Did you/are you in school right now?

waltzingmatilda13

How do you manage going to school and paying all your bills? Financial aid? School grants? Scholarships?

I'm tossing around the idea of going back to school for my masters, but I'm really unsure how that will work with paying all my bills and living off one income. How do you do it?

texagj

I always qualified for grants so I never head to worry about it. My FI on the other hand had to do student loans which I know we will be paying off for awhile.

Masters in what? If you don't mind my asking,

sarah0725

I do it with a combination of a full tuition scholarship, a stipend, and student loans. Not sure what field you're going into, but one of the best things you can do is find a grad program that is willing to offer you full funding. This has saved my life the past five years - there's no way I could live otherwise.

marissa_claire

I looked into going back to get my Master's recently and then got a new job so it's not an option at this time, but to pay out of pocket w/o any financial help would have been around $1000 a month for me.  That sounds tough and crazy, but I would have been able to make it work, even on a limited income.  There's not a ton out there by way of scholarships and financial aid for post-grad education, so I wouldn't plan on much. 

Depending on your situation, one option I considered (and still would be ideal) is to work at a university.  Most universities offer free or discounted tuition to full-time employees.  Another option is, again depending on your job, some companies pay for employees to take classes that are relevant to their career path.  

If all else fails, I would talk to the financial aid and planning department at the school you are considering.  They have loads of resources, they'd be able to better help you estimate what a monthly out-of-pocket payment might be or student loan options depending on what you're looking for.

vinlove77

I just finished my masters and had to work the whole time. Trust me if I'd felt comfortable just going to school I would've done it in a second! I know plenty of people in my program who used student loans and savings and just cut back during the time they were in school. Seemed to work well for them.

waltzingmatilda13

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_did-youare-school-right-now?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:796175ec-d099-439a-8b34-7f2fab84cd6ePost:7c083465-a3bc-40f0-a6b5-24815b41e3ff">Re: Did you/are you in school right now?</a>:
[QUOTE]I always qualified for grants so I never head to worry about it. My FI on the other hand had to do student loans which I know we will be paying off for awhile. Masters in what? If you don't mind my asking,
Posted by texagj[/QUOTE]

Library Science. I love love love the library and reading and all that jazz. I would really like to be school librarian.

strlzfan11

I just finished my Master's a few weeks ago.  I didn't qualify for financial aid because I made too much money at my old job, which sucks because I got laid off 2 weeks after all the paperwork had been filled out.  My intention was to only take out loans for my classes, but I ended up having to borrow living expenses as well because I ended up not having a job.  Did I want to do it that?  No, but it was my only option at the time.

emilyann21

I used student loans and was also a graduate assistant. This paid for most of my tuition and offered a small montly income hence, why I needed the student loans. I would really look into the graduate assistant thing to see if your school offers it. I did mine in marketing and my graduate degree is in speech therapy so completely different but it was a nice break. I had to work 15 hours max however, each position was different as well as pay. I tried working the graduate assistant position and my part time job I had for years but I was working 7 days a week plus school plus clinic and I didn't have a life or get much sleep.

Do some research and talk to your financial aid person at the school. GL!

leah2b

Student loans and living VERY cheaply. 

fianceekathryn

I went to law school and took out student loans to support myself and my slacker ex-boyfriend. I also worked part-time (work-study). I don't recommend the slacker ex, and the loans are awful, but I wouldn't have been able to go without them. My only advice is to absolutely minimize your costs while you're in school. I found that graduate student loans were really easy to get, and I didn't really understand how much money I was borrowing until after I graduated and they went into repayment.

texagj

Another option...if you find a school district that will bring you on as a library assistant or something they will usually pay for your tuition or do tuition reimbursement (sp?).

LesPaul

I worked full time while getting my MBA.  My employer paid my tuition, so all I had to cover was books and parking.

waltzingmatilda13

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_did-youare-school-right-now?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:796175ec-d099-439a-8b34-7f2fab84cd6ePost:b6504fc2-b8c1-4330-a40f-346afa7f7768">Re: Did you/are you in school right now?</a>:
[QUOTE]Another option...if you find a school district that will bring you on as a library assistant or something they will usually pay for your tuition or do tuition reimbursement (sp?).
Posted by texagj[/QUOTE]

I've looked every where around here to no avail. My county actually cut college tuition reimbursements too to avoid layoffs. So I got to keep my job, but now I can't count on them to go back to school

RodeoRed

I just started my Masters and I am a graduate assistant so the school pays half of my tuition (and being a grad assistant automatically switches me to in-state tuition thank god) and a montly stipend. I can pay my tution by saving some of my stipend.

My H is also a part time grad student but works for the USDA so the school does not pay for anything for him but thats ok since he is working full time.

I don't know how grad assistantships work at every university but here I am required to work 20 hs/ week during the semester and 40 hs/ week duing breaks for my major professor. Thankfully my prof is really cool and doesn't track hours and the time I work is spent on my project for my thesis. I work in a science field so assistantships may also be different in other fields.

So anyway we make it work between the two of us. We aren't rolling in the cash but we can pay the bills and neither of us will have any debt from graduate school (H has some from undergrad).

Overall contact the program coordinator for what you want to do and ask about financial aid. They should know the ins and outs and how to get assistantships if they offer them.

texagj

Wow not cool. Sorry to hear that.

staceytaylor0704

I paid out of pocket some, got a few loans (I only borrowed about $3,000) and my job reimbursed me 80%.. I still have 2 more years left though. blech.

ogrady88

I paid for my master's program through student loans and grad assistant positions.  One thing to look into is the Direct Student Loan program.  As most libraries are non-profits you may look into their loan forgiveness program, it is an amazing opportunity for those of us who work in non-profit/public sector jobs.  FI is currently a full-time student, we are living off of my income, it is tough, you will have to cut back on a lot and luckily we both have decent retirement/savings built up because savings will not be a priority for us for the next two years...the way to look at it, is going back to school is your current investment.  Good luck!

waltzingmatilda13

Thanks ladies. You are making me feel better about this decision. I guess the one big thing I have going for me is that I don't have any undergrad debt thanks to my super awesome parents. They paid for my degree with cash and took out some loans in my name and actually paid it all off about 3 years ago. So all loans now wouldn't put a huge burden on us.

H and I also agreed that going back to school is one of the few things we would go into debt for (as in, carry debt in our name, like a house, not actually not being able to afford anything and going broke).

XP: Because I double posted, but wanted to thank you ladies, too.

brownd9

Since I had no help with my undergrad and had to take out loans to pay for all of it, I am currently paying 60% of my income to pay them back...UGH. So I am definitely NOT taking out any more student loans. Unfortunately my current employer just cut back their tuition assistance program so I have stopped taking classes. I will go back to grad school once I have a better employer(or a much higher paying job, lol!).

deburnin

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_did-youare-school-right-now?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:796175ec-d099-439a-8b34-7f2fab84cd6ePost:4c3bc433-5658-4a8a-b532-e9b197883231">Re: Did you/are you in school right now?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Did you/are you in school right now? : Library Science. I love love love the library and reading and all that jazz. I would really like to be school librarian.
Posted by waltzingmatilda13[/QUOTE]

<div>I'm currently in my last semester of grad school majoring in Library and Information Science. I focused on public libraries though (silly me). School librarians (K-12) have much different requirements than public librarians or academic librarians. Their study is very rigid and you also need to be up for teaching, which I wasn't. </div><div>
</div><div>I'll have finished the degree in a year in a half including taking classes over the summer. I paid the summer out of pocket, but had to take subsidized stafford loans for the semesters. I work part-time and put $100 every paycheck toward paying back my undergrad interest/loans. It's not making much of a dent, but it's better than nothing.</div><div>
</div><div>I know quite a few people in my program who have continued to work full time while going to school. Our classes are all in the evening and online. They take two or three classes a semester and still keep their income. It's rough but they manage.</div>

waltzingmatilda13

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_did-youare-school-right-now?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:796175ec-d099-439a-8b34-7f2fab84cd6ePost:986d13e3-aaec-4575-a29f-bff9976efe2b">Re: Did you/are you in school right now?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Did you/are you in school right now? : I'm currently in my last semester of grad school majoring in Library and Information Science. I focused on public libraries though (silly me). School librarians (K-12) have much different requirements than public librarians or academic librarians. Their study is very rigid and you also need to be up for teaching, which I wasn't.  I'll have finished the degree in a year in a half including taking classes over the summer. I paid the summer out of pocket, but had to take subsidized stafford loans for the semesters. I work part-time and put $100 every paycheck toward paying back my undergrad interest/loans. It's not making much of a dent, but it's better than nothing. I know quite a few people in my program who have continued to work full time while going to school. Our classes are all in the evening and online. They take two or three classes a semester and still keep their income. It's rough but they manage.
Posted by deburnin[/QUOTE]

This is so helpful, you have no idea. I know most programs say it takes 2 years, but if I could finish early that would be ideal. I really would prefer to stop working all together to get it done and then go back to work. I really want to focus on  being an elementary librarian, when going to the library was still fun and exciting. 

srkropf

Seriously cutting cost, working hard part-time/ full time depending on the hours of school/work-- and then taking financial aid.

[Deleted User]

I wish I was in school right now, but will have to wait awhile to go back. I am sure I will probably take out loans unless we can manage to pay cash while also saving for a house. Don't know how that is going to work, but I guess we'll figure it out.

jessienjeremy

I just went back to school and basically I am on a "payment plan".  I pay so much per month for the entire time I am in school.  When I graduate... I am done paying.  Its nice.. I work full time and do school online. 

thesuninherhead

I work in a professional research job. It so happened that one of the projects I was doing became large enough to be my PhD, and my supervisors were supportive of me doing it as a PhD (while still maintaining my other work)... 

I've been incredibly lucky, but I do think that if you can find a workplace that supports you in doing postgrad work, it is a much, much easier process- and they are out there.