Today I share a post from the recent archives. This time of year – when many candidates are on the cusp of submitting their application materials – is also the time to be getting serious about your financial plan for grad school. It’s a big task, and you’re not alone if you feel a bit overwhelmed and unsure even of how to begin.
Read MoreOn November 18, 2021 I submitted my tuition payment for my graduate degree. This marked the fourth and final payment for my tuition, not a single cent of which came from my personal savings. In fact, the resources used to fund my entire degree actually came from a myriad of scholarship organizations, whose generosity and investment ensured that I will be graduating this spring debt-free.
Read MoreReaders, it’s that time of year when we’re obliged to have a conversation about a distasteful but crucial topic: financial planning. I know, I know, it’s like taxes. No one wants to do it, and it feels like there’s enough time that it can always be put off just a bit longer. March has a way of quickly becoming April, though, and waiting until you’re forced to think concretely about it will constrain your options and increase the pressure under which you find yourself. So let’s do this thing!
Read MoreA few weeks after the big January application deadline, our processing factory is at full steam and we’re happily reading through all of your applications.
Read MoreWith decisions out for a few weeks now, admitted candidates are largely moving past the initial frisson of that news to the task of making an enrollment decision. Many candidates are in the enviable position of having several good options from which to choose, and there’s one reality that is common to nearly all: grad school is a major investment, and it requires a carefully-considered financial strategy.
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Madhuri is enjoying a well-deserved break after finishing her first semester at Fletcher. The prospective student experience is still relatively fresh for her, though, and she put together a number of helpful tips for financial planning (and you can expect additional future posts related to scholarship and financial aid on this blog). As you prepare to submit your application and await decisions, getting going on financial planning is an important process on which to focus.
Read MoreFor most students, the excitement of an admissions offer comes with a dose of yucky-tasting medicine: the need to get serious about financial planning. You’re forgiven if the subject makes you feel overwhelmed and confused about where to begin, but it’s not something you can ignore in the hopes of it going away. The sooner you start to work on your financial plan, the more options you’ll have to work with.
Read MoreToday we turn to something of an eat-your-vegetables topic. The thrill of a favorable admissions decision is, for most candidates, accompanied by the realization that it’s time to get serious about making a financial plan. It’s understandable if the prospect makes you want to curl up into a ball and take a nap, hoping things will sort themselves out, but I assure you that the earlier you get cracking on financial planning the easier your path will be, and the more options you’re likely to have available to you.
Read MoreWith the bulk of this year’s admissions decisions recently released, it’s time to be thinking about a financial strategy for grad school. Our hope, in fact, is that applicants planning on fall 2019 enrollment have already been working on this for some time, at least conceptually. Pointing out that U.S. higher education is a significant investment is as obvious as noting that Samuel L. Jackson wasn’t pulling for Green Book to win Best Picture. As such, it’s crucial to think expansively about potential sources of funding.
Read MoreI reached out recently to Carolyn McMahon (Class of 2012 graduate and current Fletcher staff member), who is the program
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