We've wined, we've waited, now it's time to celebrate 2016

[sjoh197]

1 hour ago, haltheincandescent said:

I'd say thanks--but, it's exactly that: luck (with scholarships), nothing really on my part, other than sacrificing (or at the time I thought it was--I turned out to adore my state school) a much more expensive private school for my state school. On the other hand, I still know absolutely nothing about loans, so, at some point, if I have to take one out in the next few years, I'll be much more lost as far as what I have to actually even do goes.

The good news is that if you do need to take one out... there are people at your university who can help you and talk you through it. Just make sure to still fill out your fafsa every year in case you need it. 

7 minutes ago, RCtheSS said:

Loans scare the hell out of me. All of my friends who are dealing with their student loan debt sound so flustered. I wish our higher educational system wasn't structured in such a way that folks are forced to rely on multiple loans to make ends meet.

Most people who are flustered or drowning took out significant loans. I took out 9 grand in loans in my early undergrad... and my repayment is only $90 a month. And that's not on the income based plan that some people get. You are already really ahead of the curve on having no undergrad debt. If you end up taking out some small loans... it won't cripple you. Just be realistic on how much you can really afford. There are plenty of articles online that help gauge how much is realistic. And there's always the debt wizard below. 

https://mappingyourfuture.org/paying/debtwizard/index.cfm#debtWizard

[hippyscientist]

1 hour ago, sjoh197 said:

My mother is in the process of refinancing her house to a lower interest rate down to a 15 year from a 30 year... and apparently she had done so well with her money for so long, that they could only pull up 3 years of credit record for her. 

She was like "I've been paying my mortgage for over a decade... how can I not have sufficient credit report." And she's almost never missed a payment on anything in her life. Makes you question the system a bit. 

This. I just don't get it. Why do we have to get into debt and be bad at managing our money for the system to recognise it?!?! Why do I need credit if I'm not going to use it? It just is full of logical fallacies. It drives me up the blinking wall. 

The whole American loan system scares me. The UK is pretty bad but I was very fortunate with grants and scholarships that I don't owe a huge amount and the interest is very small. The US system on the other hands seems to debilitate and be prohibitive in moving forwards at times. Yet another thing I don't understand! No one should be forced to take on excessive debt to make it through the first step on getting into many careers. But unfortunately that's the way it seems to have moved over the past generation. 

[janetjanejune]

Student debt's why I went to school in my hometown and lived at home my last year. I missed out on the typical "college experience" but  my student debt is paid off. Especially important as the field I'm going into doesn't pay much.

@hippyscientist The student debt situation in the U.S. is horrible.

[Neist]

41 minutes ago, hippyscientist said:

The whole American loan system scares me. The UK is pretty bad but I was very fortunate with grants and scholarships that I don't owe a huge amount and the interest is very small. The US system on the other hands seems to debilitate and be prohibitive in moving forwards at times. Yet another thing I don't understand! No one should be forced to take on excessive debt to make it through the first step on getting into many careers. But unfortunately that's the way it seems to have moved over the past generation. 

I know, right? It's one thing if a person want's to become an engineer with a graduate education. But what if I wanted to be a social worker? I'm not sure how social worker licensing works in the UK, but it requires a pretty beefy master's degree in the US. They certainly won't have that large of potential earnings.

1 hour ago, sjoh197 said:

The good news is that if you do need to take one out... there are people at your university who can help you and talk you through it. Just make sure to still fill out your fafsa every year in case you need it. 

Most people who are flustered or drowning took out significant loans. I took out 9 grand in loans in my early undergrad... and my repayment is only $90 a month. And that's not on the income based plan that some people get. You are already really ahead of the curve on having no undergrad debt. If you end up taking out some small loans... it won't cripple you. Just be realistic on how much you can really afford. There are plenty of articles online that help gauge how much is realistic. And there's always the debt wizard below. 

https://mappingyourfuture.org/paying/debtwizard/index.cfm#debtWizard

Yeah, I can't fathom being more in debt than 40k. I've done the math, and just doesn't come out positive. I don't think I could let myself take out 90k in debt unless I was graduating with a very lucrative degree, like engineering.

3 minutes ago, janetjanejune said:

Student debt's why I went to school in my hometown and lived at home my last year. I missed out on the typical "college experience" but  my student debt is paid off. Especially important as the field I'm going into doesn't pay much.

@hippyscientist The student debt situation in the U.S. is horrible.

Eh, I figure the college experience is waiting for me in graduate school.  I didn't have much of a college experience as an undergraduate, either.

[janetjanejune]

@Neist You need a master's to advance and increase your salary in social work, but you don't need one to enter the field. Just an FYI as I worked briefly in social work with a bachelor's.

[sjoh197]

Oh btw... great conversation with my grandmother this week. 

Me: "I'll be in school this fall. I'm going to grad school."

Grandmother: "Oh, are you getting a Masters?"

Me: "Nope, a PhD."

Grandmother: "Is Mr. sjoh197 ok with that?"

Me: (in my head) "No grandma... we didn't even talk about. "

 

No even a congrats or anything... just "Is the man in your life ok with that?

[Neist]

1 hour ago, janetjanejune said:

@Neist You need a master's to advance and increase your salary in social work, but you don't need one to enter the field. Just an FYI as I worked briefly in social work with a bachelor's.

Interesting! That's good to know!

Either way, it's a very low-paying field. Libraries are similar, but to be competitive for academic jobs, two master degrees are desirable. Ugh.

I think I'm pretty blessed to get into the program I got into.

[mrbmrbmrb]

59 minutes ago, Neist said:

Interesting! That's good to know!

Either way, it's a very low-paying field. Libraries are similar, but to be competitive for academic jobs, two master degrees are desirable. Ugh.

I think I'm pretty blessed to get into the program I got into.

I worked in a case worker position directly out of undergrad, it was hell

[Neist]

Just now, mrbmrbmrb said:

I worked in a case worker position directly out of undergrad, it was hell

Social workers definitely don't get the appreciation they deserve. It's unfortunately rather loveless work. 

It's sort of similar to police officers. A lot of people really hate police officers, but it's a pretty difficult job.

[mrbmrbmrb]

1 minute ago, Neist said:

Social workers definitely don't get the appreciation they deserve. It's unfortunately rather loveless work. 

It's sort of similar to police officers. A lot of people really hate police officers, but it's a pretty difficult job.

You just have shit coming at you from all sides. I had 130 cases, my boss said I wasn't doing enough but kept giving me work, my clients either wanted to see me every week or not at all. And it paid very little for a full time college educated position. It is what drove me to making the decision to go back to school

[Pink Fuzzy Bunny]

I wish I were that lucky... went to an in-state "state school", got my tuition mostly paid for by scholarships (and everything paid for this year), but because my darn university required underclassmen to stay in the dorms (and buy a meal plan), I racked up >$30k in loans. 

[Cat_Robutt]

2 hours ago, Pink Fuzzy Bunny said:

I wish I were that lucky... went to an in-state "state school", got my tuition mostly paid for by scholarships (and everything paid for this year), but because my darn university required underclassmen to stay in the dorms (and buy a meal plan), I racked up >$30k in loans. 

That seems super sketchy! How frustrating!

[Neist]

2 hours ago, Pink Fuzzy Bunny said:

I wish I were that lucky... went to an in-state "state school", got my tuition mostly paid for by scholarships (and everything paid for this year), but because my darn university required underclassmen to stay in the dorms (and buy a meal plan), I racked up >$30k in loans. 

9 minutes ago, Cat_Robutt said:

That seems super sketchy! How frustrating!

The Univ. of Oklahoma forces freshmen to either live in the dorms or with their parents. Often the latter is not possible. A lot of students end up cheating the system here by claiming they live somewhere when they don't, or their parents rent an apartment and the student claims they live with their parents. Also, it doesn't help that the housing options available to freshmen are far from the cheapest options.

It sort of sucks.  Good thing I'm a married adult! I get to bypass a lot of these asinine rules.

[Cat_Robutt]

@Neist HUH....that's....it just seems unethical to me? I was really fortunate that my school had low-income housing for students with academic merit and financial need; without that there is no way I would have been able to afford undergrad, even with the job I was working. Thankfully, I had a small stipend as a graduate teaching assistant for my M.A., but I can't imagine a school forcing me to live in a certain place––or lie about living in a certain place!

[Neist]

Just now, Cat_Robutt said:

@Neist HUH....that's....it just seems unethical to me? I was really fortunate that my school had low-income housing for students with academic merit and financial need; without that there is no way I would have been able to afford undergrad, even with the job I was working. Thankfully, I had a small stipend as a graduate teaching assistant for my M.A., but I can't imagine a school forcing me to live in a certain place––or lie about living in a certain place!

I think the rules get fudged a bit if you have a really good excuse to fudge them, but you need more than just a desire. Also, these rules don't apply to graduate students. 

It's not as bad as it seems, but it is annoying to incoming freshmen, I imagine.

[Pink Fuzzy Bunny]

35 minutes ago, Neist said:

The Univ. of Oklahoma forces freshmen to either live in the dorms or with their parents. Often the latter is not possible. A lot of students end up cheating the system here by claiming they live somewhere when they don't, or their parents rent an apartment and the student claims they live with their parents. Also, it doesn't help that the housing options available to freshmen are far from the cheapest options.

It sort of sucks.  Good thing I'm a married adult! I get to bypass a lot of these asinine rules.

 

Yeah, here it's freshman-junior year, and to live with your parents they have to live within a 40-mile radius. And, of course, my parents live 42 miles away by their standards... ugh!

[MarineBluePsy]

On 4/13/2016 at 4:37 PM, Neist said:

Interesting! That's good to know!

Either way, it's a very low-paying field. Libraries are similar, but to be competitive for academic jobs, two master degrees are desirable. Ugh.

I think I'm pretty blessed to get into the program I got into.

Wait a minute!  Are you saying all those hunky research librarians are poor?  Here I was all excited to discover the foxiness of men in cardigans with functioning brain cells, but geez I may have to rethink this.  All those hours filled with inappropriate thoughts....I can't get that time back!

On 4/13/2016 at 1:06 PM, janetjanejune said:

@MarineBluePsy Thanks. I'm a frank person, but I fear scaring folks off if I ask the wrong questions. Honestly, I'd rather live alone. My introverted self does not want to come home after a day of work and classes to another person I barely know.

Frank is good.  If someone is scared off you may not want to live with them.  Living alone is great and I think everyone should do it.  If you shop around you can find an option that will work for you.

[Pink Fuzzy Bunny]

So I'm dying my hair back to brown... I have to teach a class in 7 hours, this is my second attempt, and I just found out that the hair dye I have on my hair right now has coconut oil in it, and guess who's allergic to coconut oil? So my whole head is red and burning, but I'm leaving the dye on just so that my hair isn't a pukey green in a few hours... Someone kill me!

[MarineBluePsy]

19 minutes ago, Pink Fuzzy Bunny said:

So I'm dying my hair back to brown... I have to teach a class in 7 hours, this is my second attempt, and I just found out that the hair dye I have on my hair right now has coconut oil in it, and guess who's allergic to coconut oil? So my whole head is red and burning, but I'm leaving the dye on just so that my hair isn't a pukey green in a few hours... Someone kill me!

Ummm this doesn't sound like a good idea.  Maybe you should take a benadryl.

[Pink Fuzzy Bunny]

2 minutes ago, MarineBluePsy said:

Ummm this doesn't sound like a good idea.  Maybe you should take a benadryl.

Yep, way ahead of you  

[hippyscientist]

But @Pink Fuzzy Bunny the pink and blue was awesome!!! 

[Pink Fuzzy Bunny]

5 hours ago, hippyscientist said:

But @Pink Fuzzy Bunny the pink and blue was awesome!!! 

I know! But the blue had faded to a pukey green, so I decided to dye it back. And I had this idea on a Thursday, and since I have the patience of a toddler I of course had to do it RIGHT THEN. Aaaaand now it's pitch black for some reason!

[hippyscientist]

39 minutes ago, Pink Fuzzy Bunny said:

I know! But the blue had faded to a pukey green, so I decided to dye it back. And I had this idea on a Thursday, and since I have the patience of a toddler I of course had to do it RIGHT THEN. Aaaaand now it's pitch black for some reason!

My hair was pitch black when I first dyed it back a reasonable colour. It's faded to a dark chocolatey-brown. 

I just got told by my supervisor that I was working really hard and that he's really impressed by my ability to figure stuff out by myself  gold star for hippyscientist! I'm glad he's impressed because this has been really challenging. My field involves quite a lot of computer work, but I've never had to process videos before (figure out their formats, deinterlace, correct for lens distortion, reconstruct frame-by-frame to remove the effect of slo-mo) and I've taught myself everything I've needed to get to the "interesting" part of my research. What's complicated is I've been processing on both mac and PC as some programs are on one but not the other.  It's been fun figuring out something so out of field, but I would quite like to stick to stuff I know, or will be used commonly in the field, for the PhD. 

[Neist]

11 hours ago, MarineBluePsy said:

Wait a minute!  Are you saying all those hunky research librarians are poor?  Here I was all excited to discover the foxiness of men in cardigans with functioning brain cells, but geez I may have to rethink this.  All those hours filled with inappropriate thoughts....I can't get that time back!

Unfortunately, no!  At least not in the US.

http://www.bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/librarians.htm

That claims the average salary 56k a year, but it's more realistically in the 45k range in most locations. Personally, I think that's a lot of money! I grew up and live relatively poor, so I'd be happy with that wage, but it's sad that the highest paying jobs (academic jobs) not only require a MLIS, but they often prefer a second advanced degree in another subject. 

Two masters degrees for that salary isn't great, but it's what I want to do, so I don't care.  

[Pink Fuzzy Bunny]

1 hour ago, hippyscientist said:

My hair was pitch black when I first dyed it back a reasonable colour. It's faded to a dark chocolatey-brown. 

I just got told by my supervisor that I was working really hard and that he's really impressed by my ability to figure stuff out by myself  gold star for hippyscientist! I'm glad he's impressed because this has been really challenging. My field involves quite a lot of computer work, but I've never had to process videos before (figure out their formats, deinterlace, correct for lens distortion, reconstruct frame-by-frame to remove the effect of slo-mo) and I've taught myself everything I've needed to get to the "interesting" part of my research. What's complicated is I've been processing on both mac and PC as some programs are on one but not the other.  It's been fun figuring out something so out of field, but I would quite like to stick to stuff I know, or will be used commonly in the field, for the PhD. 

Nice!! It sounds like you're ready for PhD work