<p>I was accepted by a M.S. program in engineering, but without any funding. It is essentially my top choice school (for my specific research interests). The cost of tuition, living expenses, insurance, etc. are estimated at around $55k/year, and I am not sure that 1) I could even get loans for that, and 2) I would want add $110k on to my undergraduate loans. I really don't think that this school is going to be even a remote possibility for me.</p>
<p>I am not sure exactly what that means. I am assuming that I did not get funding because I was not able to find a professor to work with/for? I had posted something similar a week or so ago, but I don't think I know a single peer/friend that has gone through a M.S. program that had to pay. So I'm not sure if this is something that I did wrong in my application or something else.</p>
<p>It isn’t uncommon to not get funding at the start of an M.S. In fact, that is the norm. What it means is that they (the department) are not guaranteeing you funding. In no way does it keep you from finding a professor and some funding once you get there.</p>
<p>So you basically would start the masters knowing that you could be on the hook for $110 in loans, but hope to get funding? That sounds pretty stressful - but I suppose people do it all of the time.</p>
<p>How could/would loans even work for that? I have heard that the maximum you can borrow from FAFSA is about $20/year, which would not even cover tuition. So the remainder are private, unsubsidized loans? I am having a hard time imagining taking on that much in loans, after undergraduate. I suppose this really isn’t a question. Thanks for the response though.</p>
<p>I know a few people in that situation, and it sucks to be in that situation for sure. In my opinion, you would be foolish to continue on with an MS if you have a lot of debt from undergrad already, as you will most likely be set back very far on paying those loans by the time you get out. If this were med school, I would have a different opinion, but engineering salaries are simply not high enough to be so risky.</p>
<p>My suggestion is to try to contact professors that you are interested in working with starting as soon as you are accepted, or even before, and see if they have any positions open. The sooner the better. If you have a little bit of tact and luck, you can land an RA spot before the summer even.</p>
<p>I contacted a few professors earlier. They said that at the time they didn’t have any openings in their lab for a masters student (I actually didn’t ask that, but they must have assumed that was something that I was wondering). But they seemed a little encouraging in general.</p>
<p>Having already contacted them once, would you suggest basically just contacting them again? I suppose it can’t really hurt, since otherwise I don’t think attending this school will be an option for me. I may also be able to speak with them at their visit day.</p>
<p>thanks again for the replies.</p>
<p>You may try contacting someone about trying to be a TA or grader or something. Usually the secretary to the Graduate Programs Chair would be a good place to start.</p>
<p>As far as teaching assistantships are concerned, I had heard it is acceptable to lookup classes that you liked or did well in and then contact the professor teaching them, and ask if they were looking for a TA. Having not met me, I don’t know how successful this will be - but again, I suppose it can’t hurt.</p>
<p>‘My suggestion is to try to contact professors that you are interested in working with starting as soon as you are accepted, or even before, and see if they have any positions open. The sooner the better. If you have a little bit of tact and luck, you can land an RA spot before the summer even.’</p>
<p>What if you want to work for them, but something later comes up, such as you deciding to defer your grad school admission, finding a full-time job elsewhere, etc? Will being accepted for the RA and then rejecting it later on look really bad on your reputation if you return to that grad school program?</p>
<p>Just to confirm - is it acceptable for me to contact professors on my own and ask them if they have openings for a TA? Is that a normal of inquiring about funding? This is what (I think) the school recommended.</p>