Creative ways to finance a post-graduate college education?

[farmergirl]

I REALLY want/ need to go to graduate school. The 9-5'er thing is killing me since it's in a field I don't care much about. I just can't figure out how to finance 2 years of grad school plus still have money on hand to cover living expenses while I work only part time.

Any ideas??

[bubbba]

Student loan? Even if you got a small one it waight help.
What about tutoring or something like that while u takin your courses? Maybe do some ebay stuff? I dont know your the one goin for her Phd you must be purty clevur wit dat der fanse buuk larnun
What you studying ?

Peace

[Macybaby]

I used student loans to finish up my four year degree. Figured out what I needed to pay for school plus what I needed to help support the family with my missing income.

In less than two years, I'll have the last of my student loans paid off. Will have spent about $33,000 in student loans (including interest), but figure I've made about $300,000 in additional income (so far) over what I would have made had I not gone back to school. I had a family to help support also, the actual cost of tuition was less than half of what I borrowed. However if you look at the true economic cost, it is about $70,000, because of the income I lost from not working full time during that period. Either way, it looks like I made a pretty good investment in myself . . .

Most people are not willing to make the short term sacrifce for the long term benefit. We did cut out a whole lot of extras while I was in school, as I borrowed only enough extra so we could still eat and make mortgage payments.

I also graduated with a 3.97, so I made darn sure I paid attention in my classes. I wanted to make sure I got my money's worth.

Now I'm about to start for my MBA. This time it will cost about $12,000, and I don't have to quit my job to do it. However, I don't know if it's cost effective this time, as I don't really want to go for a different job, and what I have probably won't pay me a dime more for the additional education.

But I've still got about 20 years of employment ahead of me - and who knows what may happen in the future. I guess I'm not quite ready to settle.

Good luck with the schooling -

[Terri]

Can you pick up a few classes in the evening, or is grad school not set up that way? Weekend or evening classes?

It is cheaper, though not easier, to borrow your way through 1 1/2 years instead of 2.

[ldc]

Farmergirl, Helping students get into MS/MA programs used to be part of my job. Many adults take one/two classes a year, year-round (including summer term if there is one). The others who go full-time almost always have received a teaching assistanship/research assistantship. So few Americans go to graduate school, that there is usually some kind of assistantship for each one, but it does depend on your field and who you want to work with/what on. It helps to be in a science or business area of course. But there are assistanships in liberal arts, just there aren't always jobs afterwards that pay enough to make it worthwhile. Good luck, and feel free to pm me. There are a lot of universities in Texas; are you near one? ldc

[electronrider]

Look into getting a teaching fellowship. This is where you teach basic undergrad courses in exchange for tuition and a small stipend.

There are also research fellowships, although that may not be an option for your field.

[Bfly Farmer]

I would suggest asking lots of questions. I went to graduate school on the state's dime. They paid not only for my tuition and books, but also my medical insurance. Plus, I received a monthly stipend that covered everything else. Granted, I was not living high on the hog, but it was enough.

I simply taught 2 biology labs a week for a total of six hours.

This was true for everyone in my department and most grad students in the college of agriculture. I also found this to be true at the other three grad schools I looked at.

Good luck!

[Cabin Fever]

Go talk to your local recruiter.

[ellebeaux]

What do you want to study?

[menollyrj]

It really depends upon what you want to study. For example, as a math/science teacher in a low-income area, I am eligible for federal student loan forgiveness. I plan to use that to finance my Master's in Education. It is hard to advise without more info...

-Joy

[farmergirl]

I have a liberal arts degree (B.A. English) and I'd like to do something in the field of sustainable agriculture. I am not all that far from Texas A&M, which is known world-wide as a leader in agriculture studies. One problem, they don't seem to have a "sustainable" agriculture focus. They are more geared to training students in the conventional agriculture fields. I have worked on and off as a writer and editor over the years and also have alot of experience working with small and large animals. Writing for an agricultural publication would be grand.

[farmergirl]

Originally Posted by Cabin Fever

Go talk to your local recruiter.

Naw, they wouldn't take me anyways.

[palani]

Biggest problem is bringing enough money in for room, board, tuition and books while juggling the time to study. Student loans leave you strapped for years after graduating but do give you the study time in addition to bleeding stomach ulcers worrying about how you are going to repay them.

I solved the problem by getting a commercial FCC license and working as a board engineer at a classical radio station. The job gave me 35 hours a week at minimum wage but I could study at the board for 20 of those hours. Plus the station juggled my work hours around my class schedule because there were 5-6 students doing the same thing.

Just a thought.

[ginsengsally]

Oh jeez, not to sound snide or anything, but the last thing we need is another MS in sustainable ag trying to tell us what we "should" be doing on our farms. 98% of the time, my local extension/sustainable ag professor at the local university is asking ME how to do things. Learn a practical skill & homestead which I'm sure you want to do by being on this forum :-) If you're looking to sustainably farm, then DO IT!!! You don't need an MS to do that. Save your money & put it to a good piece of land and real world experience.

[morrowsmowers]

I have a friend who graduated with a BA in Social Work. Got a job right away but didn't make enough to properly support a family. He asked his boss about a raise and was told to get a Masters. He computed the cost of going to school at night for two years plus extra expenses, etc. He then asked his employer about his new income after getting his masters and he was told it would probably be about $2,000 more per year before taxes. It would have taken him about 10 years to pay it off at that rate.

He decided to study a new field, computers. He went to school for one year at night, entered a whole new field, making about twice as much as he did with his college degree. He could have taken the computer course right out of high school and saved going to college as well.

Higher education does not always pay. Only go to school if the rate of return will far outweigh not going.

Ken in Glassboro, NJ

[ellebeaux]

Have you thought about becoming a Master Gardener?

You could take out student loans and do distance learning at a place like Naropa (www.naropa.edu).

I'd go to the department and ask about teaching assistantships.

Or get a job at the university -most state schools give you a free class a semester. It would take longer but it would be free.

YOu also might want to ask in the department of natural resources and wildlife management and see if anyone's doing any research on sustainable wildlife habitat on managed croplands.

good luck!

[Beltane]

Could you take a job that paid for education? That's how I did it - it took me five years...and then I quit three months later to find my dream job.

Good Luck - education is never a waste of time.

[Pony]

Originally Posted by morrowsmowers

I have a friend who graduated with a BA in Social Work. Got a job right away but didn't make enough to properly support a family. He asked his boss about a raise and was told to get a Masters. He computed the cost of going to school at night for two years plus extra expenses, etc. He then asked his employer about his new income after getting his masters and he was told it would probably be about $2,000 more per year before taxes. It would have taken him about 10 years to pay it off at that rate.

He decided to study a new field, computers. He went to school for one year at night, entered a whole new field, making about twice as much as he did with his college degree. He could have taken the computer course right out of high school and saved going to college as well.

Higher education does not always pay. Only go to school if the rate of return will far outweigh not going.

Ken in Glassboro, NJ

It's not always about the Benjamins. If something is your passion, then the rate of return, while a consideration, should not be a driving force.

I'm in a "helping" field, and I won't make a fortune, but I am doing what I love, following my passion, helping people. So I would say that the money spent on my graduate education (even though I'm still paying for it!) is money well spent. I do not begrudge the sacrifice.

Pony!

[tooltime]

Much good advice above, but I think that whatever plan you develop, it will hinge on sweat, hard work and hustle.

In addition to student loans, you might want to look for the availability of scholarships for people in this field.

Many of the larger universities with ag. programs have employment opportunities at their experimental stations and research labs. Getting a job in one of these areas would not only provide access to some employee tuition discounts but also give you the opportunity to learn more about the field. Once you are in the program, you will likely have access to fellowships and employment possibilities as an RA or TA. (Edited to add: RA = research assistant; TA = teaching assistant.)

Edited to add: Many residential colleges/universities have Resident Assistant/Resident Director/Graduate Resident Tutor positions. You are provided housing (and in some cases meal plan and/or small stiped) in exchange for having some on-call responsibilities and doing some programming in the residence hall.

With your background, you might try freelancing articles as an income supplement, and also look for part-time employment at weekly/alternative newspapers. As others have suggested, tutoring for either HS/college classes in your field or for SAT prep might be another source of income.

Take a look at Iowa State's web site: they have tremendous programs in Agronomy and Animal science, as well as Ecology and Nat. Resource Management. They also have a grad. program in Sustainable Ag. Even if you aren't interested in relocating, looking at some programs gives you a better sense of what's out there. Grad Programs in Agronomy and Related Fields at Iowa State

Finally, don't be too quick to dismiss conventional ag programs as anti-sustainability/anti-organic. There is definitely recognition of the importance of these, as well as opportunities to study value-added ag. marketing, rural economic development, etc.

Good luck with your career transition and grad. studies.

[sisterpine]

Farmergirl- i also am looking at returning to school for my masters in counseling psychology. I doubt that I will make much more money at my present job which I like. I work for the county so there is no tuition reimbursment or anything like it. I will need to go almost entirely online due to my location. I am looking into student loans etc but recently thought about the scholarship idea, there must be something out there for old women who want to go to college huh? sis