The MBA Project: Financial Aid
I was just telling my boss today how nervous I was about the fact that I was supposed to confirm that I've accepted my admissions invitation in less than two weeks, but I didn't have any idea what my financial aid package looked like because I hadn't received it yet. It's been making me nervous, quite understandably! Thankfully, later on that afternoon I got an e-mail notification from the school and I am happy to report that I did receive some grant money! I honestly didn't expect much of anything in the way of free money since I don't consider my GMAT scores or my undergrad grades to be particularly exceptional. Respectable, but not exceptional. ((That may be my high expectations talking. Nobody is tougher on me about grades than I am.) But now that I think on it, I think that USD gave me more scholarship money than my undergrad did!
That said, I will still have to take out loans for the lion's share of it, but even then, when I saw the breakdown I realized that I wouldn't need as much as I thought I would--they figure in quite a bit of money for living expenses. I never for a moment considered that I would need to get financial aid for something like that since I'll be working full time. As it turns out, they number they give you when you're applying (i.e. "It costs about $____ to attend for two years") factors in everything--tuition, books, fees, living expenses, etc. Nice! I will probably do the fees and books out of pocket since that won't be an all-at-once expense and my company will cover it as part of their educational reimbursement program. The entire package they offered me covers everything, so if anything, I will just need to turn down some of it. I guess I get to sit down and figure that out tomorrow.
Oh, and another bonus? My pa offered to help me with a new laptop since my Powerbook G4 has been on its last legs for quite some time now. (I stand by Apple products, but eventually old age claims all electronics.) I also received my annual review and a raise just yesterday, which makes the prospect of moving to a bigger and more expensive apartment all that much more attainable now. So all in all? Things are looking pretty good right now!
That said, I will still have to take out loans for the lion's share of it, but even then, when I saw the breakdown I realized that I wouldn't need as much as I thought I would--they figure in quite a bit of money for living expenses. I never for a moment considered that I would need to get financial aid for something like that since I'll be working full time. As it turns out, they number they give you when you're applying (i.e. "It costs about $____ to attend for two years") factors in everything--tuition, books, fees, living expenses, etc. Nice! I will probably do the fees and books out of pocket since that won't be an all-at-once expense and my company will cover it as part of their educational reimbursement program. The entire package they offered me covers everything, so if anything, I will just need to turn down some of it. I guess I get to sit down and figure that out tomorrow.
Oh, and another bonus? My pa offered to help me with a new laptop since my Powerbook G4 has been on its last legs for quite some time now. (I stand by Apple products, but eventually old age claims all electronics.) I also received my annual review and a raise just yesterday, which makes the prospect of moving to a bigger and more expensive apartment all that much more attainable now. So all in all? Things are looking pretty good right now!
