How crazy do you have to be to take an unfunded MA?

[forever_jung]

A couple of things I thought while reading through this: 

 

1. I don't believe direct grad PLUS loans are capped. You can borrow up to the school-determined cost of attendance. (https://studentaid.ed.gov/types/loans/plus#am-i-eligible-for) 

 

However (per the 2011 debt ceiling agreement thing in congress) grad PLUS loans are unsubsidized. That means that interest accrues from the moment you take out the loan, no matter your financial situation. (I worked in financial aid for a year...)

 

2. In my opinion if you do a MA, you need to get teaching experience with it. I wonder if we could do some sort of survey of those with prior teaching experience that get into PhD programs with funding, because  my suspicion is that programs want prior teaching experience. 

 

3. Like Kansas, the University of Nebraska-Omaha has funding for their MA! And even though the deadline for a TAship has technically passed, I know that the deadline is going to remain open because, I heard, there were not enough applicants to fill next year's cohort. so...if anyone reading this wants to apply you still have a chance  

[echo449]

It's also worth considering enrolling as a non-degree candidate! You can do this at a lot of top programs, and while you won't get a new degree, you will set yourself up with new connections and papers that you could take advantage of come next year. 


Also, ditto. I have very little (basically no) teaching experience coming out of undergrad. I think you could swing teaching as a plus, especially in programs that teach a lot in large state institutions, but I don't think you are punished for not having it in a lot of cases. 

[lyonessrampant]

Coming out of undegrad, teaching experience is neither required nor expected.  For applicants with an MA, it is often needed because lots of places offer different packages for people coming from the BA and those with the MA (University of Indiana for example).  In those cases, teaching experience is helpful, but that is only for certain programs and only for people with an MA.

[Hannalore]

Coming out of undegrad, teaching experience is neither required nor expected.  For applicants with an MA, it is often needed because lots of places offer different packages for people coming from the BA and those with the MA (University of Indiana for example).  In those cases, teaching experience is helpful, but that is only for certain programs and only for people with an MA.

 

Not only this, but we know how cutthroat the admissions process is and have seen it firsthand this cycle. You've got to remember that coming out of an MA, you'll be competing with other people who have all the great research experience, test scores, materials, AND teaching experience. That's not to say you can't compete with them on the basis of those other things, but it'll just make it that much harder. 

 

In addition, I imagine that programs that do not fund everyone they accept would be more likely to extend offers of TAships to people who have experience in the classroom. 

[babelcopter]

I was under the impression that teaching experience is actually not very important when applying to PhD programs. I did an unfunded MA at a local state school. We were given opportunities to teach but tuition remission was not included. I have a few years of teaching experience now because of this, and while I think this was an incredibly valuable experience and will serve me well in the future, I don't know that it made much difference to admissions committees. Not one of my applications asked me to talk about my teaching experience, and my professors advised me to foreground my research and writing over teaching on my CV. 

That's fair! The MA program when I was in had (what I now understand to be) a pretty massive teaching load. They always harped on the importance of teaching for any future success, but it sort of seems, as I read more and talk to people, that that was more to placate us - given the amount of work we were doing - than to level with us.

[chateaulafitte]

Do you know whether this MA program has a record of placing students in good PhD programs? Is it a program that would give you that much of an edge when you apply for PhDs? Because that's a 50+K edge.

 

Keep in mind that if after your MA you manage to get into a good PhD program, the odds of getting a TT job will still be pretty low. The odds of getting a TT job that will allow you to live comfortably while repaying your 60+K loans are even lower. People in English at Big 10 schools or at prestigious SLAC make in the mid 60s. Unless you get into a top program, you won't get one of these jobs.

 

You don't want to have to make payments on an adjunct salary.

 

Please read this: http://theprofessorisin.com/2014/01/22/the-shame-of-ph-d-debt/

Some of those people are on the TT/tenured, still buried in debt.

 

Did you apply to any MA programs that offer funding? If not, my advice would be to wait until next year and apply to funded MAs. I went to the University of Kansas for my MA and was funded, got teaching experience, and now I'm actually having pretty good luck with getting in PhDs. 

 

There are some MAs out there that fund. I think there's a list somewhere on grad cafe. I know Kansas State University funds its MAs. I've heard Villanova (which has a late deadline so it might not be too late to apply there) funds its MAs. Do some research before you shell out that much money. 

 

These are good, wise, and realistic suggestions. Never go unfunded (especially not for a humanities MA).

Edited February 21, 2015 by chateaulafitte

[angel_kaye13]

This is the deal: I applied to Fordham's MA program and was notified of my acceptance today, although was also told that funding was not available "at this time." Bear in mind that this is my dream program and my dream school, I'm not a PhD reject who was handed the MA as a consolation either— I went into this knowing full well that funding for Master's students is scant and extremely rare, and that I probably wouldn't get it. 

 

So, I get my acceptance today, and I'm suddenly mortified. Extremely excited and happy, but also at the same time horrified. Maybe it's because I never thought I had a chance and didn't think it would happen, but shit. just. got. real. 

 

The sticker is that I hardly have any debt from my undergrad degree— less than $10k— so with that in mind, part of me doesn't feel too bad about throwing myself into debt since I didn't really have to for my bachelor's degree. Putting things into perspective, I have friends who went $150k into debt for undergrad degrees at private schools, and I know out-of-state students at my public undergrad institution who have roughly the same annual tuition cost as I would at Fordham (although living costs in Portland are considerably less than New York). 

 

The flipside is that I hear left and right to "NEVER GO UNFUNDED," but I always expected I'd be unfunded anyway, and I was comfortable with that given the fact that I didn't accrue massive debt as an undergrad. Now that I got accepted though, the reality has set in. Fordham IS expensive. With grants, it still looks like I'd be at least $60k in debt by the end of it, unless I could somehow secure aid another way, or if they ended up giving me a TA position (not even sure if they do that) or something else.

 

I know in my heart that I would have been rejected from PhD programs, which is why I chose to apply to MA programs (hell, Fordham doesn't even take Bachelor's-to-PhD applicants). I see the MA as a viable transitional degree for me to hone my skills and gain focus and experience (research experience was essentially non-existent at my undergrad, and the program there frankly wasn't that great), and I know many people who earned Master's degrees before successfully pursuing PhDs; but everyone who is vehemently against spending money on graduate school has me second-guessing myself and worried that I'll be viewed as the cash cow for PhD students, or that I'll be shunned by the faculty or something. 

 

I just really don't know. I haven't heard back from the other programs I applied to, so there is still time and other potential options. I have until May 1st to get back to Fordham, but I feel this may be the toughest decision I've ever made.

I'm sure you have MORE than enough feedback from people already, I didn't read through them all. But my initial instinct? if this is what you want??? You don't need anyone to tell you different. They wouldn't offer an unfunded MA, if it wasn't possible for SOME students. You must be one of the lucky ones. I also know a lot of people that are comfortable accruing a little more debt, knowing their payments can be deferred until after their studies are done and a good job gotten. Don't worry about how others will perceive your decision: this is YOUR dream, and you're thrilled! Congrats to you on getting your dream school!!

[lunalit]

I'm sure you have MORE than enough feedback from people already, I didn't read through them all. But my initial instinct? if this is what you want??? You don't need anyone to tell you different. They wouldn't offer an unfunded MA, if it wasn't possible for SOME students. You must be one of the lucky ones. I also know a lot of people that are comfortable accruing a little more debt, knowing their payments can be deferred until after their studies are done and a good job gotten. Don't worry about how others will perceive your decision: this is YOUR dream, and you're thrilled! Congrats to you on getting your dream school!!

 

^^this! Congratulations on your acceptance to what I know is a really wonderful program! In the end, you are the only one who will need to live with and be happy with whatever decision you make. 

[1Q84]

I'm sure you have MORE than enough feedback from people already, I didn't read through them all. But my initial instinct? if this is what you want??? You don't need anyone to tell you different. They wouldn't offer an unfunded MA, if it wasn't possible for SOME students. You must be one of the lucky ones. I also know a lot of people that are comfortable accruing a little more debt, knowing their payments can be deferred until after their studies are done and a good job gotten. Don't worry about how others will perceive your decision: this is YOUR dream, and you're thrilled! Congrats to you on getting your dream school!!

 

 

^^this! Congratulations on your acceptance to what I know is a really wonderful program! In the end, you are the only one who will need to live with and be happy with whatever decision you make. 

 

With all due respect, I'd like to push back on this type of advice. I don't think anyone in the thread is disallowing OP from celebrating the acceptance. Indeed, it's a great achievement. But the "chase your dream because debt deferral" method of thinking about higher education is just... irresponsible. This isn't a pittance of debt we're talking about here, it's approaching six figures (at least when you start factoring in living expenses in one of the most expensive cities in America). Six figures for an MA with miserable chances of getting a job decent enough to pay it off afterwards. Granted, I don't know anything about OP's financial situation or support from family--I could be way off base here but from the information we've been given, this is not a moment where we should be mindlessly cheering the "academic dream."

 

Please don't get me wrong, drownsoda, I'm not trying to dump on Fordham or you. But it pains me to see this:

 

 

 

They wouldn't offer an unfunded MA, if it wasn't possible for SOME students.

 

as a rationale for taking on $60,000 of debt.

[Ramus]

With all due respect, I'd like to push back on this type of advice. I don't think anyone in the thread is disallowing OP from celebrating the acceptance. Indeed, it's a great achievement. But the "chase your dream because debt deferral" method of thinking about higher education is just... irresponsible. 

 

Absolutely. As usual, 1Q84 is spot on. 

[ProfLorax]

It's important to note that the people who did take out loans and went through repayment are the very ones who are cautioning against this unfunded offer. Really, I can't stress this enough, paying $300-600 a month on an adjunct's salary just sucks. And loan forgiveness is not something to bank on, especially since adjuncts are the New Faculty Majority. 

[lunalit]

And I would agree in principle. An expensive unfunded MA is clearly not a wise financial decision in the vast majority of cases. I think that point has been made clear. And I agree that if drownsoda can attend a funded MA program then that would definitely be preferable for many reasons. But I'm also not of the unfunded MA = never camp. Since, well, I did an unfunded MA (though at a local state school with much lower tuition). I just think everybody's situation is different, and - in the end - drownsoda needs to make the decision that they can live with. I also think the OP seemed very concerned about how they would be perceived by others rather than the actual taking on of debt itself, and I think it was worth offering a reassurance that the decision needs to be the right one for drownsoda and not anybody else. 

[1Q84]

And I would agree in principle. An expensive unfunded MA is clearly not a wise financial decision in the vast majority of cases. I think that point has been made clear. And I agree that if drownsoda can attend a funded MA program then that would definitely be preferable for many reasons. But I'm also not of the unfunded MA = never camp. Since, well, I did an unfunded MA (though at a local state school with much lower tuition). I just think everybody's situation is different, and - in the end - drownsoda needs to make the decision that they can live with. I also think the OP seemed very concerned about how they would be perceived by others rather than the actual taking on of debt itself, and I think it was worth offering a reassurance that the decision needs to be the right one for drownsoda and not anybody else. 

 

Indeed, the point has been made clear so perhaps I'm misunderstanding what your advice actually is; to me, it seemed to amount to something like "chase your dream and be comfortable with it." Your unfunded MA situation seems too different from his to offer any reasonable comparison (and I would not be as vigorously opposed to it if he had presented an offer such as the one you took). 

 

If OP is comfortable taking on the debt (because of parental safety nets, etc.) then so be it. It seems, however, that OP is only okay taking on the debt because he has lower-than-average undergrad debt. That, to be honest, doesn't seem like a very sensible reason to take on more, as others have said. 

 

As well, the concern about being perceived differently (as a cash-cow or as less deserving of attention because of nonfunded status) is real, too. Many times over it's been stated on TGC that MA students at schools that have Ph.D. programs get short shrift. It's also been said that adcomm members are wary of unfunded MAs from prestigious schools because of this very reputation of being a "pay to play" student. I'm not saying that's fair, but it's a condition that exists.

 

In the end, I'll just say I'm not really understanding what the arguments for accepting this offer are so I'll just bow out here.

[drownsoda]

Again, I appreciate all the perspectives. I'm honestly kind of upset about the entire thing because I really love the school, but I have a massive amount of consideration to take with all of this. I wanted to be excited about the acceptance, but once I got it I kind of... well, wasn't. Throwing myself under a bus of debt to be the black sheep of a department who's actually having to pay insane amounts of money to be there just seems horrifying to me. I'm not sure what the percentage is of MA applicants who actually get funding, although I know it is low, but still.

 

I'm still waiting to hear back from a couple programs, so that's still in the cards. I don't know. The whole situation sucks. I really want to be there, but I just don't know right now.

[angel_kaye13]

With all due respect, I'd like to push back on this type of advice. I don't think anyone in the thread is disallowing OP from celebrating the acceptance. Indeed, it's a great achievement. But the "chase your dream because debt deferral" method of thinking about higher education is just... irresponsible. This isn't a pittance of debt we're talking about here, it's approaching six figures (at least when you start factoring in living expenses in one of the most expensive cities in America). Six figures for an MA with miserable chances of getting a job decent enough to pay it off afterwards. Granted, I don't know anything about OP's financial situation or support from family--I could be way off base here but from the information we've been given, this is not a moment where we should be mindlessly cheering the "academic dream."

 

Please don't get me wrong, drownsoda, I'm not trying to dump on Fordham or you. But it pains me to see this:

 

 

as a rationale for taking on $60,000 of debt.

What kind of English major would I be, if I didn't appreciate a good argument?? ;-)

Don't get me wrong: I never said I was advocating going into the depths of debt; I'm a very practical person, and am actually a huge proponent of weighing the costs of any decision. However. I do not know drownsoda, or her financial status, beyond what she has said about her undergrad. And, while I appreciate that you all have had the negative repercussions of doing such, I honestly was speaking from the perspective of knowing a person who did exactly what I suggested; I wasn't just speaking out of pure philosophy and carpe diem. ;-) (He was a religious studies major, if that has any bearing, and also had a family...so...I imagine he had expenses and commitments.) All that to say that everything needs to be weighed out in its time and place. I absolutely think it COULD be feasible for drownsoda to do her dream school. But that's knowing the little I do about her. But I also wouldn't want her to do this for any other reason than her own, as lunalit said.

I think of a lot of this is always weighing the pros and cons, not just in drownsoda's case. I mean, we in the Humanities especially hear ALL the time, about people in our fields, pursuing "our" grad degrees and PhDs, because "it's what you do," when, lo and behold, half a year down the road they realize it's really not for them. These, and others (including ourselves) are all examples of what we should all be doing, if we're at or preparing for this point: is it worth it, is it worth the sacrifice, am I WILLING to do what it takes to sacrifice...And, of course, WILL it pay off, in the end?? (My husband has already run "the numbers" with me, regarding likelihood of me getting a viable job after all is completed and done, I promise I'm not just sitting here in LollyLand. :D ) I just don't think that anyone of us can necessarily speak for the other. Only give our respective viewpoints, based on our own experiences. Which I think we're all trying to do, respectfully.

But I sure was struck by her excitement. I still can't shake that.

Edited February 21, 2015 by angel_kaye13

[chateaulafitte]

This is this one of the best post to date about unfunded MAs: http://theprofessorisin.com/2012/03/22/dont-go-to-graduate-school-an-inadvertant-guest-post/

 

 

Grad school is a bad idea under the best of circumstances.  The job market is SO bad, and there is so little that grad study in literature can help you do beyond seeking jobs in the dismal academic job market that pursuing a grad degree in English only makes sense if the following conditions are met:

1.  You are fully funded (or at least have reason to expect to be after the initial year).

2.  You really, genuinely, honestly don’t care if you find yourself at 30 needing to start over again in an entirely new line of work having failed to find an academic job.

I’m frankly surprised that condition #1 doesn’t hold for you.  You strike me as the sort of student who would excel at grad school, based on your performance in my course.  That said, I don’t have much sense of what the pool of grad-school-bound applicants looks like nor do I know first-hand what admissions/fellowship committees look for.  So you should take my affirmation simply for what is it: a profound respect for you and your abilities–NOT a reading of the tea-leaves that hold your future.

The fact that you did not get admitted with funding suggests that this is not the right career path for you.  It’s not the right career path for ANYONE at the moment, even those who do get admitted-with-funding.  The world needs smart people who know how to read and write critically, and you can find fulfilling work without entering the black hole that is academia.   I have no doubt of that.

 

Unfunded MAs make me mad because they target the most vulnerable people, those who don't have a family support system, those none tells it's a bad idea to accrue so much debt. Because:

 

They wouldn't offer an unfunded MA, if it wasn't possible for SOME students.

 

1) Yes, it is possible for some students (those who are independently wealthy or have a spouse with a lucrative career).

2) And of course they would offer it even if it was not possible, because they know some people will get into debt to get that MA in the hope that it makes them more competitive for a PhD. Some people see education debt as "good debt". But if you don't make any money with your degree (and with a humanities degree, you'll make little), that's not good debt. That's debt that puts you in a hole before you even start working. Being an academic is not a ticket to middle-class living anymore. In most cases, it's a ticket to adjunct wages and food stamps.

 

Unfunded MAs are criminal.

 

drownsoda, I'm sorry if I sound brutal, but it would be irresponsible to tell you to just go with the unfunded MA because dream. For now dream is enough, but at some point it won't be and then you'll bitterly regret getting into debt for an MA. if you're set on getting a PhD in the future, I'm sure you can find other ways to hone your skills, ways that won't cost you so much.

Edited February 22, 2015 by chateaulafitte

[SilasWegg]

I'd like to say a few words in defense of an unfunded MA. Though taking on debt is always inadvisable, for many students, a funded offer doesn't happen right away. Accepting an offer for an unfunded MA isn't quite the financial and academic kiss-of-death that everyone makes it out to be. Ideally, you won't have to relocate and you can keep your job, significant other, home, while you pursue your graduate studies. There are major savings in opportunity costs in this regard. Whats more, in-state tuition for a two-year program should be under 8 grand a semester. Compared to other graduate programs in medicine or law (which may offer better career outcomes) graduate school in the humanities is a fraction of the cost. Though the job market for tenure track teaching positions is highly competitive, students with an MA don't even seek these jobs. Instead, an MA prepares a student for high school teaching, community college teaching, editing/publishing, and other jobs in the private sector. There is no reason why a 2-year graduate degree in English wouldn't adequately prepare a student for such careers.

 

Another thing to consider is, once you've enrolled in your program, funding opportunities may arise. A number of teaching, administrative, research, or professional opportunities may come your way and you should try to attain these. Most MAs work in some capacity while they pursue their degree. Ideally, you have a job that you like and you can keep working at it while you do your coursework. If not, keep an ear to the ground and lock down some sort of funded opportunity at your institution. Of course, this may mean looking outside the English department. You can learn just as much (if not more) as an admin in a different department as you might grading tests in a large lecture course.

 

IF you do plan to go on to a PhD, there is no better way to prepare yourself. Getting updated LORs, developing a writing sample, conceptualizing your research, is much more difficult to do on your own. What's more, most doctoral programs are good about either transferring credit or fast-tracking MA students. Obviously, this preparation is invaluable in adjusting to the rigorous demands of graduate study.

 

Finally, the MA is only a two-year degree and the professional outcomes are not the same as doctoral work. Thus, your work experiences while in graduate school can and should reflect a more versatile set of experiences that may include skill sets far afield from the English department. There is no reason to stigmatize this kind of graduate work nor is there anything at all "crazy" about it. Many students do a two-year MA and enter the workforce with great success!

[janaca]

I just wanted to throw this into the mix. How would you feel about working full-time while doing your MA? I know of people who have attended expensive MA programs, taken out loans, for their first year, and then basically applied for every office job that the university posted during that year, as well. Then, if they were able to get some sort of full-time job at the university before their second year, they got tuition remission for the rest of their coursework. So, they only ended up taking out loans for half of the MA. Of course, trying to do something like that is a huge gamble, and I don't know how hard it is to get a staff job at Fordham. But if you have a solid work history and interview well, it might be something to look into--especially if Fordham would let you drop down to part-time status after your first year and if you'd be willing to do that....

[kurayamino]

I know quite a few people who took an inexpensive MA at my home institution (a CUNY) and worked full time while doing so. The cost wasn't super expensive and working gave them the additional money they needed to live and pay rent. They did various jobs from adjuncting at other CUNY schools (always an option with Fordham), editing work at one of the many book publishers around NYC, to private school teaching. I would say that this is possible in a place like NYC where there are so many opportunities to work. However, I would stipulate that they were pretty much exhausted all the time. Commuting in NYC is easy, but it is time consuming and stressful. Getting from the Bronx down to wherever your job might be on whatever campus (or campuses) eats up a LOT of time. In other words, it's a sacrifice not everyone would want to make, but if you do just go into with your eyes wide open.

[angel_kaye13]

I'd like to say a few words in defense of an unfunded MA. Though taking on debt is always inadvisable, for many students, a funded offer doesn't happen right away. Accepting an offer for an unfunded MA isn't quite the financial and academic kiss-of-death that everyone makes it out to be. Ideally, you won't have to relocate and you can keep your job, significant other, home, while you pursue your graduate studies. There are major savings in opportunity costs in this regard. Whats more, in-state tuition for a two-year program should be under 8 grand a semester. Compared to other graduate programs in medicine or law (which may offer better career outcomes) graduate school in the humanities is a fraction of the cost. Though the job market for tenure track teaching positions is highly competitive, students with an MA don't even seek these jobs. Instead, an MA prepares a student for high school teaching, community college teaching, editing/publishing, and other jobs in the private sector. There is no reason why a 2-year graduate degree in English wouldn't adequately prepare a student for such careers.

 

Another thing to consider is, once you've enrolled in your program, funding opportunities may arise. A number of teaching, administrative, research, or professional opportunities may come your way and you should try to attain these. Most MAs work in some capacity while they pursue their degree. Ideally, you have a job that you like and you can keep working at it while you do your coursework. If not, keep an ear to the ground and lock down some sort of funded opportunity at your institution. Of course, this may mean looking outside the English department. You can learn just as much (if not more) as an admin in a different department as you might grading tests in a large lecture course.

 

IF you do plan to go on to a PhD, there is no better way to prepare yourself. Getting updated LORs, developing a writing sample, conceptualizing your research, is much more difficult to do on your own. What's more, most doctoral programs are good about either transferring credit or fast-tracking MA students. Obviously, this preparation is invaluable in adjusting to the rigorous demands of graduate study.

 

Finally, the MA is only a two-year degree and the professional outcomes are not the same as doctoral work. Thus, your work experiences while in graduate school can and should reflect a more versatile set of experiences that may include skill sets far afield from the English department. There is no reason to stigmatize this kind of graduate work nor is there anything at all "crazy" about it. Many students do a two-year MA and enter the workforce with great success!

^This! I just was talking with my spouse about a guy he's working with who did the unfunded MA; he's finishing up his PhD, but was shocked at my package, surprised that they gave MA packages. (He's in a different field, and maybe needed to do more research, but still.)

 

I know quite a few people who took an inexpensive MA at my home institution (a CUNY) and worked full time while doing so. The cost wasn't super expensive and working gave them the additional money they needed to live and pay rent. They did various jobs from adjuncting at other CUNY schools (always an option with Fordham), editing work at one of the many book publishers around NYC, to private school teaching. I would say that this is possible in a place like NYC where there are so many opportunities to work. However, I would stipulate that they were pretty much exhausted all the time. Commuting in NYC is easy, but it is time consuming and stressful. Getting from the Bronx down to wherever your job might be on whatever campus (or campuses) eats up a LOT of time. In other words, it's a sacrifice not everyone would want to make, but if you do just go into with your eyes wide open.

^Absolutely. Doable. Will be a sacrifice. Will DEFINITELY be exhausted! But what do you ultimately want to choose.

 

I just wanted to throw this into the mix. How would you feel about working full-time while doing your MA? I know of people who have attended expensive MA programs, taken out loans, for their first year, and then basically applied for every office job that the university posted during that year, as well. Then, if they were able to get some sort of full-time job at the university before their second year, they got tuition remission for the rest of their coursework. So, they only ended up taking out loans for half of the MA. Of course, trying to do something like that is a huge gamble, and I don't know how hard it is to get a staff job at Fordham. But if you have a solid work history and interview well, it might be something to look into--especially if Fordham would let you drop down to part-time status after your first year and if you'd be willing to do that....

^ Again, this dovetails off of the previous person's post, but I'm glad you brought it up.

I was out of up-votes, but you three added some good stuff. Eyes wide open, to be sure, but I hope drownsoda feels encouraged to make whatever choice she deems worthy, at the end of the day. You all are awesome.~

[drownsoda]

I was actually thinking precisely that-- working while attending, wherever I can, whenever I can. New York has a plethora of job opportunities, so I assume I could find some sort of related work to do on the side. I am acclimated to commuting and public transit because I had to do that between work and school during undergrad, so it's a grind I know well (it's also the reason I was able to escape undergrad with hardly any debt; granted, this was a state school, but I only worked part time waiting tables). My acceptance letter said that they couldn't offer me funding "at this time," so I presume that doesn't mean it's an impossibility down the line; granted, I'd have to plan accordingly and be prepared for the worst. My father is passionate about me pursuing the degree, and could possibly help me, though I'm not sure how much, as he's not really rolling in dough. I also have an uncle who is a lawyer and is really well-off, and he and his son (also a lawyer) expressed the possibility of helping me finance the degree; again, not sure how comfortable I'd be with that. I have not had any help from my family with tuition my entire undergrad career. I paid for it myself. I applied for financial aid and am going to wait and see how it all pans out. Like I said, I've still got a couple other programs to hear from, so I'll weigh my options accordingly when that happens.

[ProfLorax]

My acceptance letter said that they couldn't offer me funding "at this time," so I presume that doesn't mean it's an impossibility down the line; granted, I'd have to plan accordingly and be prepared for the worst. 

I think it's 100% fair to ask the DGS for specifics regarding the "at this time." Express your concern about the cost. Then ask how what percentage of MA students have any kind of funding, how many TA and GAships are available for MA students, how competitive funding is, and what other MA students do to manage the high costs. Knowing the specifics about funding will help you make an informed decision. I wish I had done the same for my unfunded MA! 

[sweetcheese]

Wanted to throw in a different opinion. A few years ago, I opted for an unfunded MA, even though I had a funded PhD elsewhere at a very reputable institution. The PhD offer, however, was absolutely the wrong choice for me. So why did I take out loans for an MA? Because I really, truly believed that it would put me into the kind of PhD program I wanted to be in. And it did. I reapplied to programs that next year, and am now at an Ivy, but more importantly, a very good fit. Had I not taken the unfunded MA, I'm entirely positive I wouldn't be where I am.

 

Granted, I'll get back to you when I'm on the job market and can tell you if I've really screwed myself over. And had I not gotten into any programs this year, I would certainly have begun thinking about other career options. But I think if it's very well thought through and for the right reasons, the unfunded MA is certainly not ideal (and I'll admit-a huge financial stress), but can put you on the path to what is not 'just' a funded PhD, but a very good one. So as many others have said, it really depends on what you're hoping to get from it.

 

And a final word: as you are, I was very tied to the MA program that I had gotten into. I ended up making the decision not only because I thought it could get me somewhere great at the end, but I also didn't ever want to think of 'what if' had I chosen to do something else. Despite the debt I'm sitting in, I'd make the exact same decision again, especially knowing how much a couple of months in that program would change my future. (My partner, who I met in the program, may or may not have a bit to do with that, but that's another story.)

[janaca]

I just want to add, too, that I do not in any way think that accepting an unfunded offer is "crazy," and that the decision is ultimately, entirely up to you. I went into 80k for debt for undergrad and then when I graduated into the recession and a terrible job market, I regretted it sorely. However, I have friends who went into even more debt than I did to attend my alma matter--another big, private, expensive NYC school--and are still very glad they made the decision to attend their dream school, in spite of the financial burden. So my only real advice is, explore all options, decide what's best for you, and then go for it--which is what it seems like you are planning to do. Best of luck with your decision, drownsoda, and with your graduate studies, wherever you decide to go!

[Wonton Soup]

I want to be sensitive to people's unique needs and situation. But, generally speaking, an unfunded MA is a foolish decision for the student and an unethical one for the department. The department is basically using unfunded MAs to make money for themselves at the cost of a human person's financial well-being. These departments do not have the institutional support or TA lines to create or maintain a full graduate program. They need to acknowledge that, especially in the context of political economy of English post-recession. Instead, they try to shift the costs of their program to the students so that they can live the life of a traditional professor, with graduate students and mentoring and all the things they had in the past and imagined having when they were graduate students. It's unethical and unprofessional--harsh words, sorry, but true.

As a student, you need to stay far away from this. There are perfectly good FUNDED MAs out there. You may have to wait a year, but it's worth it.