<p>jym626- you’re right, I guess I was confused. The issue IS over $20k+ debt, not a few thousand. Thanks for the encouragement and the reality check.
I think JHS brings up a good point that is relevant to this question of debt, and it is a point that I believed to be true before receiving advice to the contrary from a transfer counselor. I should have faith that, IF I am accepted into a “top” school, they will meet my financial need with a combination of sources that will not leave me devastated with lifelong debt!! A good school would indeed be worth a few thousand more but probably not worth tens of thousands more.
Fourier- I have similar feelings about grad school; I tend to feel inclined to accept admission offers from universities that are willing to pay my way. Hopefully I can continue to excel and prove that I’m worthy of such funding!!
Thank you all for the great advice and input, it really does help me to think about this dilemma in a balanced way. Cheers!!</p>
<p>Sounds like you have gotten a lot of great advice and you have some good plans. There are some wonderful schools with great undergrad history departments and a very liberal environment in your neck of the woods that will meet 100% of demonstrated need, but it might require a relocation for you. If you are open to that for your last 2 yrs of school, I am pretty certain you can avoid saddling yourself with undergrad debt. You might want to think about these schools. If you apply to several, surely you will get some remarkable financial support that will open, not close doors for you. It is no fun starting off your career with debt that potentially equals a year’s salary.</p>
<p>*** putting in my personal pitch for Vassar.</p>
<p>jym626- hey thanks, I do feel lucky to be in this area in the academic position I’m in but would you mind elaborating a little on the schools around here that may be better options than those I’ve mentioned? Vassar is certainly on my list, as is Bard but Vassar seems very transfer phobic; they openly state that there is very little FA for transfers and they simply do not allow transfer students with more than 60 credits (I have about 67, ooops) But yes, I am open to schools in the (wider) area, especially if they are liberal with good history programs!</p>
<p>I forgot about the difficulty transferring into Vassar. Sorry. Not impossible, but not easy. Start here: [Schools</a> That Say They Meet Full Need - US News and World Report](<a href=“http://www.usnews.com/articles/business/paying-for-college/2008/09/05/schools-that-say-they-meet-full-need.html]Schools”>http://www.usnews.com/articles/business/paying-for-college/2008/09/05/schools-that-say-they-meet-full-need.html)</p>
<p>I stumbled into this person’s blog [url=<a href=“http://phdinhistory.org/wordpress/]PhDinHistory[/url”>http://phdinhistory.org/wordpress/]PhDinHistory[/url</a>] but its a tad depressing-- you might not find it helpful :(</p>
<p>Follow your passion, my comment was relating to borrowing too much to do it–prepare to be able to survive on low pay. Good luck!</p>
<p>JY626- slightly depressing, yet not really a surprise. Our society places less and less value on the benefits of a liberal arts education, therefore liberal arts educators are in less demand. But I suppose the problem is more over-arching than that. I have considered double majoring in environmental science in case I want to pursue a more science based graduate degree. Much of this will depend on my success as an undergraduate studying history. It’s not an easy decision to make for someone whose goal is not simply to get as rich as possible. I have considered law school, which is why I felt a history degree would provide a well-rounded education with lots of critical reading, writing, and solid research skills. I suppose I should have a better idea of what i want to be when I grow up but i have so many interests and so many doubts at the same time. Am I being way too personal!?! LOL … thanks again for the feedback.</p>
<p>If you have time, read a lot of the links on Sterling’s blog. He has a lot of useful information. </p>
<p>I have a dear friend from undergrad who teaches Medieval History at a major (top 50)Tier 1 University (we went to undergrad together at a NE LAC). She has always been passionate about history. I applaud you for following your dream. Just no need to strap yourself with debt in the process. JMO. Good luck!</p>
<p>Sterling’s blog is chock full of useful info. Here’s an article on the median salaries for faculty in different specialties and at the differing levels (ie instructor, assistant professor, associate professor, etc [News:</a> Tightening Picture for Faculty Pay - Inside Higher Ed](<a href=“http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/03/09/cupa]News:”>http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/03/09/cupa) Mythmom-- your thoughts???</p>
<p>jroe–I think you have gotten a lot of good advice here. I’m just going to speak up from personal experience. My D transfered to Wes–your instinct is correct; they are very transfer-friendly. We did not apply for aid at the time, but friends of hers who were fellow transfers seemed to get the same kinds of packages they would have gotten as frosh. Wes made the transfers feel very, very much at home. And more than a few were from CC’s–both from Conn and other states. </p>
<p>It was one of the best decisions she ever made. I truly hope it works out for you–her experience there was phenomenal!</p>
<p>wow, garland, that is SO encouraging. Thank you endlessly for sharing you experience, that is invaluable. The more I read and re-read their transfer section, the more confident I grow in my choice and my chances. Thanks again, and I think I will be visiting the school to experience the classroom atmosphere before too long. I guess I should not get too excited as i have not been accepted yet!</p>
<p>Come up with some estimates of your assets and plug them into the Financial Aid and EFC calculator:</p>
<p>[FinAid</a> | Calculators | Expected Family Contribution (EFC) and Financial Aid](<a href=“Your Guide for College Financial Aid - Finaid”>http://www.finaid.org/calculators/finaidestimate.phtml)</p>
<p>Prestigious schools are sometimes the most generous with aid.</p>
<p>Hi. Since you ask about money I will say the high school teachers in my district on average make more money than college professors. You’ll never get rich.</p>
<p>On the other hand, I wouldn’t have done anything else with my life. I’ve been at the same job for 24 years and can imagine working ten more. </p>
<p>With summers off and a month off in the winter and only working four days a week it’s an ideal life style for me and I can honestly say I’ve found something to enjoy every single day I went into the classroom. Although the pay isn’t great, the expenses aren’t either. You can wear what choose, don’t need as much child care (I took off four years when the kids were little and have never used anything but “nursery school” type situations for them, and don’t take lunches out or anything like that.</p>
<p>We all prioritize. And college teaching can’t be outsourced until it’s all done by distance learning. Then, we ARE in trouble, but there’s probably a gold mine to be made by developing teaching DVD’s and selling them to Phoenix. I’ve thought of it.</p>
<p>I’ve not had a chance to read the whole thread, so forgive me if I’m being repetitive. As an academic, I can tell you one thing: you need not go to the most expensive school. If you are interested in pursing a PhD in a particular field, email, phone and/or meet with top scholars in the field (wherever they are), find out where the best graduate programs are for that field (e.g. say top 20 schools in history). Have a look at their tuition and financial aid and investigate the ability to get to know and work with faculty at that school (btw, small schools are not necessarily better on this dimension). If you come out of an undergrad at a school that is recognized in the field you are interested in, you can get letters from some faculty they recognize, and you have great grades and GRE scores, you can go to a terrific graduate program in history (or whatever your field). Going to a ‘name’ school as described on USNWR may be fine, but in a given field, they have their own list of highly regarded schools.</p>
<p>Good luck to you!</p>