Comments on: Should You Take A Break Before Grad School?

By: Kristen

Kristen — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 18:30:22 +0000

Oh and my current job would pay for up to $6,000 per year for grad school – definately should have waited and gone to school part time while working!!!

By: Kristen

Kristen — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 18:27:53 +0000

I would MOST DEFINATELY wait before going to grad school, especially if you have a liberal arts degree and want to go into a non-science related profession. I took one year off between undergrad and grad school and tried to find a job in my area of interest – international nonprofits. I applied to over 25 jobs and the two that were nice enough to return my calls or reply to applications sent said that I needed to have a masters degree to get into this field. So I went back to grad school at a school I thought was great and middle of the road in terms of expense (not cheap like the State schools but not as expensive as the Ivy’s – $27K). It turned out to be a joke and a waste of money. Before I knew it, I was halfway through my first semester, miserable, already $12K inthe hole and realizing that my credits wouldn’t transfer to a more “reputable” school. In the end, I finished the 2 year program with $60K in debt (including my $14 K from undergrad loans) and started panicking. With student loan payments of over $500 a month, what was I to do? I ended up taking a job in a related field (I got my MPA in international nonprofit mgmt but ended up working for local government in community development) and am overall quite happy. HOwever, I wouldn’t have spent so much money on my MPA if I thought I could get the international job I wanted. Being 25 when I graduated with little to no work experience made me VERY unattractive to employers and the “but I have a master’s degree” was pretty much scoffed at. Moral of the story? Really do your research. And get a few years of work experience to save money, be sure of what you want to do, and have the skills to get a great job with your masters degree when you get out.

By: Faye

Faye — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 04:34:05 +0000

Had a 2 year break before I went to grad school. It worked for me as I needed to finish my licensure exams first. After I passed my licensure exams locally and internationally, and I was able to earn enough money to pay for some part of my grad school, then I’m back. Now I’m at the end of the road, I’ll be defending my thesis on Wednesday.

By: SavingDiva

SavingDiva — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 18:40:24 +0000

I have mixed feelings about when to attend graduate school. I took a 5 year break after college. I was able to make money mistakes and bounce back. I also have money set aside for a rainy day. However, I’ve also experienced a lifestyle inflation, so it’s going to be hard for me to go back to a student lifestyle (and survive on my stipend). I also will be a lot older than the other students in my classes, so I think this will also be a difficult transition. I guess I’ll just have to see….

By: Almost Frugal The 69th Carnival of Money Stories — almost frugal

Almost Frugal The 69th Carnival of Money Stories — almost frugal — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 10:02:49 +0000

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