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.

Oh, and FWIW, I went ahead and posted on the group page saying what my gradcafe username was. Y'no, so we all know who's who.

Request senttttt. Thanks, Bro Brogan.

Linkage?

This year, anyway. I can't wait to see this team in two years, though. Chambers will be a junior, Missi will be a senior, and Saunders will be a senior. On top of that, you got current freshman like Okolie and Cummins who are going to grow, mentally and physically. Additionally, Harvard already has two three-star big men that have signed for this year's class. Lastly, we cannot undervalue the experience that this year's team has gained by winning the Ivy League and an NCAA Tournament game. Harvard's run is really just beginning. It's going to be fun!

Nice, Ed! What all went down? BTW, as a reminder for everyone, Harvard plays tonight at 5 CST on TNT to move on to the Sweet 16. As of right now, they are 10.5 point underdogs to Arizona, which is around what they were against New Mexico. Whatever. Bring it!

LOL, nice. It's definitely fun to snag a couple of hometown guys to follow for your fantasy team. I knew I'd be in Philly or Boston, so I drafted a couple of Flyers and Bruins players to specifically watch and root for when watching both teams play. I used to be a huge Chicago Cubs fan, but I've since lost interest in baseball on account of the lack of parity. Another thing that's contributed to my decreased interest in MLB is the length of the season. As I've grown older, I've obviously gained more responsibility. Therefore, I can't watch the number of games I used to. I might be able to watch 25-40 games a year...out of 162 games. It just makes me feel detached from the team, in my opinion, because I'm only able to watch 25% of the team's game in a season. It's just more of a chore, you know? With the NBA and NHL, you have anywhere from 2-4 games a week, which is a lot more doable. And, obviously, the NFL is the least demanding from a fan perspective due to there just being one game a week on what's typically an "off day" for most people with jobs. But now that I'll be in Boston, I'll definitely make more of an effort to keep up with MLB and the Sox, specifically.

I hear ya on the first part. I've always been more of a fan of NCAA Basketball than the NBA's product. However, now that I'll be living in Boston, I'm definitely going to pay a little more attention to the NBA (the Celtics, in particular ). I might even have to join an NBA fantasy league, too. And while we're on the topic of sports and Boston, I highly encourage everyone to take a tour of Fenway. If possible, get Louis to be your tour guide. Just be prepared for him to show off his bling!

Yup. Prior to the start of last night's game, one of the panelists said he had NM in the Final Four, too. And as far as all this talk goes regarding debt, salary, etc...There are programs in place to assist people like us in paying down our debt, as well as eventually ridding ourselves of debt. Additionally, we all know that the more money one tends to make, the more money one tends to spend - thus the reason why people who make six figures have similar financial problems to those who only make $50k. In my opinion, and regardless of the amount of money you make, it's important to live below your means rather than above, or even just at the tippity-top, of your means. If you do that, then you're providing yourself with cushion to not only have some money for a rainy day, but to also maintain your retirement savings. On the other hand, if you're only stowing away a little bit of money a month for retirement on account of living at the top-end of your budget, what you believed to be those "retirement savings" will later go toward making ends meet as a result of a layoff or some other unforeseen circumstances. Ultimately, one who makes $50k can stretch his/her dollar out a hell of a lot more than who makes $150k+ due to being smart with that money. There are also ways to manufacture money (counterfeiting FTW! jk, jk), similarly to how a baseball team can manufacture runs by stealing bases and putting on a squeeze or hit-and-run. But, most importantly, making wise financial decisions comes with doing your research and taking the time to plan. Foresight, in other words, is key. Point is, the debt, at face-value, sounds awful. But, if you do research, some number-crunching, and evaluate best-and-worse cast scenarios, then you'll have an understanding of what to do in the present and future because you'll have a plan A, B, and C ahead of time. At the end of the day, money, like life, is what you make of it. That's really all there is to it.

And Harvard wins their first NCAA Tournament game...EVER! w00t Go Crimson!

It's like 75-80% chicks. lol We'll stick out like sore thumbs.