<p>I will be graduating from a British university with a BSc after this year, and am planning to go to do a Masters in engineering in the US afterwards.</p>
<p>However, I am having second thoughts about moving to the US because of their current economy. Furthermore, my preferred schools are in California (e.g. Stanford, USC, the UCs), and people have been labeling California as a failed state in the news recently.</p>
<p>Now, I dont know much about economics, so I was wondering:</p>
<p>As a grad student, would I really notice anything? How bad is the economy really (especially in California)? Is it just slightly higher living expenses, slightly higher tuition fees, and schools giving out slightly less financial aid? I am willing to pay full tuition anyway, as long as the tuition rates dont rise drastically. Also, since I will be a student, rather than someone who has just graduated and is looking for a job, I dont imagine the high unemployment rate making much difference to me. </p>
<p>Or I am underestimating the severity of the US economy? Have living expenses raised so drastically that typical living situations have become unbearable? Would schools become run-down because of lack of funds? Is it hard to get decent health care?</p>
<p>California IS a disaster. I’ve crossed out UCs off my list after the Senate failed to pass budget cuts . Since the Senate in California is controlled by Republicans, not Democrats, there’ll be MORE cuts to programs throughout California, including aid for universities, rather than higher taxes. This will affect jobs for sure- professors will be asked to go on furloughs so you might not always have your professors around.</p>
<p>Health care here is pretty expensive but you’ll probably get basic health care through your tuition payments anyhow so I wouldn’t worry too much about that aspect. The COL hasn’t changed much- it’s really about how you typically spend your money. Americans have used credit for decades and built up personal debts, and lived beyond their means in these ways that having to live WITHIN their means is really a shock for this country. If you, like me, have always lived within your means, your life will be okay in the US. Also since you are not a US citizen, you won’t need to pay taxes or anything to the US government . What you have saved for studying the US will be what you will have to spend for the duration of your program.</p>
<p>The real question, really, is are you willing to take a chance on UCs and Cal State schools that are paid for by the state that can’t close its massive budget deficit?</p>
<p>Ill probably have to reconsider those UCs then. What about the private schools such as Stanford or USC? They shouldnt be affected much should they (Im guessing they dont receive much funding from the state in the first place, since they are private schools)? </p>
<p>Forgot to mention, I am a US citizen (I was born in the US, but I’ve been living overseas ever since). Would I have to pay taxes as a student?</p>
<p>i’m not a US citizen and i’m paying income tax on my stipend, so… you probably will have to pay tax, whether you’re a citizen or not. the taxes are high in my state too (pennsylvania).</p>
<p>stanford and USC get a decent portion of their funding from alumni donations. those alumni aren’t donating right now. they’ve also invested their endowments in the stock market and lost a good bit of their money (harvard, for example, lost 22% of its endowment last year). so private schools are also feeling the brunt of the bad economy and this will likely result in grad students getting offers without funding, or schools offering fewer acceptances, only taking on the grad students they can fund.</p>
<p>you said you wanted to pay for your degree yourself, which i think is a bad idea personally, but i know that UK schools don’t give grad funding (at least not for masters degrees), so it probably doesn’t strike you as terribly unusual to pay out of pocket for an MS.</p>
<p>I would not overlook UC’s yet, especially the top ones in your field. They are justly recognized with reason.</p>
<p>However, my daughter applied for PhD out of undergrad school, got accepted to UCLA with no funding. This is in computer science, so not normal. Needless to say, she enrolled in one of the comparable schools where she did get funding. This was much to family disappointment, but not hers (we are from CA), she wasn’t sold on them because of her interests but it was very suitable to her past research. I think the school she is going to has State issues as well but not so bad, let’s hope the guaranteed funding letter holds.</p>
<p>She did report that many students got accepted to where she is now with no funding, but if they come, they are usually able to find it, at least in terms of applying to be a TA. She was not willing to go into a PhD without funding. She could have instead done a one year Masters Program at her own school, and then been very well placed for Phd or work.</p>
<p>A couple of things in ticklemepink’s post weren’t accurate. First, the Democrats control the legislature in California–not that it makes a difference, who controls the legislature doesn’t change the fact that the state has budget issues. Secondly, as someone noted above, you won’t necessarily be exempt from paying taxes. Actually, as a US citizen you’ll probably have to pay the same as everyone else, even though you haven’t lived here. See here: [Foreign</a> Students and Scholars](<a href=“http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/international/article/0,,id=96431,00.html]Foreign”>http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/international/article/0,,id=96431,00.html) . Otherwise, I think a lot of the “bad economy” stuff is above your concern as a student, particularly as you’re only seeking a master’s degree. The only thing I think you’ll notice in that respect is a decrease in scholarship funding/potential decrease in how many people they accept. I know that’s not a small thing, but I also don’t think we need to liken California’s economic situation to Somalia.</p>
<p>I second flyer29’s statement that what may be affected is the number of students enrolled, not funding. </p>
<p>I can’t speak for the current application round, but I applied to Master’s and PhD programs last fall (when there was worry about economy, etc etc too). I applied to UCLA, USC, and UC-Riverside. I got into all three. One of them was a Master’s and I received a TA-ship, the other two were PhD and I received full funding that is guaranteed (so regardless of budget cuts, etc I am still supported). </p>
<p>If you are seriously leaning towards some CA schools, don’t just cross them from your list due to what others are saying about the system. Call the graduate director of the program and discuss your worry. Ask them, what you are asking us–it will vary depending on the programs.</p>
<p>Failed state?!? How fickle. The recession won’t last forever and California is historically a powerhouse in academics. I think you should seriously reconsider your decision to nix schools in California based on the state government having budget problems.</p>
I don’t have to look through your posts to guess that you are in the sciences (or possibly social sciences).</p>
<p>The funding for those in the humanities is virtually nonexistent right now at the UCs. In fact, one department at Berkeley I contacted expressed uncertainty about even being able to have admissions this year. (Needless to say, I was quite peeved, as Berkeley is arguably the best fit for my interests.)</p>
<p>Not that this affects the OP as a MSE/MEM applicant, but it is important to realize that not everyone gets the same funding. Science students get superb funding in the best of times and are reasonably buffered even in the worst. Others are not so fortunate, and complaints about the dearth of funding are hardly overstated.</p>
<p>If you have the Money to pay out of state tuition in California for a Masters degree, I’d say apply to these California schools. You may even have an advantage for admission because so many of the applicants will need some type of funding. I would say you have virtually no chance of a funding offer in these top California schools going for a Masters degree. It is an all together different debate about whether paying for a Masters in Engineering is worth it…as opposed to getting a funded Masters or PhD. I paid for part of my Masters degree…got funded after a year, worked, and am now in a funded PhD program. I thought the investment for my Masters was one of the wisest moves and worthwhile investments of my life.</p>
<p>As for admission and funding in grad school in Engineering. Admission is down and funding is down and can often be very late…funding offers a few days before classes begin. Students who would have gotten 4 year fellowships a few years ago are lucky to get a 1 year offer a few days before classes begin. Occasionally even American PhD students are going without funding…this would have been unheard of a few years ago.</p>
<p>…and it won’t get any better for this year’s admission cycle. These top Universities are struggling with a backlog of unfunded Ph.D. students and presently funded PhD students who won’t leave.</p>
<p>Check the UC boards. Current students can give you insights. But I would still stay away from applying to UCs until you are sure that the campus has stabilized its financial situation.</p>
<p>^ That is ridiculous advice. There is no short-term reason not to apply to MSE programs in the UC system. If the OP is choosing between offers, and some of the offers are private universities or non-UC publics, he or she can take into account the current issues with the UC system. But, honestly, it is hard to imagine that they will be a decisive factor in any final decision – much less such a decisive factor that the OP shouldn’t even try to gain admission there.</p>
<p>There are certainly problems with the UC system, but they are marginal, not a collapse of the system, and they mostly affect undergraduates. Engineering departments tend to be well funded with defense and private-industry contracts, as well as their own endowments, although this will vary from institution to institution. The faculty is still largely in place; if budget problems continue, this will erode, but over a decade, not by next year.</p>
<p>Masters programs are largely unfunded, so the availability of funding isn’t part of the OP’s decision. There may be issues with things like getting a TA position to help with financing, but even with cutbacks such positions remain plentiful, just not as plentiful as they once were. The structural problem is that in-state undergraduate tuitions are kept below cost by political considerations, so that there is a constant temptation to try to educate undergraduates more cheaply. Master’s programs tend to be money-makers; there is no equivalent incentive to chisel on them, and in fact institutions probably worry about losing applicants if they do. And, in any event, if a program decides that it only has space for n graduate students, it will only admit n graduate students, whereas with undergraduate admissions the availability of slots is also in large part determined politically.</p>
<p>Actually, as a US citizen, you are obligated to pay taxes to the US government regardless of where you live or work. So if you have a job now, technically you owe Uncle Sam some money. It’s a crazy system and only the US does it, but that’s the law.</p>
<p>There’s very little opportunity cost in actually applying the the UC’s and seeing what happens. $150 for the application fee and a few hours of your time. There’s no risk of the school shutting down and losing its accreditation halfway through your tenure. A few classes might be cut and you might lose some opportunities, but that’s a risk everywhere.</p>