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Rank: Valedictorian
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Hello all. This is my first question here, so please be gentle. I'm faced with a terrible predicament. I've escaped undergrad with only $2,000 of debt. However, for grad school my options are: 1. Go to Queen's for grad school and pay only for room/board. Queen's is paying my tuition so I'll likely just be paying 12,000 a year for room/board/clothing etc. 2. Go to Columbia for Grad school, assume ~ $10,000 tuition debt per year, plus room and board. Rent in NYC is 850-1000 a month  My question is how much debt is too much? I'd like to continue onto a PhD but I'm afraid that the debt will end all possibilities for future advancement, but the Prof at Columbia is my hero... It would help if you could speak from personal experience in assuming/paying debt. I'm an arts major and therefore understandably worried about $. Thanks guys.
BAH '08 (Queen's) MA'11 (Queen's)
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I don't think there's any limit to what amount of debt you should stop at, as long as you know you'll be making it back. (And, of course, that it's a legitimate debt, not you spending it on alcohol and drugs.)
Carleton University Class of 2012, Honours Bachelor of Arts
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CRAZYBUBBA, that is a steal to go to Columbia. As an international student that is all you would have to pay? If so, run don't walk there.
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Rank: Valedictorian
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Future Eng wrote:CRAZYBUBBA, that is a steal to go to Columbia. As an international student that is all you would have to pay? If so, run don't walk there. After scholarships/ RA/TA work. But it adds up to 50-60K for the degree.. which is pretty substantial. Btw, Columbia is not a public university. Local and internationals pay the same tuition.
BAH '08 (Queen's) MA'11 (Queen's)
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I know people who are going to England and are paying 70K CDN for a masters. That includes everything. They cannot get TAing there. Yes, of course, you are right about Columbia being private.
That is one great deal!
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I will be $32k in debt by the end of my fourth year, and that is only for an undergraduate degree. I would say the amount of debt you accumulate at Columbia is fine, but maybe do some more planning, estimate how long it would take you to pay it off and what kind of compromises you'd have to make after school (or during a PhD).
Uschi
Queen's '10
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Rank: Senior Student
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I don't even want to think about how much debt I'll be in if I get into Dentistry school... 30 thousand a year tuition plus residence for four years... someone kill me now.
CAPS LOCK IS CRUISE CONTROL FOR COOL.
UWO BioMed 2012
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cios wrote:I don't even want to think about how much debt I'll be in if I get into Dentistry school... 30 thousand a year tuition plus residence for four years... someone kill me now. You'll pay that back in no time if you're a dentist...
-Stringer
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where you get your master's degree is much more important than where you get your undergrad. if you've got a prof at columbia picked out who you know will help you really advance, i say go for columbia. Money is a huge concern but the connections you make and benefits you get will be worth it
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Ooosh wrote:I will be $32k in debt by the end of my fourth year, and that is only for an undergraduate degree. I would say the amount of debt you accumulate at Columbia is fine, but maybe do some more planning, estimate how long it would take you to pay it off and what kind of compromises you'd have to make after school (or during a PhD). How do you plan on paying that off? Are you an arts major?
BAH '08 (Queen's) MA'11 (Queen's)
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Redrose27 wrote:where you get your master's degree is much more important than where you get your undergrad. if you've got a prof at columbia picked out who you know will help you really advance, i say go for columbia. Money is a huge concern but the connections you make and benefits you get will be worth it This is exactly why this is a difficult decision to make. But 50K would require me to stop and work for a couple years before going for the PhD, and a Master's in Religion isn't exactly a marketable degree to most employers paying in the 30K plus range.
BAH '08 (Queen's) MA'11 (Queen's)
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CRAZYBUBBA wrote:Ooosh wrote:I will be $32k in debt by the end of my fourth year, and that is only for an undergraduate degree. I would say the amount of debt you accumulate at Columbia is fine, but maybe do some more planning, estimate how long it would take you to pay it off and what kind of compromises you'd have to make after school (or during a PhD). How do you plan on paying that off? Are you an arts major? I am an arts major (double medial in geography and GIS), but I have about 6k saved to pay off the debt, and will probably have about 10k to pay off the debt by the time I graduate (so 22k). There is a good chance I get a job fast if I do not choose to do a masters of planning.
Uschi Queen's '10
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Ooosh wrote:I am an arts major (double medial in geography and GIS), but I have about 6k saved to pay off the debt, and will probably have about 10k to pay off the debt by the time I graduate (so 22k). There is a good chance I get a job fast if I do not choose to do a masters of planning. ...rough 
Taiyab wrote: Is it me, or is Karla Homolka gorgeous! Lamoid wrote: SHE HAS A KILLER BODY.
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Rank: Student Body Vice-President
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NEM99 wrote:Ooosh wrote:I am an arts major (double medial in geography and GIS), but I have about 6k saved to pay off the debt, and will probably have about 10k to pay off the debt by the time I graduate (so 22k). There is a good chance I get a job fast if I do not choose to do a masters of planning. ...rough Wouldn't have it any other way. Well, no, if I had to major in English, or Philosophy, that would be horrendous. Terrible at math and science (although I have taken calculus in university, and am taking statistics right now, as we speak)
Uschi Queen's '10
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Ooosh wrote:NEM99 wrote:Ooosh wrote:I am an arts major (double medial in geography and GIS), but I have about 6k saved to pay off the debt, and will probably have about 10k to pay off the debt by the time I graduate (so 22k). There is a good chance I get a job fast if I do not choose to do a masters of planning. ...rough Wouldn't have it any other way. Well, no, if I had to major in English, or Philosophy, that would be horrendous. Terrible at math and science (although I have taken calculus in university, and am taking statistics right now, as we speak) Ooosh is right, GIS jobs pay pretty well (GISjobs.com). On the flip side a MA from Columbia would still net me a max starting wage of ~ 35K.
BAH '08 (Queen's) MA'11 (Queen's)
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hmm well crazybubba based on your sig i'm assuming you've already tried to speak with columbia to get that financial aid offer, which is what i would recommend--tell them your situation, and if you've got the marks and the requirements i'm sure they'd love to have you and might be able to negotiate some payments. also, many people who work/study in nyc don't actually live there...new jersey isn't that far of a commute and is much much cheaper so maybe consider that?
using this thread as a basis to ask my own question (that i have asked elsewhere as well), is it a really bad decision for me to choose to move away to go to western for a science program when i could have gone to laurier for less than free (extra money in the bank) and waterloo for about free (if i take co op i'll have the extra money as well), instead of paying around 40, 50k for western? I'm reading these posts and seeing your concerns on financing your graduate education---i plan to pursue master's and phd studies as well and those are immensely costly, so i'm beginning to wonder how bad of a decision i'm making going away when i could save all my finances for a dream graduate school. Crazybubba you've spoken to this in another thread and recommended laurier and i'm hoping to hear others' views. it's a little late to change my application and registration to another new university but i think i migth be able to arrange a transfer to waterloo or laurier (waterloo would be easier since the programs i'm interested in are still listed as 'open' on ouac) if i see that going to western is really not the best option in the case of someone like me who is tight on funds and wants to pursue at least 4 more years of study after undergrad in a field that isn't a money maker (i'll be making more than an arts major would but much less than more technical work like engineers, software eng, etc.)
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Rank: Valedictorian
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Redrose27 wrote:hmm well crazybubba based on your sig i'm assuming you've already tried to speak with columbia to get that financial aid offer, which is what i would recommend--tell them your situation, and if you've got the marks and the requirements i'm sure they'd love to have you and might be able to negotiate some payments. also, many people who work/study in nyc don't actually live there...new jersey isn't that far of a commute and is much much cheaper so maybe consider that?
using this thread as a basis to ask my own question (that i have asked elsewhere as well), is it a really bad decision for me to choose to move away to go to western for a science program when i could have gone to laurier for less than free (extra money in the bank) and waterloo for about free (if i take co op i'll have the extra money as well), instead of paying around 40, 50k for western? I'm reading these posts and seeing your concerns on financing your graduate education---i plan to pursue master's and phd studies as well and those are immensely costly, so i'm beginning to wonder how bad of a decision i'm making going away when i could save all my finances for a dream graduate school. Crazybubba you've spoken to this in another thread and recommended laurier and i'm hoping to hear others' views. it's a little late to change my application and registration to another new university but i think i migth be able to arrange a transfer to waterloo or laurier (waterloo would be easier since the programs i'm interested in are still listed as 'open' on ouac) if i see that going to western is really not the best option in the case of someone like me who is tight on funds and wants to pursue at least 4 more years of study after undergrad in a field that isn't a money maker (i'll be making more than an arts major would but much less than more technical work like engineers, software eng, etc.) I'm not really able to benefit form the low cost of NJ living, columbia is in manhattan so I'd have to pay a toll to get into school every day, and i couldn't afford parking if I commuted by car. I actually used to live in Princeton for 6 years, it's too bad that I've moved to Pakistan otherwise the problem would be solved 1. It's probably not too late to change to Laurier. Just call their admissions people. They'd love to have a student like you. 2. Don't let my predicament worry you. It really depends on what you're willing to do for grad school. For example, had i chosen Waterloo for grad school THEY would be paying me tuition/room/board/ + extra money to go. However, for me it's more important that i work under someone who I admire in an environment where leading scholarship is taking place. If you are willing to compromise on the quality of your education, your financial problems will decrease. I think i'm gonna talk to Queen's, have them up their offer to include room and board and then compromise (if Columbia doesn't relent). Such compromises are inevitable but i think that it's best that you compromise on your choice of undergrad than your grad school.
BAH '08 (Queen's) MA'11 (Queen's)
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yes but I don't think you'd get the centennial scholarship if you decide to change your mind now. The only condition on that scholarship is to accept the offer by 28th, nothing else.
DD
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are you talking about the millennium scholarship?
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Rank: Student Body President
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oh. nvm. you mean the laurier one.
i think i just killed myself financially
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