Unfunded MAs

[antecedent]

Hi everyone.

I've received two offers now for Masters at great institutions, hooray! Unfortunately, neither of them are funded, and I don't have my hopes up for admittance/funding at the other three.

I know many of you on here have MAs, so I'm curious about the often touchy subject of funding. Did you have to take a loan out to complete your MA? Did you get partial funding or a scholarship? Were your partners/families/anonymous benefactors able to help take the edge off of $40k a year, or did you just stay in state and go to a school you could afford?

Is there anything you know now, post Master's degree, that you wish you had known about MA funding going in to the MA?

Thanks

Edited February 16, 2012 by antecedant

[Jbarks]

Antecedant--

I just finished my MA this past spring, and, yes, it was unfunded. I also chose to do an unfunded MA in one of the most expensive cities in the entire universe. Yes, I took out loans. About $50K worth. I only took federal loans, and I only took loans for my education. I refused to do so for living expenses. However, I know several people in my program who took loans for both; they are now well over $100K in debt. Bad. Life. Decision. My situation is a little different, however. I was also offered a job upon moving to NY... in finance . My first semester I worked part time, and then moved to full time. It allowed me to live comfortably and pay off my loans only 6 months after graduation. However, and this is a big however, I dread every day of work; I bitch a lot; generally, I loathe my existence. Anyway, I chose to enter the program I did; I had two other unfunded options-- one being in NY, as well and the other being in NC (much, much cheaper). But I wanted this experience, and I am glad I went to the school I did (even though I have yet to hear anything from any of my programs...ALAS).

Basically, I would really consider the debt you will be in and whether you want that burden or not. Some people couldn't care less. It freaked me out, which is why I'm working this job now and worked during my MA. Give it some thought. Weigh the pros and cons. Ultimately, it's what feels best for you, but definitely consider the practicality of an unfunded MA. It's difficult for me to say if I would do it again. I have a tremendous experience, and, even knowing what I know now, I'm pretty sure I would make the same decision.

Good luck with your decision and congrats on the acceptances!

[rubyrunner]

I have mixed leaning-towards-negative feelings about unfunded MA's...but I did one, so there's that

I went to a state institution, which helped defray costs enormously. I had to take out loans, but I also applied for as many scholarships as possible through the English department at my school. The scholarships covered about one semester of the two-year program.

I also worked two jobs outside of the MA program: a mindless retail job and a regular writing job that I could do remotely. Most of the people I knew in my program worked at some sort of outside job or relied on a partner for extra income.

I agree with Jbarks on one point in particular: taking out loans for outside living expenses is the devil. It's also REALLY tempting to do after a long, thankless day in retail. I'm similarly pretty freaked out by debt, of which I now have a little bit, so there are times when I regret doing the MA. I feel like I got my money's worth, though.

[hanoverkontent]

I completed my MPhil at a British university last spring. I was very fortunate to be able to cobble together a big fellowship from my undergraduate institution and a small trust from my graduate institution, which together covered all of my academic costs and a good portion of my rent. In order to pay the rest of my accommodation fees and living expenses, I blew through all my my savings, sponged off of my parents a little bit (not a happy feeling), and midway through the year succumbed to taking out a small loan. I've been able to pay off the loan pretty quickly thanks to my current consulting gig (like Jbarks, also loathing life right now).

My big advice is to shake every "money tree" that you can. It might be a little late in the game right now, but I'm sure there are relevant small community organizations, or interest organizations (the American Association of University Women, for example, or some literary orgs) that have open fellowship deadlines. A bunch of small fellowships can go a long way.

Like Jbanks, I found my MPhil experience to be hugely rewarding as an individual and as a scholar. But beyond that (not to belittle the value of "that'), I'm not convinced that it has had a huge payoff in terms of employment and PhD admissions prospects. Coming from a very high-profile graduate institution, I entered my job at a **slightly** higher level than people with just a bachelor's degree and, as you can see, I am still sweating PhD admissions- so the degree may not be a great investment in a very limited, practical sense.

Best of luck to you!!

[TripWillis]

I went to a relatively unexpensive school that was an unfunded MA, but it was in NYC so the cost of living was pretty outrageous. I supplemented the student loans I had to take out with tutoring and (this year) with adjuncting. Essentially, my jobs cover about $13,000 of the $25,000 or so I spent last year living in the city. So I did have to take out some loans to make it, but I don't regret it. My undergrad was spent working ALL THE F-ING TIME and I got great grades but had absolutely no extra curricular experience or any semblance of a relationship with the faculty and my fellow students. I learned more about waiting tables than I did English. By being able to focus intently on lit for the last two years and immerse myself in writing, research, and work in higher education, I gained relevant job skills and made myself a more marketable PhD student. I also earned a scholarship, which not only helped with the debt, but was another feather in my cap on the way to PhD apps.

In the process of getting this (primarily worthless on its own, let's face it) M.A., I doubled my undergraduate debt, but since I've always gone to relatively cheap state schools with in-state tuition and worked throughout, I managed to keep it at a tolerable level (though it still makes me gulp, it is not above $75,000). I have many a friend who spent over $125,000 on 4 years of undergrad at an ivy or something analogous to an ivy. So I could be in worse shape.

[Timshel]

I did a partially unfunded MA at a state school. My husband was still finishing his degree, so I stayed at the school where I got my BA and got my MA. I was given a TAship, so I I took out loans to pay tuition and the leftover went to supplement my TAship stipend. Overall, I took out less than 25K, so I don't think it was a bad deal. To me it was better than not going to school at all, and I was able to get more experience in the field, gain experience teaching (which often doesn't happen for MA students where the schools offers a PhD), present at conferences, etc. I don't regret it at all.

[TripWillis]

I did a partially unfunded MA at a state school. My husband was still finishing his degree, so I stayed at the school where I got my BA and got my MA. I was given a TAship, so I I took out loans to pay tuition and the leftover went to supplement my TAship stipend. Overall, I took out less than 25K, so I don't think it was a bad deal. To me it was better than not going to school at all, and I was able to get more experience in the field, gain experience teaching (which often doesn't happen for MA students where the schools offers a PhD), present at conferences, etc. I don't regret it at all.

I don't regret it now, but if I hadn't gotten into any programs... oof. My life would've become The Bell Jar, except with student loan debt piled on top of feeling of worthlessness and grief. But yeah, unfunded MAs are great! Do it, but REALLY DO IT. Don't hold back anything! PhD is the goal!

[JeremiahParadise]

I also earned a scholarship, which not only helped with the debt, but was another feather in my cap on the way to PhD apps.

I had a similar experience, but my MA institution was in a rural setting and probably somewhat cheaper. I got in as a college senior, but I then took a year off to decide if school was going to work for me, financially. Finally, I took loans to go, and I dealt with them for a while, but I was soon awarded a full scholarship. Wild, huh? Such wonderful luck/news. Man, I sure hope his "feather" helps me into a PhD program! Do you think it made a difference for you, TripWillis? Did programs mention it in your acceptances? I am so anxious to apply this fall.

TLDR: http://i2.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/005/342/129969639840.gif

Edited February 17, 2012 by JeremiahParadise

[TripWillis]

I had a similar experience, but my MA institution was in a rural setting and probably somewhat cheaper. I got in as a college senior, but I then took a year off to decide if school was going to work for me, financially. Finally, I took loans to go, and I dealt with them for a while, but I was soon awarded a full scholarship. Wild, huh? Such wonderful luck/news. Man, I sure hope his "feather" helps me into a PhD program! Do you think it made a difference for you, TripWillis? Did programs mention it in your acceptances? I am so anxious to apply this fall.

TLDR: http://i2.kym-cdn.co...29969639840.gif

When I have been accepted, there have been only vague references to why they liked me, usually in this order:

a) Your accomplishments (which I assume means my writing skills, conference attendances, and participation on Graduate English Committee)

Your focuses are an excellent fit with our faculty depth

So there you go. Make sure your writing is top notch and that your interests match with the school's.

[veniente]

Thankfully I got full funding - tuition waivers and (smallish, but enough) living stipends - for my Honours and then MA years (where I'm from the BA is three years, BA (Honours) is a one year graduate degree, MA is one year). This was at the country's top 'state' university (in the Anglo-Saxon world it seems like it's pretty much just the U.S. that has private universities). For my undergrad, at the same institution, I got a government loan for the tuition fees - which, being a state university, are enormously subsidised anyway - and worked 20+ hours a week to avoid debt as best I could.

I can't really testify to the use of any of this - by which I mean the fact of having respectable prizes/scholarships and an MA - given I am yet to get in anywhere , however, there are nicely funded MA programs out there (elsewhere, I have mentioned Melbourne & Sydney, for example), and I think sometimes it can look good if you do your MA at a different institution than the one where you did your undergrad.

Basically, I wouldn't have done any graduate study if I didn't get funding; my attitude was, and is, 'if they want me enough, they'll pay'.

[lcm]

$40k of federal loans for an out-of-state MA program. I've got the PhD acceptance and I know I wouldn't have gotten it without the MA. My professors at my school have been a phenomenal help-- I came into the program with a vague course of study and a lot of determination to do as much as possible in the 1.5 years before I submitted those PhD apps. I worked my tail off with 10 conferences and 3 publications-- though those are still tentative as none of them have yet to go to print. My acceptance (to my top choice) commended my commitment to my field and "academic achievements" despite a sub-3.0 undergraduate GPA! (To be fair, it's a particularly tough school and I maintained the 4.0 in my MA program.)

If you do it, I second the suggestion to go all-in. It's not going to be worth it if you look back and think you should have tried harder and wasted the money.

Edited February 17, 2012 by lcm

[JeremiahParadise]

$40k of federal loans for an out-of-state MA program. I've got the PhD acceptance and I know I wouldn't have gotten it without the MA. My professors at my school have been a phenomenal help-- I came into the program with a vague course of study and a lot of determination to do as much as possible in the 1.5 years before I submitted those PhD apps. I worked my tail off with 10 conferences and 3 publications-- though those are still tentative as none of them have yet to go to print. My acceptance (to my top choice) commended my commitment to my field and "academic achievements" (despite a sub-3.0 undergraduate GPA! (To be fair, it's a particularly tough school.)

If you do it, I second the suggestion to go all-in. It's not going to be worth it if you look back and think you should have tried harder and wasted the money.

10 conferences in 1.5 years?? Unreal! And three pubs? Bananas. Congrats!!

[lcm]

10 conferences in 1.5 years?? Unreal! And three pubs? Bananas. Congrats!!

Technically 9, as I did one in undergrad. It was a bit ridiculous and my social life suffered some for it-- luckily my job was only part-time and my partner loves to travel! (It was mostly weekend driving paired with hotel loyalty discounts-- couldn't afford anything else!) One pub came out of a conference, one I submitted at the suggestion of my advisor, and the third is part of my thesis (whenever it's finished) because my advisor has connections in the field. ...if you can't tell, my advisor has been pretty crucial and I owe him a fruit basket or something when I graduate.

[antecedent]

Thank you everyone for sharing potentially very personal details with me, I really appreciate it. I managed to dodge the loan bullet for my undergrad, so facing up to the reality of out of state tuition has been a big shock for me. I feel a bit better knowing that you all have made it across the no-funding abyss and lived to tell the tale. I am really looking forward to making the most of whatever degree I get in to, and I feel much more confident both about taking on an MA program and about taking out a small loan/burning through my savings now that I've heard your stories.

JeremiahParadise, that is the best GIF ever.

[asleepawake]

Don't do it unless you are a ) independently wealthy or b ) there is no B. Absolutely not. It is not worth your money. This may mean going to a smaller or less prestigious school. Schools that have PhDs tend not to fund their terminal MAs, so you may need to consider schools that don't offer PhDs.

Of course, you can ignore my advice... It works out for a few people, who end up with great jobs and who do not struggle to pay back their loans, but that is not the case for most of us. Even WITH my funding I will be at least 20k in debt when I graduate.

Edited February 17, 2012 by asleepawake

[antecedent]

Don't do it unless you are a ) independently wealthy or b ) there is no B. Absolutely not. It is not worth your money. This may mean going to a smaller or less prestigious school. Schools that have PhDs tend not to fund their terminal MAs, so you may need to consider schools that don't offer PhDs.

Of course, you can ignore my advice... It works out for a few people, who end up with great jobs and who do not struggle to pay back their loans, but that is not the case for most of us. Even WITH my funding I will be at least 20k in debt when I graduate.

I suppose for me the question is of how much of no "B" is there. In other words, what would I do if I didn't accept either of my unfunded masters offers (and don't get any other offers of funding)? Find a job (I would rather quit and move back in with my parents than work my current job any time past July) and kiss academia goodbye I guess. I want a masters, I also want to commit to a career path, and another year in limbo might just end me.

Before I started this thread I had heard mostly opinions from the "absolutely not" camp, so this is the position I came from when realizing that I missed the funding bus this time around. Hearing from people who have done it is cheering me up some cause as far as I can tell there isn't another option right now, but it's good to remember how much it really sucks to have student debt.

Edited February 17, 2012 by antecedant

[asleepawake]

I suppose for me the question is of how much of no "B" is there. In other words, what would I do if I didn't accept either of my unfunded masters offers (and don't get any other offers of funding)? Find a job (I would rather quit and move back in with my parents than work my current job any time past July) and kiss academia goodbye I guess. I want a masters, I also want to commit to a career path, and another year in limbo might just end me.

Before I started this thread I had heard mostly opinions from the "absolutely not" camp, so this is the position I came from when realizing that I missed the funding bus this time around. Hearing from people who have done it is cheering me up some cause as far as I can tell there isn't another option right now, but it's good to remember how much it really sucks to have student debt.

Well, I don't think you should abandon academia entirely! I just think you need to REALLY think it through. If you're absolutely certain that you have been accepted to a school that you want to attend, you need to consider the loans, but you don't need to automatically turn it down just because I say so. I know we tend to suck at math in the humanities, but if you can find and hold a decent job while attending your program, you might actually be okay. If you are thinking about a public school that costs 12k/year, you'd only need about $25k/year to pay the tuition and make the same amount most funded programs give as a stipend. However, you're going to be working a lot more. It's possible.

[antecedent]

The debt question has been mentioned several times in this thread, and it's definitely one I have considered seriously. I've been doing and redoing the math, and I think I could squeak by if I took out a $20k loan (over the two years - I'd have to figure the timing out). I'll definitely be looking for some part time work in tutoring or editing (or both), which pays well and is flexible (it's how I paid my rent the last two years in undergrad).

It's also a question of how expensive the programs are - both universities are public institutions I think, they just have horrific tuition fees. I'm still waiting to hear back from what will be undoubtedly a cheaper option if they accept me. Now that I have the confidence that it can at least be done without 100k in loans, I guess all I can do is wait until all my options are in and then chart them out!

[Julianne Pigoon]

I'm doing my MA/PhD hell or high water, no matter how many loans I have to take out. Either apply every year until you're funded, or take out loans enough to cover both tuition and living expenses. Working during graduate school is unwise, and many schools won't let you do it at all. You're pursuing your career in a dying industry as it is. It's all risk. If someday worst comes to worst and we're all out of jobs because our profession has disappeared, there's always hardship deferral.

Edited February 17, 2012 by Julianne Pigoon

[gr1277]

I am currently applying to MA programs and I am only going to go if I get funded. However, the school I'm attending for my undergrad sounds like they are going to offer me an assistantship with a tuition waiver and stipend. I am graduating with my bachelor's with under 10K of loans and would prefer not to add to it since it's so low.

It's all relative though. I'm not getting the most top-notch education and that could hinder me later in life when I'm looking for a job. Since, I double majored as an undergrad though (Business and English)... I feel like I could always cop out and look for a job in business.

[lyonessrampant]

I did a partially funded MA. It doubled my undergrad debt in the space of a year. I loved the experience and am a far better scholar as a result, but I wish I would have known about funded programs (of better funded than my offer anyway). If you don't get a funded admit this round, I would recommend waiting and applying again next year. Then do some careful research on funded MA programs, strengthen your application, and apply to a ton of places including funded MA programs as well as a full range of Ph.D. programs from lower ranked to top of the field. You'll get some offers and have some win-win choices at that point. You can do pretty much anything for a year, but I would recommend working and saving money for the applications (that many will cost you in the neighborhood of $2000) and then saving money for the move once you relocate for grad school.

[Grunty DaGnome]

Funded MAs are like the universe's best kept secret. You would think these programs would want to attract the best candidates by publicizing that they offer MA funding and teaching experience, but like everything else in this field, it remains an opaque black box.

[antecedent]

Funded MAs are like the universe's best kept secret. You would think these programs would want to attract the best candidates by publicizing that they offer MA funding and teaching experience, but like everything else in this field, it remains an opaque black box.

I swear NONE of the MAs I applied to said they weren't funded. They all said that all their MA/PhDs were offered funding or something ridiculous like that, and then neglected to mention that English Language MAs are NOT considered part of the MA/PhD, despite offering a Language PhD.

I hate how the only way you can actually glean any knowledge about this process is about asking other people on GradCafe. I mean, I love that GradCafe exists, but I hate that it's sometimes my only resource.