Graduate School Scholarships (Wingate: credit, student loans, subsidized)

[zwally]

Any one have any tips for funding graduate school? I am going to Wingate starting in January for elementary education, and they seem to only offer loans or undergrad scholarships. Any ideas in this tough economy? I know I'll be getting a stafford loan at a 6.8% interest, any bank or credit recommendations for student loans?

[JanuaryGirl]

Are you in a MA or PhD program? There aren't as many graduate scholarships as there are for undergraduate, most funding comes from grants for doing research or from assistantships, and most grants are going to go to Ph.D. students. And I hate to say it, but for any scholarships that are out there that you could apply for, it's awfully last-minute to be starting this now. Most have application dates long before the semester starts, and most are geared toward students starting in the fall.

I don't know anything about Wingate but you should check with both your department and the graduate school to see if they offer assistantships. In general you would be either a Teacher's Assistant or a Research Assistant, usually they work 10-20 hours a week and include either a stipend (paycheck) or tuition waiver or both. However, if you are planning on working outside the school, most assistantships prohibit you from having any other employment, so it may or may not be worth it.

As far as loans go, take out Staffords and get as much subsidized as you can (so that they aren't accruing interest till after you graduate). The lender doesn't matter so much, it's usually easiest to go with one of the school's preferred lenders; however, since I had student loans from undergrad I went with the same lender just so I will only have to pay one place instead of two.

Hope that helps, good luck!

[zwally]

Thanks! I know it's late to start, but I wasn't planning on starting my M.A. so soon. However, they lowered the requirements for how many years you had to be teaching from 3 to 2 years experience, so now I qualify.

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

google scholarship and any characteristic you have, like older, woman, Czech background, anything at all! You would be amazed at what I found when I was looking about 12 yrs ago. Things that I would have never thought of.

[lacey3eb]

i would suggest looking into graduate assistantships. that's what a lot of people have done in my program. there really isnt much available at the graduate level aside from loans. good luck!