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There is no conditional statement required. There is NO, absolutely NO, excuse for going into debt at Columbia.</p>
<p>The OP is more likely to do quality work at that “state school” (which does have a name). Working around the clock and attending part-time is not at all conducive to a quality PhD application. </p>
<p>The recommended mantra for graduate school is “no funding, no go,” and that applies in this situation. Applied linguistics is not a lucrative field, and I suspect the OP already has more debt than most people would be comfortable with.</p>