it risky. That's why everyone should look at best and worst-case scenarios. If you're still comfortable with the worst-case scenario - not getting IBR, for instance - then that's one thing. It's entirely another to walk into the debt without having a clue as to what you could potentially be getting yourself into. I'm sure most of us have done that, but good post, ss. I certainly didn't want to make it seem like IBR is a sure thing.

Right, but if you qualify for IBR (which you likely will), then you could be paying significantly less per month than you would if you didn't qualify for IBR. For instance, I plugged in some rough numbers based off of what I expect to have in debt, and I was told that 1) it's a strong possibility I'd get IBR and 2) I'd be paying only $180 a month versus, say, $700 a month (which is what the following link puts me at, roughly: http://www.finaid.org/calculators/loanpayments.phtml ). Therefore, while I would still be making payments for 10 years, those payments would be FAR less than what I'd be paying without IBR. Obviously, this results in a total much less than what the overall sticker price of HGSE is.

So you employ a Gangnam style of teaching? lol Sorry. I had to. Best of luck!

I said the following in a post a few pages back: "Lastly, don't forget about things like the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program and Income-Based Repayment Plan (IBR). I believe these two things will make you feel more at ease about taking on this seemingly insurmountable amount of debt. I hope that helps!" I truly hope that helps because I felt the same way as you not too long ago.

Just got my FA package. Here are the details to give everyone an idea of what theirs may look like, in case anyone has to wait an extra day or two: HGSE Grant = $12,200 Federal Work Study = $5,000 Federal Perkins Loan = $6,000 Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan = $20,500 Total Awards = $43,700 The remaining ~20k is going to need to come by way of a Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan. Here is the link to that because most people are going to need it according to an HGSE FA representative I spoke to a month or two ago: http://www.gse.harvard.edu/admissions/financial_aid/loans/plus.html

I agree, merrysoprano. One Harvard does sound pretty redundant relative to the Open House schedule. The only thing that really stands out about One Harvard is the "Roundtable discussion." Then again, that might just be because my name is Lance. lol. #cheesy The prematriculation site states that students from "historically underrepresented groups" are strongly encouraged to attend. That made me laugh because I immediately pictured myself being the token white guy, lol. Not that that matters, but it's still a funny visual considering I already look like a Twilight character to begin with.

I'm still not sure if I'm coming or not. I want to and need to for the sake of apartment-hunting (already got it down to 6-7 options, mainly because that's all I got due to my Akita), but it's just tough on account of price and the fact that I'm busy with my last month or so of undergrad. I'm going to come - it's just a matter if I'll do so now or in May, as I need to for apartment purposes. Wahhhhhhhhhhh I'll decide soon.

It came down to Penn and HGSE for me, too. However, after visiting both schools and cities back in January, I knew I was going to HGSE if I got in. I really like the people at Penn, though, and I know I could be happy there as well. Definitely a tough call. For me, the city played a big part in my decision considering I'll be there for at least 6 years. I have a fiancee, too, so I wanted her to be in the best position possible for her future career. I just think Boston is the best place for us.