how do grad students live?

[Anonymous]

Most of the med and law students I knew took out loans (except for the ones with rich parents). They make enough to pay them off.

[Anonymous]

Everyone has already explained how PhD students live.

For professional schools such as doctor, nurse, and lawyer - you pick a program that has a good reputation, take out loans, and hopefully make enough to pay them back.

For physical therapy: if you take out loans, you'll be struggling with tons of debt. Don't go unless you can pay for it.

No idea where PAs fall into this.

[Anonymous]

I think that PAs may be eligible for the National Health Care Corps scholarships. My sister, who is an MD, went to Tufts Medical School on this scholarship and served in a low-income clinic for several years when she graduated. She would have had more freedom if she had taken out loans for a less-expensive state medical school instead. But, it all worked out.

[Anonymous]

https://www.nhsc.hrsa.gov/

Correction, it's the National Health Service Corps. If you've ever seen the old show Northern Exposure, about the doctor who goes to rural Alaska to practice, it's based on this program.

[Anonymous]

23:09 again. I just checked the link, and PA's, NP's, and midwives are eligible as well as dentists and primary care physicians (pediatrics, internists, family practice, psychiatry?). There must be a desire to serve in underserved communities.

[Anonymous]

Master's. Received a scholarship for half the tuition, loans for the other half. Was a GA (graduate assistant - the graduate version of a RA) in the undergraduate dorms for the entire time I was there and that came with free accommodation and a partial meal plan. Worked part time as well, which covered the rest of my living expenses and paid for a trip to Europe for several weeks. Graduated with about 25k in debt, which was less than half than the salary of my first job, so I did quite well in a way. Paid off all loans within three years. I could have paid it off more quickly but interest rates were low and I was also saving for a down payment.

[Anonymous]

PP.

Neglected to add that I was extremely frugal and still lived like a graduate student for about five years after I received my master's. That allowed me to pay off the loan and come up with the down payment on my first property before I hit 30.

If you earmark your entire twenties as a period of living like a grad student and being frugal, you will set yourself up very well for your 30s and the rest of your life.

[Anonymous]

Many medical students these days have rich parents.

My husband works in medical education at Georgetown and currently >50% of their students are self (cash) pay--at $80K a year plus living expenses.
It's increasingly difficult to take out enough loans to pay for medical school. It's becoming a profession for the "already rich".

[Anonymous]

It shouldn't cost much.

All the students in my department had Teaching Assistantships, as did I. All that remained was to pay for certain books, which we got used, and a few university fees (for parking, etc, but I took the free shuttle). The tuition was entirely remitted.

Most students had roommates in apartments near campus. I lived with my husband in a city close to the university.