So, I got into UCLA as a transfer student for next year. However, transfer scholarships are limited. Sadly, that means that I would have to take on $48,000 in loans for my first year. My major is philosophy (i know, i know) btw. My parents probably wont be able to help me out with that sort of debt. After undergrad I do plan on going to graduate school to get a masters in a business related field. Since I only have two years left of school I am actually considering it. But, I do not want to get to the point where I have so much debt that I am unable to pay it back after school is done. Did any of you go through a similar situation? Do you think I should go or just stay at UH and suck it up since it's only two more years? I have a full scholarship to UH, so that's a factor as well. So basically my options are: 1) Go to a good school for undergrad, drown in debt 2) Stay at UH, graduate debt free...hate school more and more Any advice or input would be awesome. Thanks guys....
Stay at UH. Free ride vs $50k per year? Easy decision. Especially because a) your undergrad degree gives you few options for making back $50k easily and b) you plan on continuing schooling at the grad level anyway. You could end up paying $30-40k per year for an MBA program, why spent that money on undergrad years too.
Go to UH. Is UCLA's program that much better than UH's? Is this a grass is always greener type deal? Wasn't there an article couple years back Forbes published saying it doesn't matter where you go to college? You should seriously make the most of your time at UH, get good grades, get your degree and be debt free.
Go to UH. Its not worth taking on that kind of debt. Do well at UH and you'll get into any grad school you want to.
<br> Why do philosophy majors always get that reaction? lol... Anyways, at UH i'll be dual majoring in Philosophy/Finance so I guess that's another point. I mean the realistic and practical thing to do is just stay at UH. But man, I really do not like UH :/
Don't know if this helps but my Philosophy teacher always says that its always hard to find jobs for philosophy majors. In fact he got his Ph.D in philosophy and he teaches at HCC because he has to pay the bills.
I think Philosophy is an amazing majors, but almost any job field philosophy major qualifies for, most other majors/experiences will qualify for but not vice-versa. If you're going to business related field, it might not be too bad, and if you can get into the business school at UCLA, it does help. The name of the college doesn't matter that much after your first job, but it does help in getting the first job. That said, a business/engineering major in UH might have more doors in the corporate world than a pure philosophy major from UCLA. Now if you can get into one of the Ivys, I said do it. Fair or not, a transcript from there carries a lot of weight no matter the major.
Out of state tuition is killer. My father paid a little more than 1/4 a year when I was going to UCR in 00. That was before the state realized it was broke (already was)... Philo can be pretty intense and even set you up for law depending on the focus, but that might not be your plan What wizkid said is sound and pragmatic. Avoid killer debt with liberal arts degrees. And remember that even declaring bankruptcy will not wipe out student loan debt. Flesh this out a bit. When you get out, you'll have 96k in loan debt and possibly 10k more in living costs+books+transportation/2 years. Let's say you land a job at a respectable 35k (location matters CA or TX?) Might sound low, but you'd be lucky to get one within 6 months out of college. W/ living costs now on call (or move back w/ parents and leave your Cali friends) it can range from 10-25k. How much would you pay off your debt in the immediate 4-5 year range? How much interest is added onto the principle over that time? Do some more research and find an In-State public school you'd like to go to.
Build up a great GPA and activities that look great on a grad school application. Finish at UH and get into a good grad-school. Then go into massive debt. I thought I was going to never be able to pay student loans when I finished law school with $65k in debt. I can't imagine racking up a bunch more than that with a philosophy degree.
What do you not like about UH? Rec Center is nice, there are lots of capital building projects, business school is respected, and James Franco will be on campus next year. I think the administration could make the campus more student / visitor friendly (e.g. add benches to the green areas, plant more shade trees, open the Rec to the community, make parking at the Rec more visitor friendly, add a McDonald's / Popeyes / Sonics, plant a large tree in the middle of the student center).
I think where you went to college affects you long after your first job. When I was hiring for a senior level software development position renently, the first two things I looked for were where the candidate is currently working and where the candidate went to college. Also, alumni will help with networking later in your career. Having said that, I don't know if graduating from UCLA vs. UH is worth 100K.
After I left Waco, I had a choice to either go into ridiculous debt, or finish my two years at UH and have my parents pay for it. Believe me, the last thing I wanted to do was go to UH. But I did, and now I'm done with it, and have zero debt. I didn't have that *awesome* of a time at UH (I'm pretty antisocial so that's probably my fault), but I got my degree and that's what matters. If you have a full ride to UH, don't even think twice. I think you'll eventually be really happy you made that decision.
Stay at UH. Starbucks wages have been stable, but realistically you wouldn't be able to repay your debts from UCLA until your mid-50s.
Go to UCLA, get a good media finance/intellectual property law/political think tank internship and try to do some heavy duty networking (student groups, fraternities, community/charitable organizations). Just be willing to live in some sketchy neighborhoods and ride public transportation for the next few years.
