<p>I’m a first generation college student hoping to get some advice from some of you college-experienced parents/individuals.</p>
<p>First, a bit of background
• Graduated high school in 2012
• attended college immediately after my high school graduation
• first generation college student
• just finished my sophomore year at a local college - approx. $20,000 in debt.
• applied to schools to transfer to this fall (current college does not have the quality of education I'm looking for)
• The schools I’m considering to transfer to will cost between $10,000 and $18,000 per year. In other words, I’d be looking at paying back approx. $60,000 in loans after graduation
• interested in majoring in political science (found out mid-year of my sophomore year)</p>
<p>As I think about my transfer options and about continuing my college career in general, I’m faced with a couple problems. </p>
<ol>
<li><p>I’m not sure if it’s worth going into debt with a political science (PS) degree. Last night, I was looking at loan repayment plans and I’m afraid of accruing any more debt. </p></li>
<li><p>I have no idea what I want to do with the PS degree. After graduating with a PS degree, I feel as if I’ll be working an entry-level position that didn’t require a degree in the first place! Moreover, a degree in political science, as I’ve researched, won’t likely get me a job that will help pay for the high cost of living where I live and pay back loans in a timely manner. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>Graduate/professional school may be an option in the near future, but right now I think taking on graduate loans on top of my undergrad loans will be too much for me.</p>
<p>With the growing debt, is it worth going to college to pursue a political science degree if I don’t know what I want to do with it yet? </p>
<p>That amount of debt is too high for any undergraduate degree. Either stay where you are (don’t transfer)-- or take some time off and work to earn some money before returning to school, and look to transfer to a more affordable school that you can finance without loans. </p>
<p>My kids have poli sci degrees. Work experience is pretty valuable when it comes to getting a job post-grad - so you certainly would not be wasting your time if you opted to work for awhile to earn money. (My son worked full time for 3 years between his sophomore and junior years of college, completed his degree at an in-state public; ultimately graduated debt free.)</p>
<p>There isn’t much in the way of scholarships for med school. It will be loans, loans and more loans. You’ll want to be carrying as little undergrad debt as possible.</p>
<p>Why do you want to study political science? It can be useful if you want to work as a legislative staffer or for a non-profit or interest group, but you should also try to get an internship to build your resume and contacts.</p>
<p>Who has been cosigning your loans so far? Or were your parents denied PLUS loans, and you borrowed the additional Stafford amount?</p>
<p>Your loan burden right now is excessive. Don’t head anywhere that is going to leave you further in debt than what you can take on through the federal loans.</p>
<p>Yes, it would be perfectly OK to take some time off, think about your long-term career goals, and knock down you student loans a bit.</p>
<p>Thanks @calmom Unfortunately, my current college does not have my degree program so I’ll probably take some time off if the final FA packages I’m waiting for aren’t enough.</p>
<p>Did your kids have an idea for what they wanted to do with a PS degree from the start? I feel like I’m the only one who doesn’t and it’s a bit frustrating.</p>
<p>@WayOutWestMom, I do believe you about med school being expensive. Thanks for your input in my other thread.</p>
<p>
@momfromme, I want to study political science because it’s a subject that gets my blood rushing. Two years ago, I came to college not knowing what I wanted to major in. I knew I had an interest in medicine but thought majoring in biology wouldn’t be making the most out of my college experience. My interest in PS was sparked after joining the student senate during freshman year, I held a senator position that entitled me to make contributions to the student body. I also got to meet a lot of our school and gov’t leaders, etc…which to me, was an amazing experience. It just came to me, after thinking about debt, that I should be worried about what’s going to happen after graduation.</p>
<p>Participating in internships is one thing that upperclassmen PS majors have told me. I’ve never been an intern before but it’s something I would be willing to experience. Does it matter what type of internship positions I should acquire? That’s one thing I’ve never really understood about internships. </p>
<p>@thumper1 and @happymomof1, parents/grandparent have been cosigning. </p>
<p>A question for anyone to answer:
Would any of you suggest a big move by suggesting a major change? Perhaps a technical/vocational major?</p>
<p>This is all too much debt for someone interested in med school. You will have major debt for that.</p>
<p>What do you mean by “my current college does not have my degree program” ??? doesnt every school have poly sci? if you are thinking of taking on lots of debt for some particular PS track then that is silly…especially if you have med school hopes.</p>
<p>What program are you transferring into?</p>
<p>this whole thing sounds nutty.</p>
<p>BTW…what happens to private undergrad loans while a student is in med school? are they on hold and just grow and grow? or are some payments required? we hear of some doctors strangled by huge debt (undergrad and med) …it must be folks like you.</p>
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first generation college
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<p>no wonder the parents and grands are co-signing…they are naively thinking that their child/grandchild is going to earn big bucks to pay back these loans.</p>
<p>what is your gpa now for both cum and science?</p>
<p>wow…you have to add a couple thousand more just for travel. travel to and from Hawaii to NY is very expensive. I know a couple of HI kids at Bama and they pay a LOT for their travel costs.</p>
<p>are you saying that there arent any HI state schools with ps that would work? I find that hard to believe.</p>
<p>Are you thinking your transfer schools may offer better “access” to federal/ Washington DC political jobs? What exactly are your career goals with a poli sci degree? </p>
<p>RE: internships. What kind of internships you take will depend on your eventual career goals.</p>
<p>You’re going to need to make some hard decision soon. Do you want to do medicine or poli sci? </p>
<p>Med school admissions have a huge EC expectations (clinical and non-clinical volunteering, physician shadowing, laboratory or clinical research, etc) If you want to pursue medicine, you need to get started on those type of activities now.</p>
<p>If you’re going to pursue poli sci, think about where you want to end up. State government? Federal government? Lobbying organizations? Politics? Law school? Non-profits?</p>
<p>The son of a friend started out as campaign volunteer for small local elections (state house of representative for a small rural district) and eventually progressed to a [unpaid] campaign manager for couple of local elections. This plus his senior research thesis (policy analysis) and his involvement with campus and local political/lobbying organization eventually allowed him to get a policy analyst position with a lobbying organization in DC after graduation. That job didn’t last long (less than year) and didn’t pay much, but the contacts he made allowed him to find another job with different organization. Rinse, repeat multiple times. He eventually ended up in law school, but hasn’t yet graduated because he’s been on leave doing consulting for a lobbying organization in his field of specialization.</p>
<p>Most go to college for the training to open possibilities in a rewarding, fulfilling career upon graduation. Some attend only for the joy of learning. The OP must ask what camp he/she is in. If it is for a job, the typical rule of thumb is that college debt should be a max of = to a realistic estimation of the first yr salary.</p>
<p>There are two parts to your question, it seems to me.</p>
<p>1) If you like political science, then study it and enjoy it. Your major at college does not have to be related to future job prospects, though the world is certainly moving more towards that than when I first came on this forum to comment on similar posts.</p>
<p>You can intern or volunteer while you are at college and those experience will contribute to your employability after graduation.</p>
<p>2) A debt load of $40-55K will be a lot of pressure for you, and may even limit your options. I would say find a way to finish that does not involve these loans. This is not an unusual debt burden- I have seen much worse- but is still a burden that will haunt you until it is paid off.</p>
<p>I don’t know what your family’s financial situation is, but if there is any way to keep this down, do it.</p>
<p>I understand you are linking these two issues because you feel that political science may not be vocational enough or lead to a high paying job. But honestly, it is as good a major as any and you are interested in it. Just get the BA. Volunteer or intern. If you need to take time off to regroup and figure out a way to get that degree at lower cost, do it. I do know of programs that would be affordable. If you wait until you are 23, your financial aid will be based on your finances, not your parents. I even know some young people who are waiting that out.</p>
<p>You could work on a political campaign this fall too…City Year, AmeriCorps…</p>
<p>Tough situation. Talk to financial aid at your college also. Maybe they can suggest some things.</p>
<p>I’d just add that Americorps is a great option for poli sci majors because many Americorps positions are with government agencies, and/or have volunteers working for causes which are also related to political issues – plus, of course, there is the college tuition benefit that can be applied to school and/or applied to pay of loans. The downside is that the pay is so low – so if the goal is to work to pay down existing debt and save more money for when you return to college, then it might be better to focus on trying to get the highest paying job available to you. </p>
<p>@kane808
If you are confused about what you should major in, a good source is the Occupational Outlook Handbook (<a href=“http://www.bls.gov/oco”>www.bls.gov/oco</a>) There you can look up the major and see what careers it can lead to. It also breaks down all aspects of the career (like job duties, salary, school requirements like if you need a master’s degree or a bachelor’s degree, etc)</p>
<p>I’m not sure what area you’re in but the Washington, DC area is great for political science. Also, if you have a passion for it, you will do well in that career field. If you’re worried about getting a job after you graduate, interning while in school in that field will provide you with some possible opportunities upon graduation.</p>
<p>I’m so glad that you’re already thinking about how you can minimize your debt. Definitely research and apply to scholarships that can be found in your community. Like visit churches, credit unions/ banks, non-profit organizations, and even target some organizations around the political science area. Those will be great places to start looking into scholarship opportunities to minimize your debt.</p>
<p>@mom2collegekids, it’s very difficult to not take your comments personally. I started this thread for advice, NOT for my situation to be called “nutty,” for my parents and grandparent to be mocked, or for me to be directly compared to past students who are currently struggling with their private loan debt. I recognize the “severity” (for lack of a better word) of the situation (that’s why I started this thread) and would appreciate it if you’d tone it down a notch and stop acting like you’re “Ms. Know-It-All.” (No disrespect meant, just don’t like how you seem to assume A LOT…seems like it’s a thing for you based on your post history).</p>
<p>You’re incorrect to think that every college has a PS program; my college doesn’t have one. I am not “aiming” for a particular PS program, just wanting to experience life away from where I grew up.</p>
<p>
I have a 4.0 for both.</p>
<p>
I was fully aware of the high travel costs to and from NY and have money reserved in my savings (R/T fares for each semester).</p>
<p>
Where did I say that? UR and SU are just a couple schools I’m considering… I have one HI school as a “backup” but I don’t want to attend it unless I really need to. I also have two others that I’ll be hearing from next week.</p>
<p>I’m crossing off the $18,000 school if it makes you feel a little better. And for the record, I am keeping the option of taking a break (to work and earn some money before I continue my studies) in mind… but I’m wanting to see my final FA packages first before I make that decision.</p>
@WayOutWestMom, I have Mānoa as an option. Unfortunately, it will still cost me a hefty sum—about $14,000.</p>
<p>
To answer your first question, not exactly… I just want to experience life outside of HI for a bit before I “settle” down and applied to a select set of schools which I thought were best fits (admittedly, based on my limited research last year). For your second and third questions, I don’t see myself doing anything related to my degree…ir politics/gov’t for that mater. I’m just pursing it because it’s interesting to me. Medicine is what I want to pursue after college but will not likely be pursuing it immediately after graduation. </p>
<p>To clarify, I will probably want to work for a few years after graduation (likely to pay off some UG debt). The issue that I’m trying to figure out is, I’m not sure what I should do with the PS degree during that short period of working. Should I be less worried if it’s only going to last a few years?</p>
<p>
I have been volunteering and shadowing since freshman year. I also pursued a research opportunity last summer. :)</p>
<p>Kane, if you are thinking of waiting things out until you are age 24 – you might consider this option: if you can get a job in another state with a good university system, you would be able to establish residency in that state-- and then maybe have more affordable options paying in-state tuition. Check idealist.org for job listings - the grassroots campaign organizations are always looking for help – you could move just about anywhere because you’d probably end up connecting up with your co-workers for shared housing. (Those organizations hire a bunch of young people all with a shared desire to live as cheaply as possible). Not a huge amount of money to start but as you rack up experience you’ll find more opportunities. </p>
<p>^ Check the specifics for residency at each college carefully. For some just living apart from your parents will not do it. There are many hoops to jump through.</p>
Thanks for your input in my other thread.</p>