nnllrr Posted March 29, 2011 Posted March 29, 2011 Is anyone else overwhelmed by the cost of tuition/housing/books/transportation etc. per year at the graduate programs? I'm referring specifically to people who will take out loans to fund the education. For those of you receiving some sort of "free" grants, good for you, but I'm not talking about you guys. Hahaha. Oh, and if this is anyone's second master's degree, I would LOVE to hear from you on how you're dealing with this. But back to my question, do you believe this is all worth it? It's a huge investment to my future but the cost is so high. I am worried about it too! I got accepted at BU which costs 57,000 a year including living expenses which will total 114,000 for 2 years and an instate school which will cost 15,000 total for 2 years( I would commute from home). I also have 80,000 in debt from undergrad so it is a vary hard choice. Bu has a much better program and reputation and I think that will be beneficial when I enter the field. But having so much debt does scare me. I'm trying to decide if it is worth it to spend an extra 100,000 just to go there.
kroge23 Posted March 29, 2011 Posted March 29, 2011 Is anyone else overwhelmed by the cost of tuition/housing/books/transportation etc. per year at the graduate programs? I'm referring specifically to people who will take out loans to fund the education. For those of you receiving some sort of "free" grants, good for you, but I'm not talking about you guys. Hahaha. Oh, and if this is anyone's second master's degree, I would LOVE to hear from you on how you're dealing with this. But back to my question, do you believe this is all worth it? It's a huge investment to my future but the cost is so high. I am definitely concerned with the cost. MGH is high on my list and very expensive. Not to mention I probably will not get funding, the cost of living in Boston is insane, and I am engaged now and will have to worry about wedding cost soon too! However, even though it is a big investment I am willing to deal with it to have my dream career. Oh and I did I mentioned that I am hoping to get my PhD afterwards too... I am going to be SO far in debt when this is over so it better be worth it!
KatieA Posted March 29, 2011 Posted March 29, 2011 Honestly, It depends on how much debt, if its worth it or not... For my own personal situation, graduate school without any type of assistantship will cost about 30,000 in state... However, I am still hopeful for funding. Question, when people say "funding" what exactly do they mean? I always thought of funding as grants, scholarships, TA-ships, tuition breaks--anything that's not a loan. But, I emailed a state program to ask them when funding decisions would be available, and they basically said they weren't funding people. I just find it really odd that they wouldn't even need TA's...does funding just refer to "free" money like grants? I'd really like to go there, but with absolutely no financial aid there's no way I'd be able to swing it. I don't really want to e-mail them back to clarify because I don't want to seem like a jerk.
mscongeniality1 Posted March 29, 2011 Posted March 29, 2011 Oh and I did I mentioned that I am hoping to get my PhD afterwards too... I am going to be SO far in debt when this is over so it better be worth it! Well hopefully your PhD program will fund you...I've heard that funding is much, much easier to find for PhD students but I agree, I am pondering a PhD and, with that, which program will set me up the best to get to that point. Ahhhhhh so many things to think about!
lauraspeech Posted March 29, 2011 Posted March 29, 2011 Has anyone heard anything from New York Medical College?
kayrlis Posted March 30, 2011 Posted March 30, 2011 Is anyone else overwhelmed by the cost of tuition/housing/books/transportation etc. per year at the graduate programs? I'm referring specifically to people who will take out loans to fund the education. For those of you receiving some sort of "free" grants, good for you, but I'm not talking about you guys. Hahaha. Oh, and if this is anyone's second master's degree, I would LOVE to hear from you on how you're dealing with this. But back to my question, do you believe this is all worth it? It's a huge investment to my future but the cost is so high. Gosh, I am. I can get in-state at two schools I'm looking at, but one is in a so-so location and the other isn't as prestigious. And then there's UDub, where I will be in debt forever but... it might be perfect. I don't know what to do, except keep working (where I make about $200 a week... not a way to save up for school if you ask me...) I'm glad I have company, though!
slp24 Posted March 30, 2011 Posted March 30, 2011 Question, when people say "funding" what exactly do they mean? I always thought of funding as grants, scholarships, TA-ships, tuition breaks--anything that's not a loan. But, I emailed a state program to ask them when funding decisions would be available, and they basically said they weren't funding people. I just find it really odd that they wouldn't even need TA's...does funding just refer to "free" money like grants? I'd really like to go there, but with absolutely no financial aid there's no way I'd be able to swing it. I don't really want to e-mail them back to clarify because I don't want to seem like a jerk. [/quote I think of funding as GRA, TA, GA, etc positions. Where your tuition is covered and you get a stipend each month. My understanding of a grant is that you have to work for a specific place after school, in order to not have to pay it back. Have you tried emailing other departments to see if they have anything available or just sending your resume for future opportunities? I have been emailing my resume to other departments. Also, I did not attend my dream school 2 years ago because it was too expensive and I did not receive any funding! It was the right decision, but extremely tough.
tayfray Posted March 30, 2011 Posted March 30, 2011 I'm pretty sure I've made my final decision, guys. I didn't end up with any funding from Emerson (just loan offers), so I'm defaulting to my top choice, MGH!
ingolstadt Posted March 30, 2011 Posted March 30, 2011 I'm pretty sure I've made my final decision, guys. I didn't end up with any funding from Emerson (just loan offers), so I'm defaulting to my top choice, MGH! Yay for MGH!! Tayfray, same Emerson thing happened to me. I got the letter in the mail yesterday saying I qualified for the $20,500/year in Stafford loans (wtf at not qualifying for Perkins) but no word on anything else. I just came back from an info meeting at Emerson (seriously, LA --> Boston and Boston --> LA in 24 hours is crazy. Never again.) and they said the merit aid is not awarded until they know who's accepted the offer of admission. Therefore, people who want to know what merit aid is being offered at Emerson BEFORE submitting the enrollment deposit -- no such luck. I am sort of in love with the program (and location!) right now. I think I'm going to accept, regardless of merit aid, since they've got good FWS opportunities.
dogfishing Posted March 30, 2011 Posted March 30, 2011 Hi all. I just sent in my enrollment deposit to BU today and I'm wondering what you all think about contacting departments about logistics. How soon is too soon? I'm really excited and eager to contact the department right away about possible assistantships, potentially hooking up with other incoming grad students who could be roommates, housing, etc -- but should I hold off until April 15th when the whole class is confirmed? I want to get started, but I don't want to seem like an annoying jerk. Thoughts?
erjensen Posted March 30, 2011 Posted March 30, 2011 I have a question that I thought I knew the answer to, but now I am just confused. Do you get paid while doing your externship?
annieplease Posted March 30, 2011 Posted March 30, 2011 Is everyone flying out to visit their school choices? Because I haven't done so yet... I'm deciding whether or not to shell out $500+ to fly out to the midwest (IND) and east coast (NYC) to visit the schools there. Is it worth it? For those accepted into IU and TC, what are your factors in deciding whether or not to go to these schools? Is TC really even worth the money?? Do people get financial aid from the gov't at all in graduate school? Thanks.
frostine Posted March 30, 2011 Posted March 30, 2011 I think on rare occasions you can be paid for externships (I know VA medical here pays.) So... how are everyone's enrollment decisions going?
Daniela Posted March 30, 2011 Posted March 30, 2011 (edited) If by financial aid you mean subsidized/unsubsidized loans, yes you do (depending on you FAFSA and whether or not you already have a Master's degree). If by grants from the government (here in New York, (New York Residents) we have TAP aka Tuition Assistance Program which was based on your financial need -- this is where most of your "free" money came from), unfortunately graduate students are not eligible for this. Is everyone flying out to visit their school choices? Because I haven't done so yet... I'm deciding whether or not to shell out $500+ to fly out to the midwest (IND) and east coast (NYC) to visit the schools there. Is it worth it? For those accepted into IU and TC, what are your factors in deciding whether or not to go to these schools? Is TC really even worth the money?? Do people get financial aid from the gov't at all in graduate school? Thanks. Edited March 30, 2011 by Daniela
Daniela Posted March 30, 2011 Posted March 30, 2011 The SLP's I work for told me that they did get paid for their externships, just not very well. I have a question that I thought I knew the answer to, but now I am just confused. Do you get paid while doing your externship?
tayfray Posted March 30, 2011 Posted March 30, 2011 Yay for MGH!! Tayfray, same Emerson thing happened to me. I got the letter in the mail yesterday saying I qualified for the $20,500/year in Stafford loans (wtf at not qualifying for Perkins) but no word on anything else. I just came back from an info meeting at Emerson (seriously, LA --> Boston and Boston --> LA in 24 hours is crazy. Never again.) and they said the merit aid is not awarded until they know who's accepted the offer of admission. Therefore, people who want to know what merit aid is being offered at Emerson BEFORE submitting the enrollment deposit -- no such luck. I am sort of in love with the program (and location!) right now. I think I'm going to accept, regardless of merit aid, since they've got good FWS opportunities. You're going to accept Emerson or MGH? Emerson's just not for me. I was holding out just in case something came through, but now I really don't have an excuse not to go with MGH.
kroge23 Posted March 30, 2011 Posted March 30, 2011 I'm pretty sure I've made my final decision, guys. I didn't end up with any funding from Emerson (just loan offers), so I'm defaulting to my top choice, MGH! Congrats! I might end up there with you too! I am having a hard time making my decision, but I am leaning towards MGH. What was it for you that made you know MGH was the right place? It is mainly the cost that is killing me... that is the only downfall.
kroge23 Posted March 30, 2011 Posted March 30, 2011 Is everyone flying out to visit their school choices? Because I haven't done so yet... I'm deciding whether or not to shell out $500+ to fly out to the midwest (IND) and east coast (NYC) to visit the schools there. Is it worth it? For those accepted into IU and TC, what are your factors in deciding whether or not to go to these schools? Is TC really even worth the money?? Do people get financial aid from the gov't at all in graduate school? Thanks. I am in a similar situation. I decided that I HAVE to visit the schools in order to make a decision. I want to know that I feel comfortable in the location and on the campus of somewhere that I am going to live for 2 years. I bought a plane ticket to Lincoln-Nebraska for their open house, am driving to Boston to visit MGH (about 5 hours), and am trying to figure out how to get to East Tennessee right now. The cost definitely sucks, but for me deciding using the website alone was not enough. I hope this helps. GOOD LUCK!
nnllrr Posted March 30, 2011 Posted March 30, 2011 Hi all. I just sent in my enrollment deposit to BU today and I'm wondering what you all think about contacting departments about logistics. How soon is too soon? I'm really excited and eager to contact the department right away about possible assistantships, potentially hooking up with other incoming grad students who could be roommates, housing, etc -- but should I hold off until April 15th when the whole class is confirmed? I want to get started, but I don't want to seem like an annoying jerk. Thoughts? Hey, I am going to BU too! I want to contact them about assistantships and I also wanted to ask them if all of my pre-reqs are done, because I do have a BA in comm disorders but their are 2 or 3 pre reqs of theirs that I'm not sure if mine would transfer as or if they would make me go back and retake those classes because the titles of courses are slightly different. Such as Intro to speech,language, and hearing sciences would my Intro to comm disorders transfer as that....I think I will have to call them to be sure. Are you going this weekend to the open house? I'm going Saturday and I might go Friday too. Maybe someone there could answer some of our questions? I'm not sure what to do about housing either, all the apartments around Boston seem so expensive compared to CT lol. I don't know if I should go off campus or try to find roommates etc.
Daniela Posted March 30, 2011 Posted March 30, 2011 Hi, my sister went to BU for her undergrad and grad degrees and she lived in Brookline in a huge apartment and although I don't remember how much she paid for it, I can tell you that she did not pay an arm and a leg (after all, she was a grad student)! Brookline is a beautiful neighborhood and it is on the same T-line as BU. Just thought I'd give me two cents. Hey, I am going to BU too! I want to contact them about assistantships and I also wanted to ask them if all of my pre-reqs are done, because I do have a BA in comm disorders but their are 2 or 3 pre reqs of theirs that I'm not sure if mine would transfer as or if they would make me go back and retake those classes because the titles of courses are slightly different. Such as Intro to speech,language, and hearing sciences would my Intro to comm disorders transfer as that....I think I will have to call them to be sure. Are you going this weekend to the open house? I'm going Saturday and I might go Friday too. Maybe someone there could answer some of our questions? I'm not sure what to do about housing either, all the apartments around Boston seem so expensive compared to CT lol. I don't know if I should go off campus or try to find roommates etc.
tayfray Posted March 30, 2011 Posted March 30, 2011 Congrats! I might end up there with you too! I am having a hard time making my decision, but I am leaning towards MGH. What was it for you that made you know MGH was the right place? It is mainly the cost that is killing me... that is the only downfall. Mainly the medical practicum options and the choices in classes. I also don't have a lower cost alternative at this point. My husband took a job in Boston, which allowed me to narrow it down to the three Boston schools that I applied to: BU: Definitely a good program with a good reputation, but I don't like the large university setting. I've had experiences with both very large and very small schools, and I prefer a smaller one for a variety of reasons. I also never felt like I got very friendly or personal responses to my phone calls and emails to the faculty and administrative staff. They do have great aphasia options (which is what I'm mainly interested in), but so does MGH. Since it was the most expensive option, I felt comfortable eliminating it. Emerson: I did get a very friendly impression from the program, and I think I would be happy there on a social level, but it doesn't have the medical emphasis that I want. They have a heavy peds focus, and that's just not what I'm looking for. Although this certainly isn't a deal-breaker of mine, I did notice that the program doesn't have name recognition. The cost is comparable to MGH, so I decided that unless a really good funding opportunity came through for Emerson, I could also eliminate it. MGH: I didn't get to visit, but I did get to have a really good conversation with a current second year student, and I've corresponded with faculty. It has all the right elements for me: top faculty who are accessible to the students, great medical placements, lots of elective options, and it's not a big university.
nnllrr Posted March 30, 2011 Posted March 30, 2011 Hi, my sister went to BU for her undergrad and grad degrees and she lived in Brookline in a huge apartment and although I don't remember how much she paid for it, I can tell you that she did not pay an arm and a leg (after all, she was a grad student)! Brookline is a beautiful neighborhood and it is on the same T-line as BU. Just thought I'd give me two cents. Thank you for the info! It is really helpful because I don't know anything about the area haha. I will definitely have to check around Brookline! Do you know what the name of the apartment building was?
snlslp Posted March 30, 2011 Posted March 30, 2011 Hi All! I am new to this forum and am SO happy I found it. Everything on here is so helpful. I have a couple of questions for everyone. First, is anyone else planning on attending the Rush accepted students day? I am going to that on April 1st then flying to Boston to attend MGH on April 2. Does anyone have any insight on the differences advantages/disadvantages of these two programs? On a different note, I also got accepted to Kean university in NJ. I know NOTHING about this program and am unable ot find much info on it. Can anyone provide me any insight on this program? It is close to home for me so something I want to consider along with the other two. Congrats to everyone and good luck to those still waiting to hear! Stephanie snlslp 1
Daniela Posted March 30, 2011 Posted March 30, 2011 Hi, it was not an apartment complex with a name like that. It was a private residence with maybe 5 apartments within it. There are tons of buildings / apartments within Brookline like this. The whole area of Boston / Brookline is beautiful! Thank you for the info! It is really helpful because I don't know anything about the area haha. I will definitely have to check around Brookline! Do you know what the name of the apartment building was?
gretel Posted March 30, 2011 Posted March 30, 2011 Thank you for the info! It is really helpful because I don't know anything about the area haha. I will definitely have to check around Brookline! Do you know what the name of the apartment building was? When you're looking for places in Boston, I suggest seeing if the university has a list of people seeking roommates. Some schools have that, and I found an amazing roommate and apartment that way. Boston is FULL of students, so I don't think you'll have a problem finding an affordable place to live.
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