Philosophy MA vs Year Off

[Iheartcoffee]

I've been accepted to a MA program in Philosophy at King's College London (as an international student from the US). I'm still waiting to hear about funding, but I've heard from numerous sources that it's unlikely that I'll receive much, if any, financing as an international student. So, it's likely that if I decide to go I'll have to take out loans to cover the tuition costs (about $22k). My goal is to go on to a Phd program in philosophy and eventually work as a professor. I'm debating whether to take the KCL MA program and take out loans or to take a year off and apply to US terminal MA programs. I really don't want to have to take out loans, but I'm also not sure how likely I am to get funding for a US MA program if I wait (although, I would have a year to work full time and save up money).

I'm mostly curious as to how possible it is that I'd get funding if I decided to wait a year and apply to a US MA program or whether it would be worth it to go ahead and take out the loans and go to KCL.

I'm also still waiting to hear from a philosophy phd program at U of Toronto, but I've been rejected to numerous other phd programs so I'm not optimistic at this point.

Edited March 29, 2011 by Iheartcoffee