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Accepted to Graduate School

TheJollyRancher

TheJollyRancher

I just received a letter of acceptance for the M.A. Program at Cal Poly...

The kicker is...that I am going to have to turn them down because of financial reasons...

I am working right now and making a very nice check each month...I have a car payment, insurance, and will be getting married next year....so saving $ and paying off bills is the plan for a debt-free start to the marriage...

it kills me because this is something I really want to do...but it would be a bad financial decision to quit with some of my bills and work part time being "in the hole" financially each month and then getting married...I figure the financial aspect will look better next fall after the wedding (She is in grad school too) and all of the bills paid so I plan to reapply in hopes of not having to work myself into the ground...loans are hard to come by as are jobs...I guess its for the best to wait 2 quarters until the fall....

I am going to meet with them and tell them....do you think they would understand?
 
Possibly. They'll probably mention the fact that if you struggle now, you can (possibly)make even more in the future with your degree. Sorry to hear about your situation though.
 
Yeah if you got accepted now you should get accepted then too. Only reason I can think why not is if its been a very long time since you were in school and your credits stop counting toward a degree after x number of years. But unless your credits expire between now and then, you should be good. Good luck.
 
I think they will understand-I met with the dept chair and he goes over the aps personally and gives the green light to the dean of admissions...I was one of the stronger candidates for admission...this is what I want and where I would like to go...the timing isn't right and hopefully they will understand...

I think with the economy and the job market the way that it is, I think he will understand the situation and hopefully help me defer to the fall....or if worse comes to worse....what? reapply?
 
TheJollyRancher said:
No worries, I graduated this past spring with my B.A. --and I had that exact same thought
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Oh, yeah so you should be kosher then. If the school only has a limited number of "slots" available for each class then the only thing you can do is reapply when the situation improves.
 
What my fiance was worried about was what would the school think if I asked for admission, was granted, and then refused?

I told her they will think what they want...but the situation is what it is...frankly grad school is only the next 2 years (though a foundation for my career)...the start to this marriage being financially stable and debt free is the foundation for the next 60...

she smiled and agreed
 
If you can step back and look at it like this...and I dont' want to be a stick in the mud on this either...just another option...

sell the money pit (car), buy some cheap transportation with liability insurance or get a place close to campus and ride a bicycle, put off the wedding until you graduate and are financially stable with your new degree....then get married...both you and your wife will now have graduate degrees and no doubt making good money...then you can go into debt at your convenience....

this may seem drastic but think...it will only be about 2-2 1/2 years and you will be a lot better off with a graduate degree, financially, and mentally too...
 
AlabamaJack said:
If you can step back and look at it like this...and I dont' want to be a stick in the mud on this either...just another option...

sell the money pit (car), buy some cheap transportation with liability insurance or get a place close to campus and ride a bicycle, put off the wedding until you graduate and are financially stable with your new degree....then get married...both you and your wife will now have graduate degrees and no doubt making good money...then you can go into debt at your convenience....

this may seem drastic but think...it will only be about 2-2 1/2 years and you will be a lot better off with a graduate degree, financially, and mentally too...
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Don't listen to AJ hahaha. Nah it is a good idea but I am certainly not man enough for that life. Good luck with everything. I am sure everything will turn out fine.
 
AlabamaJack said:
put off the wedding until you graduate and are financially stable with your new degree....then get married....
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Oh God....

Don't tell him that AJ or we will hear about some poor man being clawed to death on the 6 o'clock news......and you will know who it is...:)

She will have her heart set on an early marriage and if she is like 99.9% of the earths female population, then Armageddon isn't going to stop this wedding happening on the date it has already been planned.......
 
LOL Thanks AJ....if the fiance saw this she would want to drop you a line....

the car is owned by the bank...but in the next few months with additional payments on principle, it will be owned by me outright...I would be paying more for rent in that area than I do now by quite a bit...

the wedding is already in full swing....money on the venue, photographer, caterer, etc....moyboy is right, no backing out now....

pretty much if I go right now.....I have $800 in income and $1200 in debt without tuition related expenses each month ( I could cut it down if I decide not to eat ever or drive at all).. I don't want to go in the hole each month.....by September (after the wedding) it will probably still be $800 in and $800 out (without the car payment)...the thing is I HAVE been financially stable up to this point...the car is reliable and is an investment (2007 Honda)...we both go to different schools...but are working toward the same goal...

just a heads up.... I appreciate the thought, but my situation wont accommodate that plan and I shudder to think what would happen if she saw that comment LOL...
the fact is that we both avoid spending and save as much as we can...its not easy but its going to work...but financially this is not the right time....
 
Like I said in the original post...I didn't want to be a stick in the mud and hope you didn't take it negatively...was not meant that way...was just an option...which turns out is NOT an option...

I do understand your situation...I went back to engineering school when I was 35 and lived on tuna and the cheapest hamburger I could find for 3 years...

please, if your fiancee ever sees this post, please, please, tell her no harm was meant at all...
 
Oh I know AJ :shocked: all is well...
if she were to see it I would direct her to your last post....we have both been in school since being together (her starting her PhD and me a M.A. at the moment) both stretching our $ as much as we can (using stores that double coupons, rebates, etc)...it is tough out there right now...

putting off grad school for 2 quarters until next fall to not burden ourselves is the best route...
 
TheJollyRancher said:
putting off grad school for 2 quarters until next fall to not burden ourselves is the best route...
Click to expand...

Be careful about putting it off.....I 'took a break' from college(in my 3rd year no less) for a semester just to get caught up money wise.....that was a 12 years ago and i never got caught up
 
I know Sickmont...

2 things....

1) I am getting the "itch" to go back (when you are in school you can't wait to get out, but when you are out you want back in...and that is where I am)

2) My fiance wont let me be out of school for too long as she is in grad school too and realizes where I want to be in my life (God, I love her
 
there's no funding available? maybe the dean will bring that up. or seriously, move to canada grad school's basicly free you just need the grades to get in. my sister *made* money off grad school. of course she's still in debt from her BA and did her MA in theater so she still only makes peanuts, but the point remains...thats the hippie sister if noone caught on.

otherwise i'm sure the dean will be totally fine with it, they don't ussually defer for non-medical reasons but that doesn't mean they'll be pissed (they have backups). they want you there at the right time for you, it does them no good for you to show up totally stretched thin and struggling to get by then dropping or failing out because you have total nervous breakdown, not on acount of concern for you or anything it just makes the school look bad. you got in once you'll get in again.
 
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