Were your student loans worth it? Poll

Do you consider it money well spent?

Based on:

Your college experience

and your salary?

Re: Were your student loans worth it? Poll

Honestly, thats my one and only reget. I should have stayed home, went to local college and not had any loans to pay off. I appreciate my education but think it was overpriced and not $$ well spent.

Re: Were your student loans worth it? Poll

Absolutely! I received a great education and my alma mater (sp?) provided me with the best social/educational environment!

Re: Were your student loans worth it? Poll

education is always with it....
but it is also what you make of it...
I'm a product of the state system- both my graduate and undergraduate... unless you are in a field that needs a big name, I really think spending 40k/year for an undergraduate degree is a waste.

Re: Were your student loans worth it? Poll

absolutely 100%.

I also stayed home during undergrad and worked full time to get some of my college paid for.

Iam in about $30k with grad and undergrad together from a Private School, so I think that is awesome.

I make more money than my mom who didnt go to college, and I am 25 years younger, so It was definitely worth it salary wise

Re: Were your student loans worth it? Poll

yes - I feel it was 100% worth it.

Re: Were your student loans worth it? Poll

Mine were definitely worth it. I got a Bachelors and Masters in Chemical Engineering, had a well paying job and have my Professional Engineering (PE) license. I will never lose all that I worked for, no matter how long I chose to be a SAHM (I've been at home for 4 years now).

Re: Were your student loans worth it? Poll

I don't think so... I went to a private school for undergrad and grad school. Undergrad is paid off, but I will be paying grad school until I retire thanks, in part, to my decision to do a dual concentration.

I recently read that my undergrad school's tuition is up to $45K per year (includes room and board) but OMG - that is INSANE for a school that most people have never even heard of.

State schools for my kids, unless they get a scholarship.

Re: Were your student loans worth it? Poll

Definitely based on my experience. I went to an ivy league undergrad., and it was pricey, but I was able to work in the White House and also got a job right out of college working at a Wall Street firm that was only recruiting at ivy league schools.

My master's wasn't that useful, but it helped me get jobs that required a master's, and my PhD may not enable me to get a job that pays significantly more, but it was valuable in terms of what I learned.

There are some small private schools that I don't think are nearly as good as state schools, and in that case I would definitely go with the cheaper option.

I wouldn't trade the experience of going away to college for anything. I loved living with friends and having that time to grow up away from my parents.

Message edited 4/18/2008 1:16:35 PM.

Re: Were your student loans worth it? Poll

Yes, I think so. I had a scholarship that cover almsot all of tuiton the first year, but not room & board, and didnt' increase as the tuition increased.

The loans helped pay the difference.

The maximum Stafford loans wasn't really that much at teh time, and I only took them for 3 years, so I needed up paying them off early ( with a little help). It was great to not have to worry about tuition while I was in school.

It was also helpful to not have to limit my college choices as much as I would have if I was paying for it all upfront.

ETA- A bachelor's degree was a requirement for my job. The school didn't matter so much, but I enjoyed where I went, so it was worth it for me, but Ias I said I had a scholarship too, so it wasn't as bad as it could have been.

Message edited 4/18/2008 11:58:18 AM.

Re: Were your student loans worth it? Poll

yes. money well spent.

Re: Were your student loans worth it? Poll

Yes! My undergrad university gave me a great scholarship, so I only had to take out loans for room and board- they're almost paid off already (would be except I deferred them through grad school). I then went to grad school for my PhD, no tuition plus I got paid a stipend. So yes it was worth it for me!

Re: Were your student loans worth it? Poll

Re: Were your student loans worth it? Poll

i think so... but i don't have an unreasonable amount. i went to state schools for undergrad and grad school, so the tution wasn't off the wall expensive. i'm glad i went, got good education at both schools, and got the experience of living away on my own.
i think it also depends on what you major in... some fields are more in demand than others, and will have more job openings/ better salaries once you finish, which makes the loans easier to handle.

Re: Were your student loans worth it? Poll

sorry.. double post

Message edited 4/18/2008 11:52:46 AM.

Re: Were your student loans worth it? Poll

absolutely, 100%. it was worth it for the learning experience, both social and intellectual.

ETA: salary wise, yes as well.

Message edited 4/18/2008 11:53:10 AM.

Re: Were your student loans worth it? Poll

i think so. i can't get a job in my field without both degrees.

Re: Were your student loans worth it? Poll

yes for both

Re: Were your student loans worth it? Poll

yes thankfully my parents paid for my undergrad, but i took loans for grad school, i stayed local - brooklyn college- but needed to take loans since i paid for it myself, i am a teacher and must have a masters deg so it was def well spent or else i wouldn't have a job in my career choice

Re: Were your student loans worth it? Poll

Absolutely!

Re: Were your student loans worth it? Poll

absolutely my friend does my job to the tee at another place, no degree ,gets paid less than half of what I make ..plus I have the best memories, experiences and contacts bc of it

Message edited 4/18/2008 12:26:42 PM.

Re: Were your student loans worth it? Poll

I have to say Not Yet. I loved my college experience and wouldn't trade it for the world, I did a lot of growing up during that time and I have fond memories of it. I believe that I got a good education there, however I would've liked some more help getting into my career. I graduated with my Bachelor's 6 years ago and am still working at a job that 1) has nothing to do with my field and 2) doesn't pay well. I'm hoping to finally break into my career soon (better late than never) and hopefully then I'll be able to say it was money well spent.

Re: Were your student loans worth it? Poll

no-not worth it
not even in that field anymore

AND i didnt even have to go to school for it...DUMB

Re: Were your student loans worth it? Poll

I got my masters in Education at NYU-

I was a HS teacher for a year then left to work as a Corporate Event planner which required zero education. Im VP now at my firm. I only got here through work experience- not my education background.

Re: Were your student loans worth it? Poll

If you just use salary as your benchmark, no, but I moved into the non-profit sector after grad school so I knew I wouldn't be making a lot of money.

But I'm happy I went to grad school, I think it helped me fine tune my skill set further than it was at that time.

I didn't have any undergraduate loans.