Put Grad School Within My Grasp

Washington Post ^ | July 25, 2006 | Sui Lang Panoke

[Bubba_Leroy]

s access to graduate education in America exclusively for the upper class?

As a first-year graduate student struggling to make ends meet, I believe the answer is yes. In my experience, searching for funding to pay the extensive costs of my higher education has been an upward climb leading only to dead ends.

I am a single mother who qualifies for the maximum amount in federal aid for graduate students. But this amount barely covers my tuition; paying for housing, books and living expenses is up to me.

[Bubba_Leroy]

If that's what she thinks the government is supposed to do, I hope she fails in her quest for a graduate degree.

Are you kidding? She is a Public Administration major. That is what she is studying how to do.

[colinhester]

If a picture's worth a thousand words....
Cry me a river. I went throgh grad school and had to pay my own tuition, books, housing, and support a family. You know what I did? I worked two jobs. I think I'm more pround of that than I am of my MS and PhD.....Colin

[ladyjane]

Once you aspire beyond a bachelor's degree, the financial aid door is pretty much closed unless you, or your family, have the economic ability to finance whatever costs are not covered by your guaranteed federal student loans.

Man oh man do you have some strange ideas about graduate studies. You get money if you are academically talented and graduate schools are competing for you. Sometimes I just shake my head.

[EDINVA]

might have thought about grad school before becoming a single mother, doncha think ?

[Polybius]

Is access to graduate education in America exclusively for the upper class?

No.

My father lost everything to Castro in Cuba and then died when I was 16 leaving me nothing except a good upbringing and a work ethic which is the best thing he could have left me.

I made it through pre-med and medical school without a dollar's worth of help from my stepmother who had her hands full just keeping a roof over the heads of my siblings.

Now, I pay more yearly Federal income taxes than John Kerry does.

I am a single mother ........

Well, there is some stupidity and irresponsibility that even a Horatio Alger story will have a hard time overcoming.

[af_vet_1981]

s access to graduate education in America exclusively for the upper class?

As a first-year graduate student struggling to make ends meet, I believe the answer is yes. In my experience, searching for funding to pay the extensive costs of my higher education has been an upward climb leading only to dead ends.

I am a single mother who qualifies for the maximum amount in federal aid for graduate students. But this amount barely covers my tuition; paying for housing, books and living expenses is up to me.

Another woman who whines when strangers don't keep her in the style she wants to be accustomed to ...

[decal]

"A. Her age?
B. How attractive?
C. Would she make a deal?"


You be the judge...

http://www.wrei.org/Photos_2006FellowsSalute.htm

Third from the bottom.

[Mygirlsmom]

I lack the substantial credit or employment history that is required

Do a Google search and you'll find this chick had plenty of time (and also apparently at least SOME money) for supporting lefty causes. Time that could be spent oh, perhaps

WORKING?

[flying Elvis]

She must not be very intelligent, otherwise she would have a stipend.

[wbill]

I have a friend that decided 20 years of breaking steel was enough, so he went back to college.

Put himself through school while working 3 (sometimes 4) jobs. Managed to feed his four kids while he was at it. He *did* have plenty of help from his wife, but it still wasn't easy.

People like this punk trivialize what my friend accomplished.

[Wolfhound777]

Lol. It's so typical of these collectivists. God help us as they continue to pollute government in this Republic.

[slapshot]

ring ring ring.. Clue phone...

If I kept on reading, I would have had to put away a lot of potato water to calm down

How about getting off your ascz and getting a job? Applying for several years at a corp usually leads to eligibility for grad school.

My experience: one masters (Food Science/Engineering) and setting up to finally complete MBA which was interrupted by a side trip to the desert in 1990-1

[ican'tbelieveit]

I do see some of what she is talking about as a single mother trying to do all of this. But, personally, as a single mother myself, I have put off upper education until my kids are grown. Then I can go back and do school.

But, if she were a single mother, trying to go to school, and doesn't have a support system nearby, she is in financial trouble. On top of paying for school, and probably some form of childcare during the day, if she works at night to support the household, she has even more childcare expenses. And that can be more than most single moms can make on those overnight jobs.

[SteveMcKing]

Do parents not understand that the reward of having a child is.... your child. That's the benefit over earning a degree without having a child.

The cost that childless people pay is: they don't have a child. That's not a good thing, in fact it's very depressing to be 30 years old and still in school while other people are having babies.

This girl wants it both ways. Perhaps we should also entitle single people to enjoy the company of other people's kids, just to keep things fair.... I should have a right to play at the park with toddlers, or teach someone's boy to ride a bicycle. Society owes me this!

[Myrddin]

As a benefit of serving in the US Army 30 some years ago, I got some help going to college. I worked nights to support my family at the same time. I suggest she do the same.

My son still has a year left on his hitch with the USMC Reserves. His service in Kuwait/Iraq provided vets benefits for school. We're going to his graduation on Saturday. Uncle Sam's help, $20,000 in student loans and a job running a real estate office is what brought him to the festivities on Saturday. He figures it will take most of a year to retire the student loan. He's salting money away for law school now. That will wait until the Marines cease controlling where he needs to live to make them happy.

[Solemar]

"The graduate degree I am entitled to."

Words escape me.


While the sentiment of the piece certainly conveys such a view, I did not see that quote in the article. Did I miss it?

Also, was this turd of an article an op-ed or presented as an actual "news" story?

[Myrddin]

We are failing to redistribute the wealth in America...

My paycheck stub says nearly 50% of everything I earn is getting distributed to someone else. Apparently this whining looter isn't happy with the largesse she is already skimming.

[Bubba_Leroy]

"Ms. Panoke is selflessly attempting to address a crying need in our society – namely, the lack of over-educated public policy wonks with little real world work experience shaping the direction and spending priorities of our governments. Will we just stand by as a nation and let her dream of taking our wealth and redistributing it as she sees fit go unfulfilled?"

http://marylandconservatarian.blogspot.com/

[Talking_Mouse]

Dear, dear me, what can she do? /sar

Maybe what I am currently doing will help. I work full time for a large company. My company reimburses me each semester for each of my classes, depending on my grades. Granted, I am studying something that may be of value to my company and I am studying part time, however in three and a half years I will have a MISM without student loans to pay off.

I know that working a job is a pain when all you want to do is study however it trains you for what real life is like. So, she might try getting a job with a company that will give her education bennies.

[Despot of the Delta]

This article is full of BS. She can get $18500 a year in sub/unsub Stafford loans, that's how I'm paying for my grad school.