I have been dying to get out of my home state for years. (Being a liberal, lesbian atheist in Utah is not so fun.) I've been accepted to a grad program on the other side of the country and the program is a perfect fit for what I want to do. It is everything I've ever wanted, except the price tag which will mean 50-70k debt after the three year program. (Though it's in a field that prospects are good and PSLF applies to most jobs.)
I've also been accepted to a school in Utah which is not nearly as good of a fit for me. Their research interests, their focus, even the degree itself (MS rather than an MPH) is not what I want. But it still results in the correct credentials to do the work I want to do. It will not be free, but with in-state tuition it will be about 1/3 the cost of any other program.
I've been told by many people to essentially pick the program that is the best fit for me, but I feel like a lot of that "follow your dreams" talk is why so many people end up in a lot of debt in the first place. I'm curious about how people who made the more frugal decision feel about it, or how people who didn't make the frugal decision are faring now?
February 11, 2017 at 01:26AM
