I am someone who has stayed unfocused, and am trying to better myself. I was a Psych/Statistics/Pre-Med undergrad who payed for school out of pocket, then screwed around for some years, and now I want to find a fulfilling, well-paying career that won't put me in a ton of debt, as I'd like to pay for grad school out of pocket, too. I have zero debt, and use my CC like a debit card, and do not want to accumulate debt, and am unwilling to take out large loans for school.
I have been leaning towards Engineering, and on a whim while traveling to a town one state over, I met with the department head of a university I am interested in, and he put me in touch with a prof who offered me a PT research assistant position to gain more experience in the field. Dept Head also said they would love to take me on in their Masters program once I completed 6 pre-reqs at a community college (statics, fluid mechanics, etc). Their acceptance rate is 62%, so I'm not sure if that's why they are being so nice accommodating. Overall, after meeting all the profs and advisors, I felt a very supportive and friendly vibe. I have high GRE scores (Q: 163, V: 160) so maybe that's why?
My financial question: I have $3k set aside for these pre-reqs. In my home state each class is $250, in the state where the university is, they are $600 (out of state). In my home state I can live with my parents for free, and in the university state, I have a place for $250/month (including utilities).
Other factor to consider: - I would like to apply to other schools as well, and to make myself more competitive I would like to get an internship at a firm. Doing so seems to require prior experience or at the very least a BS in Engineering. I think the research position would help me get a more revered internship to help me get into a school with a lower acceptance rate.
-Semesters in my home state (HS) are half the length of time, and courses at the comm college at the university state (US) have a lot of classes I would take this spring that are broken up into two courses. IE: Calc2 in HS = $250 for winter semester leaving spring semester open for more courses, Calc2 in US = Part 1 winter semester $600 + Part 2 spring semester $600 = $1200
-I need to move back to my HS this summer regardless (university knows this) to watch my parents house while they travel. I was hoping to have a summer internship in this time.
-I don't have any friends in HS, all my friends and my SO are in US. Life in HS is extremely stressful for me, being a large city.
Expenses in US for the next 6 months before summer: $1800(3 classes)+$1500(rent) + $2400 (food) + $600 (health insurance) + $480 gas, etc Expenses in HS for the next 6 months: $750 (3 classes) + $2400 (food) + $600 (health insurance) $480 (gas, etc)
How valuable is research experience to pay an extra $2550 more over 6 months? The rest of my classes will be fulfilled in HS over the summer and fall 2017, and winter 2018.
EDIT: I should add that, I am brand new to engineering, and am pursuing it because I love math and problem solving, but I don't have any experience and don't know right now if it's a good fit. Is $2500 worth gaining some exposure to get more of an idea if this is what I really want before investing more time in school?
Submitted January 04, 2017 at 04:44PM by fefifofumm http://ift.tt/2ibWxMO
