(no subject)

[zen_monk]

 Yesterday, there was a college fair for people looking for Law school or graduate programs abroad or within engineering. 

Got around to tables for UC Hastings and for state schools like San Francisco State or San Jose. Also checked out the UCSB table, since it's possible and probably more practical to attend a school while living with my family,  even though UCSB doesn't have a law program. 

However, Columbia School of Journalism was there, and I gotta admit there is something alluring about being in NYC and only submitting a writing portfolio with abstracts and not having to take the GREs or have my GPA in consideration. 

Still, that's hella money to throw at a program that's only 10 months long for a full-time student. Two if part-time. 

Ahhh man, grad school. I thought it'd be neat to do research in either of my current undergrad majors (Philosophy and Literature double major), but life as an academic, man. 

One of the studying abroad programs was Across the Pond, which helps students who want to do graduate programs in the UK. I only know King's College of London, since one of my philosophy professors in CC was an alumnus there. Prestigious institution, too, and I hear that getting accepted in England is easier than in the US. 

But moneyyyyyyyy *shakes fists in the air in impotent rage*

Comments

[karanguni]

Journalism has a nice building? /not helpful

[zen_monk]

*sobs* it does have a nice building from what the pictures look like. I also started thinking of myself in NYC and suddenly it felt awesome.

For one thing, potential for lots of internships or work experience. Or try the Ph.D path.

[karanguni]

Yeah, it's an awesome campus and there's really nothing like living in the city.

[zen_monk]

I think I might know the answer to this, but is NYC rent high in case of off-campus living?

[karanguni]

Depends on your definition of high... But the general answer is, "live with people"; even the working sorts do, and even on-campus housing isn't what one would call "cheap."

[sarasa_cat]

The financial cost of a masters degrees makes me very sad and angry.

Too many universities have turned masters programs into overpriced cash cows to help balance their budgets. 8(((((((((

[zen_monk]

-so many replies, it's like my birthday!-

Looking into masters' programs have made me realized how much I ought to have prepared for postgraduate life, but in a way it's easier compared to when i was applying to colleges straight from high school due to me actually getting BA degrees and actually connecting with people who have made their own lives. And it's something of a comfort that postgraduate programs seem to fall in the same rough ballpark estimate of costs sans financial aid -either here or overseas- and it's like, i dunno, having a gap year doesn't seem too bad if it's dedicated to going to grad school and fine-tuning portfolios (like a writing one, for that fancy Columbia school that only looks at writing portfolios and not test scores... but ivy league tuition money and NYC living expenses...).

Too bad in-state tuition is not a thing.

speaking of the cash cow thing, I always how a university can promise "research opportunities" for the humanities when I feel like it's a lot more selective as opposed to say.... the hard sciences... about what kind of research someone wants to do. There's only so much you can do for one field of study and the many applicants who want to go into that field of study, so you really got to know what you want to make the most out of the program.