Private law school: $120,000
Debt - 0
Year Graduated or Expected - 1992
Number of years in school - 5
Public or Private - public, North Carolina State University
Degree Earned - double major in Political Science and French Language and Literature
Any other information you’d like to offer:
I worked two jobs in college. I got a job with University Dining that paid room and board, I lived on campus and I waited tables at a Mexican restaurant at night and on the weekends. I didn’t take a lot of hours each semester (it took me 5 years with summer school to graduate) but I graduated completely without debt. My parents did help out with costs the first 2 years, but I was paying for everything by the last year.
I would recommend public schools, in-state tuition and working. For a lot of careers, once you get your first job, WHERE you went to college is of secondary importance to the degree itself. Sure, there’s some bragging rights to expensive Ivy League or private schools, but in my opinion, it’s not worth the money. (there might be some careers where an Ivy League degree is more advantageous).
Eh… sorry to interrupt again, but I don’t understand rayray’s question regarding payments…
I totally agree with this statement. I, too, went to college because it was expected, and even went to the college that my parents thought was best…even though I ended up the one with the student loan debts (don’t remember how much, so I can’t answer the OP).
Because I had to go on to grad school for my chosen profession, I’d have been a lot better off going to a state school undergrad and saving my pennies for grad.
Year Graduated or Expected: 1987 - took grad classes until 1990
Number of years in school: 15
Public or Private: both but most of the classes were at the private school.
Degree Earned: BS in Psychology
Debt: abt $20,000
Any other information you’d like to offer: During those years, I got married/divorced. I worked all of the time, sometimes fulltime sometimes parttime. I did volunteer work too. I spread myself way to thin. If I had to do it over again, I’d have gone to a public school for at least the general ed. classes and been more focused on school. I had no choice about working, but if I’d had a better plan, or perhaps any kind of plan, I would have been more successful.
From the English side:
BSc 1976 - 79, PhD 1979 - 82 (yep, they only take 3 years each in England)
Public (I don’t know if there even are any private universities)
No debt. All funded by Her Majesty’s Government.
Tuition was free unless you were an overseas student. The government provided grants for subsistence. These were means-tested according to parental income. I got the full grant. My parents did also provide a small amount - no more than a few hundred dollars a year in today’s money for the Bachelor’s degree, nothing for the Ph.D.
I don’t know anyone who worked while at University in England - there was no need.
Things have changed since - grants have been reduced and student loans introduced. I believe there is also now a fee for tuition. Someone still in the UK can maybe provide more detail.
Doesn’t the BBC News have every other week a news article about the plight of post-secondary education in UK? About how the students cannot afford to go there because of the tuition fees and lack of grants?
Year graduated: 1998
Number of years: 4
Public
BA
I’m embarrassed to admit this, but I’m not sure what the costs were. Current costs at the same school would be $42,000 for four years of tuition, fees, room, and board, but I think the figures have gone up in the last few years.
My parents paid, so I figure the amount of debt I’m in depends on how many kids I have and what the costs are when they reach college age. I feel incredibly privileged to have started off in life with no debt, and I want my children to have the same. (But damn, looking at those numbers, I hope they win some scholarships.)
Year Graduated or Expected: 1997
Number of years in school: 3
Public or Private: Public
Degree Earned: B.S.
Any other information you’d like to offer: I graduated with a B.S. at 28 years old and had around 50K in student loan debt upon graduation. That was for tuition and books only, I did not take loans to cover living costs, etc. My student loan debt is the biggest challenge in our personal finance goals/plans including investments, retirement, etc. As difficult as it can be, IMHO it has been worth the extra burden of loan repayment.
MeanJoe
I think what you are seeing is the reaction to changing a system where most people paid nothing to one where many people pay something. I’ve now done some research and the current position is that students pay tuition fees of £1,100 ($1,750) a year, but there is a reduction for less well off students to the extent that 43% pay nothing at all.
There is a proposal by the government to increase the maximum to £3,000 by 2006, again with a sliding scale that “forgives” up to the first £1,100. The student would not pay the fees up front, but would be expected to reimburse them later when earning an income above a certain amount.
For more details, see here.
So in comparison with the US, it is still incredibly cheap. It is just that UK people are used to it being free.
I thought I posted a correction but I guess it never went through. My question KarlGrenze regarding payments was meant to be directed at someone else. Sorry about the confusion
Years in University: 11
Public or Private: Public
Debt at Graduation: $105,000 (Cdn)
Years to Repay: 0.7
Degrees Earned: B.Eng (H), M.D., L.M.C.C., C.C.F.P.